Guam Branch Tour

Before I start this post I want to say that I'm so sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated my blog! My new computer has been out of commission since my last post, so I haven't really been able to work on any posts or upload any pictures.. But a brother helped fix it and now it's working again.
So it's back to blogging. :)

A few weeks ago some of the friends wanted to take their bible studies on a tour of the Branch here in Guam. They had to do it on a holiday since their bible students are also actual students and still go to school on weekdays. So we went on Labor Day I think? Not sure which holiday it was (and I don't really care haha) I got to tag along with them and tour the Branch for the third time. It's really nice because I get to see all the friends again and I always learn something new every tour.

Our tour guide was brother Eric Lee who always does great in his tour guiding and who also has just left to Philippines to attend Bible School for Single Brothers. The kids really enjoyed the way he did the tour, especially little Kaylee, who fell in love with him:)

I was really surprised how much the kids appreciated the tour, and how much they got out of it! The kids were so into the the entire tour, and were intrigued every minute. They really liked how all the workers at the branch, although not rich or famous, are so HAPPY! It's a great experience for these young ones to go through, and it's also a reminder to everyone of where the true source of happiness is. "Unless you use your life to serve Jehovah, you will always feel empty." Sound familiar? hehe

 

 

 

"Safeguard Your Heart" District Convention

On August 3-5th was this years District Convention here in Guam. It was the first convention I've ever been to out of Hawaii, and it was Amazing! Not that conventions in Hawaii aren't awesome as well, but it was a great and totally new experience for me. 

Convention time in Guam is great. One reason is because there are so many brothers and sisters coming from the many outer islands to attend the Convention as well as the Pioneer School which is held the following week. So many Missionaries, Need Greaters, Special Pioneers, Translators coming from outer islands, and also Bethelites serving here in the Guam Branch.  It was such a joy to see all of my friends again from the 6 different islands I got to visit, and also being able to meet all the brothers from the islands that  I wasn't able to go to. With so many many people visiting from different islands, which are considered different countries, it was just like an International Convention!

The talks were Awesome. There were so many great speakers! And the diversity of the speakers was cool too. Brothers originating from Hawaii, California, New York, Micronesia, Japan, Guam, and even Australia! All these brothers did excellent in their parts, and contributed to probably the best Convention program I've attended.

What made this time most special to me was having my family with me. The three months apart from them was the longest I've ever been away. I missed them a lot, and I know they did me as well. I was SO happy to be able to spend time with them. Being apart from them reminded me of how much I love them and how I should never ever take them for granted. Guam really accepted them well. The brothers and sisters here were super hospitable to them, and treated them like Ohana ['Family' if you didn't know :)]. My family fell in love with Guam, and vice versa.


Below are some of the pictures taken during the convention and a little while after, with all the friends from the many surrounding islands. Enjoy!

Palau

For the past two weeks I had the priveledge of going to the beautiful island of Palau for the Circuit Assembly and then the C. O. visit the following week.  After coming back to Guam from my 5 week island hopping journey, I was unsure if I would be able to go to this island. But fortunately accomedations were made for me, and I’m so super grateful for that.

First let me tell you a little bit about the island. The first thing I saw at the airport was a huge poster that said; “Palau, the World’s First Shark Sanctuary!”, which basically means;  “There’s a lot of Sharks!” haha. Fortunately I didn’t run into any during my stay. Palau is known  for it’s amazing diving sights, and is considered the best diving location in the world. I haven’t  been around the world, but I can confirm that the diving spots I went to were absolutely gorgeous- the best I've ever been to for sure.

Palau consists of many small islands, in which the main islands are connected by bridge. The total island mass is about 458 square miles and the total population is about 20,000 people. It is a melting pot of so many nationalities and languages including Palauan (ofcourse), Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and even Bangledesh, just to name a few. In fact a brother told me that while doing one territroy, the group placed magazines in 10 different languages in one morning! With so many different languages there, it makes the preaching very interesting, and quite difficult.

The Palauan congregation is about 80 publishers large, and about 25 of them are part of the English group. They are such a friendly and loving congregation! They made me feel at home and always made sure I was well taken care of.



There was a lot of support in the ministry every day, even on days where there was pouring rain. I had fun in field with the friends. People in Palau are really nice and like to talk about the bible.  Most of them speak English too, so that made it a little easier for me to be more productive in the ministry.

As I mentioned in the outset, during the first week of my stay we had the Circuit Assembly. That was great! So many good talks and demonstrations. Even though I had seen the program 6 times before, I felt like I still got a lot out of the Assembly. 

The day after the Assembly-Monday- A group of the friends and I went to the Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake. That was a day I will never forget!!! The scenery as we rode the boat through the Rock Islands was beautiful. The water was crystal clear, and the corals and fish were brilliant in color. This was the first time I swam in the ocean with literally HUNDREDS of fish surrounding me, and eating food right out of my hand! It was EPIC. After that we went over to Jellyfish Lake for more Epicness. When I jumped in the lake to swim towards the middle, I saw a jellyfish and I thought that was pretty awesome. Then as I swam a little more I saw a group of about 10 jellyfish. I got really excited and began taking pictures in amazement. Little did I know that once I got to the middle, I would be surrounded by more jellyfish then I could count! You know that part in “Finding Nemo” when Dory and Marlin are in that jellyfish school and see jellyfish all around them? Hehe. Well this is exactly what that was like, except these jellyfish don’t sting.  It seriously was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced in the water. It was SICK!!

When visiting the other islannds, I had only stayed one week each for Circuit Assemblies. In Palau though I got to stay another week since Troy did the circuit visit. It was cool to see Troy doing his visit, since before this I had only joined Mark on his visits. Now I got to see how another brother would develop the outlines, conduct the meeting for service, and basically what approach he would take in visiting a congregation. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences. They both are great and help and encourage the congregations so much. In Palau I could tell that the friends really appreciated Troy’s visit.

As an end to my island hopping  journey approaches, I couldn’t have thought of a better place to finish. The lushous island was amazingly beautiful, but the beauty of the congregation far exceeded that. Once again, it was hard for me to leave and say goodbye to all the friends I made in Palau. So instead of saying goodbye, I’ll say see you later-or “Mau riul"

Skimming

Beach

The other day we went to the beach to go skim boarding. We ended up making a dumb video too haha. IT was a lot of fun and it ended with an another amazing sunset.

Joining the North!

I'm Back!

So as I last posted, I'm back in Guam. Things have kind of settled down, and for a little while the craziness has subsided haha. A couple weeks ago I moved in with a brother and began to attend the North Guam congregation. I had visited this congregation my second week here with Mark and Jackie, so it was so good to see all the familiar faces. They warmly welcomed me into their congregation, and I was very happy to do so.

Now that I'm stationed in one congregation, I feel like I'm able to do more when it comes to cultivating interest. Being in a different congregation every week is amazing and you learn so much, but you're not really able to develope calls or bible studies. So joining this congregation has been a great blessing for me, not only because it's a great congregation, but also because I feel more helpful in the territory and congregation.



The kids I study with and their mom

So far I am having a great time here in the North. Field service has been great! I have been able to make some calls on people I've met in the territory, and many of the sisters are helping me out by turning over their male calls and studies to me. One sister brought me to study with her study's son. When I got there I realized that her study had 5 children. When I began the study with the oldest son, all of the other children came to join us. So now I'll be studying with all 5 children at once! haha. It's really cool. They're all really good kids.

I've also been having a great time with all of the friends here, going to the beach, movies, mall, BBQ's and other fun things. They all are fun to be around, and I'm laughing all the time haha.

As you may have heard I decided to extend my stay here in Micronesia. My return flight was supposed to be July 27th. I've decided to stay here a few months longer, untill the end of October. To all the friends back home I miss you all so much, and I look forward to coming home and seeing you all when I get back. But for now I want to do as much as I can and enjoy serving where the need is greater :)

North Territory

So now as I join the North, another chapter of this adventure begins. I'm excited to be here and help out in any way possible. I'm looking forward to being with the friends here and enjoying their association in the field.



crazy eyes haha



Dinner for Jonwin who's moving to Hawaii Friday :(