All right, we have several graduates this year, not all of which are able to join us in chapel. Some may be joining us online. So I'd like to ask if you'd like to give a testimony, if you'd go ahead and come down to the front, just for the sake of our Zoom participants, they can be able to see you, and everyone will be able to hear you. So go ahead and just, if you're graduating here, just come on down front if you'd like to share a testimony. And don't be shy. Ladies, you're welcome too. This is not considered preaching. Yeah, Trey's like, let me get a hold of the pulpit. You get me out of it if you can. So we're really thankful for the opportunity we have to have graduates give testimonies. As a representative of the faculty, I just want to say it's such a blessing to invest in your lives to have you here. It is part of our heart aches when we see you getting ready to leave. So we hope you'll continue in the next degree program. and in some way. But we have graduates online perhaps too that might want to give a testimony so we'll start. I asked Trey to lead us off so he I knew if we if we could get him going we'll get everyone going and if you're here and you haven't yet come to the front you'd like to say something feel free to come up. So go ahead and Trey you give it give it to us and then we'll try to have some equanimity between the right and the left. All right. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Trey Woodbury, and I will be graduating with a master's in biblical studies. And so just excited. I've loved this time here in the seminary. It has been awesome. For those of you who don't know, I transferred in as a junior in undergrad and did two years of Bible in undergrad. And I really was, you know, the reason I came as a junior is because I struggled to get finances to come for undergrad. And the Lord really opened the door my junior year. And then senior year was the time they froze tuition. So it was like, Wow, you know, so I made it work those two years, and I was really wanting to go to seminary, but I didn't know how it was going to work. Then I found out what a GA was, and I was thrilled. And so I've been a GA the last two years and very thankful for the school, for the opportunity, thankful for Scholarship Universe and Dr. Gautreaux helping me figure out how to work that. But I'm graduating in biblical studies, and I will be moving on. So I'm going to get married in May, May 31st. Excited. And then I'm going to be taking a job as a pastoral resident at Trinity Baptist Church in Concord, New Hampshire. That's where I did my internship last summer. That's where I'll be for the next two years or so. And I do plan to continue my degree online. So I'm hoping to continue my MDiv through Bob Jones. I was originally an MDiv student, but then, you know, got engaged and got a job. So I'm going to finish online. Excited for that. Just some great memories from seminary experience. Have loved my professors. I mean, I just think the professors and their personal testimony, their commitment to the word, has been the biggest impact on me. I think when I realized Bob Jones Seminary was legit, we really were committed to studying the Word of God, was my first semester, I was in New Testament theology, and we had to do the New Covenant promises. We had to go through and read all the New Covenant promises. I'm like, I know about the New Covenant, I'm Christian, you know? But we had to go through and read it and parse it out and write down all our findings and things like that, and I was like, wow, there was so much more here than I would have thought in those passages. And just class after class, studying the Word of God the preeminence it has in our programs is fantastic. And we know that God will bless that. And also just the personal relationships with my professors. So many of you, like last week I went to lunch with Dr. Casillas. It's just been great. They're so willing to answer my questions, especially many of our professors have been in pastoral ministry, have been in some form of ministry. Some of them are pastors now. They're so willing to sit and to listen. to give advice and to help. Dr. Gocher especially, we go to church together and we go to lunch every week as a mentorship thing. And it's been hugely helpful as I prepare for marriage, prepare for pastoral ministry. And so I'd encourage you, if you don't have a great personal relationship with the professors, get to know them. I have not had a professor yet who did not want to answer my questions, did not want to encourage me in the Lord. And then another just word of encouragement. As I studied, it got very hard sometimes. And sometimes it was very easy to lose sight of what I was doing it for, that I was training to serve the Lord, training to minister. As you're doing Greek homework or things like that, it can be very easy to be discouraged or want to be lazy. And so I just encourage you, work hard as unto the Lord, because he rewards that. And so enjoy this time. It goes by very quickly, but I'm so thankful for Bob Jones University. Praise the Lord. I'm, hello, I'm Nathan Titus. I am graduating in the intercultural studies with a Master of Arts. I transferred over from Appalachian Bible College in West Virginia where I did my undergraduate in a missions program emphasizing biblical languages. That final spring semester I was there, I began the process of transferring over here to Bob Jones for the master's program when it became clear to me that I should be taking the program. My career goal being to be involved with Bibles International in their Bible translation ministry in Michigan. And something I appreciate about Bob Jones University is that it's evident that they are grounded, the university is grounded in the word of God. a rarity these days for a college or university institution to ground themselves on the authority of the word of God. And when I was considering college years ago, I told myself that I wanted to attend a college institution that was grounded in the Bible, and thus my decision to attend both Appalachian and Bob Jones. A word of advice, if I had to give any, would be to just strive to do what's right, not out of simple duty, oh, I have to do this, out of a true desire to love and please the Lord, because that's really why we do what we do unto him. Amen. Hello, my name is Daniel Lehman. I am finishing up with a master's in biblical counseling. First of all, I just wanted to thank all these men here. Several of them have taught me in my classes, and thank you for your patience with me. And first of all, just your faithfulness to the Word, and just throughout your life, and faithfulness to your wife, and just old men who love the Lord and have been faithful for years, thank you. That is something that the older I get, I realize it's not as common as I thought it was as I look around. So your testimony and just your personal love for the Lord, something that has had a massive impact on my own life, and it's something I am striving towards, and hope to remain faithful for the rest of my life. One of the things that I will be doing, along with Trey, we'll both be going up and working at Trinity Baptist Church in Concord, New Hampshire, a two-year kind of residency. We both interned up there last year, both looking forward to going up there and serving in a local church, and to be able to apply many of the things that we learned our classes. I'm gonna be totally honest, I thought when I finished a master's I would feel way more prepared for the ministry, and you just realize there's so much you just don't know after taking all these classes, so it is truly humbling. One thing though for those who are still learning that I would like to encourage you with is be careful never to view the Bible as a textbook. that book we are reading and we're studying and we're trying to learn more about has the power to transform your life. And I think some of my biggest regrets are simply just doing assignments and accumulating head knowledge and not allowing that change my heart. So, always realizing that this is the word of God that I'm reading, that I'm studying, and I need to continually allow that to impact and change me. And so, I always got so much more out of my assignments when I viewed it in that light as opposed to, I just need to get this in by 11.59. So, allowing the word of God to change and transform you. But thank you, all the men here who have taught me, and your faithfulness, I look forward to continue learning, so. I'm Ben Silvera. I'm graduating a Master of Arts in Biblical Languages and Literature. I plan to move up to the Virginia Beach area and join a colonial Baptist church and serve there. I want to thank the Lord for Bob Jones University's emphasis on the biblical languages and expositional preaching. I have benefited greatly from that emphasis and I know that I will reap all my life the seeds that were planted here. And I'm very thankful for that. A word of exhortation to my peers. View your seminary education as both a privilege and a responsibility. It is a a privilege to study God's word. Remember, there are people in the States and all over the world that would love to be where you are, and maybe they don't have that chance. And so it is a privilege that we have to study God's holy word, especially in the original languages as well. If you don't have that opportunity, it's okay. But just remember, it's a privilege and it's kind of like, Seminary education, as I was once told, is like a well. It's a privilege to draw water from a well. And when you draw water, you're drawing it for yourself first, right? And that's a privilege, that you get to study God's word for yourself, And Lord willing, benefit from that. So you're drawing water from the well. That's the privilege part. Never forget that, that it's pure water, good water that you're drawing. But it's also a responsibility that when you draw water, you're not just drinking it for yourself. but you're taking that water, and Lord willing, you're sharing it with others. And the more water that you can draw from, the better other people in your family, your friends, and your ministry, they will benefit from your labors. of drawing the water, because you're not just here for yourself. I mean, you do need to be equipped, but never forget that your labors are not just for yourself, but you are drawing water, and then you are, in turn, sharing that, that water, that living water, with others. with others. So just keep those two things in mind. It's a privilege. And by that, your studies should be an act of worship. And that's what I mean by privilege. It is a privilege. And like Daniel said, not viewing the Bible as a textbook. I think that goes hand in hand to what I'm saying. So, view your seminary education as both a privilege and also a responsibility. You are to be a steward of what the Lord has given you, whether you're here for a semester or you're here for six years. So, thank you. Hello everyone, my name is Juan C.P. El-Louis. I came from Haiti. I will be graduating with a Master of Divinity. And in contrast with all the other guys, I will not be leaving after that. I will be staying. I always take class during the summer, but this summer I said to Dr. Casias that I will not be taking any classes because I plan to get married as well after that. I will be married on July 6th, God willing, and then start with the PhD study at about, I should say, next fall semester. I want to thank all of my teachers because of their commitment to the study of God's Word. One thing I really love with the seminary is the fact that you feel like you have the impression that the teachers, they force you to be faithful to the text and to say exactly what God said. Not what God said, but exactly the way God says it. I really appreciate that. One thing I would like to share is the fact that when I first come here, I had many issues. I was not aware of them. When I first come here, I have hearing issues. I thought it was because English was not my first language. It was hard for me to listen to the teachers. But I realized that I have hearing issues. When I went to the hospital, the doctor said that I have the nerves in my knee. They are damaged. And because of this, it make it hard for me sometimes to understand speech. And one day, I went to the DMV to take a driver's license test. And I realized that. I have another issue, because I failed the test. And when they checked, I have a glaucoma that already take out my left eyes. And after another time, while I was working in vocal studio, I got an injury. And all of this came to me at once. And I was very overwhelmed by all of this situation. But you know what? God was never away from me. The teachers and people on the seminary they came alongside to me to talk to me to encourage me And I'm so grateful for that and I am praise God for each one of you I'm doing this time who came to me and then to comfort me during this time I'm very hard in my life, and I praise God for that I want to Encourage each one of you if you have the conviction that God called you for his ministry to get this training and take this very seriously And I do believe that God will provide because for myself, there is no way for me to be here and to be in that school and to get that training with my own or my family. like possibility to provide for that. But God allowed me to be granted to this multi-scholarship and find other scholarship in the seminary that helped me to be able to get this training. I already start, I'm using this to help people in my country. Actually, I am teaching on live stream for a school, a seminary back home in my country. And I plan while I'm working on my PhD study to go home at least once a year and then to teach for that school. Thank you so much. Hi, my name is Ethan Augustus. I will be graduating this year with my Master of Divinity with a concentration in Pastoral Theology. Plan right now is to continue on one more year as a Greek GA, as I'm doing right now, and I will be Lord willing beginning THM classes either in the fall or potentially in the summer. So, jumping into some more training and kind of using this next year for us to evaluate, looking for a more full-time position, possibly jumping out into pastoral ministry. So, kind of using this year to evaluate that and see what opportunities the Lord would have for us. I would like to just take this time to publicly thanks the Lord for what he's done over these years. I've been here a long time, five years, Master of Infinity, as it's aptly called. So I've seen people come and go, teachers come and go. I feel like the old man on campus now. I'm sure it's probably gonna get worse. But I have just been over and over reminded of and amazed by God's mercy and His grace in my life and how He's made that evident in my training. I thought a lot about my life direction and the training that I would have. And I have been very careful about planning my steps and choosing the right courses and doing all these things. But over and over again, I keep getting reminded of the fact that the way God is leading me and the way He is preparing me really has nothing to do with what I have done and how I've set up my steps and how I've planned things out. We're getting ready to go through, just as a side note, we're getting ready to do a study in Esther with our church and our home groups, and I'm doing a little bit of study in that leading into it, and if you read the book of Esther, it's clear throughout the book that God's sovereignty is on display because over and over again, Whether it's Esther, the king, Mordecai, or Haman, like no one is doing anything intentionally, right? Things happen seemingly by accident, all of these kind of just, you know, they appear to be happenstance, where things just keep happening to people. But what we understand is that God is the one who's directing all of those things, and God is the one who's opening doors. God is the one who's bringing random things into people's minds. You know, you can just go on and on. that has really been the story of my seminary career. And I just reflect on and thank the Lord for the fact that he has been so faithful in orchestrating all of those things, because I certainly have not always been that faithful to him. And the fact that he would use me and choose to use me in this way, again, directing my steps, using people to encourage me and to shape my path, in ways that I would not have chosen. All of these things you can just look back and thank the Lord for. So I thank the Lord for that. And I do want to just take the time to thank the professors here and the role that you guys have played in that. And just echoing what's already been said about the faithfulness that has been on display and just the practical skills in ministry, faithful to the text, learning how to be an expositor of the word, but even more than that, learning what that looks like in real life and how to walk with Jesus and what real faithfulness looks like. So just a couple things by way of exhortation. First of all, I would just say, be grateful for your seminary education. And that's already been said a couple times. But this is something that I try to always keep in front of my Greek students because this is something that I'm always having to remind myself of in the sense of it's so easy to view this as labor, view it as kind of a drudgery. There's a lot to do, you're dealing with deadlines. But when I take a step back and realize just how blessed I am to be here, Literally, I'm being forced to study the Bible, and my literal, actual job is to study and teach Greek. Like, what else would I rather be doing at this point? And even with that kind of a setup, it's easy for us to get things out of perspective. So, choose to be grateful for that. Be grateful for what the Lord is doing during these years. And second, and finally, I would just say, love your local church. and choose to be invested in it because as valuable as your seminary education is here, there are things that you need and there are things that you will learn in the local church that you won't be able to learn strictly in these walls. And the thing that's so amazing about it is the fact that the seminary and the seminary faculty all understand that, and they're pushing you in that direction, and they're getting you to think along those lines, even when you're in the seminary classroom. So I very much appreciate the seminary's emphasis on that. Seminary is a time that it's easy to fly under the radar, to become disconnected, especially if you're away from home for a few years, maybe in a church that isn't your home church per se. But the relationships that you will be able to build there, the accountability that you need from a local body is something that you won't find anywhere else. So make the most of your time in the classes, talk to your professors, get your questions answered, but be intentional about plugging into a ministry and getting involved in people's lives. And again, not just being a sponge that soaks everything up, but being wrung out for God's glory, even while you're in this time. And I trust that as you do those things, you'll be able to look back just as I have, and really thank the Lord for the time that you have here. Again, not because You're something special, not because you've lined out your steps, but because the Lord is gracious and he can use a time like this in really powerful ways. Thank you. Anyone else that's graduating like to share anything? Make sure I give you an opportunity. All right, let me finish where we started this school year, Psalm 1. Just a word of encouragement. We've had a year of looking into the Psalms, reflecting on the heart of a shepherd that we should all have, that is reflective of the heart of the good shepherd, who shepherds our souls, our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. And started the year with Psalm 1, how blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season. Its leaf does not wither, and whatever he does he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Let's leave you with this thought, the Lord knows the way of the righteous. As we see men and women who have been faithful in their studies, faithful in persevering and enduring the persecution of their professors, faithful in involvement in their local churches, faithful in their desire to follow the Lord and the call he's laid upon their lives For vocational ministry, we understand and are grateful for the fact that the Lord knows our way. The Lord knows where he's gonna take you next. Some of you know, some of you aren't sure. The Lord knows where he's gonna take you in the future. And as we entrust what we've taught you to your ministry and to the Lord's will, we're so thankful for what God's gonna do in your lives.