As I sit down to write this note, I am grieving the recent loss of my dad and preparing for an upcoming memorial service. It is life markers such as these that remind us that we are “just passing through” and our days are definitely numbered. Psalm 103 states, “As for man his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”

My dad was my hero and he will be greatly missed. If only I could have one more hour. Yet at times like this, I am reminded of the vow he made to God as he sat in a German P.O.W. camp.He promised that if he got out alive he would strive to make his life “count.” And, indeed he did! He lived a life of loving God and serving others while modeling for me what a godly earthly father looks like. Thank you Dad!

Let us all be reminded that as our lives are racing past us, only what we do for God and other people is what lasts. Let us deepen our walk with Him daily and continue to look for opportunities to serve others in His Name. I am encouraged by the dedication of these two principles that I see within the SI family, and I count it a privilege to work together with you.

A photo of my dad, below, on a short-term mission trip to Mexico.

Thank you, Tom, for the last year and a half of service in our International Service Center. We also appreciate your continuing work on the board for SI.

For 13 years, Hector Pinto has been a mainstay of Students International. SI has depended on him for countless details over the years. Hector began serving with SI in the fall of 1996 as the social work site leader in Guatemala. He also worked alongside Mario Mendez in the agriculture site. From 1999 to 2003 he was one of the principle leaders in the area of administration for the ministry in SI Guatemala. 

Hector came to the International Service Center in Visalia in 2004 where he has been a vital part of the overall administration of the mission. Unfortunately, he will be leaving us at the end of May. He is in process of applying to graduate school to pursue and MBA with hopes to start classes this fall. 

When asked what his favorite thing was about working with SI, he responded quickly, “Working with friends and not just colleagues. It has been awesome; very joyful and very fulfilling.” Thank you for your years of service, Hector. You will be missed.

See photo gallery here

On September 13, 2008 around 400 people gathered at the Alipaz home for the 4th annual SI banquet in Visalia, CA. Some of the highlights from the banquet include reports from the field by summer participants who live in the Central Valley. One of several speakers was Ryan McKenzie of Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church, who shared about the growth he saw in his students in Guatemala and the beauty he saw in the lives of the poor they served there.  Another speaker was new staff member Cailah Pritchard. Though she’s headed to Costa Rica, she served this past summer in Fiji and shared about the unexpected lessons God had for her in relational ministry. It was a great night celebrating what God is doing in and through Students International, challenging all of to explore what God would have us do next. See the pictures in this link