Graduation

The big day has come, and now almost gone. The tradition here on Kudjip station, is that when an MK graduates, he or she is honored at one of the once-per-month English worship services. The parents plan the service. I say "tradition": that what's happened with the two previous graduates in the 5 years that we've lived here.

So today was Sam's day. There were some graduation decorations at the pot luck prior to the service, including a beautiful cake. Gail Dooley had made a "memory" book, with messages from many of his friends. There was a display of photos.

In the service there were tearful comments from both of his parents. I read Psalm 127: 3-5, and said that if children are a reward from God, I can't imagine what I ever did to deserve such a reward as I have received. Judy shared some thing about Sam that she will always remember: falling in love with a small photograph sent to us from Korea; a 4 year-old asking her to "tell me more about Jesus"; the day and the place along the road where they pulled over in the old white Plymouth Voyager and Sam asked Jesus to come into his heart; lots of laughs; a 10 year-old boy wanting his very own call from God if he were to leave his friends and move to PNG; an alusion to a suicidal pig in the back of a truck that many of us didn't understand too well.

There was a slide show (including photos from long ago) accompanied by a couple of Sam's favorite contemporary Christian songs. There were songs; "My Tribute" in English, and "Long Marimari Bilong God" in Pidgin, and a special song sung by "Uncle" Jeff Myers. Sam even made a very concise speech (very concise), thanking the missionary family for their contribution to his life. There was a time of prayer lead by "Uncle" Scott Dooley.

His fellow MKs read scripture passages that are special to Sam: Deuteronomy 6:5 (Sam's "life verse"), 2 Peter 1:2, Philippians 4:19, Ephesians 5:1-2, Daniel 1:8, Jeremiah 29:11, and Philippians 4:4-7.

Brother John Alt, missionary with the Evangelical Brotherhood Church (the EBC is a Swiss denomination, and they call their pastors "Brother"), preached. He made some funny, but true comments on the international nature of the group present, with folks from PNG (a large group of our national friends were there), US, Canada, India, Wales. He joked that since the Swiss are famous for their neutrality, he was the logical choice to preach. He then shared a message on the trustworthiness of God, illustrated by 15 of the more than 200 names for God in the Bible.

The closing prayer was sweetly offered by Sam's "PNG Papa," Simon Tausi.

Lots of tears. Lots of love.