Comments

Here are some comments from the cruise gang on the tour:

Carol Jean (Norris) Edmonson

I FEEL THAT THE BEST PART OF THE CRUISE WAS TO BE WITH OLD FRIENDS. THE SHIP WAS GREAT. THE WAITERS WERE WONDERFUL. THE ISLANDS WERE INTERESTING, ENTERTAINMENT WAS GOOD.BUT, THE WAY WE WERE ABLE TO PICK UP WHERE WE LEFT OFF WAS MARVELOUS.

I REALLY ENJOYED THE GET TOGETHERS AND DEVOTIONALS WE HAD WHERE WE COULD ALL SHARE OUR EXPERIENCES WITH ONE ANOTHER.

I ASKED MY HUSBAND FOR AN OUTSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE. HE SAID HE THOUGHT WE HAD A REALLY GOOD BLEND OF PERSONALITIES AND THE WAY WE ALL GOT ALONG SO WELL SHOWS HIM THAT EVERYONE WAS A GOOD PERSON. HE ALSO SAID HE ENJOYED WATCHING OUR INTERACTIONS WITH EACH OTHER.

Ron and Judy (Swiatowicz) Jones

The highlight of the cruise for us was our group meeting on the final full day of the cruise...
We had utilized our time to renew old memories and speak intimately with each of the Alumni, and we had grown to love and appreciate each of them all over again - not just as who they were years ago, but also who they had become. We had made new friends of their wives or husbands, and we had all shared some laughs and even tears reviewing our lives for one another. Judy and I found it amazing how similar many of our experiences were over the last 36 years.... raising children, having grandchildren, making ends meet, and overcoming the difficulties we all faced. It was just a fantastic week which culminated in a meeting of sincere expression of love and appreciation for all involved.
That final meeting of the group as a whole was great.... Judy and I were both carried back to the spontaneous devotionals which had meant so much to us at Northeastern... The Spirit of God was in our midst and the years seemed to melt away for a few precious minutes.... It was both inspiring and humbling as we sang and prayed together.... and we simply couldn't have come up with a better way to end our time together. We will never forget it....

Barry and Cherry (Boothe) Hofecker

Barry and I loved the cruise reunion! It is one of our all time favorite vacations with friends up to this point in our lives. It only took minutes to again see and cherish our dear college mates' personalities. We were so blessed to learn about each person's life and growth and to share their happiness and sorrows. Some of the most enjoyable times for Barry and me were our casual and fun chats with the gang in the Seattle Coffee Company's back nook. It seems everyone let their hair down more in that setting and we had a great time. Other treasured moments we shared with the NCJC crew were the climb up the Ocho Rios waterfall and the nights we spent listening to and watching Karaoke. So when's the next cruise???

Gloria (Rice) Griffin

The cruise was a wonderful way to reconnect and renew friendships. Many of
us had not seen nor spoken with each other for 36 years but we were able to
pick right up where we left off. In a brief time, we were able to share our
family joys and sorrows and our personal triumphs and failures. The
devotional on Saturday took me back to the nightly dorm devotionals and the
ones held in the formal gardens. I enjoyed reminiscing about the pranks
and events of those two years at NCC. It was also important for me to
introduce Winston to people who were so important in my life. He came away
with a renewed appreciation for the fondness that I have expressed toward
the group that made 1965-67 two of the most memorable years of my life.
I sincerely hope that if we are fortunate enough to have another reunion
that more people will have the opportunity to attend. It would be
wonderful if the circle could continue to grow.

Donna (Meyers) Camilli

"I really must say that the cruise week together with all of you, renewing past relationships and really getting to know some of you for the first time (Vada, Olen, and Jackie, and of course the spouses, Winston and Jim...but it seemed like we had always known each other) was one of the most recharging experiences I can remember having. Did I really just write that strange sentence? Hope you all can follow my strange thought process. Each experience of each day with each of you was such a treasure. If I must pick the most meaningful times to me I think it would have to be the two group meetings, the fellowship we shared, and our worship together (just like old times). Reminiscing about the good times, the crazy pranks, and many others who could not be there with us, was also at the top of my list. The daily shore trips were fun too, but much better than they would normally have been because of the friends with whom I was experiencing them. All in all, I rate our reunion week AAA#1. Kudos to the instigators, planners, and media coordinators of this wonderful week... Pam, Melanie, and Kerry...THANK-YOU. And I thank God for the love which flowed among us so naturally...even after all those years. Well, I hope we don't wait so long to do it again.
Just hum the tune as you read my closing words..."GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN" !

Gerry (Simpson) West

The cruise was absolutely wonderful! The highlight of the cruise was reconnecting with classmates that I hadn't seen for over 36 years. It was wonderful having my three roommates, Donna, Carol, and Cherry there at the same time. I didn't know if I would ever see any of them again. It almost seemed like a dream. It was great getting to know some of the others better. I feel as though I have made some good friends for lifetime.

The tours were a lot of fun even if Donna, Melanie, Kerry and I almost missed our ship in Cozumel . It is a good thing that we were in fairly good shape so that we could do a little rapid walking and running.

We will have some wonderful memories for the rest of our lives or as long as our minds are still with us.

I am looking forward to our next reunion and I hope that more of our classmates will be able to join us.

Thank you Pam and Melanie for taking the initiative and making it all possible.

I love all of you!

Larry and Jackie (Reed) Smith

We recalled memories of NCC and most were good. Of course we were thrilled to spend time with Vada and Olen and it is always good to spend time with Christian friends and nothing lifts the heart better than singing together which we always enjoy.
Love to all,

Olen and Vada (Jacoby) Watson

Olen and I had a wonderful time on our cruise. We
really enjoyed renewing old acquaintances and spending
time with family and friends. Seeing Larry and Jackie
was great because we don't get to see them very often.
I think we agree spending time in devotionals and
remembering old and happy times renewed our strength
in the Lord. We had great fun. Thank you all. May the
Lord bless you.

Melanie (Hinton) Rinehults

Our reunion cruise was incredibly awesome, and so many wonderful memories
were created that I will warmly recall over and over the rest of my life!
It was hard to believe we had been separated for 35 or so years because we
so quickly renewed old friendships and built new ones, almost as though we
had always kept in touch over the years. It was fun sharing family photos
and bringing each other up to date on what's been happening in our lives
since NCJC! It was intriguing to realize that, although we are all in our
mid-fifties now, we could still readily recognize the same facial
characteristics and endearing personalities that we remembered from when we
were 18 and 19-year old kids on campus. I loved getting to know Gloria's
charming Winston and Carol Jean's sweet Jim whom we have officially adopted
into our NCJC family! It was fun to meet Georgia and Suzie, too! It brought me
great satisfaction to see couples who met on campus and married and who are still
sharing their lives together as God intended.

I guess the biggest surprise to me was Kerry and the fascinating individual
he has become! My recollection of him from our campus days was a
bigger-than-life smile and a mischievous glint in his eye, and from the
hilarious stories we shared about life at NCJC I know I'm not imagining
that mischief either! It was just so much fun to get to know everyone
during this different phase in our lives and to see the deep bond we share
because of those years we spent at Northeastern and because we all belong
to Jesus - truly brothers and sisters. The most precious realization of
all is that we have an eternity together to look forward to if we remain
faithful to our King in this life! We are truly indebted to the men and
women who, through great personal sacrifice, made our education possible at
NCJC. We didn't just learn about reading, writing and arithmetic there -
we learned life skills and, most importantly, received a foundation for our
faith through the godly examples all around us.

As for the cruise, the ship was a spectacular floating city with so much to
enjoy together. I've never in my life before consumed so much
out-of-this-world food in a week's time! We ate almost constantly and
loved the gracious service as we were pampered by wonderful waiters and
cabin attendants and smiling ship staff everywhere we turned. What a
wonderful environment in which to enjoy old friends! I loved the worship
times we shared on Cloud Nine and the laughter and tears as we put into
words what Northeastern means to each of us. We all appreciate so very
much the many hours Pam has put into finding our classmates and drawing us
back together, and we are grateful her vision for a reunion cruise came to
fruition! We look forward to our next adventure and hope with all of our
hearts that more of our NCJC friends will be able to join us next time!
God's richest blessings to all of you!

Daisy (Smith) Wilson

The highlight of the trip for me was seeing everyone for the very first time! It
was amazing how everyone just meshed together as though no time had passed.
I wish more could have come. I'm ready to go again! There was so much
to do. It was just a great time and I loved it!

Linda (Kuhl) Oehring

It was a blessing to see and know that no matter how many years or miles have separated us, our relationship to God bonds us as nothing else could. It was truly a wonderful experience renewing friendships, discovering new friends, remembering what NCJC was all about, reveling in God's creative work in people and places,the beauty of His land and sea, and cherished most of all, the true gift of love. God bless each of you.

Buddy and Judy (Allison) McWhorter

I spoke to Judy and she had soo many highlights ......Seeing and being with each of you from NCJC, (which actually amplified us being together), Having the devotions we had, the Tulum Ruins, seeing one of you out and about and just sharing stories of NCJC and our families and me singing.
You know, I am so in awe of everyone's walk with the Lord at this point in our lives and how He has blessed each one of us. I can remember many times when the Spirit of the Lord was with each of us and ALL of us on the cruise. He allowed us to be blessings for each other and everyone we came in contact with. I am grateful for that devotion time and for the talents He has let us keep and grow with. My highlights are the same..being with Judy, talking and laughing with each of you and having a couple more 15 minutes of glory with "God Bless The USA" and of course "Unchained Melody"! Thank YOU guys for making that even more special. Knowing our spirits have crossed once more is an awesome blessing! I feel humbled with just being there with y'all. (know what the plural of y'all is?? YOU ALL). Thanks again ...Peace to your spirits and Love to your souls.
McBuddy (BampaBud) and Judy (Jammie)

Kerry Crutcher

Our cruise was much more successful than any of us anticipated. The ship was fantastic, the food upheld the reputation of cruise ships, but the people was what really made it great. We had a good group of people at NCC, and we had a good group on the cruise. It was good to see old friends again, and learn what they had been doing since we last met about 36 years ago.

The friends and spouses fit right in, although we may have given them a bad impression of NCC. They probably thought it was a college teaching practical jokes. We never discussed our degrees, our high academic standing, or the courses we took, but we spent a lot of time on the practical jokes we pulled on each other. I was asked to explain several of them.

As I roamed around during the day, I ran across some of the group. That made it very convenient to discuss their activities of the past few decades, their families, where they are living now, and their plans. Even after a week, I wanted more time to talk with everyone. It seemed like we had only been apart for a week.

The dinners were a day's highlight. We ran around in various groups all day, but got together for dinner. We switched tables to get to talk with different people. We all complained about the formal nights, but took some of our best photos then. We cleaned up really nice!

We ate dinner at 6, saw the entertainment at 9, and about 11 some nights we listened to Ron and Buddy sing karaoke. We sat in the coffee shop other nights and discussed things. This was most pleasant, as we could stay as long as we wanted (we had to leave the dinner table to allow for a second seating), it was quiet, and we found a private area.

It was great to get to see everyone again. We had a nice group when we were teenagers together, and its good to see every is still nice. We've all done well after starting out with nothing. I've associated with a lot of groups of people in the military, various colleges (I wound up with seven and on half years of full-time college), work experiences, and social life, and have never found another group as nice. I appreciate Pam's hobby of tracking down the people we attended college with, and putting this cruise together. I'm sure this cruise gave everyone a boost and will be a highlight we remember for a long time.