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Published: September 5th 2012
Video Playlist: 1:
grads 2 secs
New Ph.D's
Vladimir, Dumitru, Lina HURRAH!!I am sorry for a tragedy with my photos. My camera was set for 2X digital zoom so all of my photos are a wreck. I have only Bill's to use and he missed many of the ones I wanted SO much. If you aren't here and should be, it is because a button got pushed by error on my camera.Has there ever been such a day? Today was packed with meaningful prayer time, meals and coffee times, classes to teach, meetings to attend, the rush to put on your best clothes, the fun of getting all the students and faculty in line properly to march to the graduation ceremony, the meaningful ceremony itself, the photo opportunities for family and friends of graduates and their proud families, the festal meal, hugs and kiss and congratulations, best wishes and a few tears, goodbyes and then the evening of rest.Supposedly your own graduation day should be the happiest day or one of the happiest days of your own life. However, neither Bill nor I graduated today but we are still so happy joy is just shining on our faces and our hearts are full of such gladness! Today we had the high privilege
New Ph.D grads and Parush
Vladimir Ubeivoic and Dumitru Sevastian from Moldova with their friend and teacher. of attending graduation services for 5 people whose lives have been intertwined with ours for a number of years. Two of them graduated with the degree of Master of Theology and three with the degree Doctor of Philosophy. In the order that they graduated let me tell you a little about how their lives and ours have been joined.Yevgen Fursov of the Ukraine and Czech Republic first came to my attention a few years ago when he was on campus for the beginning of the school year when students are involved in very intensive work so they can then return home to read, study and write their papers for their degrees. Yevgen, or Genya as he calls himself, was unusual in that he was studying in the field of Biblical Studies which requires an enormous amount of work and discipline involving the languages in which the original or surviving documents of the early biblical texts were written. As he progressed through his studies I had the privilege of reading and working with his English grammar. His final thesis was complex and demanding and won him the right to now be called a Master of Theology in this field. He came
Parush & Marjon, new Master
This is 'the' Marjon who we prayed for so often as she worked for recovery of her health. today with his wife and very lovely small daughter to receive his diploma.Next in the graduation line and soeone I learned to know only two years ago was Marjon Pape of the Netherlands. When I last was here, Marjon was a beginning Master's student. When I was asked to do some reading for her essays leading to her degree, I was most pleased to discover a very clever mind at work on topics that were new and very interesting. She was dealing with issues in the Evangelical Churches of the Netherlands. Since I knew nothing about her topics it was such a pleasure to begin to understand how these churches had formed her and the things she hoped could change to make them even better places of worship and service. Her insight into the problems and weakness as well as the strong points of various things about the churches and the Dutch society showed a keen mind at work. It was always fun to read and see where Marjon was thinking and engaged with in her research. Sadly she suffered a very dehabilitating illness at the end of that year of study and had to work hard both to regain
Lydia, Yevgen and his daughter
Lydie was Yevgen's supervisor and I think was as happy as he about this graduation day. her health and finish her thesis. But against many odds she was successful in her writing and today, with her mother here to enjoy this special moment, she graduated.Next in line but our longest acquaintance among the graduates was PhD student Lina Andronoviene from Lithuania, someone we have admired, loved, enjoyed, been awed by, etc. for years, who finished the enormous work she began while a master's student on the lives of single persons in the churches of her home country and the wider area. During her years of study she explored many different aspects of this topic and would seem to me to be almost finished and then her great intellect would discover a new facet and she would tackle yet another difficult piece of research instead of finishing quickly and not covering the topic and the field with complete thoroughness. What a mind and what a hard worker Lina has been as she has combined teaching duties in the seminary, support of her other colleagues as they finished their studies, mentoring of students on campus, work with her home Union and its school and this most complex and difficult topic. I could also mention her brilliant preaching, work
Nancy and Dumitru
These were two e-mail 'buddies' for months as the dissertation flew from Moldova to the USA and back over and over. with worship leadership, writing of poetry and hymns, encouragement of each volunteer on campus......but that might be MY thesis.Then in turn came Dumitru Sevastian and Vladimir Ubeivoic from Moldova. These two earnest students were on campus several years very quietly studying during all the intensive sessions.. They seemed very shy to me and reluctant to sit and chat. Then one day about two years ago they sat with the two of us at a meal and told us they were in a scholarly competition with each other to see who would finish his PhD first! They were both serious and half teasing as they were from the same town, worked together in ministry and had been studying for the same length of time. Then they asked very quietly and shyly if I would be willing to help them work with their texts as they were completing their doctoral dissertations. English is at least a third language for each of them and perhaps a fourth. I happily agreed since I am receiving a fantastic education without any research just by reading the texts which I have a chance to proof and do some editing work on. They, the students, do all
Graduation
So many people we love all in one place! the 'heavy lifting' and I get to find out the results of all of this amazing research. So for almost two years chapter by chapter I received great work on difficult topics. How can anyone decide to tackle ideas no one has worked on in the past and then day in and day out for years do both their regular ministry and live in community with their church and raise a family and finish a PhD? But this happens over and over and the 'race' was won today by both men on the same day as they stood together with this terminal degree in hand. I learned more about the
how of their lives as their children and wives, who have provided the happy homes and stability all these years, stood beside them proud and pleased. Their contribution to this good day is so vast no one will ever be able to calculate it. I watched the faces of these two wives and the children as they saw dad and husband graduate. They mirrored my own happiness and multiplied it many times over--deservedly so for the literally years of love and support they had given these two smart and good
men in their study.So my joy is so great in seeing the accomplishments of these five whose lives have so touched my own life and whose research has enriched my knowledge base. What a fantastic, wonderful, unforgettable day!Do you see why we come back here often? How can anyone explain the meaning and emotions of such a day???
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Bob Harrison
non-member comment
Graduation Day
Lovely to read about the connections and enriching community you've shared. Kindred spirits are with us near and far! Safe travels.