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.

It is a term that is used in relation to typhoons (by the way we are entering into typhoon season). COR 4 is the normal, no-known-typhoon-threat, status. COR1 is when the wind is HOWLING, the rain is falling, the shutters are shut, and, quite likely, the power is out. Back in March our Governor added a "P" for pandemic to this acronym, as a system for making declarations about the state of affairs relating to the Novel Coronavirus. Right now, our island is living under PCOR 3. There are some restrictions, but if you wear a mask and follow the arrows, Xs, & signs on the floors, life is fairly normal.

COVID-19 numbers are very subject to varying interpretations (but this is a request for prayer, not an editorial, so I'll refrain from comment), but there has been a spike in new cases over the last week or so. Included in the "new positives" are the Governor, her son, and the Lieutenant Governor. Many of us residents of this lovely island expected some announcement, but most of us were not prepared for a PCOR1 declaration. It begins tonight at midnight. The news is that it will last for two weeks. 

We were scheduled to start classes 

on August 24. Our plan is to begin with students in the classroom, and online. It is a model that some of us used, Kathy included, to finish up the Spring Semester, when Corona first struck. This PCOR 1 announcement has forced us to push back our start date by a week. Whether we will be forced to make other changes remains to be seen. 

Please pray for us:

• Many of our students don't do well in a purely online environment. The reading load, the lack of full interaction with, and encouragement from, classmates, home situations that make doing classwork difficult, and the need for greater self-discipline in regard to scheduling are some of the factors. Some students who suffered through the end of  Spring Semester and all of Summer Semester will simply elect to not take classes if online is the only option.
  In short, it is important to us to be able to offer classes that are closer to a traditional classroom setting. 
• Even if no one is at fault, living in times of uncertainty takes a toll. The tendency is to look for someone to blame. Pray for the ability for staff, students, Kathy and I to hang in there, and not become bitter or whiny. The same frustration is likely true where you live. We are praying for you.
• We are in the process of bringing new servants into our PIU Family. Pray for their integration in a difficult time.
• Our Board of Trustees is working hard to identify the next President of PIU. Pray especially for the Presidential Search Committee. I am not a part of the committee, but I often meet with them, as a resource person.
• I mentioned that it is the beginning of Typhoon season. I'm praying that we be spared one of the big storms.
• PIU has received significant aid from the Department of Education. It has enabled us to keep our staff together and to pay them, to purchase significant computer related upgrades, and make up for some lost income. PTL!
• As I write a group of potential students in Chuuk are getting ready to take the English placement test. Pray for new students who are in the pipeline, as well as returning students.
• Another praise, some folk from our Guam church have been helping us with prep for the Fall Semester. Yesterday a lady from our church met with Kathy to clean one of our classrooms. Right now a family is out mowing and doing yard work.
• Speaking of our Guam church. We are currently without a lead pastor. Several of us are in a rotation to fill the pulpit. When it is my turn I have been preaching a series from the long-past, An Introduction to the Totally Awesome God. Pray for us as we fill in preachers share God's word. 

By God's grace, Kathy and I are well. We celebrated our 48th Wedding Anniversary last Wednesday. We took a two day, one night vacation to celebrate. It was really nice. The picture is our view from across the pool.

Thanks for hanging in there with us.

By His Grace,

H&K