Freshman Frances Labore studied to become a mortician to help families with the grieving process. F or many, a mortuary was the last place a person would wane to work but not for freshman Bible and ministry major Frances Labore who dreamed of becoming a mortician. Labore's passion developed when her grandfather talked to her and her brother about death and death culture in various societies. For eight years, Labore planned to study archaeology through the College of Bible and Ministry,but her personal experiences led to a further interest in mortuary science. Although this was not a specific area of study at Harding, she used classes in the College of Bible and Ministry to help her prepare for this career goal. "When I was eight, my grandfather died, and he was cremated," Labore said. "I didn't know what cremation was and nobody explained it to me because they were all in their own grieving process. It took a couple of months of me figuring out what I wanted to do, and it suddenly hit [me] that I wanted to work in mortuary science and in the funeral industry." According to Labore, Americans industrialized and sterilized the funeral processesand did not look at it as a personal or religious process. Lahore's main objective was to bring back the personal and religious aspects and the individuality of the funeral home. Labore wanted to start a nonprofit funeral home that focused on the process ofgrieving and giving closure to families. "Whenever the body is sent to the funeral home, it's buried [and] nobody takes care of the family," Labore said. "No one checks in with them." One of the main areas that Labore wanted to focus on was children. According to Labore, most children did not understand the process of losing a family member. Labore wanted to offer a counseling program for children in the grieving process. "Families can't really explain [the] grieving process, and they would dance around the subject, which can be harmful for children," Labore said. According to Assistant Professor ofBible and Ministry Mac Sandlin, having someonewith a ministry background, a heart for ministry and a training in spiritualiryhad the potential to bless families while they are hurting. "The thing that I like about her and the idea ofgoing to mortuary school [is that] it allows her to take ofwhat might just be a style or a way of being different or dramatic [with] things like death and turn it into something to actually help people," Sandlin said. Acco rding to Sandlin, Labore had a strong sense ofempathy. Sandlin tried to encourage other students to find something that could be useful for the kingdom and then develop a passion based on what their calling could be. "Frances hasn't always wanted to be a mortician, she wanted to be an archaeologist when she first came to school, but that wasn't a good fit for her talents, gift set and calling," Sandlin said. "[Being a mortician] seems to me like a wise choice, and she happens to have a passion for it." Sophomore SallyRoach, a close friend of Labore, found inspiration in Labore's mind and her ability to view the world through a different lens. 'I know a little bit about her dream and how she wants to help people cope with death in a good and healthy way," Roach said. "It is very peculiar seeming at first, to think she wants to be around death, but it is encouraging that she seeks to bring light into that dark place. Frances reveals God's beauty in just being who she is. She is an incredible artist that has a gift of depicting the stories of the Bible and of illustrating the nature of God." According to Labore, her mom told her that work in the funeral industry ran in her family sinceshe had great-grandparents who were coffin makers. "I literally felt like I woke up, and this is what I need to do, what I am meant to do," Labore said. "And, of course, I still have an interest in archeology, but I felt like what I am made to do is to work with the dead and with grieving families. I have the empathy to understand, and I have the ability to know how to change the process." tory by Caleb Mejia On Dec. 4, 2018, outside the George S. Benson Auditorium, freshman Frances Labore shares her dreams of becoming a mortician. Labore first came to Harding to study archeology but later found her calling in mortuary science. I photo by Angelo Felix 174
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