Name | Benjamin Turkalj
Hometown | Belica, Croatia
Undergraduate Degree Program | Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Studies
Class of | 2006
Graduate Degree Program | Master of Ministry
Name | Heidi Turkalj
Hometown | Belica, Croatia
Undergraduate Degree Program | Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Class of | 2006
Graduate Degree Program | Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
From the Word
Heidi grew up in Vienna, Austria, and Benjamin in Belica, Croatia. In 1996, Heidi's family moved to northern Croatia, where she met Benjamin through youth group and other church gatherings. Their youth pastor began a church plant in a nearby town, and they decided to join the team, leading worship and participating in evangelism. They married in 2000, and continued to minister with the church in Belica. They were continually reminded of the need for trained spiritual leaders in Croatia, where evangelicals make up less than 0.1 percent of the population.
After a visit to Moody's campus in 1999, the couple decided to apply. "We had heard great things about the academic, spiritual and practical aspects of the undergraduate program," Heidi says. "When we were accepted, we felt confirmation that God wanted us to leave our families and church in Croatia to get the training we needed for full-time ministry there."
To Life
As undergraduate students at Moody, Heidi and Benjamin served in ministry together, often through their Practical Christian Ministries assignments. "We like the practical element of serving outside Moody while students here," says Benjamin. "It reminds us that our goal is not academic achievement, but serving the community of people around us and being a light for Christ." Since 2006, Benjamin and Heidi have been actively involved in Forest Preserve Bible Church in Chicago. Benjamin served as an intern and has ministered through preaching, technical support and leading worship, while Heidi coordinates the church's worship band.
"It isn’t always what you expect from the classroom that you will end up applying in ministry," says Heidi. "God teaches subtle lessons of perseverance, patience and faithfulness to Him. As we serve and study, we’re learning how to integrate theology into the way we live and function as a church, how to be sensitive to God’s leading, how to draw from Scripture and church history to worship God more fully." During their time at Moody, Benjamin and Heidi have been influenced by growing and struggling together with fellow students and by personal relationships with professors.
After completing their studies at Moody Graduate School, Heidi and Benjamin plan to return to Croatia to serve in their church in Belica. They have been appointed by the missions organization PIONEERS and are beginning their support raising and partnership development. They plan to leave for Croatia in 2009.
Their time at Moody has refined the many tools they will use in their home church—evangelism through TESOL, music ministry, and translation or compilation of Christian literature in Croatian. "Our education at Moody has equipped us for teaching the Scriptures effectively and practically, ministering to people, and living as active members of the local community," Benjamin says. "Its location in the cultural melting pot of Chicago and diverse community of students and staff has helped prepare us for full-time ministry in Croatia."