My Recent US Trip: More Adventures in North and South Carolina

I have been back on Guam for almost a week now and am pretty much over the jet lag. I did want to wrap up a few posts on my recent completed recruiting and fund-raising trip to the US mainland. Even though I enjoyed my time there, you can see from the picture on the right one big reason I was glad to get back to Guam. I experienced the first frost of the year in North Carolina and it got a little cold in South Carolina too. I know all of you in places like Montana and Alaska are thinking I am a bit of a baby, but it was really great for this island boy to pack away my coat and sweatshirt in anticipation of enjoying our mid-80's November and December temperatures.

As Steve and I headed down through South Carolina on our way to Columbia International University to recruit English and Bible teachers we stopped off in Rock Hill to see our good friend Mickey Beckham. Mickey serves PIU as a consultant for our Advancement department and helped us set up our Rising Tide Fund program and has worked with us on getting grants and foundation funding. Mickey encouraged Steve and I that the resources we need are out there and that we need to keep asking. We also enjoyed a Southern style meal at the Front Porch Restaurant and always interesting conversation about the history of area. We are hoping Mickey will come out again to Guam and visit us soon.

Later that evening we pulled into the home of Don and Melissa Howell, who graciously host us about this time every year, as we spend a couple days recruiting at CIU. This year we spoke in two of the TEFL classes of professor Joe Letexier there (graduate TEFL class pictured here), and then met at Don and Melissa's house with several interested seminary students. We had several interested in our open positions for teaching facility coordinators/Bible teachers and ESL teachers in Yap, Palau and Chuuk. This year we had more serious discussions with possible teachers than in any of the previous years I have been at CIU. Please pray with us that God will direct these needed teachers to PIU.