News from the Guam Merrells, Thanksgiving Eve

 

Dear Partner,

This morning (Tuesday 11/24) I felt my chair sway back and forth and watched the computer monitor

sway like I was riding in a car. The 5.3 quake was a reminder that nothing in this world is really solid.

That is especially true with us mortals. In just over a month, we will have been serving at PIU for four years. Last March I informed my colleagues that we would be leaving Guam after the Spring Semester 2021. It was our hope that a new President would be chosen by then. The Board of Trustees has extended an offer to two fine candidates. Both have concluded, after prayer and consulting with loved ones that PIU was not the place for them to serve, at this time. Nevertheless, over the course of this tumultuous year, we have grown more sure that it is time for us to step out of this “temporary” role.

Right now our plans are to make a visit to Virginia and South Carolina over Christmas. Our plans could change, but we plan to fly home December 11, spend Christmas with all our family at Chad & Tanisha’s house, and return to Guam on January 4. We’ll quarantine in a hotel, then in our apartment. We’ll move back into 2106 S Carpenter in May. Already, our hearts feel like the shifting earth I felt this morning.

People ask us, “What’s next?” We don’t really know. We know we’ll need to do some decompressing. I have a project planned, then we hope to travel out West and see some sights we’ve never seen and some people we haven’t seen for a while. We desire to remain useful in the Lord’s work.

We greatly and humbly appreciate the support that you have shown us. We never planned to be here in this role, yet the Lord led us a step at a time. We’ll ask the mission to send you the standard communication they send to supporters of “retiring” missionaries. I guess we are re-retirees! We have some ideas about ways you can continue to invest in the work of PIU. If you ask, we’ll share.

Please join us in praise and prayer:

·         We can’t say much, but I was recently privileged to lead one of our students to the Lord. Kathy has regular opportunities for mentoring the young women here. The wife of a newly married staff couple (a PIU grad) and Kathy are good friends. We praise the Lord for opportunities to share what we have with them.  We will both be teaching a class in the Spring Semester.

·         Our little campus community has, thus far, been spared from Covid-19.

·         I hurt my finger while taking the top off of a septic tank. It looked ugly at first, but it is healing nicely.

·         Pray for the Board as they search for the next President.

·         Since it looks like we’ll finish the academic year without a new President the need for making decisions, some hard, has intensified.

·         Some of our students have been “stuck” on Guam since March. Most of that group haven’t been home this year. Mostly our students stay on our little 3.5-acre campus. Pray that good things will happen here, as well as in the lives of those whom we only see online.

·         Pray that we will finish well and that we’ll start well on whatever is next.

We thank the Lord for you.

H&K

***********************

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17, ESV)

What's Going on at PIU:

About once every three months we are supposed to publish a newsletter. We call it the Tide's Currents. Covid and other assorted clogs in the plumbing--some really do have to do with plumbing--have made us way late with this one. For the same reasons it is a "mini" version. Still it gives an idea what's going on here, and with the Guam Merrells. Enjoy. Oh, hey, there is a picture in the TC of some students playing volleyball in the rain. Here is a bigger version of the photo. Click HERE to read the latest Tide's Currents.

Click HERE to read this mini Tide's Currents. > to read the September Tide's Currents (mini edition).

A Celebration, PCOR 1, Praises and Prayer Requests from the Guam Merrells, 8/15/2020

 I know that PCOR is a strange term to most of you. It is a very important term to residents of Guam. Let me explain.

COR stands for condition of readiness.

JULY 1 UPDATE FROM THE GUAM MERRELLS

Like most of you, we weren’t able to go to church for most of this spring. Our Guam church provided

recorded messages. One morning the preacher was one of our PIU graduates. He talked about the fact that, though we might not finish the work we are doing, if it is God’s work, He will finish it (Philippians 1:6). As I listened to John, I was applying his message to the situation in which Kathy and I find ourselves.

Early in 2020, I, Howard, decided that I needed to set in motion a plan to leave this role at PIU. From the beginning, January 2017, I have known and made known that my position of leadership at PIU is a battlefield appointment. Though the battle isn’t over, it has reached a different phase. Kathy and I have been privileged to bring a measure of stability to a difficult situation. I’ve been privileged to make and strengthen alliances that should serve the school well into the future. We were able to work with a team that accomplished the daunting task of the renewal of our accreditation for ten years.  We’ve been privileged to invest in the lives of some of the finest young adults in the world. It’s been good, and still is. But, it is time to bring things to a close as far as my part is concerned. PIU needs a leader to set the agenda and lead for the next 5-10 years or even beyond. At 70-years, I’m not that leader.

In March, just before my birthday and about 5-minutes before the Coronavirus shut everything down, I announced to the Board of Trustees (that’s who I report to) and to fellow administrators here at PIU that I would be leaving my position as President of PIU in May of 2021 and that we would be moving back to Virginia. I had a series of announcements in mind so that by now my planned resignation would be totally public. As viruses are wont to do, the Novel Coronavirus infected the timeline. One of my concerns was not to allow my news to detract from graduation. We really didn’t have one. We had planned to pass on the news personally to many of you. We planned to do part of that while on a trip to the mainland. We were supposed to be finishing that up about now. That didn’t happen (more in a moment) so, with the release of this letter, we are going public with this news. We’ll be leaving at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.

So, how are we doing?

It’s been hard, but by God’s grace it’s been good—at least mostly.

We are healthy. We eat well and exercise regularly. Thanks to our partners who work with us our needs are met. We enjoy our fellowship with our Guam church, small group, coworkers at PIU, and by long-distance our family, partners, and friends around the world. 2020 has been full of happenings and decisions with which we must deal. Our pastor and his wife, Tom and Rose Van Engen, retired at the end of May. They are in their new home in Illinois. The Van Engens are younger than we are. Their departure reminds us of our age. In the early weeks of 2020, I struggled with our plans for the future. Of course, COVID 19 came calling. We are very thankful that no one in the PIU family has been infected, though some of us have been tested and there have been infections within the close circles of some of our team. The sudden changes and the need to make hard choices has been challenging. We had, and still have, some students who had nowhere to go. Together with some students for whom it worked best to stay, they remain in the dorms. Kathy and I and the Tavarez family live on campus. As Alex T. and I joked, we became the wardens of the compound. Together we have had the responsibility for the health and welfare of 30 (at the beginning) young lives. By God’s grace we have made it thus far—though not without difficulties. I have often thought of this phrase, that came up in my devotional reading, about the same time Corona struck, “exhausted, yet keeping up the pursuit” (Judges 8:4). I would add, “By God’s grace.”

How can you praise with us and pray for us?

•            Much of the economy in this region depends on tourism. Here on Guam that has been completely shut down. Up until about a week ago, the expectation was that things would begin to open up further, starting tomorrow. An upturn in reported infections caused our Governor to reverse that decision. There have been no visitors from Japan, Korea, or other places from which tourists usually come. There won’t be for at least another month. From business owners to dishwashers, has devastated the economy.
•  Most of Micronesia simply closed their borders. The President of Chuuk Senate, the Father of one of our teachers, has been stuck here for three months. We have students who can’t get home. Folk can’t travel to attend funerals, or, in some cases, it has been impossible to transport
  bodies for burial (culturally, that is an important matter).
•  People’s lives change. There are always issues in people’s lives. We, especially H. need wisdom.
•  Pray that the transition to the next president will go well. We still don’t know who that
  will be.
•  Pray for our transition into what will be next for us.
•  We had been hoping to take a trip to the mainland later in the summer. That is, almost for sure, cancelled. Perhaps Christmas time. 
• We rejoice—though sadly from afar—in milestones in our grandchildren’s lives. Carrington is now the wife of Harrison Haley, and a graduate of Louisiana Tech. The new family lives in Utah. Little sister, Kendal, just graduated from Rock Hill High School. She was awarded a full scholarship to her first two years of college. Three of our grands, Kendal, Silas, and Kira are busy becoming drivers. No fenders have yet been bent.
• PIU entered into a relationship with a group from Texas called Hartwell Educators Institute. It should have both short-term and long-term benefits for PIU. Getting it going takes a lot of work. Pray that we can do that work well. We are constantly exploring ways to better serve the Micronesian communities. Pray that I’ll have wisdom to know which conversations are worth pursuing.
• Kathy taught Music 201 to the college students ad piano to the three older Tavarez children. They were able to do an online recital. Kathy has enjoyed working with them. 
• I was recently told by the President of TRACS, our accrediting agency, that, for school like ours, the expectation is a 20-30% reduction in student numbers this fall. Pray that we’ll be the exception. 
• Most of our students don’t thrive in an online environment.

·         I’m teaching two classes during the summer, both online—all our classes are online, right now.

·         We plan to start our Fall Semester with mostly hybrid classes—there will be students in the classroom, masked and six-feet-apart, and at the same time, there will be students online. It is a new way of doing things for many of us. As far as I know, I’ll be teaching one class. We sent our IT guy on a shopping trip to use some of our Higher Education Emergency Relief money to beef up our digital capabilities.  Pray that we humans will also have our capabilities beefed up.

·         Liebenzell Mission USA is in the process of appointing a new Director and team. Pray for Dr. Chris Matthews. We believe he will do a good job.

 We are sorry that we have been out of touch for so long. For the record, I think we have only been to the beach three times this year. I’m not sure we have even gotten in the water. Though we admit it has been a hard year, we are privileged to be here, doing what we do. Thank you for standing with us to make it possible.

I’ll finish with some family pictures, Kendal’s graduation and a shot of Carrington and Harrison Haley with Tanisha and Chad

       

By His Grace,

Howard & Kathy

This Is Tough. God Is Good

Like most of you, we weren’t able to go to church for most of this spring. Our Guam church provided

recorded messages. One morning the preacher was one of our PIU graduates. He talked about the fact that, though we might not finish the work we are doing, if it is God’s work, He will finish it (Philippians 1:6). As I listened to John, I was applying his message to the situation in which Kathy and I find ourselves.

Early in 2020, I, Howard, decided that I needed to set in motion a plan to leave this role at PIU. From the beginning, January 2017, I have known and made known that my position of leadership at PIU is a battlefield appointment. Though the battle isn’t over, it has reached a different phase. Kathy and I have been privileged to bring a measure of stability to a difficult situation. I’ve been privileged to make and strengthen alliances that should serve the school well into the future. We were able to work with a team that accomplished the daunting task of the renewal of our accreditation for ten years.  We’ve been privileged to invest in the lives of some of the finest young adults in the world. It’s been good, and still is. But, it is time to bring things to a close as far as my part is concerned. PIU needs a leader to set the agenda and lead for the next 5-10 years or even beyond. At 70-years, I’m not that leader.

In March, just before my birthday and about 5-minutes before the Coronavirus shut everything down, I announced to the Board of Trustees (that’s who I report to) and to fellow administrators here at PIU that I would be leaving my position as President of PIU in May of 2021 and that we would be moving back to Virginia. I had a series of announcements in mind so that by now my planned resignation would be totally public. As viruses are wont to do, the Novel Coronavirus infected the timeline. One of my concerns was not to allow my news to detract from graduation. We really didn’t have one. We had planned to pass on the news personally to many of you. We planned to do part of that while on a trip to the mainland. We were supposed to be finishing that up about now. That didn’t happen (more in a moment) so, with the release of this letter, we are going public with this news. We’ll be leaving at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.

So, how are we doing?

It’s been hard, but by God’s grace it’s been good—at least mostly.

We are healthy. We eat well and exercise regularly. Thanks to our partners who work with us our needs are met. We enjoy our fellowship with our Guam church, small group, coworkers at PIU, and by long-distance our family, partners, and friends around the world. 2020 has been full of happenings and decisions with which we must deal. Our pastor and his wife, Tom and Rose Van Engen, retired at the end of May. They are in their new home in Illinois. The Van Engens are younger than we are. Their departure reminds us of our age. In the early weeks of 2020, I struggled with our plans for the future. Of course, COVID 19 came calling. We are very thankful that no one in the PIU family has been infected, though some of us have been tested and there have been infections within the close circles of some of our team. The sudden changes and the need to make hard choices has been challenging. We had, and still have, some students who had nowhere to go. Together with some students for whom it worked best to stay, they remain in the dorms. Kathy and I and the Tavarez family live on campus. As Alex T. and I joked, we became the wardens of the compound. Together we have had the responsibility for the health and welfare of 30 (at the beginning) young lives. By God’s grace we have made it thus far—though not without difficulties. I have often thought of this phrase, that came up in my devotional reading, about the same time Corona struck, “exhausted, yet keeping up the pursuit” (Judges 8:4). I would add, “By God’s grace.”

How can you praise with us and pray for us?

•            Much of the economy in this region depends on tourism. Here on Guam that has been completely shut down. Up until about a week ago, the expectation was that things would begin to open up further, starting tomorrow. An upturn in reported infections caused our Governor to reverse that decision. There have been no visitors from Japan, Korea, or other places from which tourists usually come. There won’t be for at least another month. From business owners to dishwashers, has devastated the economy.
•  Most of Micronesia simply closed their borders. The President of Chuuk Senate, the Father of one of our teachers, has been stuck here for three months. We have students who can’t get home. Folk can’t travel to attend funerals, or, in some cases, it has been impossible to transport
  bodies for burial (culturally, that is an important matter).
•  People’s lives change. There are always issues in people’s lives. We, especially H. need wisdom.
•  Pray that the transition to the next president will go well. We still don’t know who that
  will be.
•  Pray for our transition into what will be next for us.
•  We had been hoping to take a trip to the mainland later in the summer. That is, almost for sure, cancelled. Perhaps Christmas time. 
• We rejoice—though sadly from afar—in milestones in our grandchildren’s lives. Carrington is now the wife of Harrison Haley, and a graduate of Louisiana Tech. The new family lives in Utah. Little sister, Kendal, just graduated from Rock Hill High School. She was awarded a full scholarship to her first two years of college. Three of our grands, Kendal, Silas, and Kira are busy becoming drivers. No fenders have yet been bent.
• PIU entered into a relationship with a group from Texas called Hartwell Educators Institute. It should have both short-term and long-term benefits for PIU. Getting it going takes a lot of work. Pray that we can do that work well. We are constantly exploring ways to better serve the Micronesian communities. Pray that I’ll have wisdom to know which conversations are worth pursuing.
• Kathy taught Music 201 to the college students and piano to the three older Tavarez children. They were able to do an online recital. Kathy has enjoyed working with them. 
• I was recently told by the President of TRACS, our accrediting agency, that, for school like ours, the expectation is a 20-30% reduction in student numbers this fall. Pray that we’ll be the exception. 
• Most of our students don’t thrive in an online environment.

·         I’m teaching two classes during the summer, both online—all our classes are online, right now.

·         We plan to start our Fall Semester with mostly hybrid classes—there will be students in the classroom, masked and six-feet-apart, and at the same time, there will be students online. It is a new way of doing things for many of us. As far as I know, I’ll be teaching one class. We sent our IT guy on a shopping trip to use some of our Higher Education Emergency Relief money to beef up our digital capabilities.  Pray that we humans will also have our capabilities beefed up.

·         Liebenzell Mission USA is in the process of appointing a new Director and team. Pray for Dr. Chris Matthews. We believe he will do a good job.

 We are sorry that we have been out of touch for so long. For the record, I think we have only been to the beach three times this year. I’m not sure we have even gotten in the water. Though we admit it has been a hard year, we are privileged to be here, doing what we do. Thank you for standing with us to make it possible.

I’ll finish with some family pictures, Kendal’s graduation and a shot of Carrington and Harrison Haley with Tanisha and Chad

       

By His Grace,

Howard & Kathy

Report from the Guam Merrells

Wow! This is an adventure we never expected and certainly don't want.

I know that everyone, all over the world, has their version of what the coronavirus crisis has done to them, so I'm not looking for sympathy. We are all in this together.

From a percentage viewpoint, I'm not sure whether we are better or worse off than average. Guam has a civilian population of about 160 K. The last I checked we have 14 people who have tested positive. Noone directly related to PIU has been infected, but we have been impacted. I'll tell you where you can read more in a minute, but:
We know of weddings that are being canceled. We watched the wedding of a friend online. The attendance, counting the preacher was kept to 10. We know of another one that will likely be called off.
In our little circle we know of  5 people who are in mandatory quarantine because of travel restrictions.
Everyone is on edge.
We are well. We have toilet paper. I believe that God will accomplish great things through this crisis. Let us know how we can pray for you.
I have several blogs, for several purposes. One is a parking place for communiques that I have with the students at PIU. The last several posts have been about, what else? They will give you a pretty good idea about life with the Guam Merrells. If you are interested you can read about this adventure that we wish we never had, here.

Thanks for partnering with us in prayer and support.

K&H

Starting tomorrow, the PIU campus will be closed. Except for online classes, no classes will be held until the campus reopens. It's kind of a self-imposed quarantine. Some students who live on campus will choose to go to a relative's house during the shutdown. Others will remain, here. Some have no alternative. Kathy and I live on campus. :)
Like it is for many of you, the novel coronavirus has forced us to make some difficult choices. We aren't yet sure how we will finish the semester. Both PIU and many of our students lack the infrastructure to go to a fully online format. I wouldn't say we are making this up as go along. It is true, however, that we are seeking God's guidance as we react to things as they come our way.

Here are some of the recent news stories about novel corona from this region.

• https://www.kuam.com/story/41897013/govguam-to-close-for-14day-period-updated-information-on-confirmed-cases
• https://www.pncguam.com/fsm-president-reimposes-coronavirus-travel-ban/

Please pray for us. We aren't really concerned about getting sick. We are desirous of doing the right thing.

H&K

It's not missionary stuff, but it is stuff.

My lovely wife planned a get-away in celebration of my 70th. She wasn't feeling well when we left on Friday. Now, she feels better & me, not so much. Thus the brevity. Don't go where I know you are going. Neither of us have had any respiratory symptoms.

We intended for this to be a quiet weekend, just not this quiet.

PIU 2020 Ministry Equipping Conference, schedule

2020 PIU Ministry Equipping Conference
Christian Education in the Local Church
February 6-8, SureStay Hotel

Schedule:

There will be three Plenary Sessions (sessions where everyone who attends will be in the same session).
There are also four series of Breakout Sessions (Tracks). Each Breakout presenter will present a series of four (five) sessions, different sessions on the topic assigned to them. They are not presenting the same session four times. While participants can learn and grow by attending single breakout sessions, they will receive the most benefit from the conference if they attend all four of the sessions presented by a given presenter.  The four Breakout Tracks are on the back of this schedule.

Thursday, 6:00 – 8:30 PM

6:00, Welcome and Orientation:
Please arrive early

6:15-7:05, Plenary Session #1, SureStay Banquet Room, Dr. Christel Wood

7:05 – 7:25, Snack and Fellowship Time. If participants have not already done so they need to decide which Breakout Track they are going to attend.

7:30-8:30, All four Breakout Tracks will have their first session. Rooms for each Breakout Track will be announced at the end of snack time.

8:30, Participants are dismissed at the conclusion of their Breakout session.

Friday, 6:00 – 8:30 PM

Friday’s schedule will be the same as Thursday’s. Plenary Session #2 will be a panel discussion featuring experienced leaders who will share Christian Educations ideas that have worked for them. Breakout presenters will present session #2 of their series.

Saturday, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

10:00 –10:15, Get a drink and greet a friend before you head to Breakout sessions #3 and #4.

10:15 – 11:50, Breakout Sessions #3 and #4.

12:00 – 1:00, Lunch is served.

1:15 – 2:15, In Plenary Session #3, Rev. Howard Merrell will help us leave the conference with a positive focus on the assets the Lord has provided rather than a defeatist attitude based on our limitations.

From 2:15 – 3:00, Breakout presenters and attendees have the option of a fifth session, or attendees can take some time to discuss what they have learned with others.
Please fill out an evaluation form before you leave.

As a service to the Christian community PIU is presenting the 2020 Ministry Equipping Conference with no tuition cost. PIU is an institution that depends on donations from those who share our mission of providing excellent transformational Bible-centered education in this region. The offering we receive at the 2020 MEC will support PIU’s General Fund. Make checks payable to “Pacific Islands University,” or simply “PIU.”

Page 2:

A note from PIU President Merrell:

Before I came to the lovely island of Guam, I pastored a church in a small town in Virginia. In my forty-two years at Covington Bible Church, I was impressed with the value of solid Christian Education. I am pleased to say that some of the boys, girls, women, and men who participated in our C.E opportunities are now involved in significant ministries of their own. I said, many times, that the main ministry at Covington Bible Church didn’t happen as a result of my preaching. It took place in the various classes and programs led by volunteers who love Jesus and serve for His glory. This conference is our—me and my colleagues—opportunity to pass some of this on to you.

In addition to our three plenary sessions, we have planned four Breakout Tracks, each focusing on an important aspect of Christian Education in the Local Church:

1.       Caye Sudo, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Guam:
My late Mother-in-law, was named Kay. Not only did she share the same name as our presenter, she also made extensive use of CEF material.  In part, it was because of her faithfulness in teaching flannelgraph lessons and flashcard songs that I came to know the Lord. Caye will share very practical, usable skills that can be used in a multitude of settings.

2.       Peter Knapp, Wycliffe Bible Translator and PIU Instructor:
Peter can tell you all about fricatives and glottal stops. He has devoted his life to providing God’s word to people in their heart-language. He is currently overseeing a Bible translation into Mokilese and is providing other translation teams with technical/linguistic support.
All of this is way over the heads of we regular folk. What Peter will be presenting are tools—available for free and usable by non-linguists—that can help us, on a local church level to reach across language barriers. Peter worked with a PIU student to produce Bible storybooks in Mortlockese. He’ll walk you through the same process. He’ll not only help you reach across a major barrier­­, his track will help you pray for those who do this all the time.

3.       Kathy Merrell, my wife J, PIU Music Teacher, and former director of Coffee Break Women’s Ministry at CBC:
Under Kathy’s leadership, a thriving women’s ministry was established at CBC. Not only is it still going, but former Coffee Breaker-ers have started similar ministries around the world. As a pastor I can tell you, Covington Bible was a much better church because of Coffee Break. Ladies, this is a great opportunity to learn how you can be involved in reaching and teaching other women.

4.       Howard Merrell, PIU President and Pastor Emeritus of Covington (VA) Bible Church: I mentioned in the first paragraph that most of the progress made at the church I pastored was not a direct result of my ministry. Pastors/Leaders, I am convinced that one of the best ministries we can have is to foster an environment in which members of the Body of Christ can exercise their Spiritual gifts, in the educational ministries to which God has called them. Start a wave. We’ll include the Apostle Paul, and his disciple, Titus, in our conversation. The lessons of Titus 2 apply well beyond First-Century Crete. I invite Pastors, church leaders, and other change-agents to join us for a good conversation.
“You, speak the things which are fitting for sound instruction.^” (Titus 2:1, Lexham Bible)

The latest Newsletter from PIU

Several times a year I'm involved in producing the "Tide's Currents," PIU's biggest newsletter. Here are the main articles from the most recent addition, formatted to fit in this blog. I hope it will give you a better idea about how we spend our time out in our island paradise.

In life there are certain milestones. I remember when I turned 16 and got my Driver’s License soon after. Saying “I do,” to Kathy was a big one.  Graduating from college and starting my career as a pastor happened almost simultaneously; what a change. Generally big progress markers not only represent a celebration of what has been happening, they identify points when new plans and agendas need to kick in. As a friend of mine used to say, “The Lord didn’t bring us here for nothing.”

PIU just achieved a major milestone. On November 5, 2019, at about 8:00 AM, in Garden Grove California, VP Nino Pate’ and I took our place before the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools Commission. TRACS is our accrediting agency. This was the culmination of more than a year-and-half of work involving virtually all the PIU Team. PIU was awarded Reaffirmation II Status as a Category III Institution by the TRACS Accreditation Commission. This reaffirmation is for a ten-year period. For those of you who don’t speak academic-ese, this is good, very good.

Here are two word pictures that I frequently use, trying to communicate the current condition of and future hopes for PIU.

When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging.

We need to get past surviving, and move on to thriving.

In my almost seventy years of life, I’ve dug some fairly impressive holes. Usually, I was looking for something, a buried pipe, or solid ground to build on. That morning a few weeks ago, when I heard that long-awaited verdict by the TRACS Commission, it was like the sound of a shovel striking metal. Until that moment, I thought there was a bottom to the hole. That confidence, though wavering, was enough to motivate me to lead our dedicated team to continue on, but hearing the metallic certainty of “awarded Reaffirmation” brought a soul-satisfying certitude.

Survival and hope are hand-in-hand partners. Hope provides motivation to do the hard work of survival. Take away the hope of something better—of thriving—and . . . that’s why people, families, and schools like PIU die. We have made it thus far. The clank of certainty tells me, “Start building, here.” There are many components involved in PIU thriving.

A key component is our status as an accredited institution of higher learning. Not only is it the mark that says, “This is an institution you can trust. It has passed the test,” our accreditation also opens access to PIU students receiving Pell Grants, making it possible for our students to pay for their education. It is a big part of our accessibility. Our renewed accreditation announces a new phase in the life of PIU. We are ready to build—to build a thriving school to the glory of God.

We cannot do that alone.

I began writing this toward the end of a five-week trip. My journey not only included attendance at the TRACS Conference in California, but visits to three very impressive Christian higher-education campuses. Two recently raised $40,000,000+/each in capital campaigns. Though the Dr. David Owen Memorial Fund goal of raising $200,000 represents half-a-percent, of the efforts of those schools, it is an incredibly important project for PIU. It will put us on the path toward thriving. Find out more at the DDOMF Blog (https://piuddomf.blogspot.com/). The blog explains how you can join those who have already contributed to this fund.

I’ve been on another journey for a while, now. In my almost half-a-century of ministry, I have observed the difference that Biblically thinking leaders make in their world. An island church leader, a friend of mine, often refers to PIU as “our school.” PIU was founded by Liebenzell Mission, and the three Evangelical church fellowships it planted in Western Micronesia. PIU remains true to the vision of its founders. Our mission is “to prepare men and women with a biblical worldview for leadership and service in life, work, and ministry in the global community and the church.” We invite you to join in this effort to honor, not just Dr. Owen, but all those who sacrificially invested in this mission. Looking to the future, you can say, “This is my school, and, by God’s grace, I will help it thrive.”  -HM

Lavern Killion, one of Kathy's friends and disciples is our student in the spotlight in this addition.

While this is a student-spotlight, really it is the story of four women, working together to have a world-changing impact. PIU is the meeting place, or perhaps, launching-pad.

Kathy Merrell is President Merrell’s wife. She is campus host, part-time decorator, “First Lady,” music teacher, and mentor to the young women God sends our way. It is in that latter role that Kathy got involved with Lavern Killion, a senior at PIU. Lavern is a student of Dr. Marj Raess, the third woman in this article. Marj has been one of our capable volunteer teachers. It’s not an overstatement to say that Dr. Raess, “rang Lavern’s bell,” creating in her an excitement for teaching. As part of her Education Minor, “Ms. Killion,” as Lavern’s students called her, did her student teaching at one of our local schools.

Lavern chose education, in part, because of her high school experience. She had moved to Guam with limited English skills. She found school to be very difficult. As she remembered her experience and learned from Dr. Raess and other teachers she came to see the importance of elementary education. Though the desire to teach was there before her internship, the experience taught her what a challenging profession teaching is.

Lavern, like most PIU students, doesn’t drive. Kathy often provided transportation. It was also an opportunity for her to mentor Lavern. She says, “I saw Lavern’s creativeness grow. She would tell me about the very good ideas she came up with to help the kids review what they learned that day.” Though she lives on the other side of the world—Marj taught by means of Skype—Dr. Raess also challenged and mentored Lavern.

Kathy further reported, “Lavern found out that teaching is not easy. One must face many difficulties and challenges, but that has not dampened Lavern’s continued desire to focus on teaching, with the goal of returning to her home island and providing the girls and boys there with a better education. “Every day, the students would ask me, ‘Are you coming back?’ I could see they weren’t tired of me, and that motivated me to get up early and do the lesson plans for the next week.”

On the last day of her internship, Lavern taught all the classes. At the end of the day, the children cried because they didn’t want to see their intern-teacher leave. “Two of the worst behaved students cried the loudest because it was my last day.” Lavern reported. The students shouted, “Ms. Killion,” and blocked the door so she couldn’t get out. The classroom teacher, Ms. Austin joined them in shedding tears. When she sat down in the car with Kathy, Lavern had tears, too. She had the joy of realizing that her influence was greater than she had realized.

A week later Kathy and Lavern went back to the school to give Ms. Austin a Thank You note and gift from PIU. Ms. Austin, number four, had a gift for Lavern as well. A book of letters from the students. Lavern read them to Kathy on their way back to campus. The impact of this collaboration went beyond the hearts of these precious children. Ms. Austin asked Lavern if she could call on her as a substitute. Lavern says, “I know I want to teach. It is my gift.” She is willing to further her education after PIU. Marj encourages Lavern to apply to the local school system. She sent her a box of teaching material and shirt that says, “Live Generously.”  Kathy offered these words of encouragement, “I see your gift in the dorm,” where Lavern is Head RA.

Live Generously! What an agenda. A young lady from a tiny island nation, the wife of a retired pastor turned school administrator, and a retired teacher on the other side of the world met at PIU with the aid of a second grade instructor. All contributed with great generosity. Only eternity will reveal the fruit from this quartet’s efforts.

Actually, it’s more than a foursome. You are part of this story. Thank you for giving generously.

Here are some prayer requests and ways folk can help, we included in the letter:

The Apostle Paul offered sincere thanks to his partners at Philippi. In Phil. 4:14 & 15, Paul says the Philippian Christian koinonia-ed, shared, in his ministry. Thank you for being part of the koinonia that is Pacific Islands University. Here are some ways you can continue to share in this ministry.

• Thank the Lord that our accreditation is renewed. Thank you for praying.
• Thanks to your generosity, our mattress project is just about complete. Any funds that come in beyond the mattress needs will go to other dorm needs. Mattresses are $125/each.
• Often friends are looking for a “little something” that they can supply for PIU. Here are ways to make smaller donations with big impact. Visit the library’s wish-list. Go to piu.edu, click on “Library,” scroll to the bottom and click the link. Also, our IT department is always in need of stuff. Their “wishes” run from computer cases to new computers. Gifts of $25—$1,000 can take a “byte” out of our IT deficit.
• In addition to DDOMF our regular needs continue. An on-going need is providing training opportunities for our staff. It is one of the ways that your gift to the General Fund enables to continue to make excellent education accessible.
• Volunteering can help the University in many ways. Equipment, expertise, and labor are being donated for a complete redo of our campus wifi network. Also, volunteers are working on some dorm plumbing issues. Pray for a good completion to both.
• Pray for our students as the semester starts. Pray that they will “Live for Jesus.”

 Please let others know about PIU, so our family of partners can grow. Let us know how we can pray for you.

Give yourself. Whatever your hand, foot, or mind finds itself doing to bring glory to God, chances are there is way to serve the University with it. Please give prayerful consideration how the LORD might have you invest in making PIU shine brighter for the Kingdom of Christ’s sake.

 Plenary sessions, for all attendees, will address a Biblical, practical philosophy of Christian Education in the church. Dr. Christel Wood will be the keynote speaker. She will challenge us with the reality that Christian education is not an option. It is mandated by our Lord. Friday’s plenary session will feature church leaders presenting ideas that work. In the final session, Rev. Howard Merrell will talk about “Ministering in a Digital Age on a Flannelgraph Budget.”

In addition, breakout sessions will focus on various aspects of Christian Education Ministry in the church.

§  Child Evangelism Fellowship of Guam Director Caye Sudo will provide basic skills for reaching and teaching children.

§  Wycliffe missionary and PIU instructor, Peter Knapp, will introduce ways to cross the language barrier. “Bible Stories in Local Languages” will enable participants to produce a Bible story booklet during the 3 days of the MEC & gain skills and resources to produce other materials in the language of the participants. One of our PIU students who produced several Bible Story booklets in the Mortlockese dialect will assist. Peter will pass on resources enabling participants to produce other Bible story booklets in their own language.

§  Kathy Merrell will share how she helped start a ladies’ Bible study that thrives three decades later.

§  Howard Merrell will lead a conversation with pastors/leaders, “How can I foster a church climate where Christian education thrives?”

§  Other tracks to be announced.

The 2020 MEC will take place February 6- 8, at the SureStay Hotel in Barrigada.

February 6 & 7, (6-8:30 pm & February 8, 9:00 – 3:00 pm.

We want to make this conference available to as many local-church, Christian educators as possible, so we are offering this conference with no tuition charge. PIU will receive an offering.

Please help us help you. We are making this conference available without tuition. A freewill offering will be taken.
Please send us the number of attendees your church plans to send, by January 25. You can email hmerrell@piu.edu or call PIU at (671) 734 1812.

2020 Ministry Equipping Conference. February 6-8,
SureStay Hotel, Barrigada.

Reaching and Teaching for God’s Glory.