Monday, June 30, 2008

AUC Open House 6-29-08


A labor of love...



A most lovely welcome committee



Help yourself!





Financial Aid & Admissions Information Seminar



O.K., Listen up! It's time to meet your professors.



Business Professor Barbara Fuller welcomes students and their parents.



Time to eat!


Baker Beaton offers cap and says grace.



Success!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Between Father and Son



At the afternoon meeting yesterday, Pastor Jose Cortes, Youth Director for the Greater New York Conference, presented a film about parent/youth relationships in the church and our failure as parents to hear them and model Christ to them.

The film was done by an Adventist fellow in conjunction with GNYC Youth Department. I commend Pastor Cortes on his vision and connection with the youth. Here is the link.



Following the sobering viewing, Jose spoke from the heart about being a parent and the love you have. He spoke about how love is spelled, T-I-M-E, TIME. He was emotional and eloquent. We were all moved and inspired to be better parents, adults, and youth mentors.



I am big on family building and making that our first mission field. I have known Jose Cortes for about 15 years going back to my Washington, D.C. days.

I hope we can bring this film to Atlantic Union College soon.

Greater New York Conference Camp Meeting

I traveled to the Greater New York Conference Camp Meeting yesterday to recruit students and do PR for the college. It was a gorgeous drive and I made it in record time - just about 2.5 hours from my house.

I took the backroads all the way through the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts and Western Connecticut. The scenery was classic New England with farms, barns, stone walls, old colonial homes, rivers, lakes and streams. I love nature, and the Lord granted me a rich blessing driving to Camp Berkshire.

This is a photo of Bull's Bridge, Kent, Connecticut. I am sure there is an interesting story behind the name! It connects Connecticut with New York.




Yours truly* at the Youth Tent.




As usual, we were treated with great respect. Mr. David Cadavero, Education Director for the Greater New England Conference and Atlantic Union College Board Member was his usual great self. He always helps us at AUC. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died at lunch snapping his photo!


Yours truly - Normally the ending form of a letter written to a close friend. In this case, it refers to myself without taking so much credit. Example: "This painting was done by yours truly." instead of "I did this painting."

Korea SDA Language Institutes

In Korea, there are more than 40 Seventh-day Adventist Language Institutes with somewhere around 50,000 students learning mostly English, as well as Chinese and Japanese. They need a lot of English teachers there, and you can have a great experience if you go!

After the disaster of the Korean War (1950-1953), Korea has a modern economic and spiritual miracle. They send missionaries all over Asia and the world now. They are passionate about learning English, too!



I have visited the institutes twice, in 2002 and 2003. Pastor Ben is a friend I made that I hadn't seen in 6 years. He was at the Southern New England Conference Camp Meeting this year. Great guy!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Learning English... Kiwi Style!

This approach comes all the way from New Zealand.

Kiwi - Besides being a small, delicious, little green fruit, a Kiwi is also a nickname for someone from New Zealand.

Camp Meeting 2008



Every summer, the Southern New England Conference holds Camp Meeting. It is always fun to hear great music, messages from the Word of God, as well as meet old and new friends. Last Sabbath we were blessed by tremendous messages from Pastor Alanzo Smith and music from the renowned Michael Card. (I chatted with him afterwards and got his autograph!)

On Sabbath it is always filled, and after the 11:00 Worship Service the people congregate in church, family, or friendship groups to have an outdoor potluck lunch and socialize. Lots of people bring a tent or camper and stay for the whole week. Many of us bring our guitars and banjos, too!



Since the Southern New England Conference covers an area that is very multilingual, they have meetings in English, Spanish, French/Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Korean, and now even Chinese. If you study at ELI, you will begin meeting a lot of these people, and they will help you adjust to your new life at college.

Today is Friday, so the excitement is building up for the last weekend of Camp Meeting. The speaker for today and tomorrow is Elder Bill Knott, the editor of Adventist Review. His father, Professor Emeritus David Knott, is an institution around Atlantic Union College. Elder Knott is also an AUC graduate.

Here is a schedule of English Campmeeting, June 20-28, 2008. I hope you can join in the fun and spiritual growth soon!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Russia 0 - Spain 3



Find out more here!

Adult ESL at Home

Enjoy this fascinating article!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Guided Video Tour - English Language Institute

Get a taste of where you will be studying! This will be your second home...

Sorry that the video is not very clear, but it will give you an idea of what our institute looks like.

Enjoy the tour!

Every Eye Shall See Him...Soon!

Jesus is coming soon! This video is based on Acts 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and Revelation 1:7.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

17



Billy Kilmer was my favorite football player when I was growing up. He played for my favorite team, The Washington Redskins. Old number 17!

I need 17 English language learners for this coming semester. That gives me 60 days, more or less. Using sloppy math, I need one student every 3.5 days! That would be 2 students per week! Only God can do that!

For the last 8 years, my colleagues and I have been teaching English to students from many countries and of all ages. We love our newcomer friends and international students. We also love our college, Atlantic Union College. Maybe that is God's place for you!



The English Language Institute is a place where you can be part of our family and learn lots of English. Many have done it before you... Why not you?



So, I am hitting the road to find you! You can email me at edward.rivera@auc.edu

American Idiom
(to hit the road = to depart, to travel, not striking)