Sundays

I write this blog mostly so you guys don't think I fly 8000 miles to sit on the beach and walk nice paths all day. (Perry may very well be doing that, but I occasionally do something.)  

Sundays is one of those days.  You don't think of all the parts that go in to a church service until you are all those parts.  Here's a Sunday for me.

• Prepare the building (open the gate, open typhoon shutters, plug in everything, fire up the air cons, start the hot water)
• Breakfast (make sure there is breakfast available when people arrive, restock cups and drink mixes)
• Kids Sermon Sheets (find corresponding kids pages to accompany the sermons, make copies, and stuff the clipboards)
• Children's Sunday School (prepare and teach the lesson)
• Music (pick the music, practice the piano, lead the music)
• Preach (write the sermon, make the PowerPoint, deliver the sermon)
• Close down the building (close typhoon shutters, unplug everything, turn off the air cons, take out the trash, sweep the floor, close the gate)

Thankfully another person is helping with the kid pick up for Sundays! 

This Sunday we talked about faith, particularly Mary.  We talked about how she had faith in the BIG things (pregnant with the Messiah) and faith in the small things (knowing her Son could fix the problem when they ran out of wine at a wedding).   

Perhaps my Sunday highlight, I was given a big bag of mangos by a family in the church.  I'm eating at least two mangoes a day right now.  Living the dream. 

I had so much to do after church, but I was tired and didn't care.  So I packed a picnic and went to the beach for a couple of hours.  Then I had a lovely evening walk on Beach Road.  

Some More Walking Paths

Last night, the Lauras went walking again in Kagman. This Laura didn't have her phone/camera, but the other Laura did. She was kind enough to send me a few pictures.  Though she wasn't trying to capture the walking path, she did get a bit of it  (top picture) while taking a picture of the incredible sunset we got to watch take place!

Tonight, I decided to walk at American Memorial Park.  This park is a part of the National Park Service.  It has incredible paths through beautiful plants and trees, along the ocean, through memorials.  I haven't been to the museum in years, so while I was there I took a mental note of the museum days and times. Perhaps Perry & I can check it out later this week.  You know, since it rains all the time...and it's free air conditioning. :)

Oh, and if you closely, you can see there are bunkers for my safety.  (I actually saw one pretty hidden that I had never noticed before! I didn't grab a picture because there was some Japanese bird watching group with super duper professional cameras, and I felt like I just needed out of their way. But next time!)

VBS Day 2

Our second day of VBS went well.  VBS is spread out with a few days in between.  (Mostly because it is hard for me to prepare all the parts when it is every day in a row AND because most kids go to summer school. So a week of school and VBS would be hard on everyone.) 

Here are some of the kids with the crafts we made...ocean windchimes. :) 

And our special snack were clams!  The kids were again a big apprehensive when I told them we would be eating clams for dessert.  But it wasn't so bad when they were vanilla wafers, icing, and a white chocolate chip for a pearl. :)  I'm not sure if the clams or the grilled cheese sandwiches were the bigger hit.

Our littlest guy was just there for the snacks. 😂

And Perry wanted to make sure he made a picture!

We made it through VBS without rain! Woo-hoo!

It took a week, but we made it in!

Today was Day 8. Day 8 of being in paradise before I got IN the water.  It hasn't been for a lack of trying.  My first two days on island were filled with errands (bank, license, phone...the basics) and reconnecting with friends (and food) I had missed. But then...

As soon as church was over last Sunday, I headed straight for the water.  On my way the clouds got darker and darker. (Swimming in the rain is actually one of my favorite things, but this was going to be RAIN.)  When I arrived to Pau Pau Beach, I had enough time to read one chapter in my book before the skies opened. Failed Attempt #1

Monday, let's try this again.  I needed to decorate for VBS and I felt crummy, but I pressed on.  Finally, there was a stopping point, and I thought food and water (not the drinking kind) would help.  So I stopped at one of my favorite bakeries for a sandwich and then went to a closer beach, Micro Beach.  I sat up my chair, but I just had zero energy.  I ate my food and then it got windy--so windy--the kind where the sand hurts.  I continued to just feel worse, so after I read my one chapter, I packed it up and a called it an outing.  Failed Attempt #2 (but at least there are pics)

Tuesday, it's VBS Day, but kid pick-up doesn't start until 2pm. Plenty of time for the beach.  I'm feeling better so I decided on my favorite snorkeling beach, Obyan Beach.  It's one of the closer beaches to me, just behind the airport.  As I turned down what has been one of the worst roads on island, there are road crews everywhere. Apparently, we are redoing the entire road--all at once.  They let me in, but it was a nightmare trying not to get killed by dump trucks and such. So, I eventually figured out how to turn around and head back.  I guess I won't have my favorite beach this summer. Failed Attempt #3

I still have a few hours, I will go to Beach Glass Beach (I named it...it has a real name. But since I had already named it, there was no need learning it's real name).  It's a terrible beach. It's seaweedy and solid coral/rocks.  But it a beach glass lovers dream.  I pull in.  More construction.  It appears there are two different things happening: 1) new pavilion upgrade and 2) a sewer upgrade.  And it's clouding up.  I have just enough time to read one more chapter and bolt to my car before the heavens opened. Failed Attempt #4.

It never stopped raining after failed attempt #4. Wednesday and Thursday. Rain. Rain. Rain.  

When I woke up today, I saw a break in the clouds, and I made a run for it. Back to Pau Pau Beach. Nothing like an early beach run.  But it was perfect. We mostly had the beach to ourselves.  The tide was high, so the swimming was good. The water was cool.  And there was sunshine. Perry lifeguarded while I swam.  Mission Accomplished!

 

My Walking Path is Better Than Your Walking Path

When I got up this morning (much earlier than my liking due to the my roommates...dog & cat), I saw that there was a hint of sky and it wasn't raining, so I decided to take full advantage of this opportunity and do something! 

When I'm on the mainland, I walk regularly.  I am thankful I live in the middle of nowhere and have a beautiful route to walk (over the creek...through the woods...between the fields...next to a pecan orchid).  I say beautiful. My last walk was ruined by a coyote that tried to jump the fence (???) and didn't make it. It was hanging very dead and very smelly from the top wire.  

I digressed.  

I love to walk, but I rarely do it on the islands which is crazy because some of THE BEST walking paths are right here in Saipan.  So I made a commitment this summer to walk the paths.  Two nights ago, I walked the Kagman path with the other Laura. (Yes, there are two of us.  Our birthdays are one day apart.  We are both from Oklahoma. We both had the same band director, but in two different towns. How crazy is that!?) The Kagman path is some old WWII runways.  Last year they added lights, so it is a great night walking path. (But I didn't snag any pictures.)

Today, I walked some of the Beach Road path.  I will have to walk more of this because I would only do 1/2 mile in a direction and then back, then 1/2 mile in another direction then back because I didn't want caught in the great flood that was coming. 

And the rain....it started just right after I got in my car.  And it hasn't stopped since.  (I'm now in a flood advisory.  Just a little taste of home.) 

If you're ever in a drought, call me.

 Well, it looks like I brought the last three months of excessive rain and flooding with me to the islands. 

I'm in a flood watch--that goes until Monday morning.  It rained most of the day.  At noon it was only 75 degrees!  I even got cold.  (It could quite possibly be the end of the world.)

We did have a small reprieve this evening.  The sky is always best when it's been raining.  I'm sure it got better, but I was hungry so I didn't hang out on top of the church waiting for the sky to pop. 

And since I haven't really sent you any beach pictures (because it's always raining), here's an ocean picture I snagged at a traffic light this evening. 

I suspect my adventures will be short lived the rest of the week.  I have been busy writing for some of the rest of the church stuff, so this will help me not want to go spend all my time in the ocean. :)  

SCUBA VBS Day 1

Whew.  A one adult VBS is not for the faint of heart.  You become the music person, and the Bible stories leader, and the games guru, and the cook, and crafts leader, etc.  I AM TIRED!

Yesterday was spent decorating, reading through lessons, finding the groceries (that's like a treasure hunt on its own), and planning.  Plus, I wasn't overly perky (the island allergies always have to zap me for a day or so), so I was in slow motion. But eventually I got a simple fare put together.  (See below for a small example. When you are a one-man-band, you later realize you didn't get any pictures of the kids in the main room.)  

This afternoon I drove down to the village of Kagman to pick up some of our church kids, and the rest live nearby.  We had 8 kids (and 2 tiny ones if you want to count them).  My goal was six kids, so I was super happy to have more than my goal.  The mom of the two tiny ones stayed as well--which is why they were there.  The rain moved in about half way through VBS, so we couldn't do a couple of the games I had planned, but we still had plenty to keep us busy.  

The kids all got cups of coral to go with their sandwich.  They were a bit apprehensive when I told them we were having PB&J sandwiches with coral and ice keki for dessert. (Ice keki is similar to what you might know as an otter pop, but waaaaay better. And the best ones come from Saipan. When I lived in Guam and the teachers knew I was coming to Saipan, they would send money for me to bring back a 50lb box of ice keki.  Hmmmm...I should bring some home.) 

As you can see, the coral are Cheetos and veggie straws.  I thought I would have a hard time finding veggie straws. Nope. It was the Cheetos that took me four stores to find. (They only had Flamin' Hot Cheetos everywhere.) 

I'm tired. I hope to sleep to a whoppin' 7am tomorrow, but I'm not sure my roommates (dog and cat) will allow that.  

Church and Bombs and Stuff

Well, vacation is over. Let the work begin!  

Today kicked off four Sundays in Saipan.  The church has really been thriving in the new building.  There are new families, new ministries, and community outreach.  And though it is summer on the islands so attendance is low, we still had one of the biggest summer crowds I have experienced today!  Plus, I got to meet several new people attending the church.  We have an ER doctor and his wife.  They are teaching the adult Sunday School class and have headed up a food and hygiene pantry that runs out of the church two Sundays a month. (Today was one of those Sundays, so I got to see that in action.)  We have a new lady and her children.  (As I Facebook stalked her last night, we had two mutual friends.  I confessed my stalking today and learned she was in band with two of my former students.  She plays flute! And she volunteered to help me with VBS that I was planning to do solo.  Score!) 

Today, I only had to teach children's Sunday School, lead the music, play the piano, and preach.  It was an easy Sunday. (Ha!)  But it was wonderful to see old friends! (Sorry, no video below. Just a screenshot of me being in my home church today.)

Today's message was on courage.  Though it wasn't planned, it was well timed as going into the service (and for a couple of hours following), I received a million messages asking if I was on Guam and letting me know the B-2s were on their way.  B-2s are nothing new on Guam.  They come once or twice a year for military exercises.  (There are some huge exercises planned over the next few weeks.  This has been in the news.  My guess is the B-2s were already scheduled to come.  But you know what happens when the media gets a hold of something.) I love watching the B-2s.  It is dangerous for me to be on the roads when they are flying because I find myself looking at the sky more than the road!  What was new in the local news yesterday were the articles on what to do if bombs are flying.  Basically the 22 tornado warnings in Pontotoc County this spring have prepared me for such activity.  Hiding from bombs and tornados are exactly the same.  Go the basement. (We don't have those here.)  Go to the lowest level, inner most room.  See, I know what to do.  But as I said in the message today, over 300 times the Bible tells us to fear not!  Don't be afraid!  We talked about Esther and the courage that she need to do what God called her to do.  For at least the next few weeks, I am ~130 miles north of Guam and ~5 miles from Tinian (where the military are using old WWII runways for training).  See, I'm not even close to the action.  No worries. :)  (But in case you are worried, I do have 55 gallons of drinking water, and papayas and lemons growing in the yard.  Oh.....and there are old bomb bunkers everywhere! I'm less than 1/2 mile from several. I'll be fine.)  

   

Back Home in Sad Saipan

Saipan.  It's hard to believe I've made this my home away from home since 2003.  A lot has changed on the island and most is not for the better.  Over the last 22 years, all the garment factories have closed. What a hit.  On top of a rough local economy, there were two super typhoons and covid within a five year span.  Therefore, things didn't stand a chance for improvement.  So the island just continues to deteriorate.  I drove by the movie theatre today.  Closed. I drove by DFS Galleria. Closed.  Favorite stores and restaurants. Closed.  I learned last week, that many of the hotels (the ones still open...Hyatt closed while I was here last summer...and Kensington will soon close its doors) are low occupancy and therefore running on half staff.  So when I tried to go for sunset smoothies at one of my favorite hotels, I was not all shocked to see the sign "Happy Hour Temporarily Closed."  (I think I would have been more shocked had it been open.)  Finally, friend after friend waits to hear how long they will have their job.  It's tough on island. 

I wasted no time in adjusting to local life. My local ID is updated making me golden for local discounts for the next five years.  I have a temporary phone.  (A girl can only break down in a boonie car/van so many times when it's just best to go get a temp phone!)  I have had my pedicure, massage, and pancit.  I've been crafting with the old gang. And now I'm sitting here sweating listening to the neighbors play their local music.  Yep, I'm an islander again. 

More About My Flight Than You Really Want to Know

This year's trip started a little later and with a whole new crew seeing me off.  Dad had surgery on Monday.  It was another one of those "Let's-take-out-half-of-the-inside-of-his-mouth-and-skin-graft-from-the-leg" surgeries.  He did this about three years ago, and it was a terrible ordeal. So I delayed to the last second I possibly could (to be able to hold to the commitments I had already made overseas), so I could drive my parents to the surgery and be there the best I could for the first 48 hours.  His surgery was Monday--my flight was Wednesday. Perry and I had been packed and ready to go before Dad's surgery in case he couldn't come home right away.

Y'all know flying is not my favorite, but I had the Wheeler clan take me to the airport which provided quality entertainment (and breakfast!!).  We had high winds and heavy rain, which turned out to be the most turbulent section of my trip, thankfully. Everyone needs some Wheelers in their life. They spoil me, my family, and my students!            

The Buchers (former Saipan pastor) met me at the airport with goodies to send to their daughter and son-in-law who live in Saipan. But more importantly (to me), they helped me with my ridiculous amount of luggage and prayed over me. Everyone needs some Buchers in their life too...someone praying over them and helping them when the baggage gets heavy.

While waiting on that first flight, Perry couldn't resist a photoshoot to kick off his summer. 

Then United had the BEST gate agent ever. (Obviously they stole him from SWA.) Suddenly, flying isn't so bad when you are cracking up at the comedian on the mic. 

Finally, first flight. I am in my seat, and the flight attendant saw my bag with a Guam luggage tag. She starts saying "Who's from Guam?"  (I figure they want to gate-check my bag, so I'm getting a little nervous.) She was from Guam! Not a bad start for the 25 hr journey (clock starts when the bird takes off) or 30 hours from my house to my Saipan house.

Then...things change a little. 

I land in Denver, and I do a last check of texts before my phone goes dark for six weeks.  Mom had to take Dad to the ER.  He had swollen up, couldn't swallow, was in terrible pain, the whole nightmare from the last time he did this. So they were in the ER as I flew 8000 miles away.  That is not a way to start a trip.  (But praise the Lord modern technology has messaging from 35,000 feet in the air--at least until I'm way over the ocean.) Before I landed in Japan, I learned that Dad made it home and was sleeping.  They got him hydrated, meds in his system, re-bandaged the graft location from his leg, as well as did a CT scan to make sure there weren't any complications from the surgery.  I could finally rest as well.  (HA! Me + Flying does NOT = rest.)

I was blessed with a fancy seat, as I like to call it.  I'm pretty good at playing the miles game and companion flyer game.  I truly believe this is God's way of letting me know He's got the summer.  He's continually blessed me with really great seats I could never in a million years afford. This really helps flying when it's about my least favorite thing to do. 

And I think God blessed me in another way. After I took off on that 12 hour journey (worried about Dad), the seatbelt sign didn't once come on until it was time to land. Zero turbulence over the Pacific.  First time for everything! 

After that portion of my journey was over, I had seven hours to kill in the Narita (Japan) airport.  The fancy seat allowed me to have United Club access.  I was really bummed they didn't have the showers available this trip, but I could eat and drink all I wanted for the next 7 hours. (Perry enjoyed himself a cup of hot green tea.) But honestly, the best part is being able to leave your luggage and go to the bathroom without having to pack everything into a stall.  It's the small things in life that make me happy.

Finally the last leg of the journey.  As I was getting up to leave the United Club, my United app buzzed on my phone.  I WAS UPGRADED TO A GOOD SEAT!  (I only had a fancy seat on the long leg.)  Since I was now sitting in row 1, I had a great view when the captain came out and talked to us first.  He thanked us for choosing United (really, they aren't any other choices for my Micronesia travels) and said the first two hours would be about the smoothest flight ever.  Woo-hoo! And then he said, "But your last hour might be your roughest flight ever."  I guess there was a line of storms, and we had to go through them. He said he would warn us first and give us a chance to get up before we had to strap down. Not what a girl who hates to fly wants to hear.   But you know what? When we got there, and we were told it was about to get rough--it wasn't.  Just a few bumps.  Hallelujah!

I was soooo tired at this point. We are now in hours 27-30 of being being awake.  Of course, that would be the time I sit by the interesting person. He was an auditor with the SDA Church.  But his travels for the last 35 years have taken him EVERYWHERE. Europe. Asia. Africa.  He was also a scuba diver.  So we talked of our adventures and close calls from around the world....and how God got us through.  But you know what the most interesting thing of it all?  He had stayed the night in Ada last month.  It's a small world after all.....

I came through customs and immigration just fine. My luggage was first off which also never happens.  And island customs folk are so friendly.  I ended my adventure with wandering around looking for the car that was left for me with a billion pounds of luggage and no sleep. But I found it, and I made it to bed twenty minutes before what I considered Best Case Scenario.

I am thankful for God's provision, smooth flights, and being home in Saipan.