A Full Weekend of Orientation

This past weekend began with most of the students arriving and ended yesterday with registration. Though it looks like our enrollment may be down slightly on the Guam campus (we won't know for sure until all the stragglers and part-timers complete registration this week) we have another good group of students. The Deans got busy before Friday as student flights from Yap, Palau, Chuuk and the Marshalls arrived on Guam. Then Saturday morning, while I was teaching my seminary class the orientation began. I broke away from class as 9 AM to join as the faculty and staff introduced themselves to the students. As I looked at the line of faculty stretching all across the front of the classroom I was again reminded of how far we have come from just a few years ago.

Hollie Schaub, our acting Dean of Student Affairs, did a very creative job of explaining school and dorm policies and going through the student handbook (normally activities that put all the students to sleep) during the morning session. Our school basketball team had a church league basketball game (our guys in red) at Noon in which we came up a little short (80 something to 40 something, ouch!) That evening the staff presented some very humorous skits that hammered home the points made in the morning.

On Sunday morning we met together for a worship service. Many of the students are new on island so we have a worship service on campus the first week. We then help the students to get plugged in to local churches while they are on Guam. This was the highlight of the weekend for me as Kalvin and Percia, two of our students, shared about their summer missionary trips and 2005 graduate and present seminary student Hedrick Kual presented the message from the Word. I had one of those rare moments of fulfillment as I listened and watched the students take it in. After church we had lunch (a ton of excellent food) at Chad and Jacki Chandler's with Josephine Mendiola (pictured) and Mike and Judy Albin. Relaxing with a lot of laughter!


Finally the student BBQ and talent show was Sunday night. We saw our students sing, dance, use chairs as musical instruments and even "walk on water." All of the judges, except for Eric Sorenson :) were very complimentary and nice to the participants. I think everyone was pretty tired by the time we got home Sunday night.