This graduation ceremony was one of the best I've ever attended! It's very much like a church service, with special music, a song including the congregation, and a message from Pastor Chappell to the graduates. Then the fun of receiving diplomas begins - and with 200 students, it takes a while! 

After the diplomas are presented, there are several awards presented to the students. Most of the student awards are given during chapel the day before graduation. Beth was included in Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities, and her grandparents were there to see her receive that honour, while we were still traveling. 

During the graduation ceremony, the highlight of the awards is the President's Award, given to one man and one woman graduate who each showed extraordinary servant-leadership, which is a central theme of WCBC's training. Beth was this year's woman recipient! That was a highlight of her graduation for me!

I'll have more pictures later of the rest of our family, but I wanted to share the pictures of Beth with you today. There's a caption with each picture explaining what's happening in that pic. Enjoy!

Beth will be graduating from West Coast Baptist College with a degree in secondary education on Wednesday, May 6th, at 9:00 a.m. PDT. If you're interested in watching the ceremony, you can see it live at lbclive.tv.

We're excited to see all of our children and spend a bit of time with them, especially at our traditional graduation dinner on Wednesday evening. Beth will be coming home with us to spend the summer, and in August, we'll drive her to Minnesota to begin her first teaching job. She'll be on the high-school faculty of First Baptist School of Rosemount, MN.

I have a few posts scheduled to publish while we're away, and I'll have internet access each evening as we stop in hotel rooms along the way. We'd appreciate your prayers as we travel! See you in a week!