Month: June 2011

Garapan Street Market

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I know where I’m going to be having supper every Thursday for the next month and a half. The Garapan Street Market is held every Thursday evening from 5:00 to 9:00. Many local restaurants have booths offering five selections (sometimes six) for just five dollars. There are Thai, Chamorro, Japanese, Chinese and Korean restaurants all offering a bewildering array of delicious looking dishes. Why cook when you have all these choices for such a great price? There are also several booths that sell smoothies. I discovered that a mango peach smoothie with coconut milk makes a great dessert!

In addition to food, the market features inexpensive locally made jewelry, artwork and knick-knacks and at 6 o’clock, the entertainment begins. Last week we stayed to watch the traditional dancers but this week we left the market after eating dinner and went for massages; 20 minute foot massages followed by 40 minutes of full body bliss. Ah, life is good!

Mission or vacation?

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Looking at what I’ve blogged about so far and the pictures that I’ve posted on Facebook, one could easily assume that we’re here on vacation. There have certainly been many vacation like moments during our first week as we’ve been easing gradually into our real reason for being here on the island of Saipan; missions.

We’re here to fill in for Dave and Helen Ann Bucher while they return to the mainland to spend their summer vacation visiting family and friends but they aren’t actually leaving us on our own until July 4th. In addition to pastoring Living Hope Church of the Nazarene, Dave and Helen Ann are both school teachers. We haven’t actually met Dave yet as he’s been in Nebraska this past week with a school group and will be back this evening. In his absence, we’ve been hanging out with Helen Ann and learning the ropes.

So, other than sightseeing, swimming and hiking, what else have we been doing? What does summer ministry coverage actually look like?

Taking care of the house and the property…

The house, which also doubles as the church, is located on a large property in the middle of the jungle where everything grows at an amazing rate. Richard has been busy mowing and mowing and mowing some more! The grass at the bottom of the drive, which hasn’t been cut since before Dave and Helen Ann moved in in February, is taller than me! I don’t know if Richard will try to tackle that but, in addition to keeping the field in front of the house groomed, he’s been working on reclaiming areas around the edge of the property where the grass was taking over. At the moment, he’s up on the roof with a power washer cleaning off algae, something else that grows rapidly in hot, humid places. I discovered how slippery it is when I took a rather ungraceful fall on the cement the other day. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt and he has since cleaned that off too.

There isn’t much housework for me to do because the Filipino housekeeper comes once a week. What a luxury! I could easily do the work myself but that would rob her of much needed income so I won’t.

Taking care of the pets…

My day begins with a walk to the end of the driveway with Fiona, the resident dog. It’s about a quarter mile round trip down the very steep hill and back up again. I’d happily walk further with her but the jungle grows up to the edge of the road we’re on and there’s enough traffic that walking on the pavement wouldn’t be safe so we’re confined to the property. I walk her again in the evening.  In addition to making sure Fiona has food and water, I put out food for the little cat that creeps out of the undergrowth to eat. We eat most of our meals on the patio and when the cat stole Helen Ann’s omelet at breakfast one morning, we learned not to leave food unguarded! At the end of the patio there’s an aviary that houses 15 to 20 colourful parakeets. Though I feed and water them each day, I haven’t been able to get an accurate count as they’re forever flitting about or hiding in their nesting boxes.

Loving the people… 

Of course, our main purpose for being here isn’t housesitting or pet sitting. Dave and Helen Ann could easily hire locals to take care of those tasks. We’re primarily here to provide ministry coverage while they’re away. When we first read the assignment description, we were delighted to see that our #1 task would be loving the people! That we knew we could do!

When Dave and Helen Ann leave, we’ll be in charge on Sunday mornings. Richard will teach the adult Sunday School class and bring the morning message. I’ll teach the teen class and assist him with the service. There are also two children’s classes taught by locals, Amor and Malou.

Children are a very big part of the Living Hope ministry. The church has a large van that picks them up for Sunday School as well as mid-week Kids Club. Mr. Richard, as the children call him, has already learned the route and knows most of the children by name. We’ve both been busy the past couple of afternoons helping with a special pre-teen program and on Friday and Saturday, we’ll be involved in a similar program for the teens. Later in the summer, we’ll be doing a week long Vacation Bible School.

Part of all the children’s activities is providing a snack. Many of these children come from very poor homes where they may not get a lot to eat. During the school year, they’re fed breakfast and lunch at school so the Kids Club snack is just that, a snack, but during the summer we want to make sure that we feed them something more substantial. One of my tasks for the pre-teen program was preparing a meal for them. On Monday, we had tacos, rice and beans. Yesterday, we served corn dogs, macaroni and cheese, salad and then finished the day with root beer floats.

            

How could we not love them?

Hike to Dry Grotto

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We hiked to Dry Grotto this morning, a formation somewhat similar to the better known Grotto that we swam in on Sunday. It was an easy hike through the jungle and then along a cliff edge overlooking the ocean. We were able to look across the water to Tinian, the island that the  Enola Gay took off from carrying the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

   

Soon we reached the Grotto and climbed down inside. Surrounded by fascinating coral and rock formations, we stood inside in an open window looking out over the ocean.

   

   

The island of Saipan is dotted with World War II relics. On our way back out of the cave, we noticed a small pile of rusty unexploded hand grenades. Definitely a look but don’t touch experience!

Swimming in the Grotto

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We definitely crossed one off our Saipan bucket list today. We went swimming in the Grotto! I’m almost at a loss for words when it comes to describing how fabulous it was.

The Grotto is an amazing natural formation on the northern end of the island. Thousands of years ago it was an underwater cave but at some point part of the roof caved in and it became accessible from above. More than 100 stone steps lead down to the water’s edge. There you wait for a break in the waves before stepping across a narrow opening and climbing up onto a huge flat-topped  boulder. Many swimmers like to jump or dive into the water from there but I chose the easy climb down the side of the rock.

The water is a brilliant blue, very deep and crystal clear. The Grotto is one of the island’s prime scuba diving spots and at times we could see divers deep below us! We could also see light entering the pool in three spots where tunnels extend out to the open ocean. One of these forms a deep narrow cave at the back of the pool. We swam to the very back of it.

The water temperature was perfect; cool enough to be refreshing but warm enough that we could stay in for as long as we wanted without becoming chilled. Being ocean water, of course, it’s salty and we floated easily. It truly was a fantastic experience and one we’ll definitely want to repeat while we’re here.

   

The last shall be first…

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“The last shall be first, and the first last.”  Matthew 20:16

That’s certainly how it was when we went through immigration and customs at the Saipan airport shortly after midnight last night.

Almost 30 hours into the very long day that took us from Edmonton to Seattle to Tokyo to Saipan, Richard and I both fell asleep on the airplane. While we were snoozing, the stewardess handed out the various forms that would be needed upon arrival. Assuming that we were American citizens, she left only one form for us to fill out when we actually needed three. We awoke as the airplane began it’s descent into Saipan and I suddenly realized that we had not done the necessary paperwork yet! Yikes! The steward on board responded to our call but he was hurried and unsure of which documents we needed. We ended up with the correct ones but they were in Japanese rather than English which wasn’t of much help to us! By this time, I was feeling a little panicked and sent a silent prayer upward asking the Lord to smooth our path. His answer was nothing short of miraculous.

As we deplaned, we exchanged the Japanese forms for English ones but that meant that we had to stop to fill them out after we entered the airport putting us at the very back of the long line of people waiting to go through immigration. In our very tired state, we were also unsure if we had filled them out correctly and were definitely feeling a bit intimidated by the whole situation. It was at that point that one of the immigration officials noticed the family with a small baby just ahead of us in line. He took them aside so that they could be processed more quickly and be on their way. As he did so, he asked where we were from and when we told him Canada, he turned the family over to another official and dealt with us himself. He was friendly and courteous and we were through in no time leaving everyone else still standing in line!

As soon as we knew that we were coming to Saipan, I began to research visa requirements. As far as I was able to determine, we would likely be issued a 30 day visa on entry and then, because we’re actually staying longer than that, we would have to have it renewed for another 30 days. We had been advised, however, that we should try asking for a 60 day visa at the airport. I thought it was worth a try. Imagine my surprise when the agent told us that, as Canadians, we are actually eligible for a 6 month visa! Though we don’t plan to do so, our passports now say that we can stay until December!

Passing through customs was just as quick and easy. Within minutes, we were out the door of the terminal where we were met by Helen Ann, her daughter and her son-in-law who welcomed us with beautiful floral leis that smell absolutely heavenly. Our Saipan adventure had begun!

Beautiful feet

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“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”   Romans 10:15

This is the verse our pastor used this morning as he commissioned us to carry the gospel to the people of Saipan. He then proceeded to tell us that we have beautiful feet and I know he wasn’t referring to the fact that I was wearing my bright red shoes!

Over the past few days, we’ve been asked many times “Are you excited?” Of course, we are! Once again we’re stepping way outside our comfort zone but we’re doing it with peace and confidence knowing that this is God’s direction for us and that we go with the prayers of many behind us. As our pastor pointed out, each one who gathered around and prayed for us this morning and many others who weren’t able to be present are part of the mission that we’re going on. Ours may be the feet that go but theirs are the hands that hold us up.

We’ll be taking these beautiful feet to bed soon. We’re tucked into our hotel room across the highway from the airport and have a wake up call scheduled for 3:40 a.m. The airport shuttle will pick us up 45 minutes later and some 28 hours after that, our feet will step onto the island of Saipan.

Today was the day!

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Before our first grandchild was born, we decided that I would be called Gram to distinguish me from his other grandmother who was already Grandma to his three cousins. I was delighted when, at 15 months old, Drew first called me Am. As time went by, however, and his speech didn’t improve, we learned that this was actually a symptom of a severe phonological disorder. He dropped the initial sounds from almost every word making his speech virtually unintelligible.

As Drew began speech therapy and he and Melaina worked diligently at home, we began to see a marked improvement in his speech. I was confident that the day would come when he would finally call me Gram and today was that day! My heart nearly burst with joy! The r isn’t quite clear yet but it’s there and the G is as clear as a bell.

Each time we’ve seen Drew over the past few months, we’ve noticed progress. Not only is his pronunciation so much clearer now but he’s also speaking in simple sentences and using lots of descriptive words… “big white garbage truck” “Drew’s sandals on”  “play train games” and “baby ducks swimming” are a few of the phrases that we heard today. Life must be much less frustrating for him now that he’s able to express his feelings, ask for the things he wants and tell Mommy when something hurts. It’s definitely a delight for us to be able to carry on a conversation with him!

Bowness Park

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We spent this morning at Calgary’s Bowness Park. I hadn’t been there since I skated on the lagoon during my university years but Melaina and the children have gone quite often lately and Drew was anxious to show us the baby ducks and geese.

   

I love city parks; natural oases in the midst of the rush and bustle of urban life. I truly appreciate those who had the foresight to set aside these tracts of land so that future generations could enjoy a taste of nature without travelling far from home. As we strolled along the banks of the stream, in addition to the ducks and geese, we stopped to enjoy a squirrel that seemed to be as interested in watching us as we were in watching it.

Of course, we had to stop at one of the playgrounds and play on the slides before leaving the park.

   

Hmm... how does this thing work?

Like this?

Ready!

Amazing connections

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When Richard’s cousin learned that we were going to Saipan, she sent us a note along with an insert from her church bulletin that told of another Alberta couple who are also going to Saipan on a short term missions assignment this summer! Rod and Beth were missionaries with Far East Broadcasting on Saipan from 1995 to 2002 and are returning for the summer to help with the decommissioning of the FEBC station there. The short wave transmitters, which are no longer needed there, will be shipped to the Philippines.

I was somewhat surprised to hear that we wouldn’t be the only Albertan missionaries on Saipan this summer but didn’t give it a lot of thought until a friend from church mentioned that her husband’s second cousin and his wife were also going to Saipan as short term missionaries this summer! Could there actually be three couples from Alberta going to the same tiny island? No. As it turns out, Doris’ husband is related to Rod and Beth!

Doris gave Rod our email address. We’ve been corresponding and have discovered yet another connection. When he and Beth left the island in 2002 they sold their car to the missionary couple that we’ll be filling in for! It’s a tiny island but it has a population of over 60 000 people so what are the chances of that?

What do all these amazing connections mean? Are they simply coincidences or are they part of a bigger picture that only God can see? I don’t know. In fact, I may never know but I do know that my God can orchestrate amazing things. Pondering the possibilities is quite delightful.

Thanks, kids!

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Until I had children, I’d never had to deal with allergies. It’s not unusual for children to inherit certain health conditions from their parents but, in my case, it almost seems as if it’s happened the other way around!

When Richard and I moved to Japan three years ago, we were delighted to find that deliciously fresh pineapple was one of the least expensive fruits in our grocery store. For a time, we enjoyed it with breakfast every morning. After awhile, I began to develop mouth sores. Of course, we were eating a lot of unfamiliar foods at the time so, in spite of the fact that our daughter has been allergic to pineapple for most of her life, it took awhile before I realized that it was the culprit. Since that time, my allergy to pineapple has worsened to the point where an anaphylactic reaction is a very real possibility and I must avoid it at all cost. Very sad, considering how much I used to enjoy it.

Environmental allergies plagued our oldest son, especially in the springtime. Every spring, snow moulds, grasses and pollens would invariably trigger a severe asthma attack. In fact, we used to say that poor Matthew was allergic to spring! I felt so sorry for him. For several years now, Matt seemed to have outgrown those allergies but now I’m beginning to think that he just passed them on to me!

For the past few springs, something on the golf course would leave me sniffling. Something other than my score, that is! The day before yesterday, as we finished our round, it felt as though I had something in my eye. When hadn’t watered out or even moved by later that evening, I realized that something else was going on. It felt like there was a bump on the underside of my eyelid that scraped my eyeball every time I blinked. By last night, my eye was quite badly irritated so, since I was in Camrose on other business this morning, I paid an unscheduled visit to the eye care clinic. Fortunately, a doctor was able to see me right away. He flipped my eyelid inside out, a very strange feeling indeed, and told me that rather than being smooth as it ought to be, the underside looked like cauliflower! A severe allergic reaction was his diagnosis. To what, he couldn’t say but most likely something environmental. Thanks, Matt! Hopefully, the eye drops that he prescribed will take effect quickly.

What else are my kids allergic to? Well, Melaina is allergic to penicillin and Matt didn’t used to be able to eat eggs. Will those be next, I wonder?