MTP 50: Ashlee Balena, Part 1, UNC Wilmington, Sharing Christ as a Professor While Keeping Your Job

Dr. Ashlee Balena, Senior Lecturer of Spanish at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, shares how she integrates her Christian faith into her role as a professor. We discuss her journey back to Christ, practical ways she signals to students that she is a safe space for Christ-centered conversations, and bold steps of obedience that have led to incredible opportunities for sharing Christ on campus.

​You can view Dr. Ashlee Balena's profile on Meet The Prof at:​
https://meettheprof.com/view/professo...

Email Dr. Balena: abalena@uncw.edu

Main Takeaways:

Ashlee has frequently shared about her Christian faith on campus without facing negative repercussions.

Her personal items (cross necklace, ring, laptop sticker) and syllabus biography signal to students that she is open to Christ-centered conversations.

She has prayed with students in need, approached strangers on campus to offer prayer, and followed small Holy Spirit nudges that led to lasting impacts.

Her personal testimony highlights the shift from spiritual searching to a real relationship with Jesus.

#ChristianProfessor #SharingJesus #FaithOnCampus #ChristCenteredConversations #MinistryInAcademia #BoldFaith #ObedienceToGod #MeetTheProf #StudentMentorship #MissionMinded #GospelInTheWorkplace 

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Transcript

0:00

Hi, I'm David Edwards. I'm a senior here at UNCW. And one question I have for Christian professors is how can you best spread the gospel while also toeing the line of being professional in the workplace and really just keeping your job, I guess? Hey everybody, welcome to Meet the Prof. This is the podcast where we interview Christian professors using real questions from college students. And our goal is to encourage Christ-centered conversations on the college campus. If this is your first time here, thank you for joining us. It's so good to have you and I appreciate everyone listening in. I know your time is valuable. So hopefully you're walking on a treadmill, exercising. driving your commute, something where you can get some work done too. you're in for a great conversation today. This is gonna be part one of my interview with Dr. Ashlee Balena. She is senior lecturer of Spanish at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. I think you're gonna be encouraged about two things specifically. One is the amount of faith that she has when she steps into uncomfortable conversations where she feels like God's leading her. And then two, how often she is able to share faith in Christ on campus and not have any negative pushback. So I know a lot of professors have had questions of how much can I talk about spiritual things on campus? think you'll find Ashlee's account inspiring and encouraging to you. Another thing that's very special about this episode, this is episode 50. So I am celebrating God's faithfulness to have so many professors who've been willing to share Jesus on this podcast. And I really appreciate you being a part of that with us. I sort of like milestones and the number 50 seems like a great milestone now. Well, without any further ado, let's jump in. Here's my interview with Dr. Ashlee Balena. Well Ashley, it's so good to get to interview you now. So how are you doing? I'm doing great, Shane. Thanks for having me. yeah, I've been looking forward to this. I don't know if you remember this, I met you almost exactly 10 years ago through a mutual friend of ours, LJ Randolph, who's now teaching in Wisconsin. But it's been great, my wife and I, get to know you these last years. But I still learned something about you. So the very first thing I want to ask you is from your Meet the Prof profile. Yes. there's a section that says, Nobody knows I, and then you filled it in and you said, most people don't know that you were in a couple of commercials when you were overseas, in Ecuador. tell us about these commercials. Okay, so back in Ecuador, I lived there for a total of four years and I was very exotic during that time. I had very blonde hair. I like to call it Phoebe blonde, because Friends. And so I was walking down the street one day and a woman approached me and she said, would you like to be a model? Right. And I'm just like, well, I don't know. then, so. I went to my host mom and I gave her the card. said, is this legit? She said, yeah, yeah, you should look into it. So from there, I was on a Ponds commercial. what Ponds, like the face cream? well anyway, it's, yes, Ponds. So the Ponds commercial, this is the funny thing. So I had this little girl who's probably, eight years old, right? And then I was 22 and I was pretending that I use Ponds and I have this eight year old child. So commercials are all lies. Okay. So yeah, so I was in the commercial, but the funny thing, the embarrassing thing, I know you like embarrassing stories. So I was, I did the commercial and then I was interviewed. So I went to this interview and I was the gringa, you know, in the interview and the person just like you, thanks for coming. We're happy that you're here. And I said, gracias por tenerme aqui. So that literally is thank you for having me. Well, in Spanish, when you tener someone, it's like they have you like a hostage situation. And so it was like, thank you for keeping me here. So later, it was like, did you realize what you're saying? was like, yeah, gracias por tenerme aqui. What's wrong? It makes sense. That's the best way of learning language, isn't it? Being immersed in the culture, then you say mistakes. if you don't embarrass yourself then you're not really there, you're not learning. So yeah, I embarrassed myself quite a bit in South America, but I'm a better professor because of that, think, all those experiences. All right, so you've already started, you've opened this can of worms, so I'm gonna ask you now, what is your most embarrassing moment you've ever had as a professor? Yeah, you can go back to your student years too. We've asked a lot of professors that, either one. yes, well I would have to say when I was a TA I Put on some Latin music. So I like to start my class off with some Latin music Well, I had my little back then, you know before we had computers in the classroom. I had my little boombox I came in with my boombox put on the music and it's like the Latin sounds like you know, and then a professor knocked on the door banging on the door opened it come in and he said turn that music down and I was just like so anyway I'm really careful about the volume because I mean we were having a fiesta in the classroom and that professor wasn't very happy so and then I told my students like I lo siento well I think I even told him in Spanish lo siento because I was like okay so yeah Yeah. Well, all right. So Ashley, how did you become a Christian? Tell us how God brought you to him. Well, I was born into a family that went to church on Sundays. so, and my mom, I always heard her say things like, well, put it in God's hands. you know, so was just, it was just part of the family. But then when I became a teenager, my parents just kind of let that go. It was like, okay, we're going to go to church. So you just, could have that foundation. And then once I was a teenager, it kind of slacked off and. Then eventually I got back into church through a youth group. And so through the youth group at the Methodist Church, because I was Baptist and then I started going to the youth group with a friend in the Methodist Church. And then that sort of rekindled again. But then when I came to UNCW, so I'm actually I teach at UNCW and then I was a student at UNCW. So full circle, Seahawks, go Seahawks. But anyway. I got out of church again, you know, like a lot of people do. They go to college and then it's like, well, that's what I did as a kid, but not anymore. it really, there was a long time where I just wasn't in anything. And I went through in the nineties, it was sort of like the, I'm not religious, I'm spiritual time. I was into anything that was like universe. Like I wouldn't say God anymore. It was like the universe. So I think what brought me back and I remember you told me the Shane, you said even through that part of my time my life You said that God's fingerprints were all over it and I love that and I because he was reaching for me But I just I didn't I couldn't see you know, it's like the the world blinded me a little bit, you know and then in 2014 I decided it was actually New Year's resolution. said I need to find a church home. And one of the reasons was because of a book I read. It was Rick Warren's A Purpose Driven Life, right? Well, I was reading this book and I, know, chapter one, I'm like, yeah, right on. This is great. know, chapter two, yeah, three, yeah. And then it got to the chapter where he says you need a church family. And then I was like, I really need a church family. mean, I can pray, you know, and but but it and I'm like, yeah, well, you got it. Warren, you're awesome. But I don't know about that one. Do you really? So so then I read the rest of the book. But then, you know, the seed was planted. Right. And so around New Year's, I decided, you know, I want to pray on this. And I was like, if all things are lost, let's pray. Right. This should be the first thing we do. But it's like, OK, I guess we have to pray now. And then I prayed and I said, Lord, help me find a church home. If that's if that's really what you want me to do, help me find a church home. Well, I decided to go to LifePoint Churches five minutes from our house. So I'm all about convenience. I was like, well, if it's close by, I'll go. So I said, I'll try this LifePoint Church. And then my husband, because I had told him we need to find a church home. He said. Well, let's go to my boss's church because he told me there's this church and it's supposed to be really great and he loves it there. Great community. And I said, OK, well, we'll just go to your boss's church. It was the same church. It was LifePoint. It was LifePoint. I was like, there you go. That's all I need. And what I like about LifePoint church and I'm still there. It's, you know, 11 years later. But what I like about it is that. You go in and it's it's very relevant like what the message is relevant is that it's Jesus love and how can I show the love of Jesus to my students to my friends to my family how can I be his hands and feet and And it's just relevant for it's practical very practical and I think that's what really drew me in And then from that I was baptized and went on some mission trips and I just felt like this, it really just opened up. So that's where I am now. So I found my place, found my church home. What do you remember it feeling like when you first started going to church there? You've been gone for a while, you've made this step to go. What did that feel like? Well, I realized that what was missing when I was doing these, know, these, these universe, they call it the occults when you go to these, you know, bookstores and, but things like astrology and crystals and you know, all these things, but there was something missing. And then when I went to LifePoint and I heard this, the, the love of Jesus, which I had heard before as a child, But when I heard it hit different, was, it was like, this is it. This is it. And I just felt a presence. And I think that's the difference is when I went back in 2014, I felt God's presence. felt Jesus in here. And then it became a relationship. So it was, it wasn't anymore, I'm going to church. We'll hear a story. It was, he's here with me right now. and he is interested in everything I do. He's interested in the big questions, he's interested in the small questions, he's interested in, what outfits should I wear today? He wants to be a part of everything and he's with us. He is with us. When you accept Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior and we are all sinners in need of a Savior, he's our Savior. and we need him. But the great thing is He wants us. Just like the 99, know, the shepherd with the sheep. If you're lost, he wants you and he'll leave the 99 for you. And so that's what I think I came away with in 2014, going back to the church. Sure, absolutely. you've told your pastor that, Yeah, well I have I have told him how when I started LifePoint church in our church. They talk a lot about what's your next step? What's your next step because you're never? Static it's you're always moving toward sanctification is what you know Rick Warren talks about in his book But you're never there. You never arrive. You're always Even with Spanish like I feel like I'm always learning new words. I'm always yeah Learning new things. So same thing with with your journey. You're always moving forward and by starting at life point I felt like I renewed my commitment Was baptized I read the the Bible Cover-to-cover I would have never thought to do that But yeah, start when I asked my pastor I said I really feel led to read the Bible and I said where do I start and he said you need to start with the book of John and I said, okay I'll do that. So I started with John and then I decided I'm gonna read all the gospel So I went back Matthew Mark Luke read John again did the New Testament then I was like, okay I gotta do the Old Testament and then when I read the Old Testament it was after reading the New Testament I was like my gosh they they're preparing for Jesus arrival like you can see how it's just it's a build-up right so so yeah and then I did the mission trips which just opened my eyes even more and so so just being in so I always felt led to learn Spanish it was easy for me I loved it I was like, I didn't really realize how important it was. I know it's like it's I'm teaching Spanish so that I can reach students but when I was in Nicaragua for the first time and I I was there speaking to people and talking about Jesus to the people there and sharing my faith there I just had a moment where I was like, That's why that's why it's Spanish All right And so and since then I did some Spanish courses kind of like for the the missions people going on missions trips to Nicaragua and one thing the pastor told me pastor Darrell he always does the mission trips to Nicaragua I only went one year but since then since 2015 I was doing these classes and helping the missionaries prepare and he told me he said you know you were only there that one year but you've been there every year and I'm just like I just got chills because I'm like Because teaching someone, Cristo te ama, Christ loves you. So I teach those words and then those words are spoken and just the impact, like the ripple effect. just can't wait. on the other side of, know, when we're in heaven, I just can't wait to see what ripples that caused. Yeah. yeah. So you grew up when you were younger, you go to church, and it sounds like maybe some of that was duty. What have you learned about the difference between doing things like ministry out of a heart of overflowing love versus out of a sense of duty? yeah, so when your heart's in it then there's an ease to it, right? And I think you have to make it your own because I think what happens is children, they're told to go to church and then they go to church out of duty because their parents and then and then when they get to college it's like, okay, I don't have to do that anymore. And then so my prayer is that when when I have a student in my class that they that they know they don't have to give that up, that it's not something that you only have when you're young. It's something that you can continue and have your own relationship. Because you can't go by your parents' relationship. You have to at some point have your own relationship with Jesus and be his hands and feet. And so at the university, that's one thing. I really want them to know is that they don't have to leave that behind. know, they're in Wilmington, North Carolina. Their relationship with Jesus doesn't have to stay in Concord, know, Concord or wherever they're from. And also that they're in a safe space, so where I am. So for example, I wear my heart, my little cross here, you can see. I wear my cross. Yeah. And then I also have a cross on my ring here. And then when students come to my office, they see my computer, the back of my computer when you first walk in. I have a sticker that says he is greater than I. So I really think the difference is between duty and heart is when it becomes your own. That makes sense. Well, we've received questions from college students. There's a question we have that relates some with what you were saying here. So take a listen to this student's question. Okay. Hi, I'm David Edwards. I'm a senior here at UNCW. And one question I have for Christian professors is how can you best spread the gospel while also toeing the line of being professional in the workplace and really just keeping your job, I guess? Thank you, David, for your question. I think that's an amazing question because I know some people are or some professors are afraid to share their faith and that either someone will complain or they'll be reprimanded. And I can say one thing, I have never been reprimanded for sharing my faith. I think it started first with if a student would approach me because of a test or a composition or I would find that moment to share my faith. And so what I will say, I'll give you an example. So I had a student who missed a test, just completely woke up late, missed a test, and I could smell alcohol on his breath. And so I'm sure it was just a late night or something like that. And so he was telling me about just he was just unloading. was just saying, I'm so sorry I missed the test. And then he was telling me about his roommate situation and his job and trying to graduate and just everything was just building up and he was just having a really hard time juggling. And I asked him if I could pray for him and this was the Holy Spirit. This was not me because I mean, it's like. I've always been a little bit nervous about praying out loud. That's just one of the things I I have and I'm like, what am I doing? It's like so I I with the student here so I prayed for him and I just asked for the Lord's guidance and to help him with his next steps and and he started crying and he I really felt like he was touched and So things like that. when a student has an issue, they come to my office and this is one way I lead. I say, I'm a woman of faith. And I just put it out there and say, I'm a woman of faith. I believe that our prayers matter and I'm going to pray for you. And sometimes I do pray in the moment. Other times I'll pray afterwards or while I'm talking to them, I'm praying. know, like, Lord, give me the words I need to. to give to this person so that they know that they're loved and it's not, they don't have to live a life of despair, that there is hope in Jesus. And another thing I do is I have a Canvas site. So for my classes, the students go onto Canvas and I have my syllabus, my calendar, PowerPoints used in class study guides, those kinds of things. And on the syllabus tab, I have the syllabus and then the calendar and then Useful expressions for them to use in class because they need to use espanol And then underneath that I have conoce a tu profesora, which means get to know your professor like meet the professor kind of but in Spanish and in that I have a paragraph and I talk about how I Go to this church. I have a link to the church So if someone is interested and they want to check out my church they can and then I talk about how I've done the missions trips and how that's life-changing and then I also at the very end I say and my prayer for every class is that students will get to see that this isn't a have to but a get to and I also tell the students on the last one of the last days of class I say, now now use your Spanish for good and I'll say take that missions trip now and then I'll say or you know order something at a restaurant, know, whatever. But I'm just like, but I do say mission trip specifically because I know I have students who are thinking missions trip. Like I know a little bit of Spanish now. Maybe I can go on a missions trip. and actually I did go, my, last mission trip was in Guatemala with a student, a student of mine told me about her mission trip. And I said, I've had Guatemala on my heart and she said, you should come. I'm like, yeah, I don't know. And so she was really persistent. Be persistent, people. She was persistent. And I ended up taking my girls with me to Guatemala. And that was just so amazing. I did the Bible study in Spanish with the little kids. And we sang, Cristo te ama, bien lo sé. Aww. So just yeah, but anyway going back, it was the, so I have it in my get to meet your professor so that they know I'm a woman of faith and I'm a safe space. And when they go into my office, they see the cross, they see he is greater than I. And so hopefully they can see not only in these little things like the ring and the necklace and the biography but hopefully that they'll see it in the way I treat them and I hope that the love of Jesus comes through with the way I speak to them and the respect that I give them so that's an in mercy you know God says you know be merciful and can I show mercy where can I show mercy and I do that What was that like to be on a mission trip with your students? That was awesome because you know, I'm teaching her Spanish and then we get there and then she's using Spanish and it's just like a proud mama. You know, look at her go. Yeah, yeah. And then my daughters too, you know, seeing them using the language and loving on those kids because a lot of the mission trip we give, we talk about Jesus's love and I talked about the metamorphosis of a of a butterfly, that was part of my lesson and how we grow. you know, we start off as little caterpillars in faith, and then we turn into this butterfly. So that was part of my lesson. part of it is the lesson. then part of it is just loving on those kids and playing with them and kicking a soccer ball around and, you know, go get the ball. Like, so little things like that in Spanish, you know, hearing my student and hearing my girls, you know, using those things and you when you're talking to a person in their language that goes to their heart. And that's something Nelson Mandela said, if you speak to someone in a language that they understand, that goes to their head. But when you speak to the language that's their language, it goes to their heart. And so there is a special thing, just like Paul did, right? Paul used the language of the people so that he could connect with them. And so that's how I feel with Spanish, you know using the language that they speak that goes to their heart. It just hits different So yeah, I feel like language is such an important part of sharing God's love So you shared that story about praying with your student. To me, that sounds like a very big step of faith. Were there any other times when God presented you with an opportunity to take a bold step of faith on campus? yes, yes. And the funny thing is that the Holy Spirit tells me, right, he nudges you and it's like, you need to go talk to that person. You need to pray for that person. And of course my first reaction, and I need to work on this, is, oh no, I could never. I'm gonna look stupid. They're gonna like say, no, why do you wanna pray for me? You're just imagining these things. But I was walking down the sidewalk one day. I saw a girl it looked like she was crying and I kind of looked I was like hmm, and then she and then she kept doing like this and I was like, I really think she's crying and then came around the corner and then she just let it all out and she was like sobbing, right? So just sobbing and I thought okay and then the Holy Spirit said you need to go pray for her So I went up to her and I said, I'm a woman of faith. So that just helps me. This kind of like say, okay, this is this is what's happening. I'm a woman of faith. Yes. Yes. I'm a woman of faith. And I saw that you're upset. Is it okay if I pray for you? And and I prayed for her and she did seem like she was a little bit more at peace and at rest. And you just don't know how that's going to affect someone. And And I hear about things and I'll just give an example yesterday The Lord led ten years ago. We had a new person come and work as an administrative assistant and I had a ten dollar Starbucks gift card and I don't know why but something it's the Holy Spirit again Said go give it to that administrative assistant. Well, I didn't know her and she was new But I was like, okay, so I'm going to be obedient. So I went to her and I just said, welcome to our department. So happy you're here. Here's here's a gift card for just go get you some coffee. And she's like, thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Well, 10 years later, I see her in the hallway and she's moved to a different department doing a different thing. And she said, you know, when you gave me that gift card, it just let me know that I was in the right place. and it meant so much to me and because of that anytime we onboard new people I give them a gift card so that yes and so it's like it's you know just continuing and she's like it's a tradition I do now and it was just sort of like a last minute I think I'll give her that gift card and and and if I could say anything to your listeners is be obedient be obedient if when you hear it just do it. just do it, be like Nike, just do it. And it's so easy to talk ourselves out of it. But when you talk yourself out of it, you're talking yourself out of the blessing because there's such a huge blessing on the other side of obedience. And I've seen it time and time again. And so just her telling me that was so much worth so much more than.$10 could ever a coffee could ever you know, it's like you drink a coffee and then you know think about it again But this is something that'll stay with me. You know that just just being obedient just doing what this Holy Spirit tells you to do What a great challenge. Thank you for that. I I put myself where you were and it would be very easy for me to explain some things away or make excuses. I don't really, people don't go up and ask people to pray for you. Like, why would God be leading me to do that? Or give away my 10 bucks Starbucks, it's just a card. I like Starbucks, I'd like to keep it. Right. Wow. And it had ripple effects. Thank you for sharing that. Mm-hmm. for steps of faith and trying to be available for where God might be leading. Yes. And don't explain it away. And when you just get that little nudge, listen to the nudge, feel the nudge. And part of feeling the nudge is just being open and ask, ask the Holy Spirit, you know, show me where you want, where do you want to use me today? And he will. And he will. Well, let's pause there. You'll have to stay tuned for next week when we do part two of my interview with Dr. Balena. I think you'll be encouraged still to hear more about how she lives out her faith on campus. And I'd like to ask you to do something. Would you take a moment, if you're on YouTube now, and click subscribe and then also leave a message for Ashlee in the comments? You could say something you appreciate, a question you have. And if you're listening to this podcast through Apple Podcasts or Spotify or something else, would you please take a minute to think who you could share this with? If it'd be helpful for a professor you know, a student or a parent of a student. So I hope you'll tune in next time for part two of my interview with Ashlee. And until then, we hope this encourages you to have a Christ-centered conversation on your college campus.