From Missions to Admissions

Newly hired Bluefield College admissions counselor Ian Monaghan, along with his wife, Faith, recently spent 10 months on the mission field prior to coming to Bluefield.

Monaghan was raised in Baltimore, Ohio, graduating from Liberty Union High School. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Ohio Christian University where he majored in Christian Ministry.

The desire to do mission work Monaghan said was inspired by his youth pastor, Joel Guinen, who served as his mentor after the passing of his father.

“When I lost my dad in the 11th grade Joel was there to step up and fulfill the role of a mentor,” Monaghan said. “(He was) someone who I could look up to and emulate.”

Monaghan also said that both he and his wife always felt that there was more they could be doing, both seeking to serve others for the greater good.

“The time to invest in individuals has always been something that we prioritize in our lives,” he said.

In total, Monaghan has been on four mission trips: three short-term in the United States and one long-term overseas. The stateside missions involved disaster cleanup, rebuilding, working with soup kitchens, and doing local evangelism.

On the long-term trip, both Monaghan and his wife spent 10 months serving with a missions organization called “Rising Sun Missions” in the Dominican Republic. While they were there, they built mission property, developed rapport with surrounding communities, grew relationships with the children they served, created curriculum, and overall further established “Rising Sun Missions.”

Monaghan said the most impactful moment on the trip was witnessing the compassionate hearts of the people there.

“To see the generosity of the Dominican and Haitian people of the Dominican Republic is breathtaking,” he said. “The people who have next to nothing do everything they can to ensure their neighbors don’t go without. The compassion of those people deserves to be praised.”

Both Monaghan and his wife agreed that being able to invest into the lives of the children they serve is one of the most rewarding aspects of mission work. However, with rewards also come challenges. Monaghan stated that spending 10 months away from home was difficult and “the homesick was real.”

As one journey ended, a new one was about to begin. Initially discovering the Bluefield area through Alan and Jess Smith, both staff members at Bluefield College, Monaghan and his wife made the move to BC after he accepted the position as an admissions counselor. Monaghan said it was the heart of the staff and faculty and vision of the college that they fell in love with.

And while his service may have changed from missions to admissions, Monaghan encourages students to consider mission work.

“There is a time to pray and make sure this is the direction that God wants you to go,” he said. “There is a time to seek wise counsel and talk about the implications of this decision. However, there is also a time to just say, ‘okay.’ You can be unsure; you probably won’t get a straight answer, but if not you then who? And remember, ‘you were born for such a time as this’ (Esther 4:14).”

And while his mission field has shifted, Monaghan said he will always consider himself a missionary. His main goal remains unchanged: to know God and to make Him known.