Answering God's Call: From Bethel to Medical Missions, Faith Pyne’s Journey of Service

Faith Pyne ’19 discovered her passion and purpose early on.

It all started in high school, where she developed a strong interest in studying the culture of Latin America, coinciding with her pursuit of learning Spanish. As she progressed through her academic path, her passion for service began to blossom while studying nursing at Bethel University.

It was during this time that Pyne experienced a unique spiritual vision, seeing herself providing medical services to children in underdeveloped countries. After graduating and spending four years working at Children’s Hospital as a nurse, she is now preparing to embark on a missions journey to Latin America, merging both her professional experiences and faith-based aspirations. 

Reflecting on her college experience, Pyne remarks on how her passion and spiritual aspirations came together in her life. “Looking back, it is so amazing seeing how God placed that passion in my heart for Guatemala and revealed a more specific vision for missions during my time in college,” she says. However, Pyne’s path was not always clear-cut. From wrestling with college indecision to navigating financial uncertainties, her story is a testament to her connection with the calling that God has placed in her life.

She reveals that her decision to go to Bethel, despite initial concerns about cost, was God’s plan for her. “I said yes to Bethel, even though I was very nervous about it being expensive and not being able to afford it,” she says. Originally planning to pursue social work at another college, a campus tour at Bethel and her mother's strong encouragement led her to consider nursing at Bethel. She affirms, “It was all orchestrated by God, and God definitely came through for me financially at Bethel, with two grants, scholarships, and the jobs I had there, as well as graduating from Bethel with very minimal debt.”

Faith’s active involvement in extracurriculars at Bethel helped shape her understanding of how her faith played out in the real world. "One of the clubs I got involved in at Bethel was, a student-led ministry to the homeless population on Hennepin Avenue and the student population in Dinkytown," she recalls. This club played a vital role in expanding her understanding of living out her faith beyond Bethel.

Along with bringing necessities like food, water, and warm clothing, Pyne and other members actively engaged with individuals through prayer and sharing their own stories of “how Jesus had touched their lives.”

Faith vividly remembers one particular night that left a profound impact on her. As their Bible study outside of a bar concluded, everyone stood up and formed one circle, holding hands and praying together. She recalls the realization that struck her during that prayer. She thought, "Wow, I am literally holding hands right now with people who have all sorts of criminal records... and it doesn't matter." In that moment, she comprehended the power of how Christ’s love cleanses a multitude of transgressions.  

Bethel was not only a space for deepening Pyne’s connection with her faith, but she also credits the university for properly equipping her with the necessary skills and experiences that laid the foundation for her path in the medical field. She highlights the value of Bethel’s nursing program, which proved to be very helpful. "Since I was interested in pediatrics from the start, I applied to that program and got accepted, enabling me to gain hands-on experience at Children's Hospital in St. Paul and Minneapolis. This helped me get my foot in the door, and I eventually secured a position in the same unit I interned,” she explains.

Following her graduation, she continued on to a fulfilling career at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. “I worked at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis right off the bat from 2019 to this year, almost four years working there,” she says. The decision to leave her job at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis was not an easy one, but Pyne knew it was a necessary step toward fulfilling her calling. Each interaction at the hospital deepened her desire to provide medical assistance to those in need on a global scale.

Pyne recalls how her understanding of God's calling has evolved over time, starting during her teenage years.

One of her strong interests in high school was studying Latin American culture and the Spanish language, particularly feeling drawn to Guatemala. However, in college, as she neared the end of her nursing program, she had a profound experience that tied it all together.

“In college just before I graduated, I was sitting in my dorm room doing my nursing assignment when I received an image in my head,” she explains. “The image was an African woman wearing blue scrubs surrounded by children under a large tree. The background was in a third-world country. This vision brought the word “missions” in my head, and I felt like through this image God was trying to redirect my path.” Instead of pursuing a career as a travel nurse, she felt called to serve as a long-term medical missionary overseas, combining her nursing skills with her passion for Latin America and her newfound calling.

Pyne’s next steps include embarking on a long-term missions journey next month, traveling to Guatemala, then Nicaragua, and working diligently to re-open a clinic that will bring hope and healing to those who have been without proper medical care. Pyne’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of faith and service.

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