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OCTOBER 2019, Does this little place matter?

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Coffee  with the President: A bit of a geography  lesson. Those of you who live out here can check me to see if I get this right. I am still a relative newcomer to this lovely part of the world. You can notice a few things just by looking at the picture on the left. Blue dominates. "Micronesia" means tiny islands. Kathy and I live on the largest island in the region, Guam. Yet, it doesn't even show up on the map to the left, just blue. That blue not only dominates the map, it permeates the culture. For most of my life, I lived with people who who are close to the earth. The people here are close to the sea. If you look at the outline that marks what is called "Micronesia" and then let your eyes travel east (to the right) you'll notice that Micronesia and the continental United States are about the same size. But, go back to my first point; the land in Micronesia, all put together, is smaller than Rhode Island. S...
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We just uploaded two videos to the "Coffee with the President" Youtube channel,  https://www.youtube.com/c…/UCBK4ZyoB7ZkcHiJCJ6CaMoA/featured . The first one, Post Mangkhut Report, part 1,  https://youtu.be/UIM7L2HKvUk , features an impromptu interview about Mankhut with several PIU students, and some thoughts about the storm. The second video, Post Mangkhut Report, part 2, is a continuation of the first one, including some lessons HM learned. It goes on to describe a critical f inancial need that represents a far greater threat to Pacific Islands University than did Mangkhut. Since our videos are about the Typhoon that recently passed by Guam, let me use this opportunity to ask you to pray for the people in the Philippines who are being battered by a much stronger Mangkhut, and the people on the East Coast of the US, who are dealing with Florence. In the same way that our students rallied together to deal with the Typhoon, we need all the supporters of PIU...
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The first batch of mugs have arrived.

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These pictures don't do our new PIU coffee cups justice, but that's OK. The pictures are like the  Coffee with the President   campaign   they represent, or, even more significantly,  Pacific Islands University, itself. The reality behind the image is far greater, more important, and far more valuable than is the poor attempt to symbolize it. The fact is, I'm really pleased with our cups. I thank Samantha Owen for taking care of the design details. I think you'll be like me--proud to drink your coffee, tea, or whatever from your PIU mug. Everyone who participates in our Coffee with the President fundraiser/friend-reacher will receive one of these mugs as a token of our appreciation and as a reminder to pray for PIU. If you have not already signed up, I hope to hear from you. If you scroll down on this blog, you'll find out more about Coffee with the President. http://piu.edu/welcome-to-the-piu-donation-page We move ahead By His Grace, PS:...
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An Early Update

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So, how's it going so far? I'll say "Encouraging." 140 folk have watched the CwtP video. Others have read the first post on this blog or the material at PIU.edu . A long-time supporter who joined the campaign sent me the email she is using to let others know about CwtP,  " There are many reasons why [we] are committed to supporting PIU.  . . . their commitment of bringing   affordable quality education   that people would not have access to otherwise. . . .  Like many grass roots endeavors it depends on many, many people helping out. . . . C an you be part of this in some way?" A young couple wrote, We " would like to start supporting PIU. I recently got a job, and we both feel led to give some of our offering to PIU. We were wondering what the best way to do this is." A colleague in ministry told me that he is reaching out to some people who have an interest in providing Theological training. Some of our Board Members are reaching o...
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COFFEE WITH THE PRESIDENT A campaign to enable PIU to train a new generation of leaders: As I sit at my desk, I can picture you, on the other side of this screen. Yep, I see you.  You want to think about this for a few minutes. You’d like to talk. Do me a favor, would you? Hold on just a minute. Maybe you can enjoy some coffee in the meantime. Right next to you is another friend of mine, who just wants the facts, and they want them now. So, here is the Coffee with the President campaign in a to-go cup: PIU is at a critical juncture. The need for training Micronesian leaders has never been greater, but to continue our mission, we have to get through the rebuilding phase we are in. We are reaching out to thousands of friends, old and new. We are praying that one-thousand, or more, friends will partner with us in prayer, and financially, with gifts large and small. You’ll find out more about the need and the opportunity at the “PIU Coffee with the P...
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