A Tale of Three Graduations

I know… long time no blog. I have been busy flying to and fro and teaching night and day. Not to mention book deadlines. (More about that in a future blog.)

But the topic of this particular entry is graduations – three of them on three continents in three months!

An Ending

"We made it!"

I will start with the middle one. In June I was in Indonesia for an ending: our last graduating class in the M.Ed. program there. These students completed their Oral Defenses over a grueling three-day period and then marched to Pomp and Circumstance and became the proud owners of M.Ed. degrees. They are humble, wise, intelligent, and spiritual women who will make a mark on Christian education in Indonesia. As proud as I am of our graduates, it’s hard to see things end. But as my wise mother says “Things in ministry are often just for a season.” And so the Indonesian season of my life has drawn to a close, though I continue to encourage by email, and will hopefully be taking a group of Indonesian teachers to the “Christian English Language Educators” conference (http://www.celtconference.org/) in Hong Kong in January.

"I promise to read this book..."

As a graduation gift, I gave each one my brother Jay’s book on Daniel (http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Business-Politics-Jay-Edwards/dp/1615794972). In the picture you can see them repeating after me “I promise to read this whole book….” I stopped short of requiring a reflection paper on it! One of my students wrote just a few weeks later that she had already read the book:

Wow, a very inspiring book. The situation that Daniel faced was very relevant to the current situation now. It reminds me to trust the Lord with all our heart and to obey Him. He has great plans for us..... Wow, His plans were so amazing! A Hebrew slave was the second most important person in the entire kingdom! It’s a really wonderful story and I hope I can learn to be a “Daniel” in this modern era. (Ida, the writer, is front and center in the picture.)

A Beginning

Just two weeks after arriving back in Indiana from Indonesia, Rod and I flew back to Kenya. People asked me, “Does it feel like you’re going home this time?” The answer is no. After two years in the States, I was just beginning to reach the “home” feeling in Winchester, IN. So… “home” is a ways off here in Africa. But… it does not feel stressful, which is a great step forward in acculturation!

With two of our graduates -- and their leis!

We hit the ground running, with our big event of the year – GRADUATION – racing at us. Graduation here at KIST involves much more than the actual event. Board meetings, visitors, seminars – so much takes place during this particular two-week period at the end of July that at times we all just hope we’re still alive after it passes. Thank God for a great team of missionaries here getting everything done! I wasn’t a lot of help – you will recall the teaching night and day and book deadlines.

I did contribute one thing to graduation though: the KIST choir. I chose “The Lord Bless you and Keep You”, which I thought would sound lovely for the “dedication” portion of the ceremony. Of course all those Amens at the end only sound lovely if voices land on the right notes, which turned out to be much more of a learning curve here than I anticipated. I discovered that Africans, or at least these particular Africans, do not sing in half-steps. I have yet to hear an African song here comprised of more than three chords, and it is these simple melodies that make up the beautiful, four-part harmony African music that I so enjoy. But… the song I chose has many more than three chords, not to mention some harmonies that I have come to realize sound strange to some African ears. But… the first time my choir actually heard all four parts together on the “Amens”, and realized that they “got it”, you could hear the cheering and shouts all the way from the chapel to my house. They were SOOOOO pleased with themselves! It wasn’t perfect on graduation day, but it was pretty, and they were proud, and they want to do more songs like that. Sorry no picture of the choir in this blog, but I promise one in the future. We have only just begun!

The video wouldn't upload -- try to imagine the singing!

The choir wasn’t the only “beginning” at this, our first graduation at KIST. The whole atmosphere was hopeful and joyful. Graduates marched in not to Pomp and Circumstance, but to an upbeat African choir. The ceremony was held outdoors, with a meager audience at the given starting time of 10:00 but a substantial audience by around 11:00, when the diplomas were being handed out. (This is the meaning of “African time”.) After the ceremony, graduates were greeted by family and friends with tinsel “leis” – some proudly wearing a dozen or more of these leis. To see a wife, mother and grandmother (playing a drum!) walking, singing, and drumming to honor the first person in their family to acquire a Bachelor’s degree – well, you just can’t help but feel privileged to be in this place at this time. Africa is our new season.

A Change

Parabens! Selamat Wisuda! Hongera! Congratulations!

Finally, I’ll take you all the way back to May, for a graduation which needs no description… our daughter Danna Jo’s graduation from Taylor University. We didn’t shower her with tinsel leis or serenade her with African drums (for which I’m sure she is thankful!), but we are just as proud of the beautiful, caring, God-fearing young woman that she is today. College to real life is kind of a tough transition, made tougher when your parents are in Africa. But God is amazingly good through all the transitions of life, providing grandparents, a sister nearby and special friends as she seeks God’s will in a job and a future.

And… part of that future lies in Africa! Danna Jo and Jenna, along with two special young men, will be visiting us here at KIST in just about a week, and staying for ten days. Can you see the smile on my face just thinking about my daughters coming here? Maybe then it will begin to feel a lot more like home! :)