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Scottish handyman returns to
MBC to serve

With a rusty red handle bar moustache, grass hat and jovial countenance, Multnomah Bible College alumnus Mike Cabral returned to MBC last spring. His reason? Mr. Cabral is campus services' newest building maintenance technician. He brings a colorful history and a serving heart to the job.

Usually dressed in blue jeans, an MBC T-shirt and boots, Mr. Cabral also wears a grass hat and an Irish cross. "It's the cross of St. Martin," Mr. Cabral said. "St. Martin was a French knight who established a monastery in Ireland to send missionaries to Scotland. That's significant to me. "I went to a Scottish Highland game and saw a bunch of guys built like me: bald, bearded, barrel chested. I found my people and they are mighty!"

Originally from San Diego, Mr. Cabral was saved as a young adult. He said, "I have a simple faith; I wasn't raised in the church. I became a believer as a runaway when I was 17 and have been living on my own ever since. I came here to learn to gain the skills of how to live for God."

Mr. Cabral learned about Multnomah Bible College as an engineer in the U.S. Army while stationed in Germany. Mr. Cabral, a young Christian, got involved with the local Cadence International Hospitality House. He recalls that his House directors, Tim and Bobby Bettger, also MBC alumni, adeptly handled the Bible. They hooked Mr. Cabral.

"That is what I desire to know, God's Word," he said. "To be able to know the answer is here without taking extraneous references. Tim and Bobby explained your question concerning God's Word using God's Word and nothing else. That's how I wanted to know Scripture and have that type of relationship with God."

Mr. Cabral attended MBC from 1990-1992. "Ya, I fell prey to the curse," Mr. Cabral said. "Some Multnomah graduates told me about the Multnomah Bridal College mystique, and it only took me 90 days." He and his wife, Cyndi, who was a journalism major, were a bit of an anomaly, Mr. Cabral said. Students would meet, date, and be engaged within six months. Mr. Cabral and Cyndi chose to date for two years, followed by a 15-month engagement. Mr. Cabral intended to marry only once and wanted to do things right. Mr. Cabral said he would never advise a long engagement.

Mr. Cabral's time as a student not only awarded him with a life-long companion and solid biblical training, but it also set the ground work for the job he now holds. As a student, Mr. Cabral lived and worked custodial in White Hall. "I was in charge of taking care of all the [White Hall] restrooms," Mr. Cabral said. "There are times it's a job; there are times it is a ministry."

This last spring when Mr. Cabral was running an errand on campus, John Jorgenson told him about the job opening in campus services. Mr. Cabral said he was interested in returning to MBC, this time as a full-time employee.

"When I hired Mike," Lloyd Helm, the director of environmental services, said, "I was looking for an individual that had a good sense of humor and would be able to get along with the co-workers, but also with the students. What caught me is that he was a past student. He used to work in the campus service department, and so he is familiar with the school and the operation of the school."

Building maintenance technicians must be well-rounded individuals. Mr. Helm said, "The department makes sure the school is functioning and operational for students to get the education they came here for."

Five full-time building technicians and six part-time students care for the 22.5-acre campus. The campus has 16 main buildings, 22 houses and 52 apartments. Building maintenance technicians handle routine upkeep such as plumbing; light electrical work; and modifying and repairing cabinetry, countertops, walls and windows.

Mr. Cabral loves the variety and challenges of his job. He said his days are anything but average. "It's one of the things I enjoy about this job so much," Mr. Cabral said. "As things present themselves, you deal with them. Sometimes it's a clogged toilet, sometimes it's a torn screen, sometimes you need to rebuild something or repair it. Things break down; that seems to be the most obvious result of the fall."

Despite the constant maintenance, Mr. Cabral tries not to stress. He said, "I don't have any hair left so I don't have any reason to stress. I can't think of anything that tries my patience or my abilities. Everything is an opportunity to excel, even if it is something I've done a couple dozen times. You pay attention to detail, and you do the best that God makes you able to do. Hopefully the work you've done, hitting a nail or unclogging a toilet, brings Him some glory in some way."

Mr. Cabral also loves the opportunity to interact with the student body. He said, "I enjoy getting to meet and know the students, getting a chance to encourage or brighten up their day. When I came as a student, I always seemed to deal with students as opposed to school work. Someone needs to minister to the body as well. Some parts of the body are meant for holy, lifted up positions and some are meant for holy common-use stuff as well."

Whether Mr. Cabral is listening to a student, repairing a screen or unclogging a toilet, he views each opportunity as a chance to serve. Cabral said, "Be all thing to all people...isn't that what Paul admonishes us?"