Name:
My name is Sam and I am a 65+-year-old Christian man, who is recently a retired widower. I live on a 2.5-acre small farm in the rural area of Waianae on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. I am a devout follower of Christ and an active church member. I love to study the Bible and read Puritan Sermons. I have a desire to help others grow in their faith towards Christian maturity; that is, growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and in the pursuit of holiness as commanded by God (Leviticus 21:8; Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:7).
Purpose:
To glorify God in my life
To be a witness and to pray daily for my children and others who need to know about Jesus
To document my faith journey with Christ as I grow in faith and obedience to Christ
To be an example for others, and …
To encourage and help others grow in their faith in Christ
Education:
Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics, in 1976.
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis Tennessee and earned a Masters of Divinity degree in Theology and graduating magna cum laude in 1992.
University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee and earned a Master of Arts in Secondary Education, graduating magna cum laude in 2002.
Professional Work Expereience:
Thirteen years of professional work experience as a product development engineer, product manager, plant Chemical Engineer, and Quality Assurance Manager in the textile and paper industries.
Five years of professional work experience as a Quality Assurance Chemist at Sole International, a subsidiary of DuPont Chemical Company
Three years of experience as a High School science teacher teaching chemistry and physics in Covington, Tenneesee.
Thirteen years of experience as a High School science teacher teaching chemistry and physics in the Department of Education in Hawaii on the Westside of Oahu. During this tenure, I quickly became an Academic Coach to help teachers become better teachers, and a TA Vice-Principal school administrator before retiring to be a caregiver for my wife who was battling cancer.
Personal:
I was born in Glendale, OH in the mid-fifties to hometown sweethearts who got married right out of high school. I am the second eldest of 6 children. The 1950s and 60s were difficult times, economically. My parents were professionals: my dad was a Baptist minister and my mother became a librarian when I was in high school. Like my parents, I also went to college and met a college student who became my first wife. We got married days after my graduation, and I hope everyone realizes that is definitely a red flag that I mistakenly ignored, to my dismay.
From this marriage, I have two children, Craig and Erin, who I have not seen since the marriage ended when they were 15 and 13-year-old. This was a tragic time in my life; but most importantly, this must have been the beginning of a more difficult tragedy that changed the life of my children forever. Children should always have equal access to both parents and if not, it is the worse form of child abuse that is ever conceivable to mankind: to brainwash children, convince them to hate their father, and keep them away from having a relationship with their loving and devoted father here on earth. If I can give one single message to my children right now, it would be, “Craig and Erin, I will always love you and I do pray for you every day of my life.”
Five years after this sad, nasty divorce and losing my relationship with my children, I met Eulanda at Belleview Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. Eulanda was born in Masupe, La Union, Philippines, but was adopted by her natural uncle and his wife at the age of 8 or 9 years old. She was raised in Mililani, Hawaii on the island of Oahu. We got married on July 24, 1998. Eulanda and I moved to the island of Oahu in Hawaii in 2005 where she and I became educators for the Hawaii Department of Education. We own a 2.5-acre farm out in the country away from the major cities of Honolulu and Kapolei.
A few decades later, my wife and I received the tragic news that Eulanda had a rare, aggressive cancer. Thankfully, and by the divine providence of God, I was able to retire early from my position as a TA vice principal at a public school in Nanakuli on the West Side of Oahu. I became Eulanda’s caregiver and we spent every minute of every day together. I thank God that He answered my prayers so I could retire early and be with my precious Eulanda. My greatest joy was being able to hold my Eulanda’s hand and comfort her as she drew her last breath on April 15, 2020, to be with Jesus Christ, her Lord God and Savior.
I am now on my own personal quest to serve and glorify my God, in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ.
References:
Provided upon requests!