Mary Lou's Guam Blog

I am moving to a new blog site

2011-05-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

I am setting a new blog using the same product I am used to using for web sites. This is a link to my new site.
If there is nothing much there yet, it means I am still setting it up!

Classes are out for the semester

2011-05-23T04:31:00.000-07:00

It is a great joy that Joyce Owen has graduated from PIU with her bachelor's degree! She was also the salutatorian and spoke at the Baccalaureate service on May 8th.

Joyce Owen Salutatorian Speech

In the front row taking pictures. Graduates behind.

Graduation was on Monday the 9th at the PIU Campus. The day started with rehersal.

Bear thought it was great fun.

The Lord arranged everything perfectly. It poured rain and cooled it off and stopped 1/2 hour before the ceremony started. The power went out but before the ceremony started so that everything was run on generator. But, the power came back on just in time for Anne and Steve Stinnette to Skype attend when the graduates received their diplomas. Perfect. More pictures......


Faculty and Staff singing "Holy, Holy, Holy"

We had two Valedictorians this year -- Grateful Nokar and Xuefen Mei.

Valedictorian Grateful Nokar speaking

An after ceremony picture with Xuefen Mei

Other pictures from the after ceremony celebration...

Bike Riding and Grocery Shopping on Guam

2011-02-14T03:34:00.000-08:00

Bike Riding

I have been bike riding as often as possible. I have to get home well before 5:30 PM so that it is not dark by the time I return home. I usually ride 5 times around the UOG (University of Guam) campus. I guesstimated that it is 3/4 of a mile from my house and 1 mile around the campus. On each turn around the campus I get to see Pago Bay into the Pacific where the Mariana's trench. I am told Mt. LamLam is the tallest mountain on earth because Guam is the tip of a mountain whose bottom is at the bottom of the Trench,

Here are a couple of pictures from my rides lately.

Me and my Ride. UOG buildings behind

Pago Bay looking into the Pacific

Below are some sunset and cloud pictures. The clouds are as beautiful as the sunsets!

Grocery Shopping and Refrigeration

Grocery prices are high here on Guam. Shopping is an adventure of looking for markdowns and deals when one is on a limited budget. Trolling the "discount bins" where items are expired or close to it are marked down. Normally I do not pay full price for brick cheese or sliced sandwich meat. I'm almost out of both so I may not have cheese for lunch and I'll have to pay full price for meat. That hurts. One time I checked over the regular shelves of peanut butter and found one a couple days out of date and got a real deal at the cash register. Twice I have scored on Parmesan cheese. The first time I got 5 cans for 1.00 each. Last week I got 2 16 oz cans (full price 10.30) for 2.50 each. They were priced 5.00 but I am not above asking if they can "give me a better price". A loaf of discounted bread of decent quality is to be immediately snatched up.

The reason I can buy outdated or almost outdated foods is that I keep them in the freezer even if they don't need refrigerating. Peanut butter is always in the fridge along with bread, salt, margarine, candles, rice, and anything else that is affected by the warmth and dampness. Stuff I would keep in a cupboard in California where it is dry would either melt (margarine), grow bugs (rice), or grow mold (bread) here.

Some things are hard to get but I keep looking. Last year I had my brother send me the big size can of cinnamon. Then one day as I was about to ask him for another can I found it in our local warehouse type store! It's like hitting gold. I also have a hard time finding Hersey's mini-chocolate chips which I like for the ice cream I make. I had been looking for months and no chips. Just the big ones. Then last weekend I found them in a store and bought 5 bags now residing in my freezer. My last bag from a prior purchase about a year ago is open and being used.

My ice cream mixer calls for 3 cups of heavy cream, 3/4 cup of sugar and vanilla for vanilla ice cream. Ugh..... I use just under one cup of Half & Half. The rest of the 3 cups is low fat milk from a box (it's cheaper to buy it in a box). I add about 1/4 cup of sugar and vanilla (the only thing not changed). The chocolate chips come in when I eat it. Yumm..... Lately I haven't been able to find Half & Half so I got whipping cream and put about half as much as I do of Half & Half which seems equivalent.

There are people that I know here that are better bargain hunters having been here longer but I try to do my part.

Christmas Eve on Guam

2010-12-24T01:47:00.000-08:00

The wall to the right. The jungle is creeping through.

The wall to the left. More vines creeping through the wal

A couple of months ago I moved to a new apartment in the same building but on the 1st floor. No more stairs! It has been wonderful when carrying laundry and water in and out (Guam water is technically drinkable but tastes terrible unless treated). Here is what my new back yard looks like. There is a wall about 6-8 feet from my back door. I also have included a picture from yesterday's sunset. Sunsets are over in a minute. I have missed sunset pictures while I got my camera out it's case!

Sunset at University of Guam looking over Pago Bay.

I enjoy Christmas Eve here on Guam. At 5:00 this evening the Lutheran Church of Guam held the first of 2 services at the San Ramon Hill Caves in Hagåtña. These caves were dug by hand during WWII by the Japanese using forced Chamaro labor. After a short service of singing, prayer, and the Christmas story, we went into the cave where a live creche scene was setup. As was done last year, a couple with a newborn child took the place of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus.

Melody played her 12 string guitar for the singing.

The cliff is elegantly draped with philodendron vines.

A glimpse into the manger scene with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. A caribau (water buffalo) is just visible behind.

I ran into Suzanne and Anne as well as other friends from PIU including a passel of Owen's

Last years baby Jesus (Hope) is just learning to walk.

Vacation in California

2010-08-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted any news. Since July 17th I have been vacationing in California at the house where I used to live before moving to Guam. Here is a glimpse of my home away from home. I have been very comfortable.

One thing I have done a couple of times is take a ride on the American River bike trail in the Sacramento area. Here are a few pictures.

Canoes on the river

American River - the water is very cold.

The river is shared with Canada Geese at the Negro Bar park.

This morning I went for a walk up the hill behind the house where everything is wild and untouched. I found the trails I had made all blocked by branches and finally ended up following quad tracks through the grass. I saw a family of turkeys that kept an eye on me but certainly did not run for cover. I evidently was not seen as a threat.

I found a Digger Pine cone that was from this years crop and still green and tightly closed. I picked it up to bring back for pictures but it was so sticky that I dropped it. After 2 washings, my hands are still sticky. Later I found a cone that was drier and cone open still hanging on a tree where it was low enough to knock it down with the hoe I was using as a walking stick. I brought it back to the house for pictures.

Digger Pines are very interesting. The wood is good for nothing because it is too soft and the trees have a tendency to fall over without warning when there is no breeze. They are interesting because of the cone. Only one other tree has a bigger or heavier cone. That comes from the Sugar Pine which also grows in this area but at a higher elevation. Not that these cones compete with coconuts for size and weight but look at the spines. They are deadly!

I looked up the tree on the internet and the cones are oval and 6 to 10 inches long the cone scales are triangular and bearing a stout, triangular, curved, point great for sticking anyone picking it up. Sugar Pines are amazing with cones well over a foot long.

The pictures below are of the cone I knocked out of a tree. My guess is the cone is 9 or 10 inches long. But, look at how big around it is! Look how much damage those spines could do if dropped on your head from 50 feet above!

One mean cone next to my hand so you can see the size.

Mean looking spears sticking out of the cone ready to stab.

Now I have to go outside and remove all the stickers from my sneakers so that I do not bring them to Guam!

Vacation is almost over! I will be returning to Guam in a few days. I have enjoyed my vacation but now it is time to go home. My next post will be much greener.

Wood working Signs

2010-06-06T04:25:00.000-07:00

I have been making signs for my church which are given to people and families that leave Guam. So many are in the military that are stationed here for 2 or 3 years and then transfer out somewhere else. So, we are a transient church. While people leave, new people arrive. This is a picture of some of the signs I have been working on -- drying under a 100 watt light bulb. Polyurithane just does not dry quickly in the humid air.

Boonie Stopm to Tarzan Falls

2010-06-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

A whole group of us hiked to Tarzan Falls. It is classes as an "intermediate" "stomp" which is my limit. This is the sign at the beginning of the trail. Other than a couple of arrows in the jungle that didn't seem to point to the trail, the trail was marked in the usual manner -- plastic strips tied to branches.

There was a little rain that morning so the trail was a bit damp as we started out. This caused mud to adhere to our shoes and we kept getting taller and taller. By the time we returned, everything was as dry as if it never rained at all. Here is a hiker trying to get shorter by removing some sticky muck from her shoes. It didn't help much.

Here we are at the top of the falls. Anne Stinnette wasn't sure there would be any water because it has been so dry but there is some!

That is muck I stepped in. It was a boggy spot and my right leg sank to my knee. I had mud on my shorts! Both shoes are studies in muck. I washed it off below the falls where there is swimming. Anne asked me "Is your shoe still on your foot?" It was but this was not a silly question. I stepped in a bog up to my knee in Connecticut one time while picking elderberries. My foot came out that time shoeless. I reached down the hole and found my shoe, pulled it out with a slurp, tossed it up on the road and went barefoot while I finished my quest to pick elderberries.

This time, when I got home, the sneakers were still brown -- they are supposed to be black. It may be permanent.

Water falling down the cliff. I though the rock strata very interesting and beautiful.

Relaxing before the climb back to the top.

For me, climbing up is always easier than the climb down. I think it took about half the time to get to the top including rests times at frequent intervals. Naturally, the young folks with us were lounging around waiting for the us old folks to get to the top.

Dolphins

2010-06-06T03:24:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go on two boat trips to see Dolphins and do some snorkeling. The ocean and the creatures that live there are such a testimony to God's creativity in the creatures he has made. Dolphins show that God has a sense of fun. Dolphins seem to like to have fun with the boats that visit -- or is it the hot dogs thrown overboard to attract them.

On May 15, 2010, was the first trip from which I took the videos below:

On June 5, 2010, I went again. The dolphins were not as playful with another small boat with swimmers in the water.

This picture is from the boat. You can see it looks like it's dry. We are having a really dry season this year. I hope the rains come soon.

Some of the group that went on the trip from Lutheran Church of Guam. So many people signed up that it had to be split into Saturday and Sunday trips! It was the same boat (The Scoobie Roo) for all the dolphin watching I have gone on.

Tim and Melody Plaxton had a great time too.

Our Captain

Spanish Steps boonie stop is to a beach between the cliffs.

Gray and green -- until it rains.

Baccalauriate Service on May 9, 2010 and Graduation May 10, 2010

2010-06-06T02:43:00.000-07:00

Pacific Islands University had 19 graduates this year. I am blessed to know a lot of them. Some will be continuing education at PIU. I will miss the students who will be entering ministry, additional education, or the business world. The Baccalaureate service was organized and presented by the graduating students.

Graduation took place the next day but I only got one picture taken at the rehearsal because my camera memory card was sitting in my laptop at home, not in my camera. It was a great ceremony which others presented on their blogs.

An Ypao beach sunset

2010-06-06T00:42:00.000-07:00

I heard it was great to take a walk on the beach anywhere in the area of Ypao beach and up North (sort of). These pictures are of the sunset on May 1, 2010

Farnswell fairwell program

2010-06-06T00:33:00.000-07:00

On April 24th the Farnsworth family led a farewell programs. The Farnsworths have been missionaries serving here at Pacific Islands University for a number of years but now they will be returning to the States and then on to Ecuador. We will miss them all. I took the Evangelism with Ned instructing last summer and got to know him better. He is a man of God serving Him wherever he sends them.

Here are some pictures from the program which was to glorify God and support the Voices of Micronesia who are touring the US states right now.

Ned playing the piano and singing a wonderful song.

Melody Plaxton blessed us with a song accompanied on his 12 string guitar.

I don't know this young man's name but he also blessed us with a song.

With Doug O'Meara on the bongos:

Here the whole Farnsworth family sing an action song:

And we also heard a song from the Voices of Micronesia group. I really like to hear them sing. I hope you have a chance to hear them.

PIU Days

2010-06-05T06:11:00.000-07:00

Every Spring, Pacific Islands University holds "PIU Days". The staff, faculty, and students are split into 3 teams for games and worship. Each team was in charge of evening worship on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. This year, for the first time, the students organized all the activities and worship times including supplying the speakers. It was great!

We started out with volley ball on Friday afternoon. It got washed out a bit. Dave Owen told me it wasn't rain because it was the "dry season" but it felt wet to me. We had no other rain for the rest of the weekend.

More Volleyball.

The volleyball was a great spectator sport.

These are a few of the "Patience" team.

Running contests came first on Saturday. I ran in the staff race and, as usual, came in dead last. A couple of students thought I needed help and boosted my speed. I wasn't out of breath. I am just slooooooooow. Bike riding gives me good lungs but doesn't make me run faster. I am contemplating using my bicycle next hear. Maybe the crowd won't recede in to the distance so quickly!

Tug of war is always one of the events eagerly participated in.

The other end of the rope.

My team HUPOMONE - Greek for perseverance with Ann Stinnette and Julie, a student.

It's not all serious! Part of worship is presenting skits with a message. That IS Ben wearing a Chuukeese skirt!

One of the students gave the message for the evening.

Witness team picture after worship.

Here are some video clips from all 3 days. I did not get any of the worship that the team I was part of. Sigh.....

A trip to Chuuk

2010-06-05T03:38:00.000-07:00

The day after Roy left for home, I flew down to Weno, Chuuk. The Pacific Islands University teaching facility is located in Mizpah High School. I spent Friday - Sunday checking over the teaching facility laptops. I was very welcomed by the friendly people of Chuuk. I stayed at the Truk Stop Hotel. Below is the dive pier complete with rainbow.

On Sunday I attended Logan Memorial Church which is meeting in Mizpah HS while the church building is being rebuilt.

The greatest problem I had with the work I was doing, was that power is only on in 4 hour blocks. Some time ago, the backup generator for the island broke and they had been using both primary and backup generators for electricity. Until the backup generator is fixed, it is rolling blackouts of 4 hours on and 4 hours off. The very inventive people at Mizpah suggested I take the laptops back to the Truk Stop Hotel because they have their own generator. That worked very well on Saturday and Sunday so that I was able to work on all of the laptops.

These two ladies took me to lunch at one of the resorts where I had the absolute best fish and chips I have ever had. I am sure the fish were swimming in the Chuuk Lagoon only minutes before they were put in the deep fryer.

A picture looking out into the lagoon. Prior to my going to Weno, it had been very dry with dust everywhere. (It was the dry season). Prior to my arriving and while I was in Weno, there was a lot of rain. The drought was over for the moment.

Another picture of the lagoon from the resort. In this picture there are portions of one of the many Japanese ships sunk in the lagoon during WW II.

At the resort there was a pond with these fish swimming round and round in circles. It has since occurred to me that maybe this is the source of the fish in my fish and chips. Or, maybe they are just there to entertain the guests. I don't know.

This is a beautiful picture of the hill accoss the main road in Weno. As you can see it was misty and rainy.

This picture shows a slice of the road in Weno. I had heard stories of the pot holes. The portion you can see is actually in quite good condition. There is no need for stop lights or speed limits. The condition of the road dictates the maximum speed anyone can drive.

I had a great first visit in Chuuk. It is truly the most remote place I have ever been. Weno is not really a beautiful town but the nature there is very beautiful and the people I met are very nice and friendly.

My Brother Roy came to visit in March

2010-06-05T03:01:00.000-07:00

Right off the plane after about 24 hours of travel from New York. He missed bagage claim and had to go back through customs. No wonder.....he was tired and baggage claim is off in a corner.

Anne took us on a "mid Island Tour". Look at the philodendron draped down the cliff in front of man made caves carved out by the Chamaro as Japanese forced labor. The philodendron is the same kind kept as house plants back in the states.

Roy and I at one of the stops on our tour.

WW II memorial panels.

Roy and I visited Ritidian Beach on the north end of Guam.

WW II memorial on a beach where the US began invading to re-take Guam.

One of the Cannons and the Spanish Fort which is in the southern part of Guam.

The Pacific Ocean crashing waves!

Military retirement

2010-05-30T03:26:00.000-07:00

In February I attended the retirement ceremony Wes Willand who was one of the members of my church. It was a very impressive, formal, ceremony.

Guam Bugs

2010-05-30T03:19:00.000-07:00

It is a fact of life that anyone on Guam WILL encounter the friendly cochroach. This is how I like to find them -- lying on their back with feet in air. My finger gives you an idea of the size of a Guam cockroach.

Catching Up

2010-05-30T03:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't written anything since January. It seemed like all semester I was writing, writing, and writing. That's because I was in the second half of a college essay writing class. It is finally done and I think I have learned how to write better papers for college classes.

Although I came to Guam to work at Pacific Islands University as the computer person. I have now, also, become an official student. At the rate I have been taking courses it will probably take about 10 years to get a BA. It's a good thing I'm not in a rush. This summer I am taking "Spiritual Formation" online which means lots of writing. I have a feeling that is true of every college class at PIU.

I can't remember everything that went on since January, so I am going to look through my pictures and post the best of them and any stories they remind me of.

At the beginning of January I went with a group on a Boonie Stomp to Shark's Hol (a beach) and Lost Pond (a fresh water pond a few hundred feet from Sharks Hole beach). Boonie stomps are always done in groups. I was told the minimum is 3. One gets hurt, one goes for help, and one stays with the hurt one. Makes sense to me.

It was a great walk doing a lot of beachcombing looking for what we could find:

We went a low tide which make the hike easy (around rocks instead of over them) because we could wade around piles of rocks between a couple of beaches. We ran into hundreds of butterflies:

We also encountered a centipede with stingers like a scorpion but I did not get a picture.

I did get a picture of this crab looking me right in the eye:

This tree is growing right out of rock. I am much safer around water wearing a life preserver:

Shark's Hole is an actual deep hole in the middle of the beach inside the reef. It shows in this picture as a brighter blue area in front of the white waves. I have not been brave enough to swim out there but I understand the fish are wonderful:

We also visited "Lost Pond". I don't know where to go into the jungle so Anne had to lead us or it would have been truly lost. The water is fresh and a bit green from algie.

The stompers at the overlook called "Two Lovers Point" which is the top of the cliff where one leaves for Shark's Hole.

A wonderful day enjoying God's great creation with friends.

Thoughts on Tropical Realities

2010-01-25T03:24:00.000-08:00

Something that Rob said on a boonie stomp this past weekend brings to mind some of the realities of living in the tropics on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.

Rob said there are 3 stages to acclimating to the tropics:

Stage One: You find a bug in your food. You throw the food away.
Stage Two: You find a bug in your food. You pick it out an toss it away and continue with your dinner.
Stage Three: You find a bug in your food. Unless it is a cockroach, you eat it along with your dinner.

I think I am in stage 2.

When I first came to Guam I kept uncooked rice in a sealed container. Soon the boll weavels hatched and started eating my rice. I picked bugs prior to cooking rice each time. I certainly didn't throw it out. Then Melody told me I should keep it in the Fridge. No more bugs.

Supposedly margerine/butter does not need to be refrigerated. However, here, if I left it out, all I would have is a puddle.

Most things that are not frozen in the grocery store (like bread and meat) was frozen when shipped. Bread has to be frozen to keep it from molding, so, it is refrozen (ohh yeah ... that's a rule violation). The same with all of that non-frozen meat in the store. It will be re-frozen when it gets home.

I read somewhere that bad things leech into bottled water in plastic at 60 F degree. Guess what, I don't think Guam has EVER gotten that cold. The only places that cold are refrigerators and freezers. That means every plastic bottle on the island is supposedly leaching chemicals in the water. One is also not supposed to re-use plastic bottles but in the tropics it is a good idea to have a bottle of water with you. We reuse. I can buy 3 gallons of filtered water for 1.80 and I carry it around with me in used plastic bottles (I would make a dangerous mess with glass .... drop / smash / splash -- plastic bounces).

The eggs in my refrigerator were packaged in Nov. 2009 and it is now the middle of January. Those eggs traveled a very long way. I was taught to break the egg into a bowl in case it's bad. Could save my whole dinner by doing that. I have not got any bad eggs but one of these days.......

Most things are a lot closer to their expiration date in the stores -- after all, it came a pretty long way. If it has expired, you can buy it for less. Milk comes in boxes and doesn't have to be refrigerated until opened and has an incredibly long shelf life. I don't notice a taste difference, but then, I don't drink milk all by itself.

If you see something you want or will need (food or anything else), buy it because it probably will be out of stock when you need it. If a product is too popular, stores will stop stocking it because it is too much trouble to keep it in stock.

It's a good thing the Lord has granted me the gift of being fairly laid back for an American.

Doing Homework On Her BIRTHDAY!!

2010-01-20T22:33:00.000-08:00

This picture taken about 15 minutes ago is proof that Joyce Owen was doing homework on her birthday!!!

Christmas Greetings and Blessings

2009-12-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

Greetings on this Christmas day on Guam. I thought this morning would be a good time to catch up on this blog. I will be going to fellow missionaries and friends' (Ned and Marisol & children) home at 1:00 pm or thereabouts (in Micronesian time).

The Pacific Islands University Fall Semester is done and staff and faculty are on vacation until after new years. The students were really happy after that last class. It is really great to have a break from classes.

Last week, Lisa, our librarian asked if I could download some videos and burn them to DVD so that the library could have them available in the library. There really are not a lot of books and materials that I see available and these videos are specifically directed toward the Micronesian people. 4 of the videos are a 5 part series on the history of Micronesia. There is also an extensive list of articles you can read online. If you are interested, here is the link to the website: http://www.micsem.org/video/online.htm There are 64 separate videos to download. Number 30 is being downloaded now.

During this past semester I have hopefully been some help to the 4 students who were in an online introduction to computers course. One of their assignments was for all the students to work together to create a presentation in Open Office to demonstrate what they have learned. They misplaced a group picture, so I took one for them standing in front of the PIBC sign at the entrance to the campus.
On December 12th, the staff and faculty gathered for dinner and fun at the Guam Reef hotel in the top floor. The sunset was spectacular (they all are).

Everyone had a great time:

One Sunday, I attended the children's Christmas program. In this first picture, you can see that the Lutheran Church on Guam is located right on the beach. You can see the ocean through the windows behind the alter.

Here is the entire group that put on a wonderful program. They did such as good job of making Jesus the important emphasis of Christmas.

A couple of days ago I was bicycle riding and the sunset was spectacular. Now that the rain has slowed down, I can pull my camera out more often.

Last night, Christmas Eve, my church had a living creche scene with a carrabao (water buffalo) and some chickens captured from the jungle. Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus were represented by a couple who have a brand new baby (Hope) who is less than a month old.

I arrived early. The carrabao was taking advantage of the wait by grazing through the lush weeds getting a snack.

The re-enactment of Jesus' birth took place in local caves carved our during WW II by the Japanese using local forced laborers using primitive tools. Those are philodendron vines hanging down the cliff. The whole cliff is draped lavishly with plants and different kinds of philodendron. I heard the caves are privately owned and in very good condition.

Here is Joseph outside the cave.

Jesus was probably born in a cave -- not a wood stable. At the time of His birth, animal were kept in caves around Bethlehem.

It was a bit rainy and actually quite cool but the service was really great after we viewed the living manger.

Later in the evening there was a Christmas Eve service at the church. Pastor Jeff reminded us that Christmas is not just lights, glitter, and presents. When Jesus was born, the country was occupied by the Romans and the whole reason for going to Bethlehem was because of a census ordered by the current Caesar for the purposes of taking. Also King Herod had very ill will toward Jesus and wanted him dead. Also, today, not everything is wonderful. There is much darkness in this world and the Christmas glitter and lights do remind us that Jesus is the Light come to the world. Therefore, it is right to celebrate His coming to earth as a tiny baby just like tiny Hope who represented Jesus in the living nativity.

These days, because only my brother remains as my immediate family and I am thousands of miles away from any relatives, Christmas is very simple. I received a box from Roy and another from a friend in California. There was also a small gift from friends at the college. The molasses cookies from Roy didn't make it to this morning. I have been munching on the cookies from my California friend. This morning I opened presents. My brother is very talented. He made the tiny engine in his workshop. I also receive a shell captured by friends while "reef walking".

Now I must start getting ready to go for lunch. It is already 11:30 am !!!!

Getting close to the end of the semester

2009-12-06T03:42:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, thanksgiving, and food between staff and students and their families at the PIU campus. The staff provided the food and the students were invited to join in. I have lots of pictures.

Before dinner:
Rob Watt gave a short devotion and we sang a song before dinner.

The food was plentiful and the line long.

This is what a Guam style Thanksgiving dinner plate looks like. It is mostly the turkey dinner but there is always the addition of rice to any meal. Jen sure looks like she is going to enjoy it!
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I really like taking pictures of our students and they like to get their pictures taken!

I just got back home from the last scheduled PIU staff prayer meeting. It was a potluck. On Tuesday I go to the doctor for my regular check up and I would imagine I have at least gained back the 3 lbs. I lost over the summer! I don't have a scale so I am guessing. I have not been bike riding as much because the sun goes down earlier and earlier every day. By 6:30 PM it's dark.

I know, I remember back in the states, that 6:30 PM sounds like it's late getting dark. I remember those days I went to work in the dark and came home in the dark. Because of the close proximity of the equator (only 13 degrees south of here) the sunrise and sunset does not change dramatically.

I have been on 2 boonie stomps since my last post. The first was to "Sharks Hole" and even though I had my camera with me, all I returned with were some shells. Below is a collage of shells and sea glass. A group of about 40 set out from campus but not all went to Sharks Hole. Some chose to hang around the beach near where we parked.

The surf was high and the rocks were sharp. Most of the trek is a walk on the beach but in one spot there is a lot of very sharp lava rock. On the way out, I bumped into some rocks and got black and blue. On the way back one stomper (who shall remain nameless unless she decides to tell the story) was thrown onto the rocks by a 7 foot rogue wave and required 10 stitches. At the time I was climbing over the rocks assisted by a Department of Agriculture worker. (The people are so friendly and helpful here.)

The DOA workers were starting to look for rhino beetles which are not native and doing damage to palm trees, in the North island and they found some. There has been an erradication program going on for a while in the south part of the island but now they will need to start the same program in the north.

The second was a boonie stop down the "Spanish Steps" which is on the Navy Base. One of the men at the Lutheran Church of Guam stationed at the Navy base arranged and led the stomp. It was an opportunity not to be missed because access to the military bases is very restricted.

At the bottom of the cliff (requiring handy ropes strung for stommpers) is "Spanish Well" which is dry and then a flat hike to the water. Not a sandy beach and the currents were still strong from Typhoon Nino that passed near Guam at least a week ago. That was the reason the waves were so strong on the Shark's Hole stomp.

You may notice that I almost never have any pictures of the stomp itself. Most of the time I am thinking about hiking and not falling -- not taking pretty pictures. So, the pictures are all of the destination. I have no pictures of Shark's Hole because my camera was in a bag I can use underwater or to keep it dry if I happen to get wet. In the trek to Shark's Hole, everything I had with me got sopping wet. It was a bit cool and rainy so I had a sweatshirt on. It got totally wet and weighed about 10 lbs. when I got home and took over a week to dry.

The Spanish Steps were just steep with no place to take pictures safely without holding up the whole group. That's one fun thing about boonie stomps. They are group affairs because it is not something I would do by myself.

Soon it will be the end of 2009. I hope that you enjoy the Christmas season for what it is supposed to be -- not presents and candy canes but to celebrate the birth of Jesus as he came to earth as a man. The purpose of his coming was not for us to have all the trappings of Christmas but to die on the cross so that we might live.

Catching up on things

2009-11-21T03:37:00.000-08:00

It has been a very busy fall and I have been ignoring my blog. This is to do some catching up.

The study center I worked on all summer opened when classes started. Some days every computer is in use. On other days - not so many. Below is a picture of the Study Center.

Soon after classes began, we had our annual Pacific Islands University / Lutheran Church of Guam challenge cup. PIU got to keep the cup for another year. Below, the ladies are getting ready for the volleyball games which PIU won because we were ahead when it started to rain!. LCG won the basketball but PIU won the tug of war 2 to 1.

One evening we held a Mystery Dinner for the ladies. It was like a progressive dinner but the students did not know what was coming next - snacks? main dish? salads? We staff stayed where we were and the students went from place to place. At first the students were a little shy but we had ice breaker questions and by the time the fifth group came around it was a grand time and we didn't need the questions. After all the students had been to each "station", we took all the food to the main classroom and ate some more and then there were a couple of games. In one of the games, 2 student would get a card that would say something like "cheek to shoulder". The picture below I got by pointing the camera up from the floor because the students were bent way over.

Three of the ladies wore a beautiful picture in blue.

At Pacific Islands University, we have "community groups" where students and staff are assigned to a group. We have had 2 activities. One day we met in the pavilion for lunch. The next outing was a boonie stomp to Paget Cave. I had been there before so I knew I could make the trip on my own but the men students in our group are so chivilrous. I had help over the difficult bits so I did not have to slide down on my rear and there was one spot going up I was glad for a hand to pull me up where there was a really big step. Larry (a missionary instuctor) runs every day and he beat us back to the car by a long shot. Melody and I brought up the rear during the section that is just steep enough to get us puffing every 50 - 100 feet.

Good exercise. When we got back to campus, we spoiled it with ice cream cones. Mint Chocolate - yum, yum.

Not everything has been fun and games. It is only with the Lord's help that I have been dealing with GTA (the local telephone company) who supplies DSL to the library and Study Center. It was immediately evident after classes began that we were having internet speed problems. We are still experiencing internet slowness. The conclusion is that we are located too far from GTA's office in Mangilao to get consistent service. I would appreciate your prayers and we discuss what we will do about the problem.

I have been doing some wood working. I finally got my scroll saw up and running and below are some of my new "tropical" themed boxes. What I have made was in a show last Saturday and I sold one box and a couple of other things. I will be looking at where I can offer my work for sale. One thing I will do is add another page on this blog where I can list some of my craft/art work.

This is one of my turned things. It is two cup shapes to be a "latte stone".

I also have made some scroll saw boxes. Here are some pictures of my boxes.

For two weekends I looked for a bay where fellow staff member Melody Plaxton told me there was sea glass to be found. I was told the first time that the bay was on the Pacific side so I didn't go far enough but the ride was fun anyway as I enjoyed God's creation of the beautiful scenery.

The second time I tried I knew the bay was on the Phillipine Sea side of the island and I found it! This is what I picked up -- drying after soaking in clorine bleach to that they do not stink.

One day I went snorkeling with friends Laura and Jen where we encountered a blue starfish which is on Jen's head and my hand:Back into it's own environment on the sandy bottom:

Every once in a while I am reminded that for most people, English is not their first language:

I hope you have enjoyed these pictures. I am so blessed to be here on Guam serving God at Pacific Island University. There are many other things that I do not have pictures of. Pictures of chapel where God is worshiped. Pictures of the Lutheran Church where God is worshiped in song, prayer, preaching, praises, and fellowship with fellow believers. Every other Sunday night the PIU staff meets for prayer. We learn the needs of the university and the people involves and pray for each other.

Moldy Trunks and Torrential Rain

2009-08-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

I went looking for something and, for the first time in weeks, I opened my antique wood travel trunk and almost fell over. Mold had struck and it stank. Pretty soon my whole house stank. I had been told things closed up would mold but everything else seems to be open air enough that I have not had a problem except for this one place that I didn't know about.

I emptied it out, tossed a lot of it and wiped everything else down with 2% bleach. I then washed the interior with 2% bleach.It has dried out now, and I put baking soda in bowls to try to get rid of any odor and the top is propped up a bit to let air in.

I can still smell it.

At 5:30 I decided it was time for a bike ride. It wasn't actively raining. Before I got out of the parking lot it was raining. If I went home at the first drop, I wouldn't get much riding done in the summer, so I kept on. I thought I had already experienced as wet as I could get while bike riding.

I was wrong.

I finally came home not because I was wet but because the streets were getting flooded. There was water running everywhere. I went through a puddle that was at least up to my axles. Good thing I wear saddles in the summer for riding. Sneakers take days to dry and also will hold lake Michigan squishing back and forth as one rides.

I have not gotten so wet that I had to wring out my clothes before hanging them up. This time I did. I made a big puddle in the tub. They are now hanging up to dry. when Brad and Cheryl Boydston left Guam they gave me a wood folding drying rack. It has been much used.

More sunsets

2009-08-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

I seem to take more pictures of sunsets than anything else. I have never lived in a place before where beautiful sunsets are the norm not the unusual. Here are the best of the best I took last night. For a novel evenings bike ride, I did not get strinkled on, rained on, or dumped on. I expect during this rainy season to get wet regularly.
There is also thunder in those clouds now. This evening I got half way across the parking lot when a loud thunder clap rumbled. I turned around. That was my ride this evening. As you can see it's still raining out. I needed bottled water and took two 3 gallons bottles to the water store (the untreated local water can be drunk but it tastes awful). I got about as wet as the water in the bottles. The benefits of the rainy season are that everything turns green, green, green. This picture is out back of my apartment.

Sunsets

2009-07-28T02:30:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I was late leaving the house to go bike riding. Then, on my ride, there was a sunset so grand I have no words for it -- and no camera. The Lord really knows how to put on a show and sometimes all I can do is drink it in.

This evening (Tuesday) I rode down the cliff road to the marine lab at the University of Guam. Part of it I have to walk up. The rest of the road tells me that I am making progress in getting into shape. I went down, up about 2/3 of the way, turned around and whizzed back down to just before the steep part to a parking lot and back up past where I turned around and didn't stop once until I got to the point where I have to walk. The first time I went down there, I had to stop 3 times to recover before getting to the always walk part.

There also was a quite nice sunset and I got sprinkled on.

I have learned from several people here that you have to be really careful if you get any kind of injury here in the tropics -- that infections take off really quick. This was after I lost a fight with a Corell dish I dropped on the floor where it smashed and got me in the leg. I didn't go right away to see if I needed stitches but was told I should get it checked the next morning. So, I did. Too late for stitches. I don't think it needed any anyway. I think it's healed enough that there will be no infection.

PIU campus has been pretty quiet. The team that went to Thiland will be back by next week and then faculty will start arriving on various dates starting August. Things will get really busy really quickly then.

Pink Sea Sunset

2009-07-23T07:10:00.001-07:00

On my bike rides I often get the opportunity to see some spectacular sunsets and cloud formations. This evening I was amazed by the pink sea with a pink sky.

Then, I looked at the sunset where the sun goes down and this is what I saw:

I don't see these sunsets from my home. So, my bike rides are a blessing at seeing God's beautiful ocean, clouds, and sunsets and getting in better shape.

Guam Liberation Day

2009-07-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 21, was Liberation Day. This island wide holiday commemorated the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the US invasion of Guam to take it back from the Japanese who occupied Guam a couple of days after Pearl Harbor.

There was a parade and fireworks.

The parade was about a mile long and took place on Marine Corps Drive (the Guam "main drag"). I drove down to the Agana Shopping Center which is quite a hike down to Marine Corps Drive. So I brought my bike and an umbrella. I used the bike as a chair and the umbrella as shade. I rode and walked down to Marine Crops Drive and arrived just as the beginning of the parade reached my location.

The crowd was large and the BBQ's were working overtime. I stayed for an hour or two and got some pictures and then went home to watch the rest on TV which was broadcast on the local PBS station.

This year's theme was "We are Guam". Here is the color guard.

It was really a beautiful day and I don't think it rained at all. The umbrellas are for the sun - not rain. I slathered on spf 50 before driving down to the parade area. The float is for the Guam Air National Guard.I think we had some air cover -- a reminder of the large military presence on Guam. It seems every branch of the military marched in the parade. The sky is beautiful also.
In the evening I went to Bayview Baptist Church to view the fireworks. No one seemed to know exactly where they would be set off. Most thought it would be to the North in Tumon Bay but it actually took place to the South at Chamaro Village. The picture below shows the view in that direction. What an awsome world God has created.
I still havn't figured out how to use my camera at night. These are the best of my tries to take pictures of the fireworks. It was a very nice display.

Interesting Things on Guam

2009-07-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

The college has been blessed with funds to build the pavilion pictured below. What I want you to notice is the forest of posts under the roof. They are what seem like metal jacks holding up the concrete roof while the concrete cures. I was told it would take 21 days to cure. This is with a new kind of concrete. Previously it would take about 4 months to cure.

The forest is now gone and work has continued. I think they are installing electric wire encased in concrete.
The tree below is a very wonderful example of God's creation. The trunk consists of a chaos of trunklets. I can actually see daylight though the trunk. But, from a distance, it looks like one trunk. When I look up in the branches, they are going everywhere, but from a distance it looks like an organized tree. It's like a bush that looks like a tree. Beautiful and strange. Order from chaos.
The rainy season has arrived. I haven't been taking my camera with me bike riding because I don't know if I will get wet. I see lots of people carrying umbrellas. When it rains, it pours, the wind blows, and lasts quite a while. Today it was partly cloudy and didn't rain at all. Last Saturday I got drenched. It's a good thing people don't melt like the Wicked Witch of the West.

I enjoy hearing the rain falling outside or on the roof. It's one of the things the Lord created that I really enjoy -- like I enjoy his sunshine.

Independence Day Fireworks Celebration

2009-07-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

Anne Stinnete and I went to see the fireworks display on the Guam Navy base. Following are a few pictures of the display. It was a wonderful time despite the rainy season downpour soon after we arrived at the viewing area. We ended up eating our Jamacian Grill dinner standing up but we stayed dry!

I really need to discover how to take night pictures without the flash. But that would mean reading the book!

Enjoy.......

Random thoughts on Guam

2009-06-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Joyce Owen agrees with me. People complain about the traffic here but we don't think it's as bad as Folsom, CA.

Everyone complains about the bumpy roads. If you really look at it, most of the rough parts are caused by laying pipe across the road and doing a really bad repair job on the pavement (the pavement washboards like dirt roads). But, I don't see much that compares to the parts of Ponderosa Rd in Shingle Springs.

On the other hand, I have run into many many cars whose dome lights don't work (including mine) and my theory is going over oto many bad repair jobs.

Not that there are no pot holes. There is one that cars wouldn't even notice but I hurt after riding through it on my bike. There is grass growing in it.

There are a lot more birds than there were when I was here in Feb. 2008. Sometime between then and last October, sparrows showed up. There are now thousands of them (at a guess). When I arrived in October, it seemed like I only saw them near hotels and restaurants. Now, I see lots of them everywhere I go.

We had a thunder shower on Monday. I am told it is the start of the rainy season. It has been relatively dry and the ants have disappeared, mostly, from my kitchen. I assume that they will reappear in force when it really starts to rain.

I have a TINY kitchen. It's so tiny, the fridge door won't open all the way -- it runs into the stove. There is only one drawer in the cabinet. I didn't bring much and I didn't buy much but I had to expand the kitchen into the dining area because there was no place to store stuff.

My workshop is finally set up. I sometimes have to walk sideways but my tools are all usable.

The flowers are beautiful here as well as the fish at Ypao beach. I will do a post on flowers and one on fish soon. I have a waterproof case to take fish pictures while snorkeling.

Here, if one store is out of something, probably all the rest are also because they all come on the same container ship. I was looking for a "network coupler" and 2 stores were both out. Last week, they were still out.

If you see something you like, grab it, there may not be any when you run out. For example, if I see chocolate chip mini morsels, or fat free cheese, or fat free dress, or half and half, I grab it and freeze it.

I like discount bins at the grocery store. I get sandwich meat and freeze it, yogurt, and other things. Just don't pay any attention to the expiration date.

I was taught to always freeze bread. It will turn green in the fridge before you can eat it if you don't. Keep rice in the fridge, they get bole weavels (bugs) if you don't and it is a pain to pick them out of the rice. Much easier to just refrigerate it. Long grain Jasmine rice from Thailand is the best when cooked in a rice cooker. California rice is short grain and it makes a real mess of the cooker even if you wash the raw rice.

A rice cooker is an essential part of kitchen equipment. Pour in the rice, water, plug it in, and push the cook button. The switch pops when it's done. Yum. I never ate rice in the states. Here, I never buy potatoes.

Any other kind of food needs to be in the freezer, fridge, or sealed containers -- or the bugs WILL get it.

I am told potatoes grow here - the purple and orange ones. Cherry tomatoes grow really well here. They are sold in the grocery stores but aren't any cheaper. I gotta start farming in a pot.

Cochroaches here are about 1 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. I have seen only one in my apartment and it was alive. I smashed it wth the first thing that came to hand, and then I had to wash the floor and the masher tool. I was told that I then needed to either throw it outside or flush it because dead isn't dead. All the others I have seen have been dead.

There are gecko's everywhere. They are not the cute green ones like in Hawaii. They are a light tan and poop on things and run across peoples ceilings. I have one living behid my refrigerator. Probably helps keep the bugs down.

There are also little lizzards running around everywhere inside and out. One time I saw a monitor lizard about 1 foot long - it ran into the Men's Dorm. I don't know how it was ejected.

Bannana's grow everywhere here. I am spoiled by the taste of the local bannana. The commercial ones in the stores have no taste in comparison.

Guam Sunsets

2009-06-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

I have been riding my new bicycle around the UOG (University of Guam) campus and have seen some pretty nice sunsets and cloud formations. Last week I took my camera every evening and took pictures of the sunset. This is the result:

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Saturday, May 30, 2009

It had been raining but it sure looks like a grass fire to me. Of course, it may not have rained where the smoke was.

A different sort sunset with rain in the area.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

What do I do at PIBC

2009-05-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Lord has showered me with blessings here at PIBC. I can think of no other words for it. Teachings in patience and all of the people I have worked with have been so patient and kind -- even when I make things that used to work not work anymore. This has happened more than once.

Sometimes it seems like I work on anything that plugs in a wall: PC's, laptops, the phone system, the fax machine, the network, and overhead projectors, PC projectors, printers, copiers needing toners and drums. It really makes this job interesting. Although a lot of what I do I forget about soon afterward, there are a few projects I will not soon forget.

In Feb/Mar of 2008, I visited PIBC for 3 weeks to work on computer issues and to find out if I should come back more permanently. While I was here, the network connection from the Study Center to the PIBC office area just quit working one morning. Electronic equipment seem to do this regularly in this tough on electronic equipment location. The network cable was wired through conduits around the building (a very long way). In order to get the office back up on the Internet quickly, a wirless router was installed using a network cable wasn't being used at the moment.

The office was running on using wireless internet exclusively for over a year. It became evident that the office computers really need to be hardwired for shared data (I have received quite a number of comments about "SlowBooks" or "NoBooks"). Now Tim Plaxton has installed Cat 5 cables to the 4 most important PCs to network together and it then took a few hours to put the cable ends. Now I am told they have "FastBooks" and the Internet is quicker and more reliable.

Below is a picture of the entire office network hardware except for the cable modem. It consists of a wireless router, the 16 port switch, and a fan (this is Guam which is very tropical) to keep things cool.

Another project that has helped or Internet access is moving the MCV Cable from an office at the other end of the Administration/Classroom building to the office area. It is a long project that I will not soon forget.

A long time ago, MCV Cable was installed. At the time PIBC had the choice of underground conduit installation or overhead. Alas, the decision was made to go overhead (which was cheaper). This resulted in the pictures in my previous post showing the wire draped over roofs and sagging in the middle. MCV came and discovered a conduit that went to the utility pole where they needed it. I'm not sure why it was put there in the first place but it was empty!
It took a while before MCV came back because it was the dry season and there have been grass fires. MCV needed to fix service for folks with no service before working on projects like ours. One day they arrived and put new cable through the conduit and a couple of days later it was hooked up and working. I spent a quick half hour swapping the router and connection points and we were back up and running with really great service from MCV pictured below.

Then there is the project to move the Study Center which is called on campus the "Dinex". Tim did his part of stringing Cat 5 cable with very long ends at my request because I was just lea ring how to put the ends on. I got the first half all hitched up and most of the updates done. Then one of the brand new pieces of equipment (a wireless router) ceased to work. Progress was dead in the water for weeks. Finally I got the new wireless router and every started working again.

Unfortunately, weeks had past. I had to start all over with the windows updates and other updates. Yesterday I found out that Microsoft released Vista Service Pack 2!!! Now I have to go back and update everything again.

The route used to get Internet to the Dinex is very interesting (to me anyway). The Dinex is built from 3 shipping containers. Therefore, it is literally a tin can. Wireless doesn't penetrate. For my cell phone to work, I usually put it on a window sill.

Here is a diagram of the route to the internet connection in the library. After getting the replacement wireless router, I made sure it stays cool. It is sitting on a cooling rack with a fan blowing on it.

We also have GTA telephone and DSL. GTA was extremely helpful helping me determine that what was wrong with our DSL was the wireless router. It has been a very reliable system to work with except in the past week or so we have had sporadic problems with multiple phone numbers and DSL as well. I understand work was being done out on the main "back road" which seems to have disrupted our service in a weird fashion. So far, today, everything seems to be back to normal.

Living on Guam is an adventure and lesson in patience. I was so used to California where things pretty much worked with great regularity. TV, internet, power, telephones. Here, most of the time utilities are reliably on but then again mysteriously things go wacky. For several weeks the power went off for 5 - 10 minutes just about every day. Now I haven't lost power for a couple of weeks. The Lord is really teaching me things about myself -- to rely on Him because a lot of times relying on me just doesn't do any good. Another ongoing lesson is working with godly people on a daily basis -- there really is a difference.

Now I am going to post this now without going over it yet again.

PIBC Graduation

2009-05-12T03:45:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks culminating in Commencement exercises today.

Sonny Kenbaroy gave the valditorian speach. I have had the joy of getting to know Sonny in the last couple of months as he has been about the office and working with him to create graduation invitations for the seniors.

The graduation speaker was Chief Obaklechol Kuniwo Nakamura from Palau. He served in the Palau public service for many years including two terms as the President of the Republic of Palau. He has served in numerous public capacities and is currently a businessman and consultant. In addition, he is Chief Obaklechol, the first ranking chief of Ngerchol Hamlet in Peleliu State. By virtue of his title he is a member of the Peleliu State Legislature.

He gave a great speach encouraging the students in Christian service and living and insight into some of the problems they will encounter as Christians in Micronesia. It was a very interesting and informative speach to me as I learn about Micronesian cultures.

Micronesian's really know how to honor the graduates with colorful lei's. I really enjoyed running around snapping some pictures of the graduates.

Sonny is getting married next Sunday to the lovely lady.

Parking Lot Cat Update

2009-05-12T03:37:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to say that when I took the parking lot cat to the vet because he was looking so ill, that he had full blown feline AIDS. He was suffering, so I had him put to sleep.

The vet I took Parking Lot Cat told me he did an informal survey catching feral cats and testing them for FIV and 50% tested positive. So, if you live on Guam, I would urge you to get your cat inoculated if your cat goes outside.

Parking Lot Cat was so ill that I did not really get to know his personality. I bet he would have made a great pet. He was fixed. So, he was someone's cat sometime and he was used to people.

Parking Lot Cat

2009-04-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have been feeding a cat that lives in our parking lot. Obviously he/she had a home at some point because I was able to pick him/her up within 5 minutes of getting close enough to touch. Skin and bones. Must have been abandoned. I have been feeding him kitten food because it has more protein and he has started to gain weight.

I have been feeding him kitten food because it has more protein and he has started to gain weight. I believe it is a fixed male. There is a lot of Siamese in the local cat population. He has the blue eyes and markings in the right place but the markings are of a tiger. He also has the Siamese voice.

It is interesting that the dog population has a lot of Corgie in it. There are a lot of short legged dogs running around. Rather comical to see what looks like a german shepherd with short legs.

A Simple Job goes Guamish

2009-04-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

It was a simple request. Move where the MCV (our local cable company) internet comes into Pacific Islands Bible College from Classroom 2 to the main office area. That way, if there is a problem, a class will not need to be interrupted in order to fix the problem.

Doesn't seem so complicated, does it. I called MCV and they didn't think it would be complicated. So, the install truck came out and there things get complicated and Guam-ish (there a saying here OOG (Only on Guam)). Not only is the cable not the correct cable, it takes a really wild route across campus. The new target for the connection is represented by a red X. It doesn't seem that far between the old spot and the new -- just the women's dorm in between.
1) The cable comes from the pole through 2 palm trees which have grown together since the cable was installed.

2) To the first on campus residence.

3) Over the second campus residence.

4) Over the large classroom and instructor offices area.

5) Along the outside wall of the instructor office area.

6) Down the wall and through the wall into the office in Classroom 2 (which used to be the Study Center).So, the end of the story for now is -- nothing was done to move the service. The palm trees need to be trimmed and I think they are going to be running all new wire. I will be making another appointment to move the service when the palm trees are trimmed.

PIBC Days

2009-04-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

I had heard and seen pictures about PIBC Days. This is a weekend to celebrate the founding of PIBC. The students and staff are split into 3 teams -- this year Love, Faith, and Purity. Each team was responsible for the evening programs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. During the days there were fun and games.

There was basketball, volleyball, sprinting and other games.

Friday afternoon started with men's basketball with women's volleyball later. On Friday evening the Purity team was in charge of the evening program.

A skit with a message.

On Saturday there were 50 and 100 meter dashes. I almost got run over taking this clip.

I actually took part in the 50m Dash for faculty and staff. As I chugged along in last place, this picture was taken for me. I did make it to the finish line quite some time after the pack!!!!!
I was part of the Love (Agape) team which was in charge of the Satruday night program. And Faith team was in charge of the Sunday evening program. The Faith team put on a skit that was so funny! In fact, all 3 teams did.

Lower Sigua Falls Part 2

2009-03-23T04:16:00.000-07:00

This boonie stomp was a close encounter with Guam MUD. I had experienced coral and lava rock and had heard a rumor that Guam actually had dirt. This stomp gave me proof that Guam does have dirt - red clay dirt that turns into red MUD.
This was an innocent beginning to an extensive encounter with MUD. Soon after starting our stomp, the MUD started building up on the bottoms of our shoes. It was no good knocking it off because within steps it was back. Not that it would fall off. Some implement would have been handy -- like a chisel.
This is dried MUD. It dried into this really interesting formation. I thought it was rock at first but it was just dried MUD. It's not red but it is still MUD.
The whole group. Feet covered in MUD. Our shoes will never be the same. Mine are still sitting outside my front door waiting for some cleaning. They were white. They are now red. They will never be white again. At this point I was still innocent and had no idea how completely covered I would become in MUD.
It's starting to get steep, I got a pull up the hill but I had no idea how vertical it was to become.
The teenagers took off ahead. They are the dots in the middle of the picture. I don't think they even noticed it was a tough stomp. Ah....to be a teenager again.
Wild orchids were common along the trail. Isn't it beautiful?
The scenery was gorgeous! Not a drop of MUD in sight in this picture. The darker greens are swaths of palm trees with fern looking plants much shorter between. We speculated that maybe some areas were more protected from the wind and typhoons which promoted the palm tree growth.
Back to the MUD. How would you like to cross this bridge. By the time we got to it there was slimy red MUD on it. We crossed very, very carefully. Note that I am still wearing my red back pack. That means the going had not got that tough yet. Someone else ended up wearing it most of the time.
Here is the source of the red MUD (clay so slimy you could make a pot out of it). It is really beautiful -- red is my favorite color.
Now it gets steep and this is where I picked up most of the MUD on my back side as in a lot of places the safest way down was to slide. One slope was so slippery that it was a good thing there was a tree in the middle of the path to stop myself on. As you can see this is not red mud but brown, but it is still MUD.

Lower Sigua Falls has a wonderful jumping platform which I declined to try. I'm not afraid of heights, it is the sudden drop I am afraid of. Here is our photographer taking the leap. The pool was not deep enough for diving. Feet first was the only way to do it.

The swim was wonderful. The MUD did not come off. Later on it dried on into a layer on my legs like armor plating.
Here is the map - five miles round trip. I believe yellow is fairly level. Red is an elevation change. Notice how red the trail gets as you get nearer to the falls.

This was a wonderful experience with the MUD that God made and a chance to see some of the wondrous things he has made with fellow Christians he has called.

Boonie Stomp to Lower Sigua Falls

2009-03-07T22:41:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I wen on a Boonie Stomp to Lower Sigua Falls which was organized by Jeff Johnson at the Lutheran Church of Guam. The group is arranged over a WWII American tank. Jeff thought it was Japanese but someone saw some print on it and it was English. It was VERY shot up with bullet marks all over and big shell holes.

The 4 teenagers pictured trotted down and up arriving at the falls and back at the vehicles at least 1/2 hour ahead of the rest of us. I climbed, sat and slid, and scrambled down with the help of Pastor Jeff. On the way up it took Pastor Jeff and Mike standing IN the tank at the lower right to pull and shove me up the hills. It rained and the ground was red clay which turned to slime. I'm not in the picture because I was behind the camera.

Wes was the photographer. He emailed the 3 included out and I will be getting a complete set. It will be interesting to see if there is a picture of me and the complete degree of mud coating I received. By the time we got up, my legs were impervious to sword grass (gives paper cuts) due to the thick layer of tried mud everywhere. I have a tee shirt which will always be red/brown - especially the back.

I asked Pastor Jeff how it compared to another boony stomp I had gone on and was told it was about the same -- not. The trail books list this one as very difficult. But, the trip was worth it.
At one point were were on top of a ridge and I could almost see my house. There is a building called Ladera Tower that really sticks out because it is the only tall building in the area. I live about a mile away. The Ordot dump was also very visible -- which Guam Gov. has been talking about closing for years.

There were wild orchids and hybiscus. There were swaths of palm trees with a short ferny looking plant between. One thing I like about Guam is that you can park along the road and walk down a trail and almost immediatly you are out in the middle of nowwhere.

Below is our first view of Lower Sigua Falls. Thiere is a swimming pond out of sight at the bottom. This was taken before the going got really tough although I thought it had already been tough. We had to go down and up and down in some places almost vertically. Some places had ropes strung but this was not like anything I have seen in the lower 48. The path was made by people walking it and the ropes were provided by prior hikers. Nothing official.
After getting to the bottom the reward was swimming. This is a picture of Pastor Jeff jumping off the cliff. The pool was well over my head but there was no way I would jump. You can see Pastor Jeff is sporting some of the mud that probably will never come off.
I enjoyed the swim. Could you believe it was a bit chillie? I had to get out to sit in the sun and warm up.

After an enjoyable time at the pool it was time to climb back up. That's where the help of the guys really came in. There was one place where the next step up was about 4 feet. On the way down, I slid down. On the way back it too pushing, pulling, and squirming into a place less than 2 feet wide. With help I made it!

If Pastor Jeff had told me this trail was rated very difficult, I would not have gone and I would have missed this great opportunity. I probably won't go again unless I lose at least 20 lbs and get more upper and lower body strength. I hurt just about everywhere except my back, chest, and head.

I thank the Lord for giving me this wonderful experience in his glorious nature. It was such a blessing that I cannot express it other than thank you.

A Sunset and Flowers

2009-03-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

I have misplaced my camera. One day it just vanished. It had lived a hard life inside it's sock (the only case it ever had). There was a dent in the front and the battery/card holder door was held shut with duck tape but it took some pretty nice pictures. The battery would run dry at the most inopportune times. I have a number of samples of events where I have only pictures of the beginning of the event.

Somewhere in my sock drawer is an odd sock.

While I wait for my new camera to arrive (along with an extra battery), I thought I would go back through my pictures and select a few to share. Here are a sunset and a bunch of flowers (which there are a lot of on Guam) as samplings God's handiwork.
This is the view out the back of my apartment at dusk. During the day the jungle is covered with pink flowers, but, at dusk one day there were the clouds and the jungle in silhouette. I don't have a view of the ocean but I like what I see when I look out at the jungle.

Plumeria blossoms are beautiful and smell wonderful and come in a number of colors. All of these pictures were taken at the PIBC campus.

This is a picture I took a year ago in Tim and Melody Plaxton's yard while I was staying at their house while visiting Guam. I think Melody told me this was a hibiscus but I'm not sure.

These next flower pictures were taken in Dave and Joyce Owen's yard. They were all in pots -- some of them because they had to be dug up before their next door neighbor built a fence where they were. They were waiting for Joyce to get out her jack hammer to re-plant them. I assume they are now in the ground again by now after a year.

What kind of flower is this? I'm drawing a blank. I really should know. I have a cousin who grows them in his backyard in San Diego.Isn't this flower georgeous? What vivid colors.I'm sure this plant was waiting to get back in the ground because it doesn't look totally happy. A bit droopy but the flowers are beautiful.

I have not seen it, but I am told that when the flame trees here really start blossoming they really do look like they are on fire. The flame trees have dropped their leaves and I am starting to see blossoms. I surely will take pictures when they blossom.
This flower was clinging to a rock overlooking a cliff to the sea on the Eastern side of Guam. I took this picture while on a boonie stomp to a cave where there is swimming if you are brave enough to climb down in and bring enough candles to light the way.

I hope you have enjoyed these little snapshots of the beauty that God has created. I am enjoying the warm weather here and the lack of air polution. I also enjoy looking out while just driving around and -- there is the ocean. I don't have nearly the amount of alergies here than I did in the states which I attribute to the cleaner air for which I thank the Lord and I also thank the Lord that he is allowing me to be of service to him.

Random Things Learned on Guam

2009-02-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

I have already been on Guam for 4 months and a lot has happened both in my work at PIBC and everyday living. So, I am going to start with some random things I have learned about living on Guam.

Guam's version of getting anything done with the local government (Guam Gov.)

I thought I was going to be taking a written test so I went to Tax and Rev where the DMV is located. I wanted to get a book of the regulations so I could study.

Once I arrived at the Tax & Rev. building, I didn't know where to go. So I picked on the man taking pictures for driver's licenses. He was very helpful (Guamanians are very friendly). He filled out a form. He then sent me to the cashier to pay $5.00 for the book. So, I went and paid my $5.00 and the form was stamped paid. I then went back to the man taking pictures. He disappeared for quite a while and returned with the book and gave it to me.

I later learned that because I was from California, I didn't have to take the written test.

Getting my car registered, driver's license, water hookup, and electricity hookup all followed a similar pattern. 1) Get in a line and wait. 2) get some paperwork reviewed 3) get in another line and pay the bill. The driver's license had an extra line for picture taking and to get my license made.

It was a bit disconcerting when they punched a hole in my California license before I had my new one!

Guam is a friendly place.

Two examples of the friendliness and helpfulness of the Guamanians .

One day after moving into my apartment, I went shopping in Kmart to get necessities I didn't bring with me (like a shower curtain). In my cart I had a microwave, a DVD/VCR player plus a lot of other things. It was too much for me to handle. I asked the cashier at the checkout counter for help an a teenage boy appeared. He helped me with checking out and I thought he was an employee of KMart. On the way out I found out he was was the son of another customer. I thanked them for helping. They insisted on helping me out to my car (which was way, way out) and loading my car. I can't imagine that happening in the States.

Another time I had a full cart and a man walking up the street just came up and helped me load my car.

Guam Drivers are crazy

I did learn one useful thing from the motor vehicle rules book I didn't need to buy. The center lane in a road used for turning or entering a road is referred to as the “suicide lane” or “kamikaze lane” right in the book. This is due to drivers using them for a passing lane. I have had cars pass me going really fast and Melody had 2 cars pass her one day while she had her left turn signal on!

It's also really good to watch out at stop lights because many times people don't stop until the light turns red (I am guilty of this myself). If you are going to stop, look to the rear because the driver behind may not be planning to stop. I have seen one rear end crash that looked to me like someone stopped of the light and the driver behind didn't.

The maximum speed on most major streets here is 35 mph with a couple of short stretches on Marine Corps Drive where it is 45. On side steets it is usually 20 mph. It was published in the local paper that the police was not going to ticket anyone unless they were driving more than 15 miles over the limit. So, of course, dirvers push the limit. I don't think it was such a good idea to publish this in the PDN (Pacific Daily News).

Guam navigation

If you see someone weaving up the road. The driver is probably not drunk. It is more likely the road is full of potholes.

I hate to drive at night. At some point, in the distant past, lines were painted on the roads -- maybe even with reflective paint. The paint is about 90% worn off. I find it difficult to see where the lanes are at night. The streets are, also, not well lighted.

There are no freeways here. No limited access highways. There is only one set of entrance / exit ramps on the island where one road goes over another. Going under is referred to as going through the tunnel. I am told it had something to do with airport access.

There are no decent maps. Due to typhoons, street signs are a luxury and numbered roads become nu-numbered after a typhoon. Few buildings have numbers on them. Therefore, you can't find anything by address. Mapquest does not work. Every set of directions is in the form of landmarks which for the newcomer makes navigation difficult.

So, whenever I get directions, I get asked if I know where a certain school or other building is and usually I say no but I know where GPO (Guam Premium Outlets), Micronesian Mall, Kmart, Home Depot, and Hafa Adai market are and go from there. There are a couple of places I have never found.

I hope you have been blessed by the Lord this day and have enjoyed my random comments. More to come later -- with pictures.

What am I doing here?

2009-02-12T22:42:00.001-08:00

This is a start of a blog where I can share what's going on in Guam with my work at Pacific Islands Bible College (PIBC) and my life here on Guam and post Pictures.

For example, the picture to the above is taken from the "GPO" parking lot. It seems that whenever I am at this spot, there is a really great sunset.

It was a Thursday night outside of Wendys on the way to Worship Team practice at the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Guam.