applied to and was accepted for nurse’s training at West Suburban Hospital
in Chicago, thinking it would be a good way to express her Christian love for
helping others.
Nurse’s training got her involved with Wheaton College students affiliated
with the hospital and with nursing students from around the world. Vonnie
finished her training, received her R.N. degree in 1951, and enrolled and
was accepted at Wheaton, where she received a B.S. degree in 1952. Her
path never crossed Walt’s at Wheaton.
Vonnie Schreurs
(Photo Courtesy of Norman Steinkraus)
Vonnie still exhibited her carefree and dreamy life in college. If given a choice between study and fun,
Vonnie usually chose fun. However, her activities were sometimes limited by the motion sickness that
plagued her throughout her life.
Then one evening Vonnie attended a showing of the Wycliffe Bible Translators first film, “O for a
Thousand Tongues”. In that film, the story was told about Bill Bentley, a Bible translator to the Tzeltal
people of Mexico. While attending linguistic classes at SIL in February 1941, he met Marianna Slocum,
who was being trained as a Bible translator. They fell in love and planned to be married that August.
However, six days before the wedding, Bill died. Feeling dazed, she wondered if she should go to the
field alone and if she should take up Bill’s work.
Marianna called Cameron Townsend and asked if she could go and finish the work Bill began. Cameron
answered, noting later, “Who would have the heart to say ‘no’ to such a request?” So she went and in
1947 she was joined by a nurse, Florence Gerdel. Together they translated the New Testament. Soon
there were not only hundreds, but eventually thousands of believers in the place where Bill Bentley had
found few.
The film ended with a verse from Revelation 7:9-10 and a call by Wycliffe’s founder for young people to
join the work going on in Amazonia and around the world. Vonnie could not see how her life would in
many respects mirror the story she had heard, but she was moved and left that night resolved to
become involved.
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