12/8/2019

Hey,

I only have a few minutes before getting ready for church. I look forward to seeing many of you, there.

An encouragement:

     Finish Strong!

A couple of Prayer Requests:

• Pray for Alex. He is visiting Chuuk.
• Pray for one another. Pray that fellow students will work hard and that no one will do anything foolish.
• Peter Knapp and I are working on a proposal to the "Backboard Project." BP repairs, paints, and beautifies outdoor basketball courts. I'm sure they get hundreds of requests. Pray that ours will catch their attention.

Speaking of catching your attention: Tuesday at 9:00 will be free icecream at the Pavilion. Its the reward for getting FAFSA done and an encouragement during finals week.

Hey, Girls and guys, Live for Jesus!

The Prez.

10/18/19, Stewardship: Doing what is right with what is entrusted to us.

Hey PIU Students, this is the latest edition of the . . . President to Students (Pr to Ss) News.   Students Alumni, & Others who are listening in, The young lady in the picture is my youngest granddaughter, Ava. The dog is Lucy. They live in South Carolina. I should get to see all of my grandkids and both dogs, the other dog, Booker, lives in Texas. I just talked to my oldest grandchild, Christopher. I'll meet him and his sister, Carrington, for dinner on Monday evening in Louisiana. I'll get to see all my grandchildren, and speak at my home church while I'm on this big trip I'm taking. I leave in the morning. While I will get to see loved ones on my trip, it's not a vacation. Pray as I am involved in meetings, etc. related to PIU. I often hear that "PIU is a family." I agree. It is one of our virtues. I guess I'm kind of like the grandfather of the family, so I'm expecting all of you to take care of things while I'm gone. Victor Billy, Scott, and Mama Cel. will take charge of Clean and Green. C&G is one of the ways we exercise good stewardship. The principle of stewardship is closely linked to the concept of *grace: everything comes from God as a gift and is to be administered faithfully on his behalf. There is thus both stewardship of the earth and stewardship of the gospel; stewardship of personal resources of time, money and talents, and stewardship of the resources of church and society. Along with questions of mission strategy and support there are issues of personal and corporate lifestyle, just wages and fair prices, *poverty and wealth, all related to explicit or implicit theologies of the *kingdom of God, *work and *nature. Hillyer, P. N. (2016). Stewardship. In M. Davie, T. Grass, S. R. Holmes, J. McDowell, & T. A. Noble (Eds.), New Dictionary of Theology: Historical and Systematic (Second Edition, p. 869). London; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press; InterVarsity Press. I highlighted a couple of words that capture much of the essence of stewardship. Technically, when I use, or take care of something, that doesn't belong to me, I am a steward. Our Board is called the "PIU Board of Trustees." It could be the Board of Stewards. PIU doesn't belong to them, but they are responsible to care for it. In the New Testament the word "stewardship" comes from a Greek word that means to manage a house. In a wealthy home the slave who managed a house didn't own it, but he was to take care of it. He had to make sure it was administered faithfully. All of us are stewards. “. . . it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2, ESV) “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2, ESV) Stewardship of our bodies: High on the list of that which has been entrusted to us are our bodies. Those of us who follow the Lord know that our bodies are not ours (1 Corinthians 6:19), yet we have the responsibility to care for them. A friend of mine, a missionary, will say when he is going to do exercise, "I'm going to do some temple maintenance." Round is a shape, but it's probably not the shape the Lord wants us to be in. Stewardship of opportunity: Ephesians 5:16 says that we should make the most of the time; the NIV translates it "opportunity." Right now I'm trying to be a good steward of the opportunity the Lord has entrusted to me. Through you PIU students I have the opportunity to influence Micronesia and the world, for the rest of this century. What is the best exercise of stewardship? Doing my reading for class, or playing video games? Studying, or watching 5 hours of TV? Buying snacks and ice cream I don't need (see above) or buying my textbook for class? We may say we'll do what we need to do later, but too often later is too late. Stewardship of my surroundings: I'll go back to that family concept. Simple things like picking up trash or controlling aircon use can make a great difference. We are to manage our house faithfully. I'll be back just before Thanksgiving. I look forward to celebrating this holiday with you. Stewardship has a direct link to Thanksgiving. We are living our lives right now so that in the future we will either have more for which to give thanks, or more to regret. You figure it out.   C&G starts at 10:00 am. Excellence is the word: Vince Lombardi was one of the most successful NFL coaches of all time.  The pursuit of excellence is rewarding. We enjoy success. We can make the point, however, that it is better to not pursue excellence, because if we fail to achieve it, we feel the pain. Personally I think it is worth the risk, but rather than argue about that, let me simply point out that ultimately excellence is not a personal matter. Remember we pursue excellence for God's glory. Do good work.           Live for Jesus! "exert every effort" for excellence because through our excellence we show forth the excellencies of our great God (2 Peter 1:3&5 & 1 Peter 2:9). Don't forget to let others know about DDOMF. HM   By His Grace,     The Prez.

9/29/19

Just a few things:

1. Thanks to all of you who sang and did drama at the church this morning. I heard it went well.
2. There will be lunch after Clean & Green tomorrow.
3. If any of you have relatives or friends in Corsicana Texas, let me know. I'm trying to work out a stop there when I'm in Texas.
   I will also be in Marshalls, Pohnpei, & Chuuk.
4. Help each other out. Let us help you. It is essential that you be in class. Don't fail because you fail to show up.
5. Take care of your health. Eat right. Get some sleep. Let one of us know, if you aren't feeling well.
6. Please let you pastors and families know about the Dr. Dave Owen Memorial Fund. This blog tells about it. We'll be saharing about it at the October GMA meeting. All Pastors and spouses are invited. It is October 11, at 11:30 AM, at SureStay Hotel.. Lunch is provided. GMA will also be talking about the Festival of Hope, a special event on Guam being held by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

9/8/2019

Hey PIU Students, this is the latest edition of the . . . President to Students (Pr to Ss) News.   Students Alumni, & Others who are listening in, The picture at the top is three PIU alumni, 2nd Lt. Melvin Fanoway, Chaplain, Captain John Tomada, and SPC Davy Welle. Looking good, guys. This is just for students. Speaking of good looking pictures: We didn't have a winner in the 4 for 4 drawing. The reason is, no one sent me a selfie. Simply send me a selfie. It can have up to 3 people in the selfie. Make sure to include your name, left-center-right. We'll pick one selfie, everyone in the picture will get a free 4 for 4. It could be a 4 for 4 for 3. Send your selfie to hmerrell@piu.edu. Get started right: Tomorrow, 9/9/19, is the first Clean and Green of this school year. To get you started off right, breakfast will be served in the Pavilion at 9:30. We will stop serving breakfast at 9:50. Wear your work clothes and come prepared to do some work. C&G starts at 10:00 am. Excellence is the word: Pat Riliy might not be familiar to some of you. He is one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time. And, by the way, perhaps the best dressed. He knew a bit about excellence.   Remember, we pursue excellence for a far greater reason than personal satisfaction, glory to self, or a major sports title. We strive, "exert every effort" for excellence because through our excellence we show forth the excellencies of our great God (2 Peter 1:3&5 & 1 Peter 2:9). Use your gifts to God's glory: Alex has several opportunities to serve in local churches. Check it out. I can't tell you much, yet, but we are about to undertake a major fundraising campaign. the end result could be major improvements on our campus. Please pray. A big thanks to our chapel team, setup, music, sound. Good work! Dare I say, "EXCELLENT"? Academic Wisdom: You only think you have plenty of time. You don't know. Start early. LIBRARY HOURS Fall semester schedule begins Tuesday, August 27 through Friday December 13: Monday — Thursday 9:00am-8:00pm {closed Tuesdays 11:00am-noon for Chapel} Looks good. Thanks Mary G. Live for Jesus. HM

8/31/2019

Hey Students,

We completed the first week of Fall Semester, 2019. Wow!
Have you learned a week's worth?

How about helping me out. If you were on a campus filled with old, gray-haired, white guys, you might get confused about who is who, so help me out. Send me a selfie with your name attached. If you want to do a dualie or a triplet, that's fine, too. Just make sure you put your name(s) with it. Send it to hmerrell@piu.edu. I'll do a drawing from the pictures I receive. The winner will get a 4 for $4, from Wendy's.

How about letting our chapel team know you appreciate the fine job they have done. Music, first rate. Set up, done well and on time. Planning, Scott and Alex are doing great. Thanks to all of you.

There is no Clean and Green this Monday. It's Labor Day--go figure, no labor on Labor Day. Do a websearch for Labor Day, and you'll find out why. While there is no Clean & Green on 9/2, we do have work to do. If you would like to get some of your Community Service hours done, check in with me, we do have work to be done, both inside and outside.

There will be Clean & Green on 9/9. Breakfast will be served at 9:30 in the Pavilion. We'll stop serving at 9:50. Get up! Get fed! Get some work done!

Make sure you read Paul Drake's post on the PIU Facebook page. Go hunt those scavengers.

I have had several students talk to me about a ride to church. No one should be worshipping at Relaxation Reformation Church, Bedside Baptist, S.E.C. (Slumbering Evangelical Church, or Snoring in Tongues Pentecostal Assembly.
Many of the worthwhile lessons you will learn at PIU aren't on any syllabus, for any class. Here is one:
Look around. Dedicated people can do a lot of good if they keep on going the right way. Start right and keep heading that way.

See you!

The Prez

8/2/19

Hey PIU Students, this is the latest edition of the . . . President to Students (Pr to Ss) News. Students Alumni, & Others who are listening in, The small group I attend--it is part of the ministry of Faith Presbyterian Christian Reformed Church--has been studying the book of Proverbs. After you get past chapter 9, Proverbs is a series of the ancient equivalent of tweets--very short, compact, mostly stand-alone nuggets of wisdom. I thought I would try to channel that style. Thoughts on church attendance: #1) It is clear, from the actions of the new Jesus followers on the Day of Pentecost, that fellowshipping with God’s people is the natural reaction of a believer. It’s un-natural for a Christian to avoid church. Academic Wisdom: Staying up late and staying in bed, feels good for a time. Failing a class and losing the opportunity of a lifetime last for all of life. Behind the scenes: Thanks for praying for the administration. The picture at the top of this email is of a group who gathered to pray just before we sent our response to our accrediting agency. It should be in their hands next week. Administrators, especially Nino, worked very hard to get this done. They did it because they are serving the Lord and because they want to give you the continuing opportunity to receive a quality Christian education.  They are working for you. DON'T WASTE THAT OPPORTUNITY! Live for Jesus. HM   By His Grace,     The Prez.

7/27/19

Hey PIU Students, this is the latest edition of the . . . President to Students (Pr to Ss) News. Students Alumni, & Others who are listening in, You probably don't know the people in the picture above. I'll tell you about it a while. Right now, let me ask you a question, actually several questions, all pointing in the same direction. Suppose you are looking for a car. If the current owner of the car you were looking at said, "This is really a good car. 90% of the time it runs great. 10% of the time, however, and you can never tell when this will happen, it won't run at all. Won't start, stops in the middle of a trip. Won't move. But, mostly it's a good car. What about this scenario? "Welcome Howard Airline passengers. Your pilot today isCaptain Johnson Wrongway Trieshard. Captain Trieshard is an excellent pilot. 9 out of 10 times he is able to successfully get his plane in the air. He gets a solid "C" for arriving at the right destination. In the last 20 flights, he has landed at the right airport 15 times. Or, "Dearly Beloved, We are gathered here in the sight of God and these witnesses to join this couple in mostly holy matrimony. . . . Do you, Groom, promise to love Bride on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and every fifth Sunday, until death do you part, or you just don't feel like doing it anymore?" I think you get the point. You have to get some things right all the time. I could give you my "Do It RIGHT All the Time" list, but I really think it would better if you made your own list. Better still, sit down with a trusted friend and work on your lists together. I'll even publish your list in a future Prez to Students email. I can leave your name off, if you like. Start with those things that you have to get right all the time. The things I have in mind are not things only smart people can do, or athletic people, or rich people, etc. They aren't things that require special ability. They are things that any of us can do, if we decide, and if we put forth consistent effort. A friend of mine, a great leader and organizer, often says that "People who show-up get the job done." What he means is consistency in little things makes a profound difference.  The picture on the right was leftover from an old email. But, hey, let's have some fun with it. If you can tell me why I'm boiling a brake-drum from my car, I'll get a 4 for 4 meal from Wendy's for you and the friend of your choice. First correct entry wins. Some News and Stuff to Pray About: We try not to bug you with too much information about what goes on behind the scenes around here. Your job is to be a good student. Let me pull back the curtain a bit, though. We administrators would really appreciate you praying for us over the next couple of weeks. If you remember, last Spring, we had a team from TRACS that came and looked at a bunch of stuff and asked a lot of questions. Their visit was an important part of PIU getting its accreditation reaffirmed--something we have to do every 10 years. When they left, they left us with a list of about 15 things we need to work on. We have to have our response, detailing what we have done, and are doing, to address those matters, in their hands by August 15. These items vary from a couple that absolutely, for sure, have to be dealt-with, to some that are "It would be nice if you did, to a couple that were really already done; it was just that the team didn't see that they were. We have to address them all. We not only have to do footnotes, we actually have to supply copies of the documentation. Pray for us as we complete this task. As you pray, thank the Lord for the fine group of leaders who work at PIU. Several PIU-ers will be traveling.  The Tavarez family arrives back on Friday. Joyce Owen lands next week. The Dixons will head back this way soon. Numbers of students will head our way before long.  This summer is the largest summer enrollment at PIU, maybe since Noah. For sure since Nino has been keeping track of such things, and making graphs. Remember if you recruit a new student who actually enrolls, etc. you get a significant discount on your bill. Ask Delight for more information. Talk to your friends and family. PIU Students are our best recruiters. Remember, Kathy, I, and several other summertime staff are willing to help you get to church. Give us a call. Kathy and I have open seats for a ride to Faith Church, and we are willing to help you get to another church. Oh, the picture at the top of this email: that's McQuade Alfonso, Mc. He is a PIU alumnus. He is currently taking classes at Asian Theological Seminary. Dr. Cary Perdue is the ATS's first Dean. He was at ATS for an Anniversary celebration. Dr. Perdue is from Covington VA. He helped start the Covington Bible Church where I pastored for 42 years. Small world. Below are a few more pictures. Enjoy. Live for Jesus.   By His Grace,     The Prez.

04/19/19

Wow! Time has certainly been tumbling down on us like water over a waterfall. It is Easter weekend and the end of the semester is upon us. 

Again, I say "Wow!"

Some of you are dealing with a lot of pressure. Be careful what you do with it. Pressure can break you, that is for sure, but it can also lead you to do greater things than you thought you could do. 

Let me share some things, off the top of my head, that can help.

• You may say, " I don't have time to have a quiet time with the Lord, and I certainly don't have time to go to church."
  I would say the opposite is true. You don't have time not to. This probably isn't the time to read the Book of Isaiah for one day's devotions, but taking a few minutes to read a portion of Scripture and call out to God for HIs aid are very important. Those people at your church are on your side.
• Focus! List out what you have to do and when it is due. Look at the time you have to get it done. Prioritize. Make a schedule. Get it done.
• Don't let the fact that you can't get everything done keep you from getting somethings done. I once had a student who passed a class by getting a 20 out of 100 on a paper. If he had just done anything on that paper, he would have gotten a 0 and failed the class. To flunk a class with a 59 is far better than to receive a zero.
• Say  "NO!"
  No to video games and TV Dramas.
  No to late-night talk sessions. (Calling it "fellowship" doesn't help.)
  Alcohol will only help you fail more spectacularly.
  You don't need to go shopping.
  Going Live on Facebook won't get it done. Go study.
• Don't do this alone. Find someone to pray with, one of your teachers, your pastor, me. We care.
• Say no to laziness. Hard work won't kill you. I think my wife and I are pretty good illustrations of that. Actually, it will help keep you young.

If I can help you, let me know. Let's finish strong.

Mama Kat and I just got back from the Good Friday Service at our church. Pastor Tom reminded us of the great price our Lord paid to make us His children. He didn't say "If you will ______, I will love you." He loved us when were His enemies. We don't deserve His love. We never can. Yet, He loves us with the John 3:16, Good Friday love.

Pastor Tom asked us to be quiet at the end of the service, to think about what we had heard. I did. I found within me a great love welling up.

“We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, NASB95) 

It wasn't a have to love. It is a want to love. 

I pray that you'll find that kind of love this Easter weekend. I pray that it will motivate you to do "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Co 10:31). 

Have a blessed Easter,

hm

Howard Merrell
President, Pacific Islands University

Missionary with LMUSA

671 734 1812, ext.15 / hmerrell@piu.edu

02/03/19

Hey PIU Students, this is the latest edition of the . . . President to Students (Pr to Ss) News. Students, You have been doing a really good job with Clean & Green. I'm glad to say, that tomorrow we have lunch for all Clean & Green participants.  Come and see what's in the pot. Since tomorrow is SuperBowl, Mama Cel is giving you an option play. You can work and eat, or eat and work. Huh? You can do C&G at the usual time & then enjoy lunch, or you can come to lunch and then do C&G from 1:30 - 3:30 (or 1:00 - 3:00 if you want.). Just sign in accordingly. I hope you got the good news about Dave Owen. It has been more than two years since Dr. Owen has been on Guam. He was the President before me. I came because he was sick. There is a lot of joy in typing "were," past tense. The picture below says it well. Rejoice with Dave and Joyce. They are a big reason that PIU is the great place that it is. BTW: Joyce, a graduate of PIU, former instructor, maintenance worker, and "First Lady" will be our 2019 Graduation speaker.   There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that you students don't know about. Almost all our students go into Finanicial Aid Director, Delight Suda's, office and come out with money. Maybe you think that any place that calls itself a school, can simply gather together a bunch of young people who call themselves students, and like magic the US government will give them money. No. No. No! We are only able to participate in United States of America Department of Education programs, like Pell Grants, by being an accredited school. We are accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. As their logo says, that requires us to meet "a higher standard."  Every ten years we have a major checkup to see if are meeting that standard. We have been in that cycle of being checked on, for several months now. One way or another it will continue for the rest of this calendar year. Let me quote from an email I just sent to faculty and staff. All three VPs [Dot, Alex, & Nino]  have worked really hard on this project. Our two Program Chairs [otaka & Paul] have provided a great deal of input. . . . I believe . . . we'll get [our report] sent to TRACS tomorrow, Monday on Guam. I try not to overuse superlatives, but I think this accomplishment merits them. I told Nino that this is "remarkable." . . ." (Email from HM, 2/3/19) The report is about 100 pages. When the Visiting Team comes, March 25, we will have assembled about 2,000 pages of documentation to back up the report. I'll let you know more about it as soon as I get some dates for when we can do it, but we'll be undertaking a project to improve the looks of the Study Center. You students will like it, because it will keep balls from rolling under the building. You'll also have the opportunity to learn some carpentry skills. Be watching for more information. The PIU family has had to deal with some really hard things in the last few Month or so. I have been really proud of the way you students have stepped up. Let's continue to work to make this a great semester. Speaking of something to watch for: The Marriage Preparation Gathering (MPG) will be tomorrow, Monday, at 6:00, in classroom 0. It is for all engaged and newly married couples.       Fill in the blanks, left. Send your entry in an email tohmerrell@piu.edu. The winner will get a free Wendy's meal. By His Grace,     The Prez.