Tour of the Island

After a long week of school it was nice to be able to get together with some of the other teachers and enjoy a change of scenery while we toured the island. There were so many beautiful places to see, and all different, so of course I had to take pictures of them all! I have narrowed them down for you, but there are still quite a few, so grab that pumpkin spice latte, sit down and enjoy a quick tour of Guam. Enjoy!

First stop...Plaza de Espana

This monument marks where the Guam insular guardsmen led the only ground resistance when the Japanese invaded Guam during WWII

This is the more populated part of the island, where I live.

We went on a small hike in the woods where the Chamorros were forced to carry these huge guns up the mountain, and then once they got them there, were never fired, hence, they are called the silent guns. It was not an easy trail to carry these heavy machines up by any means!

Afterwards, we went and saw the port where almost everything we buy on Guam is shipped in.

If you look closely you can see a boat on its way in now.

Port where we buy all the gas.

All the groceries, household items, etc. are imported in these containers and stop here to go through customs before they are sent to the store to be put on the shelf where we then buy them. Which explains why everything here is so much more expensive!

View of the port and surrounding area. 

Here is our group of teachers that went on the tour today.

...see the ship?

After visiting a WWII museum we went to this beach, where we met a park ranger who gave us a brief history of this site...one of the first landing places during the war.

...but I was more interested in the view...

...and the hermit crabs. :-)

One of the new teachers at Harvest, Stephanie Jensen, who was also in the same group that I went to China with last summer. It was good to be able to spend some more time with her. :)

I ate fresh coconut!

Mountains!

This view reminded me a lot of Scotland with the mountains and the rainclouds. 

I also got to ride a carabou (also known as a water buffalo)! 

Panoramic view of the site. This one was my favorite, it was absolutely gorgeous!

...wild carabou, enjoying the nice mud/water puddle.

Another picture that reminded me of Europe.

Harvest has a church plant on the south side of Guam, so we drove by there, and they were trimming the coconut trees by the road, so we stopped to say hi, and each of us got our own coconut. Here she is using a machete to cut off the outside of the coconut.

Then I got to drink the coconut juice straight out of it (from a different one, though). It had a little bite to it, but was pretty good!

When the lady was done cutting the outside of the coconut off she gave the inside to me (this is the good part). :)

Then we finished our day off at the beach watching the beautiful sunset!

While we waited for the sun to set, though, I had eaten a some chicken off of the leg, then put the leg in the water and watched the fish come up and eat it. This was pretty exciting to see. The water was also super clear!

Enjoying the beautiful sunset from different views on the beach. It was cool, because as it set, the sky was colorful all the way around!

...this view was actually behind where sun was setting!

As we toured the island today, I was reminded what a great God we serve. Throughout the day I had different songs going through my head, and just had the urge to sing (which doesn't happen very often). Although I may have days or even weeks that are more challenging at school the song that kept going through my head was Day by Day. 

Day by day and with each passing moment

Strength I find to meet my trials here

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment

I've no cause for worry or for fear

He who's heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best

Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure

Mingling toil with peace and rest

No matter what, God will give me the strength that I need to get through each day, and I have no need to worry or fear. This has been a great day, and a good reminder of just what a great and awesome God I serve!

Struggles and Blessings

I know it has been a little while since I last updated you on Guam happenings. Life has gotten a little busier and crazier, but in a good way. I have now completed 3 1/2 weeks of school. With each week my job seems to get a little easier as I am able to get more organized and start to figure things out. There is still so much for me to learn, and so much to do, but I am not feeling as overwhelmed as before. 

Here is a picture of the most recent recess fun...

...yup, playing with coconuts. 

First, they found the coconut and were running all over the playground trying to figure out a way to break this thing. Once they got it opened, they were enjoying drinking/eating the stuff inside. It was pretty entertaining to watch them. :) 

This past weekend was a three day weekend because of Labor Day on Monday, so that was really nice having the extra day to not only get stuff done in the classroom, but also relax a little too. Monday I had the privilege to go paddling. This is pretty much like a 6 person canoe, but it is skinner, and it is more of a workout than a leisure paddling down the river. We went out into the ocean and were paddling hard most of the time. We also left the beach shortly after 6am. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. This was definitely a challenging experience, and I was exhausted afterwards, but it was also a lot of fun!

There was also one  night last week that I was able to run along the beach, watch the sunset and then we went out to eat. This was before I went paddling, but ended up being the same place. Here are some pictures of the sunset.

Then we went to the Jamaican Grill afterwards, and here is a picture of their napkin (paper towel) holder, it was so cute I had to take a picture! 

I have now been on Guam for 5 1/2 weeks, and I have been super busy, but I have also had opportunities to relax and enjoy my new home. However, I am going to be really honest. It has not been all easy and "vacation." I think I am hitting the stage where I have been here long enough where my "vacation" is over and I am ready to come home. Then I realize I am home. It is a strange feeling. I love it here, but I have not gotten to the point where I can truly say this is home. It seems like one of these days I will be getting on a plane and going home. However, in reality that won't be for another 9 months or so. I miss my family and friends back home in West Virginia. I think part of it is I have many friends here, but none of them are super close yet. I know they will be, but we have all been busy with the new school year, and I haven't been here long enough to develop really close relationships. That takes time. I know it will come, but everything here is still somewhat new and unfamiliar. Another part of the challenge, I think is that I really like it here, the people, the view, my job (which doesn't even feel like a job), and I want to be able to share this wonderful experience with someone, those who I have had the time to develop closer relationships with. I know this is normal, it's called homesick, and in time it will pass, but going through it is always challenging. 

I was reminded in church this morning, though, that God is all I need. I have a tendency to turn to people first when times get tough and when I am struggling when really I need to turn to God and give it all over to Him. It has been good for me to be "plucked out" of my comfort zone and placed in an area far away from home in the unfamiliar. Here I am forced to turn to God first, and He will comfort me. This morning pastor talked about prayer, and he mentioned that prayer should be the first reaction and not the last resort. Then this evening I was reminded and challenged to bloom where God has planted me. Right now that is here on Guam. I don't know how long I will be here, but until God moves me, I need to humbly serve Him wholeheartedly and minister to those He has placed in my life now. Life is not about me, but about God and then others. 

Though the waves may come crashing in, God is still there, He is my Rock and my Stronghold... 

...my Shelter in the storm...

...and I will sing praises to Him forevermore!!

(this was in church last week)

Please pray, though, that I will truly trust in God not only for strength to get through each day, but also for wisdom in my teaching and interaction with my students. I have one student that I think God is really doing a work in her heart right now. She loves to read the Bible, and when we go to library she will choose books on Bible stories instead of any of the other options she has. She has many questions, and loves Bible class. Please pray specifically for her. 

Also, the longer I am here the more I see the need for a car. Please pray that God will provide enough funds and enough money for a car, and that I will trust His timing. My goal is to have one by the beginning of March. I realize, though, God may have other plans, but that is what I am praying toward. 

Have a good day, and thanks again for your prayers and encouragement! Love you all, and I am thankful for each one of you!

First Week of Teaching

Well, folks, I have officially finished the first 4 days of my first year of teaching! :) It is a great thought, but then I think about how much more I have to learn and do, and it gets overwhelming. I have been taking it just one day at a time, and trying to keep my head above water. 

Backing up to when I wrote my last post here is some information on how everything went.
Parent orientation went well overall. I was really nervous, and was thankful when it was over. What really got me was when I realized that I was the teacher, there was no one else to pass the responsibility off to, and realizing that the parents are entrusting me to teach their child. What a great and challenging ministry God has called me to! I am so thankful that He will give me the strength to get through each day, month, and year. 

By Wednesday I was exhausted, I felt like I had hit a wall! (Probably because of all the stress to make sure everything was ready for parent orientation on Tuesday.) 

Thursday, being the first day of school, I was a little nervous, just trying to make sure I had thought through my procedures and knew what I wanted to have the students do, especially in the morning. Everything went smoothly until we got to the cafeteria for lunch. Not only was it my first time in there (during school hours), but it was also the students' first time as well, because in K5 they do not go to the cafeteria. Although chaotic, we got through the day, and worked out a better system for the next day. 

Friday was much better, we did not really have any problems until the end of the day, when somehow I started running late getting the students ready to go. I thought I had given myself enough time, however, I was had not. After talking to my principal about it, and her giving me some ideas we were able to get out the door on time the last two days. 

Each day brings it challenge and gives me something to think about, work through, and try to find a better way to make things work more efficiently. This is a good thing, though, because I learn best through mistakes. I know I have said this before, but I am so thankful for a great support system to encourage me, give me ideas, and challenge me to become a better teacher. I had a minor issue yesterday as I was struggling getting the students to listen, but again after talking to my superiors I was able to fix the problem and things went much smoother today. So God is good and things are going well. 

Here is a picture of students out at recess.

A flower one of my girls picked for me. :) In the States kids pick dandelions for their teachers, but in Guam, it is hibiscus flowers. 

On a side note...while I was sitting here on the couch just now, I saw this little friend crawling around in the dining room/entryway. Oh the joys of Guam!

Also, another answer to prayer....my boxes with all of my stuff that I shipped finally arrived today!!! I can now start settling in and making this place feel more like home. Thank you so much for all of your prayers for me regarding these. They arrived exactly one month after I shipped them, but over two weeks past the date the post office told me! Now the trick is to find the time and energy to unpack and organize. I was excited when they arrived, and unpacked, then lost motivation after fixing dinner and cleaning up....now I can't find my bed. Maybe tomorrow I can get a little more done, and just work on it little by little. 

Here are a couple more pictures of my weekend. I was able to take a couple hours and go relax at the beach, and regain my strength and motivation after a crazy week! It was just what I needed coming in to this week. 

The beautiful view of one of the beaches. 

A large blue starfish! I did not find this, but thought it was pretty cool and had to take a picture when a friend did.

Afterwards we went and got some milk tea to cool us off and give an extra boost of energy!

Well, I'm off to bed. I will try to update again in another week or so, and hopefully I will be more settled by then. 

Pictures!!!

I have now been on the island for a week and a half, and am adjusting pretty well so far. The people here are great! They have been super helpful and understanding, and it is very much of a family atmosphere at Harvest, for which I am thankful!

After being here for a week I was finally able to get my phone, so I have only had it for a couple days, and haven't had a chance to take many pictures but here are the ones I have taken of some things I see every day. :)

This is the view out my bedroom balcony. 

View from our living room window. 

Then, at Harvest, the lower elementary classrooms are in a separate building (far left in the picture) from the rest of the classrooms, which is super nice! My room is on the corner with the two windows. This picture was taken as I was walking down from the upper part of campus. (Straight ahead is the girls dorm for the bible college.) 

....and here is a sneak peak of my classroom. More pictures to come once I get everything organized and presentable. ;)

Please pray for me, especially this week. I am beginning to feel the effects of being a first year teacher. Tomorrow night is parent orientation, and Thursday is the first day of school. I am satisfied with my room, but it has taken me longer to get it ready than I expected, and trying to figure out how to organize things has been somewhat challenging. 

Before coming here I was told that I would need to plan to get a car, I wasn't sure how necessary it was until I got here. I was also under the impression that I could walk to school, however, I am in the larger apartments (3 bedrooms), but they are a couple blocks away from campus. Although, I am within walking distance it is not a good idea for safety reasons to walk. Thankfully many Harvest people live in these apartments, so finding a ride has not been too difficult. 

The other challenge has been getting my bank account taken care of. The problem has not been needing money, but being able to access what I do have. I have finally been able to get an account set up here, and I some funds put into it, however, it will be about another week before the funds are available. I have been surviving fine, but I try not to go to the store or spend any money unless I absolutely have to, because it gets kind of complicated if I do. 

Another minor road block has been that I am still waiting for my boxes with my belongings that I shipped from the States to arrive. The post office in West Virginia told me they would arrive August 2. Well, that date came and went and no boxes. After talking to people here I found out that very rarely do things arrive on the day they were supposed to, and they get "lost" somewhere in between here and there, because there is no tracking update. I am not worried, I know they will arrive eventually (maybe 2-3 weeks late, though ;)), it just becomes interesting when I need some of the things that are in there.  

All of that to say it has been challenging to get things for my classroom and get it organized the way I would like, because, although the people here are very willing to help out, I do not want to take advantage of them. However, through all of this I have come to realize that it's okay if my classroom isn't perfect, it's okay if I can't do everything the way I prefer, as long as it works, it isn't going to matter in the long run. Also, God knew that all of this would happen, and so instead of complaining about it, I just need to trust Him. Trust Him for strength to get me through each day, trust that He will work all the details out in His time, and be thankful for the many, many blessing He has given me. 

I mean, how many people can honestly say that they live on a beautiful island, teaching and ministering to kids of all ages, and have a great group of people who love the Lord and each other to work alongside with, in addition to having a great support group on the other side of the world praying for me! I'm not sure it can get much better than that! So, as I sit here this Monday night I am reminded that God has a perfect plan and will work out all things for good. In the big scheme of things, none of these little problems matter. I need to make sure that I am obeying God and that means teaching these first graders that will soon be headed my way. So, ready or not, let's get this school year started! 

Thank you once again to each of you for your love and support! 

Moving to Guam

Hafa Adai! Hello from Guam!

I am now an official resident of Guam. It's kind of a strange thought, especially since I have only been here for 2 days (less than 48 hours). But in the first 24 hours of being here we stopped at the DMV and I got my Guam driver's license, went to the bank to open an account (which is still in the process of being opened), and made my first trip to KMart. But first, let me back up and tell you about my trip over. 

My flight was supposed to leave at 6:10 on Monday morning, however, when I got to the airport I found out that my flight was cancelled and they told me I wasn't leaving until Tuesday morning at the same time. Although initially it was frustrating because I had said my goodbyes and was mentally prepared to leave on Monday, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise to have the extra day at home. I was able to spend more time with my dad (who had been gone the whole past week traveling with the singing group from ABC, and he came back Monday afternoon), and I was able to better work out my luggage situation. 
So, we went back to the airport Tuesday morning, everything went well and I departed as scheduled. I made it to my gate in DC in just enough time to board to head to Honolulu. However, when I got to Hawaii, I found out my flight to Guam had been cancelled due to a typhoon there. They were able to book me on a later flight that evening, and I arrived in Guam at about 3:30 Thursday morning Guam time. The layover in Hawaii also turned out be a blessing in disguise, because if my flight to Guam had not been cancelled I may have missed it, or at least cut it too close for comfort because of arriving a little later than scheduled. Also, because I had 10 hours in Hawaii, I was able to leave the airport for a few hours which was very nice! God provided a contact in Honolulu allowing me to go over to a family's house, have dinner with them, and relax before heading back to the airport. Then on the flight over, I had 2 seats to myself, so I could stretch out and get some much needed sleep! Thank you so much for your prayers for my flight over, God was very good to me, and everything went about as smoothly as it can go, which I am very thankful for!

Like I mentioned earlier, my first day here was a lot of traveling around getting the basic things taken care of, and I was also able to see my classroom and start thinking about all the work I have to do! ;) Harvest also had their midweek church service on Thursday, so I went to that, and then it was time for bed! Today (Friday) went much better! We had new staff meetings this morning, time with our mentors (lead or most experienced teacher of the same grade), and classroom time. After today I am feeling much better about the upcoming school year, excited to have my own classroom, and happily reminded of why I came here in the first place. 

God has been good to me and blessed me with many helpful, loving, encouraging, and godly people to take me under their wing for which I am very thankful! Our prayers have been answered! 

Please pray now, though, that God will give the strength and wisdom in preparing my classroom for the 25 little 1st graders that will be gracing me with their presence here in about 2 weeks. :-) There is a lot to do between now and then, and if I think about it too much I will get overwhelmed and feel like I can't do it. My mentor teacher has been a huge help to me, though, and I am extremely thankful for her! 

Also, please pray for strength to get through each day as I am still struggling with jet lag, so about halfway through the day I just start to crash. Thankfully, though, it has not been as bad as it could be or has been in the past. I just feel like I may be able to be more efficient if I were more coherent during the day. ;)

Well, I am going to go to bed now. Thank you once again for all your prayers and support! God is hearing and answering, and it is so encouraging! Love you all!

P.S. I will post pictures sometime next week after I receive my phone. I didn't realize until I didn't have a phone that that was the only camera I have, so as of right now I have no way of taking pictures. ;) 

Final Week!

Well friends, I am now in my final week before I leave. Yesterday I shipped all of my belongings that I will be taking with me, so I am now officially living out of a suitcase! 

Look at all that stuff! ...I'm starting to wonder if I sent too much...oh well. It looked better once they were all in boxes, I just forgot to take a picture of that...oops! ;)

This is really a bittersweet time. I am getting excited (and nervous) about going, but I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to my dear friends here. It is encouraging to know, though, that I am following God's will for my life, I will be gone for a year (Lord willing) before I can come back and visit, and with today's technology, it's almost as if we were never apart, so that is comforting. 

Fun and crazy times with my sister while we were mini golfing!

This past week was the last week for me to spend time with my dad before I leave as he will be traveling next week, so we have been able to have some good family time. He also was a HUGE help for me as I packed my stuff this week! I am very thankful for my dad and will miss him (and the rest of my family)!

Enjoying a fun family game night consisting of Ticket to Ride and Quiddler (which I again failed to take a picture of).

PRAISE

The Lord has answered all of my prayers in allowing me to get everything packed, and giving me this past week where I could spend with family and not have to worry about work. 

PRAYER REQUESTS

If you could pray for me for this upcoming week that God would just prepare my heart for the move and that when the time comes I will be ready and excited to go. 

Also, that He will give me safety as I travel and my stuff will all make it safely, and it will just be a smooth transition both into a new school year and also moving to a new country. I will be honest with you, I am nervous about this school year. It has been almost a year since student teaching, and I am now responsible for everything in my classroom, I don't have a host teacher to lean on and bounce questions and ideas off of, but I do think that the other teachers will be very helpful when it comes to that. I guess the thing that worries me the most is establishing a good classroom discipline system and coming up with enough things to decorate my classroom and bulletin boards, all in just 2 weeks! But I know it will all work out in the end, it may just be a bit of a stressful 2 weeks, but God is good all the time, and He will give me the strength to get through!

Thanks again everyone for your continued prayer and support! It means a lot to me!

God's Faithfulness

A couple weeks ago I received 4 different books to read in order to prepare my heart and mind for the upcoming school year. These books have been very good and challenging at the same time. They are not only applicable to my life once I get to Guam and start teaching, but also my day to day life here during the summer. I have been babysitting, and that has brought its challenges, but God has been good and faithful and shown me He is good no matter the circumstances, and I am learning a lot through it. 

Here are the books that I have been reading. I will also start reading through the books of 1 and 2 Timothy soon.

I am just about finished packing my first box to ship over to Guam. As I have been sorting through my stuff, I am realizing that I don't have as much as I thought (or at least not much that I am planning on bringing at this point ;-), which will be good. My goal is to get a couple more boxes filled and put in the mail this week. 

Things are slowly starting to come together, and departure date is creeping up quickly. Many people have asked how I am feeling about everything at this point and if I am getting excited. My honest answer, is that I am excited for this new adventure, but I really am not looking forward to saying goodbye to many good, close friends and family. I think I have started to feel too comfortable where I'm at, which, I guess means it is time to move on to some place different, where I have to rely on God more, and this is a good thing. 

There are not really any new prayer requests, however, God has answered prayer by  giving me strength and motivation to get my packing done, and wisdom in what to bring and what to leave behind. I am very thankful for this, and am looking forward to getting everything finished. Also, it does not look like there is any way at this point that my parents will be able to come with me the end of July when I leave, but I am praying they will be able to visit later in the year, like maybe around Christmas time. God knows best, and it will all turn out well in the end. The people in Guam have been very helpful to answer any and all questions that I have, in addition to providing extra beneficial information, so I am not worried or nervous about getting settled and adjusting on my own.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support!