First Friday of the Semester at PIU

I am going to finish my posts about our Christmas vacation, but first a little about what is going on right now at PIU. We have just completed our first week of the new semester. As of this morning all the new classes have at least competed their first class meeting. We picked up Theology teacher Jim Sawyer at the airport on Thursday night and he began his seminary theology course this morning. Yesterday we enjoyed our normal Friday chapel. VP of Student Life Rob Watt reintroduced our theme for the 2011-12 school year, “feasting at Christ’s banquet table.” Tuesday I preached on “The Best Kind of Food – Free Food” from Isaiah 55. The student worship team did a great job leading us into worship. After chapel we held our monthly theological discussion in the PIU library. Several pastors from the community joined us for the discussion along with many of our PIU students and staff. The subject was the relationship of the believer to the law. It was a lively discussion and we decided to continue the discussion at our next meeting on February 17th. It was a great day and our semester is off to a fast start.

Spring Semester Begins at PIU

Registration is almost completed. The new students and staff have been welcomed. We have had the first chapel service. We have completed the first three days of classes. The new semester at PIU is underway and going well. Registration actually began last week and is pretty much completed except for the usual shuffle of dropping and adding classes. At this point we have 73 students with a few others still pending as they work out registration issues. We have several new students in our teaching facilities and five new students from Papua, Indonesia who are joining our student body as distance education students.

The pictures above are from the Welcome BBQ. The food was good and the games were crazy.

There were also some skits about how life should (or sometimes should not) work in the dorms

Classes began on Tuesday. On the left new teacher Ken Dixon (on loan to us this semester from TITIP school in Papua, Indonesia) teaches on Spiritual Warfare and (right) Joey Charles gets his English class started. I am teaching Exegesis in Wisdom Literature on Tuesday nights.

Cel has received the tuition down payments from the students and we are all settling right back in to campus life.

 

And I will throw in one picture of Serenity posing for the camera during the opening assembly

Sacramento Kings Game

One of the most fun things I did on our California trip was attend a Sacramento Kings game with my dad, brother-in-law Nate and my nephews Luke, Jesse and Jonah. It was a Christmas present from Nate – thanks! It was a great guys night out, eating chili dogs, joking around and watching a good basketball game. We didn’t make too much of a spectacle of ourselves but we did occasionally have others in our section turn around and look at us.

Our seats were pretty high above the court, but we could see the action pretty well

The starting lineups were announced with appropriate fanfare

There was a lot more going on than just basketball – light shows dancing mascots etc

  A couple shots of the game in action. Even from up high above the court you get a new appreciation of how big and fast these guys are, that you don’t get on TV

The gang (Jesse took this picture) – one of the few times in Nor-Cal that I needed my jacket while we were there.

Owen Family Christmas

Well, this was Christmas family celebration number 3! We are blessed. Early Christmas morning we headed from Redding to Sacramento and then on to El Dorado to see my parents and family there and celebrate Christmas with them. On the way we stopped off and fellowshipped with our friends at Gold Country Baptist. It was great to be able to see so many of our mission partners and friends and the eggnog was pretty good too. We got to spend 6 days there and see my brother Doug and his family (left – PIU students I promised a picture of Doug and Diane)) and my sister Jayne and her family (Nate and Jayne right in front of their house). Again we had a great time. I never could have imagined I would spend part of a Christmas vacation playing video games (wii) with my mom and dad.

We left Redding at 6 AM and had the road to ourselves all the way to Sacramento airport. We passed only 9 trucks on I-5 on the way down. We were sad to say goodbye to Missy but she had to get back to Texas. Joyce will be heading there when the baby is due in March.

Ben says “hi” to all the PIU family.

Since Taylor is the only one in the grandchildren generation still growing, we had to do the measuring ritual before she and the family left, Now it is the great-grandchildren growing up too fast. 

There were enough turkeys in the yard for several Christmas dinners

Cundall Family Christmas

After being up in Redding a couple days most of the rest of the Cundall family joined us there. Besides Joyce’s parents and her sister Judy and husband Wayne who live in Redding, Joyce’s sister Janet and her husband Paul flew in from Texas and several nieces and nephews came in as well from various directions. There were only a few that couldn’t make it. Most of the group that were there are pictured on the left here except for a few nieces and nephews who had left already. It was a very enjoyable few days to relax, watch football and do a lot of talking together. We don’t all get to gather in one place very often with family members spread all over the world.

On the left are 4 generations of Cundall girls (including baby Leila). On the right Joyce with her mom and dad, and two sisters. (and the two Yorkies – Jasmine and Zoey)

We had a rousing white elephant gift exchange. It was almost too perfect when my Pittsburgh Steelers fan daughter picked my present – a 49ers Western Division Championship shirt. I did get it back in the subsequent exchanges.

There was plenty of good food. It was worth getting in line.

Sister Janet and brother in law Paul with their daughter in law Michaela. I am next to Wayne and Judy. Wayne and I enjoyed watching a 49er victory over the Seahawks together.

The cooks pose with the food and, on the right, “the kids’ table.”

After dinner Joyce’s dad, Paul and nephews AJ and Kevin relax.

 

It really is a blessing to have a family gathering where everyone gets along so well. I had a great time and I know it was a really great time for Joyce. She really loves hanging out and talking all night with her sisters.

California Vacation

Early on Sunday morning, December 18th we headed for California. Joyce took this picture through the airplane window as we took off from Guam. About 8 hours later we landed in Hawaii on the evening of the 17th where we had a 3 hour layover. We then flew to LA where we landed about an hour before we left Guam. The only eventful part of the flight was the last leg from LA to Sacramento. We weren’t able to land in Sacramento because it was fogged in. After three loops around Sacramento we had to head to Reno to re-fuel the plane. We finally got to Sacramento about 11 AM. We rented a car in Sacramento and made the 2 hour drive to Redding to see Joyce’s family. We first stopped off at Joyce’s parents house and watched a little NFL football and then headed to where we were staying with Wayne and Judy Miller (Joyce’s sister)

After going to bed early (I had not slept for 24 hours) we still slept in Monday morning. I needed to be rested up to watch the Monday night game between the 49ers and Steelers. I enjoyed watching the game with another 49er faithful, my father-in-law. The 20-3 victory was sweet. It is funny, but while I was on the mainland this year the 49ers were 7-0.

A couple days later we drove back to Sacramento and picked up Missy. She drove up with my mom and dad and cousin Shelley. After eating lunch together we headed back to Redding for a Cundall family Christmas.

Owen Family Christmas on Guam

  Since we were leaving for California the next day we had our Owen family Christmas celebration on Saturday December 17th. Titus, Courage and Serenity stayed overnight on Friday night and Mike, Samantha and Samantha’s mom joined us the next morning. Daisy also joined us for the opening of presents and an early Christmas dinner. We did take a few pictures…

 

We enjoyed opening and trying on, or trying out, the presents

It was fun to play with Titus’ and Courage’s presents, another benefit of being a grandparent – playing with kids’ toys.

New dresses were modeled and new “babies” were cared for

Grandma enjoyed the day too

Mike and Samantha had a few presents to open

Cookies and smiles!