Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2021

40 | Cedarville Magazine Cedarville Magazine 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314 1-888-CEDARVILLE | magazine@cedarville.edu cedarville.edu/magazine My time at Cedarville was, without a doubt, some of the best years of my life! My professors taught me not just how to properly play an instrument, but to love music. They impressed on me that if you want to perform well you had to work hard. I n M e r l i n A g e r ’ s c lass The Learner and the Learning Process, I discovered that being a good educator is more than knowing and loving your subject, but loving the students who are learning your subject. With a genuine concern for my students, I always looked for ways to have a positive and supportive influence on them. In 1998, while teaching at Hanover- Horton Schools in Michigan, I found out that Cedarvi l le was host ing a Music Showcase weekend. This was an opportunity for my students to listen to great music, experience the University, and hear the Gospel. As I was at a public school, sending students on this trip had to be approved by my school board and agreed upon by parents. After all approved, we found drivers and made the four-and-a-half-hour trip to Cedarville. For more than 20 years, I was blessed to share my alma mater with my students. For many of them, that trip was their first exposure to the Gospel. Over the years, I was blessed to bring more than 300 students to Cedarville. Most of these young people had minimal or no exposure to Christianity or the Gospel. A highlight of the weekend for me was when Mike DiCuirci and Lyle Anderson ’70 gave their testimonies and presented the Gospel. Over the years, many seeds were planted, and several students have accepted Christ as a result. My students were not only making great music under the same baton that I was privileged to sit under, but some of them also met our great Savior! A s a r e s u l t o f t h e s h o w c a s e w e e k e n d , there have been several students who came from the farms of Michigan to study in the cornfields of Ohio. Of those, most have excelled in their professions, some working overseas and others working in locations across the U.S. All of them were strengthened in their faith, and learned what they believe, and why they believe it. Now that I am retired, I can look back on my career and see God’s impact on every aspect of it. Because of what I learned at Cedarville University, I was able to give our marching band the op- portunity to parade through the streets of Walt Disney World, enjoy musical trips to Chicago and New York City, and, for more than two decades, experience a place that I love and whose mission I wholeheartedly believe in. By trusting in the Lord, and His plans for my life, I can testify that He is good. I am beyond grateful to have been used by Him to bring others to Christ and for Cedarville University’s impact on my life and my students’ lives. Soli Deo gloria!! Gary Rouster ’84 retired in May 2020 after 35 years as a music teacher and band director, the last 28 of which were for Hanover-Horton Schools in Horton, Michigan. FIELD TRIP FOR THE GOSPEL IN CLOSING