Tuesday afternoon we held our graduation outdoors on the Guam campus. Though we prayed for weather like we had two years ago when we held our last outdoor graduation, we got a pretty good deluge for about 20 minutes. We were thankful for the canopies so that we didn't get too wet. 22 graduates marched across the stage to get their bachelor degree diplomas. In this picture I am awarding a diploma to Smileen Dobisch as the other students wait to get their's.
Our main speaker was Pastor Yosta Lodge, the campus director on our Chuuk campus. He preached on the theme verse 1 Corinthians 15.58 urging the students to stand firm because of the resurrection. Our valedictorians Twinsanne Sam from Chuuk and Joy Hosei from Palau spoke together about their experiences at PIBC and urged their classmates to continue pursuing relationship with Christ.
We had a much larger attendance at this graduation than any I have experienced on the Guam campus. It was almost as big as what has been regularly experienced on our Tol, Chuuk campus for many years. The graduates closed out the ceremony by singing their class song which was written by a few of the graduates.
After graduation came the traditional time for congratulations, giving leis and taking pictures. Here is Joyce and I with Happiness Lodge and his mother Maggie. Many of you may remember Happiness from his touring with us last summer as we visited our supporting churches. Happiness has a couple options for his future. Long term he wants to attend seminary and possibly go into missions. In the short term he may be teaching in the PIBC "Bridge" program teaching remedial english in Chuuk.
This picture poses one of our Yapese grads, Mac Alfonso with Joyce. Mac is already working in Yap as the Youth leader for the Colonia, Yap Evangelical Church. Some day Mac is also planning on going to seminary. The other picture poses me with several PIBC alumni pastors. Yosta Lodge and Johnny Sam (on the left) are both graduates of the old Micronesian Institute of Biblical Studies in Chuuk and fathers of current graduates. John Jim Phanchy, 2002 PIBC graduate, (in the middle) pastors a Chuukese church in Agat, Guam and Hedrick Kual, PIBC 2005, (next to me) pastors in the Koror Evangelical Church in Palau.
So now we all head out for summer support raising or prepare for summer activities at PIBC. I am in California right now but will be back on Guam in a couple weeks to teach summer school. We are thankful for a great school year and are looking forward to a great summer - we are teaching 5 courses on the Guam campus - and a great 2008-9.
Tuesday afternoon we held our graduation outdoors on the Guam campus. Though we prayed for weather like we had two years ago when we held our last outdoor graduation, we got a pretty good deluge for about 20 minutes. We were thankful for the canopies so that we didn't get too wet. 22 graduates marched across the stage to get their bachelor degree diplomas. In this picture I am awarding a diploma to Smileen Dobisch as the other students wait to get their's.
Our main speaker was Pastor Yosta Lodge, the campus director on our Chuuk campus. He preached on the theme verse 1 Corinthians 15.58 urging the students to stand firm because of the resurrection. Our valedictorians Twinsanne Sam from Chuuk and Joy Hosei from Palau spoke together about their experiences at PIBC and urged their classmates to continue pursuing relationship with Christ.
We had a much larger attendance at this graduation than any I have experienced on the Guam campus. It was almost as big as what has been regularly experienced on our Tol, Chuuk campus for many years. The graduates closed out the ceremony by singing their class song which was written by a few of the graduates.
After graduation came the traditional time for congratulations, giving leis and taking pictures. Here is Joyce and I with Happiness Lodge and his mother Maggie. Many of you may remember Happiness from his touring with us last summer as we visited our supporting churches. Happiness has a couple options for his future. Long term he wants to attend seminary and possibly go into missions. In the short term he may be teaching in the PIBC "Bridge" program teaching remedial english in Chuuk.
This picture poses one of our Yapese grads, Mac Alfonso with Joyce. Mac is already working in Yap as the Youth leader for the Colonia, Yap Evangelical Church. Some day Mac is also planning on going to seminary. The other picture poses me with several PIBC alumni pastors. Yosta Lodge and Johnny Sam (on the left) are both graduates of the old Micronesian Institute of Biblical Studies in Chuuk and fathers of current graduates. John Jim Phanchy, 2002 PIBC graduate, (in the middle) pastors a Chuukese church in Agat, Guam and Hedrick Kual, PIBC 2005, (next to me) pastors in the Koror Evangelical Church in Palau.
So now we all head out for summer support raising or prepare for summer activities at PIBC. I am in California right now but will be back on Guam in a couple weeks to teach summer school. We are thankful for a great school year and are looking forward to a great summer - we are teaching 5 courses on the Guam campus - and a great 2008-9.
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