The Tide’s Currents Pacific Islands University accessible, excellent, transformational ~ Est. 1976 Spring 2019

In this issue . . .

President Merrell’s message

PIU Days

A Life of Lasting Impact: The

Legacy of David Owen (insert)

The Professor’s Corner: PIU and

Wycliffe Bible Translators

(insert)

TRACS Visit

What Can You Do?

President’s Message Over the past couple of months, I have heard many times (from nu-merous people), “Dave taught us how to live;” now, he is teaching us how to die. That final course that Dr. Owen taught was completed on March 29, 2019.

Four of us have served as President of MIBS/PIBC/PIU. Dr. Roland Rauchholz, Dr. William Wood, Dr. David Owen, and me. It is odd that the youngest of the four would be the first to hear the "Well done" from our Lord. Many people have commented in various venues about the impact that Dave had on their lives. Some of those testimonies are contained elsewhere in this edition of the Tide's Currents.

I met Dave thirteen years ago, when I first came to Guam for the Board meeting. I could immediately see that there were a great many things that were different between me and Dave. He was much better educated than me. He was someone who made clear that "fan"--as in sports fan--was short for fanatic. When I first met him, Dave was still playing basketball with the college students. He didn't brag, but he would talk about his time playing baseball and basketball. He used to say if God had only made him a foot taller, he could have played in the NBA. He didn't regret being just short of 6 feet however. An NBA career would likely have kept him from PIU. He dearly loved being able to impact young lives, and, through them, make a difference in an entire region of the world.

Dave attended Biola University, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Trinity Seminary. He was one of those rare folk who kept on learning. Dave read from his Hebrew Old Testa-ment daily. His other reading interests ranged from Theology to science fiction. He was a lifelong student of things Micronesian. My formal education stopped far short of the PhD level, and my continuing reading was geared more to pastoring than to academics. In spite of that difference, I always appreciated that Dave would let me into the conver-sation. He didn't feel the need to impress me with the fact that he knew things that I did-n't, yet he didn't condescend to me by agreeing with me just to be nice. We shared a love for God, His word, and a dedication to His service. On that basis we would sit across the table, or in the car, and talk about that which was beyond both of us. Not long before Dave found out he was sick, he and I visited some ministry partners. It was the last time that I was privileged to work with him in seeking to further God's king-dom in this part of the world. It is strange that a small-town preacher would become friends with a California guy who was president of a college in Guam--even stranger that I would come to sit in the office that a short time ago was His, and be privileged to seek to carry on the work that he so loved.

If Dave were here, he might accuse me of being trite, but I'll take a chance…

“Only one life, twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.” (C.T. Studd)

I miss my friend, but his lasting legacy will continue to challenge me and others he im-pacted during the course of his sojourn on earth. By God’s grace PIU continues, due to faithful servants of Jesus like Dr. David Owen.

The Tide’s Currents is a regular publication of Pacific Islands University

with the purpose of keeping friends of PIU

abreast of

current events and ways they can be involved with the University.

Mission Statement

PIU exists to provide accessible, excellent,

transformational Christian higher education and

ministry training to the people of Micronesia,

the Pacific Islands, and to the ends of the earth. As

such, our mission is to prepare men and women with a biblical worldview

for leadership and service in life, work, and

ministry in the global community and the

church. Editor: J. Combs

1956– 2019

David Lee Owen

PIU Days! 2019

Gro

up

Sto

rge

G

rou

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e

Group Agape Group Agape

Group Phileo Group Phileo

PIU Days is a student-led weekend of

events when the whole PIU family focus-

es in on the core values that make PIU

the unique institution that it is. This year

the emphasis was on love. The three

teams emphasized different aspects of

God’s love, and our love.

If you stick your finger into a container of water and then remove it, you will

notice that you left no impression. Thankfully, when we invest in lives the

impression is lasting, even eternal. Dr. David Owen left a deep imprint in the

lives of many.

Alumnus & former StuCo Pres. Olin Mathias: “[Y]ou wanted me to always

speak up, not to be the quiet girl, not to be shy, and now I am a girl who is not shy and speaks up.

You told me to shoot for that one purpose, which is serving God wholeheartedly. Love you Papa

Dave. Rest In Peace.”

Olivia Simeon, class of 2018: “I will cherish all that you have taught me about Scripture, interpretation, and its

application to life. Thank you for all the reminders . . . to make Christ known . . . putting God first in our lives.”

“I became more and more fascinated in the way Dave talked about Christ, with so much confidence and wisdom.

He reflected Christ to those he worked with, and those who were in his life, I dare say even to those he had just

met. Dave was indeed a man who could speak of Christ to anyone he met and connect to those people. [H]e

lived his life to reflect Jesus . . . He was an all around man. What an impact . . . here on

Guam and the islands in Micronesia.” -Scott Refilong, alumnus and PIU staff member.

“All the Theology that I have, came through [Dave Ow-

en]. He was a friend, a coach, and spiritual mentor.” -

Jimmy Gimen, Associate Pastor, Calvary Baptist

Guam

“He was still learning even when he was teaching us.” -

Michael Sabin, P.I.E.S. graduate.

“Dave was one that brought balance to some of the

things that I was going through in my life. In some of

my most challenging times . . . He would encourage

my heart.” -Pastor Cesar Chrisostomo

“Dave Owen's life meant so much to my wife and me. Dave was my middle school bas-

ketball coach, my professor at PIU, my wife's boss, the emcee at our wedding . . . We

always admired Dave's intelligence mixed with his humility. He served at PIU through

difficult and happy times and never gave up. He was passionate about his calling and it

was evident to all . . . Dave is truly missed by all whom he touched. We love and pray

for Joyce as well as she continues to serve.” –John Tomada, alumnus and Guam Army

National Guard Chaplain

“We both pastored churches . . . I followed him to PIU. . . . We worked together. . . . We experienced joys and

defeats together. . . . Somewhere along the way, he became my best friend. . . . We knew each other’s

strengths and weaknesses. . . . We were so close we hurt each other and we forgave

each other. The last time I saw Dave he was still in the midst of his battle with cancer. We

talked together, laughed together and prayed together. Then we said good bye. . . . Griev-

ing is the price of love.” -Steve Stinnette, fellow LMUSA missionary and colleague at PIU

Dave’s life verse is, ““For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the

Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10, NIV84). I say

“is” because while Dave’s earthly life has ended, his work, which in many ways was his

life, goes on. Each of us who serves the Lord is a link in a chain. We each have a lap to

run in a relay. It is good to look back and see and learn from what Dave did. It is much

better to take up the burden of the work Dave carried for most of his life.

I confess, I don’t really know how heaven works. I’d like to think that when we get there,

we’ll be able to give reports. I hope we can report that PIU continued on making quality,

transformational, Christian Education available in these islands, and that by one student

at a time we continued to make a difference for God’s glory. -HM

The Legacy of David Lee Owen

A Life of LASTING Impact

“Dave Owen is now

one with his Lord

and Saviour Jesus

Christ and has now

joined the heavenly

host of God's people

who have gone on

before. We await the

return of Christ to

set this world right.

Next time I see you, I

will have my new

resurrection body

like Christ's. I long

for the day when we

will all be together

again." ~David L. Owen

The Professor’s Corner

A Partnership Between PIU and Wycliffe Bible Translators

“Enough with our opinions!” says a Christian to his fellow. “Grab a Bible and let’s look at what the Word of God says.” A little

pause follows as the other scans the length of his bookcase. Finally, he responds: “Should we use a dynamic equivalence,

formal equivalence, or paraphrase; and should it be one that came out within the last fifteen years or earlier?”

There is a situation in the world today that should grieve Christ’s Church. No language has more translations and more availa-

bility to enjoy the life-giving/life-changing power of God’s word than the English language. A few other languages may have a

dozen or so translations, but it is rare. The fact that should grip the heart of every follower of Christ—that has experienced the

nourishment of the Word—is that millions living today will likely die without ever having the chance to read God’s Word in their

native language. The number of translations they have available to them: zero…none.

To bridge the disparity between the Bible-rich and Bible-less, serv-

ants of Christ like Ken Dixon and Peter Knapp of Wycliffe Bible

Translators have understood the need and have committed their

lives to the call of Bible translation. Currently, Ken and Peter work

with Pacific Islands University as college instructors while they each

work on different translation projects in Micronesia. Ken Dixon says

their presence is to accomplish a two-fold goal: “One is to promote awareness of the

Bible translation need in the Church in general…We would love for every church to

have some kind of translation happening, even if they already have the Bible.” Peter

describes the second goal in this way: “We (SIL Pacific Group) started teaching at PIU

with the goal that we would be pass on skills and knowledge to train Micronesian nationals so that they would be able to par-

ticipate and even lead Bible translation projects in their own language.”

Both Ken and Peter recognize Bible translation to be a critical component of fulfilling the Great Commission. “I can't imagine

teaching (or being taught) everything that God has commanded us without referring to the Bi-

ble,” explains Peter. Peter also goes on to describe how just having a Bible in an accessible

language may not be enough for the Word to really penetrate the heart. “Many people do un-

derstand the Bible in another language. But there are many stories that show that people, even

highly educated bilinguals, miss important parts of the Biblical message if it is brought to them

in a language other than their own…[W]hen I read the Bible in my own dialect, it touches me

differently, even if it is a translation that I produced myself.”

As important as it is, working on a full Bible or New Testament is only part of the translation

work to be done. “My passion as a linguist goes beyond bringing scriptures to people (though

this is the prime focus),” explains Peter. “It also includes

offering assistance in language development. If we want to

communicate love and acceptance to people who speak

minority languages, we should offer what we can in helping

them develop their languages by creating reading material, vernacular media that can be

used in schools, dictionaries, etc.” Using resources like Bloom®, a large collection of online

translatable booklets supported by SIL International, PIU students are able to enter into

the excitement of translating literature in their own language without having to have exten-

sive training.

While Ken and Peter continue to invest their lives in getting people the Word of God, it is

clear that the work to be done is more than two capable men (or even all the translators

working for Wycliffe at present) are able to accomplish. According to Wycliffe statistics

(see http://www.wycliffe.net/en/statistics for more), there are 408 languages in the Pa-

cific alone that need translation work, with 2,163 languages worldwide. This massive effort will require commitment from men

and women of all walks of life and for many years to come. Those interested in being a part of what is turning out to be the

greatest push in the history of mankind for all peoples to have the Word of God in their own language can go to the Wycliffe

Bible Translator’s website: www.Wycliffe.org. All are also welcome to email Ken Dixon at kdixon@piu.edu or Peter Knapp at

pknapp@piu.edu for more information.

Pastor Kenson Joel and Ken

proofread translation work of

Romans 6 in Pingelapese.

Student Victor Billy and Ken

working on translating a

booklet into Mortlockese.

[W]hen I read the Bible in my own dialect, it

touches me differently...

-Peter Knapp

Peter Knapp teaches students an

introduction to linguistics.

www.Wycliffe.org

Successful TRACS Visit

One of the keywords in Pacific Islands University's Mission Statement is "quality." Since 2004, PIU has been accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). This associa-tion, to use TRACS's words holds us to a "higher standard." Accreditation is not merely a hur-dle that a school clears and then forgets about. Rather it involves an ongoing relationship. There is a steady flow of information from TRACS to us, and from us to

them. Maintaining our accreditation not only holds us to standards of quali-ty but enables our students to use Pell grants to finance their education at PIU.

Every ten years the scrutiny gets pretty intense. We are in one of those cycles, now. After writing our self-study report and submitting it to TRACS, a visiting team of peer examiners were assigned to come and look into every aspect of what we are doing. Their visit concluded on March 27. Our self-study and the team's scrutiny involved looking into seventeen broad categories of our operation, from physical plant to academics, to finance, to govern-ance, to student life, and more. As most of you know, PIU has come through a difficult few years. We have made difficult choices that enabled us to move ahead. I'm glad to say that the report TRACS left us only indicates six areas of our operation that require change. The team also left us with nine suggestions for us to consider. Overall, this is a good outcome. We believe that we can make the necessary changes before this fall's TRACS Commission meeting. We appreciate your prayers as we continue on this journey.

Instructors come from evangelical

institutions around the globe

Looking ahead . . .

May 4

May 4 May 6 August 22-23 August 26 October 9 October 25-26

Spring Semester Ends /

Graduation

Summer Classes Begin

Registration for Fall Classes

Fall Classes Begin

Virtual Board Meeting

K2 Retreat

Do you know “PIU Math”?

accessible

Spiritual emphasis retreats, classes, and

mentoring help students grow in Christ

Students SUPERCHARGED

to serve Christ wherever they may

be called

PIU offers the lowest rates of any

accredited university in the region

Pacific Islands University 172 Kinney’s Drive Mangilao, Guam 96913

671-734-1812

www.PIU.edu www.facebook.com/pacificislandsuniversity

What role would you like to have in raising up a generation of laborers in Micronesia?

WARNING: Harvest plentiful La

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few

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Make headway with PIU!

Do you have a passion for the training of the next gen-

eration of transformed Christian workers Pacific Is-

lands University is educating in order to make a global

impact? Are you trying to answer the question of how

you may fit in? A few suggestions that will likely make

our students jump for joy:

Pray. It will not be surprising to have this is at

the top of the list. Something that touched

David Owen during his service as President

was to hear of faithful friends praying for the school.

Give to meet specific campus needs. There are many campus needs. A

critical one that has come to the forefront is for our students to get a good night’s

rest. Our mattresses in the PIU dorms are worn out. Some were used when we

put them in service. All are, now, well past the point of being well-used. Our Stu-

dent Development team has researched and says we can replace these worn out

mattresses for $125/each, including the disposal fee for the old ones, if we buy

them in bulk. We are hoping that 30 individuals, churches, or Sunday School clas-

ses will buy a mattress for a dorm student. Just put a note with your gift (If you

give online, send an email to catoigue@piu.edu.) Just the one word,

"MATTRESS" is sufficient. Any funds that come in above the amount needed for

the mattresses will be used for other dormitory improvements.

Give yourself. Whatever your hand, foot, or mind finds itself doing to bring glory

to God, chances are there is way to serve the University with it. Please give

prayerful consideration how the LORD might have you invest in making PIU shine

brighter for the Kingdom of Christ’s sake.

What Can You Do??