A Little Bit of Guam Touring

 I had a TSA pre-check interview, so I thought while I was in the area I would stop off at some sites I hadn't been to in a while.

One was the Spanish Governors Complex from the 1800s.  It was looking a little rough (probably from last year's typhoon), but you can easily see the beauty in it!

Across the street from the Governor's Complex, you can find some latte stones in Guam too!

And if war breaks out before I get home, I know where the Fallout Shelters are. :) 

Lions and Tigers and Bunkers, oh my

Okay, there are no lions. No tigers. But there are certainly bunkers.  I'm constantly finding one I haven't seen before.  

I spent a lot of time at Obyan Beach this summer. The snorkeling is so amazing.  But it is also home to several bunkers. I don't think Perry had ever seen this one before. 

There's another one or two of these nearby in the jungle as well.  

Hey, at least those hiding in the bunkers had great views!

BUT LOOK WHAT I SAW FOR THE FIRST TIME. (Nevermind, I don't see the picture now.  Picture a giant hole.  It's been concreted.  Probably 8 foot deep, 4' x 4' diameter) Seriously, I could have died in that thing.  I just randomly stumbled upon the hole on my path to the beach. (I parked at the other end on this particular trip because there were people at the beach--the nerve.)

Different place, but here's one of those examples of finding bunkers I had never seen before. Like this one down in Garapan on the beach.

Fear not if we go to war. Look at all the places I can hide. :)

Lots of Beach in Saipan

I know I didn't write daily about my adventure in Saipan, but a girl can only write a blog so many times about going to the beach.  I did a lot more snorkeling this year since I had a friend with me.  I prefer snorkeling when there's someone else around, so I don't do as much when I'm by myself at the beach. (My last day to snorkel in Saipan was Saturday, July 6.  I saw so many anemone and clown fish! It was a good day.  One day, Ashley saw a shark snorkeling.  And overall, the colors of the fish and coral are just incredible, some beautiful clams, starfish....I just can't describe it.) 

I just went through my pictures choosing one every few days to post.  So...here's Saipan beaches! 

(Perry prefers the shade.)

Last Movie & Bible Day

The days with the kids and teens this summer has been a blast! (Plus, we went to the movies which meant two hours of air con! Hallelujah! ha ha)

For our last movie day, we made it extra special.  We saw a new release (Despicable Me 4) and our Bible story was how even when Gru's children didn't show love and respect for him, he still welcomed them with open arms and forgiveness.  How much more does our Heavenly Father do that for us!  We also made a trip to McDonalds!  The kids loved it

Craziness in the van...always. 

Makayla pointed out that this is Perry's first trip to McDonalds. :)

I have a feeling no one shared their fries with Perry

Perry did enjoy some Bingo.  (Still didn't win)

Making windchimes. (For these events we meet in the upstairs portion of the church which has several rooms, a main area, restroom, and kitchenette. 

So excited to see a movie in...AUDITORIUM 4.  I think there are six auditoriums in the Saipan theatre.  We were in four every single time this summer.  

We had a lot of fun this summer.  We saw 12 different kids and teens ranging from kinder through 8th grade.  (Jatham said as we were going home this last day, "This has been the best day ever.")   I think they enjoyed it--and I hope they learned some important Bible truths that they will keep with them always. 

Saipan Ministry

 Mostly, I post of my adventures....beaches, bombs, and bands.  But I really do go to the islands for ministry purposes.  

This summer, I was able to spend a month in Saipan and covered five of the Sundays the pastor was gone.  In all these years, the Saipan Naz church didn't have a building until a few months ago.  It's a really great place for church, youth events, and even to host visitors! 

Honora (the lady in this picture) has been a part of the church since the very beginning. She has such a beautiful spirit. I adore her!  (Her sister and late sister are a part of the Guam church.)  It has been a blessing to watch her kids and now grandkids grow up. 

I met Kathy for the first time last year, but she is a hoot!  We would definitely be good friends if I lived closer. :)

In addition to preaching/leading music for five weeks, I also held a weekly kids/teen club day.  We went to he movies, had a Bible story, played games, made crafts, ate food.  It was so much fun! 

I had a really great time in Saipan.  So grateful for the chance to go and stay a while.

Latte Stone

So...what is a latte sone?  (I have probably done this blog before.)  A latte stone is a pillar capped by a hemispherical stone with the flat side facing up.  These were used to support the buildings of the ancient Chamorro people on the Mariana Islands. They can range from very small to several sizes bigger than me.  Here is an internet picture of the biggest which are found on Tinian. (Somewhere I have a picture of these. It's incredible to think of how these were constructed in ancient times!)

I had heard there were latte stones in the village of Kagman, but there were somewhere in the jungle. In the last couple of years, some cleared around them so you could see.  

You could find lots of old pottery pieces, and people have stacked it as they find it on the different latte stones.

I found at least 3 old mill stones in this ancient village

We enjoyed our new discovery

Happy Liberation Day!

On the island of Saipan, 4th of July/Independence Day is called Liberation Day. Liberation Day is celebrated to mark the permanent closure of the civilian interment camps on Saipan where the Chamorros and Carolinians were allowed to fully return to their land after WWII.  This just happened to take place on July 4, 1946.  (Word on the street is the US soldiers held them three extra days to let them out on the 4th, but I don't know if that is true.)  It has been 78 years since this took place.  (This was also the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Saipan which was June 15.)   

Perry and I attended the parade with Laura.  We were fortunate enough to snag some shade.  We were very excited for the military bands!

Here we are waiting for the parade to start (or maybe waiting the 10 minutes in between each float/entry).  Island parades TAKE FOREVER!

Perry is trying to see what is coming...

It's the full Marine Band this time.  (However, Samantha is on the other side)

So I stalked her down and got a picture as they were stopping. (She's the tuba on the far left)

After the parade, I had watermelon, because that's what one does on the 4th, right?  There was no formal show in Saipan this year.  (Money is super tight. I think the Hyatt used to do it, and they closed their doors a couple of days ago.)  But I didn't catch a hotel show from afar, and there were some really great ones in the neighborhood. I was able to just sit on the front porch and see fireworks!

This is sitting in my chair on the porch!

And as it is every night, American Memorial Park was brightly lit.

Side note: The Chamorros in Guam were not released until July 21.  Though government employees are off work and the US Navy shoots off fireworks on July 4, the big holiday is July 21.  That's the parade, more fireworks, and another day off work. :) 

Military Bands!

 I love military bands, and I get super excited when one shows up while I'm on the islands.  A couple of days ago my friend wrote (this is the same friend I was supposed to see on the band trip before the MCN ruined the entire thing) and asked if I was still in Saipan.  Her daughter Samantha just landed a few minutes ago.

As I process the message, it dawned on me...Samatha plays in a Marine Band. If she just landed in Saipan, that means a band is here. Woo-hoo!  I immediately messaged Samantha and got her concert schedule so I could stalk her.

Samantha's family was stationed in Guam when I lived there. They attended my church, and she was one of my children's church kids.  I hadn't seen her since 2009ish.  She isn't a little girl anymore, and she's a beast of a tuba player! (Side note: she actually made the Marine band on flute and had to wait for a tuba opening. Therefore, she's quite the musician as not everyone gets these spots!)

Here is the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Brass Band at the nightly Liberation Day Carnival. (I would probably call this a jazz band, but who am I to argue with the Marine Corps?) 

Also performing was the Guam Army National Guard Band

Perry enjoyed hearing good music too!