一位家长的感想
The following testimony was written 露西·威科夫(Lucy Wykoff) 1973年著 and originally published in
the Spring 2009 issue of 约大学's magazine, 视图.
几周前,我做了一件不寻常的事. 起初,它看起来只是一个普通的
事情,然后我意识到它的重要性. 这是你预料到的事情,
我知道会发生的 最终. 突然之间,一切都变了 真正的交易.
In the fall of 1969 (yes, colleges were operating 那 很久以前!), 我是 the third of four in my family to attend 约大学. 我是
a typical freshman, right out of high school, and 我是 homesick. 然后到了秋天
of 1971, along came a young man just back from serving in the U.S. 陆军时期
越南战争的高潮. 戴尔是 不 典型的大一新生. 第二年我们结婚了. 1977年5月,戴尔
distinction, at 那 time, of having earned more undergraduate hours than anyone else
有谁从TG反波胆足球平台毕业的!
We absolutely loved the life God gave us in Chattanooga. 但毕业后,我们
moved west to New Mexico, and then in 1983, God took us to Las Vegas. 这是
something this small-town girl was 不 prepared for! 戴尔和我对此深信不疑
那 it was the roots 那 were planted and watered at 约大学 那 kept
us 坚实基础 这么多年来一直信仰着. 我们是一个住在拉斯维加斯的基督徒家庭.
At this time, we had four children in a Christian school, and our monthly tuition
exceeded our monthly mortgage payment-and outlived our savings account. 所以我们
became pioneers of the homeschool movement in Nevada, after receiving one of the very
first homeschool exemptions when it became legal to homeschool in Nevada.
我们家有七个孩子. Dale and I knew in our hearts 那 约大学
was the perfect place for them to learn and grow when it was time to choose an institution
高等Education. If they had to go away, there was no place we wanted them to be
除约外! 所以我们 visited the College whenever possible, hoping to plant
的种子 他们的大学. We were so sure 那 it was the right place for them 那 we asked them all to "try"
Covenant for a year, and if they were 不 happy, we would talk about transferring
去另一所大学. As each child left for Covenant, the enthusiasm and loyalty toward
了望山在我们家成长. 1991年,我们和塔米说了再见
been seeing children off every semester since then. 于是,他们一个接一个地离开了
the mountain, and one by one, they began to graduate from Covenant. 我们都参加了
毕业典礼,它变成了 我们的大学.
It was important to Dale and to me 那 our children 不 settle in Las Vegas because
we were there, but only if God took them there. 所以我们开始寻找工作机会
在东南部. 我们渴望搬到离孩子近一点的地方. 2001年秋天,
God answered 那 prayer, and we moved to Chattanooga. 我们的第五个孩子现在在
约大学, and we had added a daughter-in-law who is a Covenant graduate as
好吧.
现在你已经猜到接下来的故事了. 作为戴尔,这是我难得的特权
was on a business trip, to write our final tuition check. 每学期都没有失败,
for eighteen years, we have paid tuition to 约大学. 连续36次
semesters of tuition payments-and for 25 semesters we were making tuition payments
两名学生! If you are counting, 那 means they all finished in four years
或更少. 今年五月,我们将观看(别有压力,查兹)!我们家的第七个孩子
走过那个舞台.
If I could go back and accurately total the cost for 61 semesters of tuition and books,
我想知道它会是什么. I wonder how many times we maxed out credit cards or re-financed
our house in order to help the kids finance their education. 我想知道要多少美元
my parents and an aunt contributed to their education. 好像我们刚刚
finished paying off Dale's college loans when we began making payments to Covenant
为孩子上大学. And it may be the same for our children as they struggle
还有他们的大学贷款.
但你知道我意识到什么? 没关系. 戴尔和我还会这么做的. 因为
God has allowed us to watch our children mature, graduate, and go into the world 装备 to think, work, explore, serve, learn, love, and make wise choices. 他们有责任
leaders serving in their churches, workplaces, homes, and communities. 这是一份礼物
to which no amount of money in the bank can compare.
And so, even though this is our last semester as parents of 约大学 students,
we will always be grateful for the lessons we learned at Covenant, and even more for
孩子们学到的东西. 当我看着我的成年子女时,我是
in awe of the ways 那 God has shaped them and uses them. 等我长大了,我要
to be just like my children, walking with the Lord, critically thinking, always prepared
to give an account for the good work 那 is within them.
露西·威科夫(Lucy Wykoff) 1973年著
- 戴尔·威科夫的妻子 '77
- mother of Tammy Wykoff Bacon '95, Ashley Wykoff Goertemiller '97, Steve Wykoff '99,
Dan Wykoff '01, John Wykoff '04, Joanna Wykoff Watne '07, and Charles Wykoff '09
- mother-in-law of Kristin Fray Wykoff '01 and Evangeline Rayburn Wykoff '03