An Interview with NuWaterWorks Volunteer Kyle Becker
By: Joshua Kurtz
Kyle Becker has been volunteering with NuWaterWorks since 2019, utilizing his skills in GIS (Geospatial Information Systems) to help us understand water issues in East Africa and Latin America. Kyle was born in Huntington Beach, California, grew up in North Logan, Utah, and graduated from Montana State University (MSU) in Bozeman, Montana, with a Bachelor of Science in Geospatial & Environmental Analysis. After college he began working for an environmental consulting firm, and then his life took a turn from the typical professional path. He decided to go to school to learn more about who God is.
We interviewed Kyle to spotlight his journey.
Q. Why did you decide to study Geospatial & Environmental Analysis?
A. I initially studied this topic because of my interest in mapping and surveying land, along with an emphasis on water in the natural environment. I have always had a strong appreciation for nature and the outdoors. So I wanted to study a topic that focused on concepts related to the things I enjoyed and appreciated the most.
Q. What type of jobs did you do utilizing skills you learned from college?
A. Post-graduation I took a job with an environmental consulting company in northern Utah where I began to work as a hydrology technician. This job required a working knowledge of soil sampling techniques, water quality testing, stream flow modeling, data composition and analysis, as well as a knowledge of technologies such as GIS data composition and analysis, surveying equipment and software, and GPS receivers and software. These were all skills I had acquired through studying at Montana State University.
Q. Why did you decide to come and study at the Institute for G.O.D.?
A. What initially brought me to the Institute for G.O.D. was a conviction that I needed help learning about who God is. I believed that those who taught at the Institute for G.O.D., and also those who had been students in the program, were capable of helping me on this journey.
Q. Did you think you would ever use the skills you learned in college again after coming to TN?
A. Upon arriving in Tennessee the summer of 2016, I wasn’t considering that I may never use my geospatial science background again. I was more concerned with receiving direction from biblical teachings and finding people I could learn from and trust in relation to a shared understanding of who God is. Answering those questions and finding the right kind of people far outweighed my concern for whether or not I would use the skills I had learned at MSU.
Q. Why did you decide to volunteer with NuWaterWorks (NuWW)?
A. From a young age it had been my goal to work in a field related to water or food. When considering areas of volunteerism, it was an easy decision: I wanted to volunteer alongside others who have an interest in water resources. Although I had spent some years formally studying water and spatial science, NuWaterWorks served as an excellent venue for putting to use the skills and knowledge I had gained. Volunteering with NuWaterWorks seemed like an excellent opportunity for assisting and benefiting others who were in positions of need locally and abroad.
Q. Do you utilize the skills learned in Montana to help with projects NuWW is executing?
A. The education I received at MSU has helped tremendously in understanding how geographic information systems can best be used. Although technologies and softwares change over time, the need to think critically about how geographic information is gathered and stored has remained crucial. I learned about softwares and data analysis and gained a broad scientific background that has permitted me to make considerations for environmental science issues in my volunteerism now.
Q. When did you feel a call to help marginalized people in El Salvador?
A. Making considerations for the poor, oppressed and less fortunate has come about over the past four and a half years of learning the Bible. Without biblical teaching, I would’ve had very little interest in exerting my energy and effort into projects in the developing world. However, the more I have learned from the Bible, the more clearly I am able to observe that the Lord has always had a special interest in utilizing those who are obedient to his rule and reign for the purpose of serving the poor and the marginalized in the world.
Q. How do you want to serve those the Lord has put in your heart to serve?
A. Because the Bible places such an emphasis and high calling on service to the poor, it is my hope that our team would become increasingly capable of addressing water and mapping related issues for those in the world who have the greatest needs.
Q. What project are you working on now for NuWW?
A. Currently I am involved in a mapping project at Global Outreach Developments International’s campus utilizing GPS and GIS software and equipment. The data collected includes water lines, gas lines, sewer lines, electrical lines, irrigation, and stormwater. By collecting this information, we can provide others with accurate information regarding the location and types of utility found across campus.
Kyle is utilizing this project of mapping utilities on campus for multiple purposes. He is learning how to set-up GPS receivers and integrated software that will be used to help people in the developing world. He is also developing a training manual for others to collect information and make decisions on environmental issues in their own communities.
Kyle has assisted heavily in developing a GIS system that is being used by a team in Uganda for collecting data related to community water sources. He has been a crucial part of analyzing data coming in, and developing informational maps that have been utilized to inform local Ugandan leaders on water accessibility issues their communities are facing.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NRSV
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