The ways God works is evident in the remarks made by Oneida Baptist Institute’s Class of 2019. Consider these testimonies by this year’s graduates:
Larry Gritton
Female student from Oneida, Ky.: “My time at OBI has been filled with many great memories with my family and some of the staff. OBI will always have a special place in my heart.”
Female student from Manchester, Ky.: “I came to OBI when I was 11 years old. I was shy, quiet and didn’t have many friends. Now I’m an adult and probably one of the most outgoing students on campus. During my time here I’ve made mistakes, memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Some people see OBI as a place, but to me, it’s home.”
Female student from Thailand: “OBI taught me many life lessons. It taught me how to deal with people, handle tough situations and love your friends. I would like to thank God for giving me an opportunity to come to study here in America.”
Tamara Cochran/Submitted photo
Oneida graduates Visuthida Puributr (left) and Cody Wells embrace Oneida faculty member Denise Roberts upon their graduation.
Male student from Ethiopia: “I came to OBI as a boy with no dreams or aspirations, but now I leave a man with different goals and dreams.”
Male student from Oneida, Ky.: “If it wasn’t for my time here at OBI, I would not be a Christian and follower of Christ. When I first came here in the seventh grade, I read on a second grade level. If not for OBI, I don’t know what shape I would be in.”
Female student from Ethiopia: “I learned the things that I have never thought I would know. OBI changed my life in a different way. I am glad that my parents sent me here. I found the best of me here and I became closer to God.”
Male student from Lexington, Ky.: “Coming to OBI took me out of a bad situation back home. When I first came, I really didn’t like it—but over my five years here, OBI helped mold me into the man I wanted to be.”
Tamara Cochran/Submitted photo
Female student from Alabama: “At first I hated OBI, but in my time here I not only learned what I needed, but I also made some amazing friends and met some amazing staff. My relationship with my parents has been a bit rocky at times. When they first sent me to OBI, I was angry at them, but now I know that everything they’ve done was to help me. It’s sad that it took me this long to realize it.”
Male student from Oklahoma: “OBI has radically changed me and many of my perceptions. Living in the dorm for several years has been a wild ride that has let me learn about many cultures. It really takes someone special to serve here as a houseparent.”
Female student from Owensboro, Ky.: “My time at OBI has sure been an experience involving meeting new people and learning more about the Lord.”
Larry Gritton is president of Oneida Baptist Institute in Oneida, Ky.
Larry Gritton