By: Trinity Goode
Described as a “selfless servant,” Ella Kestner follows in the footsteps of Jesus to carry out her passions for people.
Heart for Missions
Ella Kestner, a junior majoring in Multimedia communications at Olivet Nazarene University, hopes to continue her journey in servanthood through multimedia missions. Multimedia doesn’t have a set route which makes it “beautiful and challenging” Kestner said. She seeks to serve using her skills in people’s lives such as working on a creative team at a church for ministerial missions.
The comm department at Olivet has shaped her love by being so encouraging in sending students out into the world, challenging her, and supplying her with unique connections and opportunities. A close friend, Sophie Close, described Kestner as one of the most selfless people she has ever met.
“She strives to know Jesus with all her heart, all her mind and all her soul”
Close Said
Seeking God in every struggle, Close views Kestner as someone who would be perfect in service because of her passion and maturity to go to God in even the hardest moments. Kestner has a passion to love people and jumped right into His purpose for her, allowing Him to equip her with what she would need along the way such as being an RA or working for Miracle Camp.
“I have such a big heart for camp ministry, it’s something the Lord has really equipped and called me to do”
Kestner Said
Kestner participates and leads a variety of activities for Miracle Camp this past summer of 2023. Her goal was to change lives and make a difference in the people around her through her work. Photos provided by Ella Kestner
Coming to Olivet
What started out as a lack of interest ended in ONU becoming a huge blessing in Ella Kestner’s life. Growing up in a Nazarene church in Sparta, Michigan, Kestner spent many summers at a camp that greatly encouraged students to go to Olivet Nazarene University. Unfortunately, there was more than one barrier stopping her from stepping into that reality. Financially Olivet wasn’t feasible, she had no roommate, and she didn’t really care to go there.
“Lord lead me where I’m supposed to be going, but not Olivet, not Olivet”
Kestner said
But all that changed in one summer. A woman in her church helped her contact a roommate. She then learned she was able to get half off tuition through her church, making the decision a lot easier. After visiting the campus in, Kestner said she felt at peace with the decision to come here and has gotten involved in many ways since then.
Spoons 4 Forks
Fresh out of high school, Kestner remembers feeling the common freshman perception that she was all alone. While struggling with her home life and a challenged relationship with her roommate she felt as if she was “grasping for friends.” During a club fair she encountered Spoons 4 Forks, the on-campus comedy club. Immediately drawn into their humor she decided to go to a show of theirs to check them out.
She was instantly captivated and joined the team. These people became her best friends, her lifeline, a place where she felt she could actually fit in for the first time since being at school.
Some of her favorite memories included the team, such as a late-night grocery run for tortillas, butter, and cheese. They then decided to cook quesadillas over a manhole cover on campus which she referred to as “ground tortillas” said Kestner. Listen to Kestner recall the memory.
Sophie Close, a valued friend of Kestner’s who tried to go to every show, said that Ella Kestner added a different kind of humor to the show. Close recognized that Kestner was filled with such a light from Jesus that every scene she was in included a lightness to her humor. Kestner affected the whole team with her kindness and love of God, it brought a different element that didn’t go unnoticed by those who enjoyed the shows.
Current Hobbies
Beyond the ministry work done through camps, Kestner furthered her passions to be a freshman Resident Assistant in Parrott Hall. This role allows her to connect with freshman girls who are going through all sorts of difficulties while adjusting to college life.
She also gets to be a part of a team of young women who share a heart to serve the girls they work with every day. Being an RA is a 24/7 job unlike your typical nine to five. This role may have been influenced by Close during her sophomore year. Close was a freshman RA as well that year and said that Kestner frequently sat with her the long hours of sitting desk at night.
Kestner is sitting desk in order to make sure all her residents get in safely on Saturday, November 4th. She awaited the other Resident Assistants to finish room checks so they could discuss their weeks with residents while sitting on the black couch to the right, known as the “therapy couch” for RA vent sessions. Photo by Trinity Goode
On top of her role as an RA, she also works at the Rock Wall in Perry located on campus as well.
“My freshman year I climbed a lot and I’ve climbed a lot less since working there but I still love hanging out down there”
Kestner Said
She loves climbing and made it a regular habit her first two years of school. Now she works there and climbs while she works as well as helping others to scale the walls too.
