Our third daughter will be graduating from Messiah College in less than three weeks. Needless to say, we have had many thoughts and reflections as to the impact Messiah has had in our family.

When asked about our family's experience at Messiah, I often tell people that if they are looking for the perfect place, they won't find it at Messiah-or anywhere else. We have found that parents looking at a Christian institution for their child's college experience expect the "perfect" environment. So although we know that Messiah is not perfect, it seems it has been the "perfect" place for our daughters.

I remember so clearly the first time we left our oldest daughter and drove away from Messiah that night. I felt like my heart was being torn out, or least into many pieces! I also had a feeling of comfort and peace, and told my husband that for having to leave our firstborn into someone else's hands, it felt very right, comforting and safe.

I would like to list a few of the positive and life-impacting things that have come from Messiah for our daughters. They have all found close and meaningful relationships with friends that continue past graduation. They have learned to know who they are and although they were well on the road to knowing what they wanted out of life, it seems that Messiah has helped them define their goals, values and an overall direction for their lives. That doesn't mean our graduating daughter knows exactly what she will be doing this fall, but she does have a sense of which direction she would like to go.

We have seen them grow in areas of thinking for themselves, seeking God in all areas of their lives, and an overall growth and maturity which we know Messiah has had a big impact on. It is such a joy to talk and listen with them, as well as hear their thoughts, feelings and knowledge they have gained-a lot of it has come from their experience at Messiah. Just recently, one of the girls told me she still communicates with one of her professors. To realize that she wasn't just another college student, that her professor appreciated her as a student as well as a young adult and continues to have an interest in her life means a lot to me.

I won't deny there have been a few bumps for a couple of them while at Messiah, but nothing major and nothing that they haven't been able to work through and grow from as a result. I know we can't always protect our children from "the world" but Messiah has given our family a safe but challenging place for our daughters to start the transition from being a child to a young adult who is searching and trying to learn which direction God is leading them.

For those of you who have taken personal interests in our daughters, we say thank you from our hearts! Dr. Sawatsky has been missed by our family, since he played such a vital role when we left our first child in Messiah's care! He was able to say and understand what we as parents were thinking and feeling, and yet was able to push us away and our students forward with caring, love and concern. We certainly appreciated his impact on our students.

As we leave the Messiah scene, we stongly encourage you to never compromise the values and beliefs that make Messiah the college that it is. Standing firm on the word of God and practicing what God says and Messiah believes is what makes parents want to send their children there! New parents and students mainly base their decisions on what "experienced" students and parents say and we are thankful to say it has overall been a great journey for our family!

Sincerely,

Libby and Larry Geissinger