Dr Jarred Jung: EAST 32rd Commencement’s Reflection

The reflection below is written by Dr Jarred Jung, an EAST Resident Faculty and coordinator for the EAST 32nd Commencement Service.

On 16 May, EAST celebrated the sending of another class of students into the harvest fields of countries throughout Asia with our 32nd commencement ceremony. As a faculty member at EAST, commencement is one of my favorite days of the year. In many careers, it can be difficult to see the fruit of one’s labour, but we get to celebrate this every year in a tangible way. It fills us with great joy to see students who we have invested in for two, three, sometimes up to four years receive their hard-earned degrees. Perhaps it is the festive atmosphere that brings about this joy, but from my experience, there is something deeper than the morning of festivities.

One deeper source of joy is our love for the students who are graduating. At EAST, a student is not merely a seat filled in a classroom, an empty bucket to fill with our own knowledge. Rather, we see our students as ministers of the gospel that desire transformation. As faculty, we make every effort to invest in their lives, their ministries, their families. Ask any EAST faculty about one of our resident students and they most likely can tell you not only the student’s name, but the names of their spouse and children, the church where they attend, the ministry for which they are preparing, and maybe even about the struggles they have overcome in their studies at EAST. Commencement is a time where we get to celebrate the transformation that the Lord has brought about in the lives of these students who we have not only taught, but also shared meals with, invited to our homes, and prayed with.

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