One more for the band nerds...

So now after two band nerdy posts, you probably think that I sit at home and watch you-tube videos of band stuff.  Actually, I only watching you tube videos in May when I'm planning my youth sermons.  Then there was tonight.  I was reading an article my father sent me...clicked on another article from there which had a video of Steve Martin (who is a pro banjo player, you know) on Letterman.  Then I got all wrapped up in watching bluegrass videos. (Perry says he hears you laughing--actually, he's laughing at me.)  In the midst of watching a Rhonda Vincent video, I see a link for the Ohio Marching Band. I haven't really figured out that connection.

The Ohio Marching Band has a lot of interesting shows.  I was thinking that we could do the drum break dance about half way through this video if the we had a percussion court show.  We can all walk on the court with our instruments--like we were going to play--and just dance while they play. The music would be super easy to memorize. Only the percussionists would have to learn anything. And since they make it up anyway, the court show is almost finished. All we need to do now is learn to boogie! (Uh, do people use the word boogie these days?  Uh, did people even use the word boogie when I was in high school. I think I watched too many bluegrass videos.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mAjVjIeAkA

I am Reminded...

 Warning: This blog is more serious in nature, so don't expect any shenanigans from Perry.

The last two days have been a reminder of the more difficult times on the islands.  Though there was always "plenty" fun in the sun, this is a very impoverished land where people face very real problems.  If you have known me for a long time, you may have followed my blog Saipan Siftings that shifted to Gallivanting in Guam.  During my counseling days my blog was never void of good stories.  There was the naked girl under my desk, or the boy that tried to kill me with big rocks, the girl who tried to kill me with the scissors, and the girl who kept trying to kill herself by jumping off the roof...hence nearly killing me as I'd have to hold on to her until help came.

For the last two days, I have been working the local system of who you know, what names you can drop, and skin color.  Thankfully, I was in the counseling system for two years which gave me the opportunity to see how much of this aspect of the island worked.  It's so mixed up, that if it wasn't so serious, it would almost be funny.

My day started at 6:45 trying to call DYA to see when I could pick up my buddy for a physical. (I was told someone would be there at 6am. I called three different numbers for 45 minutes until someone answered.) My friend HAD a physical two weeks ago, but DYA lost his papers.  The clinic doesn't have a record of those papers either. How did two organizations that are document driven lose the same set of papers!?  Keep in mind the first was a $95 physical.  Why? Because my buddy's insurance services were cut off when he entered DYA.  I was hoping to get him released to a treatment facility as opposed to handcuffs and riots at the prison.  But the facility, with only four open spots, couldn't accept him without his physical. The next appointment was going to be in 3 weeks.  Since slots could fill before then, I was able to convince them to reschedule his orientation to the next day, and I'd figure out a way to get a second physical. Well, after another $65, we got a second physical, and I let no one hold the papers except for me!

Since we had time to spare before his orientation at the treatment facility, we squeezed in lunch at the parsonage, two candy bars (he won't be allowed chocolate for a long time), and shopping for toiletries.  I'm fairly certain I bought this 16 year old boy his first bottle of shampoo.

Orientation, and the dad--who can hardly walk by this point due to his gout--had to sign over 25 documents.  It took both hands for him to hold his pen.  But again, no sign--no facility. (One of the papers the dad signed was for information to be shared with him, the dad. That made no sense. I can understand him signing papers to have information shared with me, which he did. But to sign his name on a paper for information to be shared with him about his son. Stupid.)

After that process was completed, we were told to go check out my friend from DYA and bring him back.  We get to DYA and they have decided to change policy and they will transport him to the facility to see that he makes it. (Okay, for two days in a row, he had been released to my care for 8 hours...but could not be released for 10 minutes for me to drive him to the place we just came from?) However, even though DYA was going to transport him, they could not take his small bag containing a few changes of clothes and toiletries. So, I still had to turn back around and drive back to where I just came from to give them his clothing.  (On a side note, he only owned 2 changes of clothes and a couple of extra shirts--more shopping.)

So, why go to the trouble for a "hardened criminal."  Well, first of all, this one has always had a special place in my heart. It was strongly suggested to me two years to take him back home with me to live.  I often wonder might he have turned out differently?  Sadly, his crime was mild for what I know a lot of kids his age do or have done--not to mention what he has gone through.  His mother died about 1 1/2 years ago. Not that he actually was super close to her, but that still must have hurt. He's been raised by his father who is turning 74 in a few weeks.  His father has gout so bad, he's been unable to work or drive for years. But because dad isn't a US citizen, he doesn't receive services. And the crime...2 years for underage drinking. (So if you are a student reading this--DON'T DRINK! I already did a "Gibbs" smack on this kid's head for being so dumb.)

Let me show you where they live....

The top pic is the shower.
The next two pics are inside their one room shack.










The table had never been piled so high with old dishes before, but with the dad's gout, he hasn't been able to even get up to throw things away and has to use a jar next to his chair for a restroom.










After getting my friend squared away in his home away from home for the next 3-6 months (and if he passes, the rest of his sentence should be dropped), at 6:30am the next morning his dad called. He could no longer get up or move from his gout. Back to the ER to get his meds. We had tried to get his meds all week, but we couldn't because he hadn't seen a doctor. His doctor appointment was the next week--scheduled two weeks after his medicine ran out.  Not by choice.

Please pray for my friend. He has a sweet heart. He loves to read--and to find island boys with an interest in books is very rare.  I told him I'd buy him the Hunger Games to read and he is very excited--so now I need to order those.  He is kind and polite.  But due to circumstance and a poor decision, he is trying to fight his way back to society. And pray for his dad.  He is having difficulty physically and could sure use some healing.  He's a really funny guy. (His jokes are much better than the one about the doted half note...)

Final Countdown Prank?

I don't necessarily think you should watch this ENTIRE video...it gets boring, just like it does every time we play this song. I post it for the following reasons:

#1) I'm glad other bands over-blow and sound equally as grotesque as we sound

#2) What percent chance is there that Mr. Low would go nuts if we did this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdlB_-2pBTo

Flashes of Light

I had an interesting experience last night....Perry and I were about to go to sleep since we'd only had about 5 hours the two previous nights...when my friend Esther wanted to talk about my upcoming trip to visit her in the PI.....then I was about to go to sleep when I remembered I needed email my parents or they would worry. (Ask me if my mother emailed me today...noooooo....).  Then I remembered I hadn't spent my usual time in prayer because of all my running here and there...so....I had just pulled out my prayer journal when, the power went off.  It was at that moment, I realized I had candles, but no matches and no flash light.   I turned to Perry and asked him what kind of secret agent doesn't have a flash light?  Since my computer was charged, I figured I could use that for a light.  Then suddenly there were bright flashes of light outside--green, blue, orange, yellow...BRIGHT!!!  I ran outside and it was almost like watching fireworks.  Suddenly, it clicks in my mind that this isn't normal.  Had the North Koreans attacked Guam after all?  I decided there were probably be more sound.  Had a tsunami come and took out part of the island? Then I remembered I hadn't felt an earthquake.  (And my body is so sensitive to earthquakes, I even feel the ones that don't exist.)   Had the Lord returned?  But there were no sounds of trumpets.

The power came on and I figured the Guam Pacific Daily News (aka PDN) would have an online update.  Nothing.  And then the power went back off and the sirens began.  I was becoming slightly more concerned at this point when the power returned!  I jumped back on my computer and the PDN said that the power station in my village had a fire.  And then the power went off again--for a long time.  The pastor and his wife came out and we sat outside at midnight speculating for how many years it would remain off.  We came up with new sleeping arrangements (like outside) if it was to never return.  We got out the hand crank radio to hear updates.  I went on the roof about 4 times trying to see the fire.  We eventually came to the conclusion we should just go to bed.  And then the power came on! And then it went off. And then it came on! And then it went off. And now, it is on (hopefully--here to stay!)

Plenty Rain

Those living on the Mariana Islands do not use a preposition after the work plenty.  Where we might say "There's plenty of food," they would say, "There's plenty food."  The word plenty is also used considerably more than someone on the mainland.  So, adapting to island sentence structure, "We have plenty rain!"

Perry and I have not been to the beach in three whole days!  I know that you can swim in the rain.  I also am well aware that Perry is a semi-aquatic mammal which means he won't drown in the rain either.  However, it hasn't just been rainy. It has been rainy with WIND.  Hence the tapioca tree that blew down.

Riot!!!

I experienced a first when I was in prison today (visiting--Perry and I haven't committed a crime worthy of imprisonment--yet).  Perry and I went to bust out my buddy Samuel.  (When I say bust out, we were taking him to the doctor and for another appointment.)  As we were waiting for them to change Samuel into his non-prison attire, I heard someone scream LOCK DOWN and all the officers on their cookie break (this is not a lie--most of the officers left the building, each carrying a cookie or two in their hands, and taking pictures by the front gate) came running with their weapons.  Then there was lots of screaming and banging and noise and more screaming....for a moment I thought I was in the recent Hawaii 5-O episode when Chen was in falsely in prison and a riot broke out with the bad guys trying to kill him.  Perhaps an angry student or enemy of Perry had come to kill us.  Sadly, there was no Steve McGarrett to rescue me.  I guess I'm on the wrong island.

I'm one step closer to actually busting my buddy out of this facility into a lesser facility that can eventually get him released on good behavior.  This place will be so much better and they will allow him to attend church on Sunday's once he makes it to the third phase.  AND they'll allow him to keep his Bible from the very beginning! (The place he is in now confiscated his Bible because he could use the cover as weapon.)  I'll spend my day tomorrow trying to get him moved.  Hopefully, the Lord will pave a way and Samuel will be sleeping a new place tomorrow night!

A Little Bit of Ministry

There are a couple of blog followers who believe that I'm out here for a greater mission than entertaining the coolest Platypus on the planet (okay....when I say a couple of followers, I mean my mom...and my cousin, Kent! Now that I think about it, they might be the only two people in the world that actually read my blog).  I probably should post that I'm really doing some for the Kingdom and not going to the beach all the time. :)

Since I didn't go to the FSM, I decided that perhaps God had a purpose for me for a longer stay in Guam.  I have had the opportunity to participate in ministry that I wouldn't other wise have been a part of.  I took up teens and children's church just like I never left.  I been working this week to reconnect to teens and other people who use to attend the church, but have left over the year, but haven't gone to another church.  Therefore, friendship evangelism is one of my primary focuses at the moment.  I also plan to have the best VBS set that the Guam First Church of the Nazarene has ever seen! (However, part of the decoration planning was trying to figure out how to steal an airplane today--perhaps I need to scale back a bit my decorating scheme.)

Last night the teens had a meeting. We had a great group of 17 total people!  If you followed my former blog back in the day, I started in Guam with four people at teen meeting--on the good days.  I marvel at how the group has grown--not just numerically but spiritually as well.  From the teen group we have the worship leader, two guitar players, a drummer, a children's Sunday school teacher, and a kinder-church leader. But though the group has grown, many have slipped away as well.  I am hoping to connect with them over the next few weeks.  Last night at our meeting, we ate (what teen function doesn't have food???), had a scavenger hunt--in the dark--and watched the film The Butterfly Circus followed by a time of devotion.

If you have never seen The Butterfly Circus it stars Nick Vujicic.  It is the winner of several awards and has a powerful message.  You can watch the 20 minute film on You Tube and several other sites as well.  I highly recommend that if you find yourself with a few extra moments that you watch this film!

Today I got to do Children's Church.  So many little brothers and sisters of the kids I use to teach in children's church.  We had 24 kids today (and another 11 in kinder church).

This week I'll be decorating for VBS, meeting with some of my friends, attending lots of HS graduations (*moan*--they will be hot and LONG), and working on my dissertation.  Yuck.