Aquarium Trip

 Sunday August 21:

Today we got to go to the Palau aquarium!  We had a little tour (it's not a big place, and most of it is outside), and then had lunch with our Palauan families (as usual, they fed us well and gave us more to to take home).  It was a fun little excursion, and we got a glimpse of the ocean wildlife in Palau.

 

Outdoor exhibits

Outside it was pretty too, since it was on the ocean shore.

Anyway, that's just a little summary of something fun we did (with pictures, since I know that's what you guys want... :)

Until the next update...lots of things are happening, so it's hard to keep up.  But keep praying for me and the other SMs.  We're working hard and playing hard, but the most important thing is our relationships with God. So prayers for us to stay connected to Him are important. 

"I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:8

Sabbath, August 13

Just wanted to post a few pictures of our second Sabbath in Palau.  We went to church just like last week, and later we stayed for a baptism of two girls from the school (the principal said some other student missionaries would have given anything to see those students being baptized, so we were standing in for them in a way).

Then in the afternoon we got to go to a waterfall!  We had to walk across the top of the waterfall and go down the other side.

 It looked very much like a jungle...you could almost imagine monkeys swinging through the trees and crocodiles lurking in the water.  But it was pretty safe.

We swam in it and cooled off (the water was cool but nothing like as cold as the water in Maine.  :)

Bonus:  When we got back to the vans to leave, the fruit bats were coming out!  One of them flew out from a tree and swooped really low so I could see its little foxy face and furry body!  It was so cute.  And they're big bats, flying more like birds than the little fluttery ones.  Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture, but they looked like the pictures in National Geographic, so just look one up if you need to...

First week of classes…we weren’t really ready, but we hit the ground and did our best.  The kids flooded in, teachers took their position with tentative lesson plans within reach.  As for me, I’m the librarian so I kept up the work on the library and continued stacking and sorting books.  I did more than that though—I helped other people with their classes and ran little errands for them.  It was nice to feel like a jack-of-all-trades, a kind of helper for everyone.  I also got a glimpse into nearly everyone’s days at the SDA Elementary school—especially kindergarten since it’s right next door to me.  

The kids are fun—some quiet and shy, some exuberant and happy-go-lucky.  Quite a few speak Korean or Chinese and might have trouble with schoolwork.  One of my jobs will be to tutor the ones who are struggling with English.  They’re a cute batch of students.  I got to spend some time in the kindergarten class and it was great to see the little munchkins learn how to be students.  They’re so excited about everything (Teacher Miss K has her hands full…)

It’s also fun to hear the kids taking Palauan class and learning the language.  It’s a beautiful tongue, but not very easy for me to figure out.  At church they put both the English and Palauan words of the hymns on a screen, but it’s hard even then to sing along in the native language.  Even some of the kids’ names are hard (often they tell us to call them by their “English” names which are simple like Janet and Fred).

Quick lesson in Palauan:  "Alii" means Hello, "Ungil Sabadong" is Happy Sabbath, and "Sulang" is Thank You.  ("Mehsulang" is Thank You Very Much.)

We’ve got almost as much to learn as the students do.  But we’re already smitten with the little guys, and we’re beginning to see how God can work through us to encourage them and teach them about Jesus.  Sometimes it’s simple, like sitting with a little Chinese kindergarten girl who is crying on the second day of school, reading to her and asking her to name the pictures—“What’s that?”  *a little whisper* “Cat!”  “What’s that?”  “Bird!”  

Sometimes it’s helping another teacher who needs some extra support.  And sometimes it’s helping the students learn and grow in ways that teachers and missionaries dream about.  Miss Krissy told a couple of great stories about her 3^rd grade class—how she encouraged a little girl who has been told she is dumb (but who is really very bright when given a chance).  And how she told an extremely animated yet accurate version of Elijah and Mt. Carmel which had the students riveted.  

“Miss!” they said.  “Is that a REAL story?”

“Yes!” cried Miss Krissy.  “And it’s in the BIBLE!!!”

*Gasps from students*

So anyway, it was a tiring, crazy first week of learning and scrambling, but it’s been fun.  I expect that it will be just as tough and just as rewarding in the coming weeks and months, so pray that we’ll keep close to God so He can work through us and keep us strong and healthy for the kids and each other.

Oh yes--and the library really came together!  Praise God, I was able to nearly finish it this week with all the books on the shelves, and all the shelves in their places.  Even I'm amazed.  :)  I'll try to post a picture soon.

First Week in Palau!

This first week in Palau was full of work and things to do.  Meetings and training for school, outings, and working on our rooms at SDA Elementary.  The first Sabbath we visited Koror church (which is very elegant with a.c.), and then got to spend the night with a very hospitable, influential Adventist family on the island.  We had a great time there and enjoyed the fellowship and the view of the ocean.  As the week began, we got to see our classrooms at the school. 

Of course, my room was the library.  It was a mess!  Not dirty, but since the floors had been redone all the shelves and books had been taken out, and now they were scattered everywhere.  Stacks of books—all shapes and sizes—covering the newly-tiled floor.  So that’s where my job began—sorting and re-shelving books.  It started out slow, but we’re beginning to see progress.

 Meanwhile, everyone else was cleaning and decorating their classrooms and learning teaching tips.  The internet is slow, and then it cut off…and the heat is thick and sticky like everyone said.  But we’re enjoying the experience.  The people are welcoming and generous (the potluck at church was great, and our Palauan families showered us with food—there was fresh papaya and a variety of other things both new and familiar like Worthington veggie meats and brownies). 

The scenery is gorgeous—palms and tufty little mountains covered in jungle, and blue water and fluffy green islands.  Bats and geckos and stray dogs provide wildlife.  And we got to go to a little Palauan museum and see some of the history and culture (bai meeting houses, money beads, first birth ceremonies, etc.).  I got to try dragon fruit and taro leaf soup (and taro too).  The Sanchezes are doing everything they can to help us transition, enjoy the island, and prepare for our work.  And even with 11 girls in 5 rooms with one kitchen, I think things have been going really well.

We got to share our stories of how we came to be in Palau this week during nightly worships, and it’s amazing to hear how God has been working in each person’s life.  It’s also been great for getting to know each other.  Mr. Sanchez keeps telling us we’re a family, and no matter what happens this year, we’ve got to be there for each other.  Somehow we all ended up on the same island—people from all different backgrounds and places and experiences.  And now that we’re together, we all have the same goal to be an influence for good on Palau in Jesus’ name, and to help each other out.  Pray that even with the challenges we’re definitely going to face, that we’ll keep our goals in mind and move forward as a family of Palau SMs within the larger family of God.

After a few days full of meetings and a few outings, we all repacked and got ourselves ready to fly to our islands.  while my principal, Mr. Sanchez, was finishing off our last meeting before leaving, I was surprised by everyone singing happy birthday, and handed a lovely cake with fruit on top.  It was so sweet of them!  (Especially Melissa, who found the cake.)  I never expected something like that, and it made me feel special.  After that we went to the airport.  There was a hang-up when the weather near Guam looked dangerous, and we wondered if we would have to stay in Hawaii or Guam for the night.  The crew called for 34 people to volunteer to get off the plane.  But then they sent us to another gate, and they got us a better plane with more room.  Meanwhile, Mr. Sanchez was trying to work things out for one of the girls in our group, who had been going to Saipan but joined the Palau group at the last minute.  Because her ticket was for Saipan, there was no seat for her on the flight to Guam.  So during hour-plus delay, the Sanchezes were working hard to get a spot for this girl so she wouldn't end up who-knows-where and be separated from the group.  Eventually the flight crew called for people going to the Philippines to get off the plan and go to a different one, and it freed up a lot of extra space--which was just what we needed.  In fact, Mr. Sanchez later said that the storm in Guam was providential, because otherwise there might not have been enough time or enough space to get the girl on our flight.  So God can work even through storms.... 

Finally the weather began to clear up, and the plane was ready to go.  Of course, we were delayed quite a bit, which was worrying because the delay was about the length of our original layover in Guam, so we might not be able to catch the flight to Palau.  But then, after a 7 hour flight, we learned that the plane to Palau was waiting for us after our delay, so we were able to get on the right flight after all!  I'm sure a lot of us had been praying about it, so it was wonderful to see how God worked things out so we were safe and could get to Palau that night (which was actually Thursday night since we crossed the dateline).  We got on the smaller plane (which had a free meal and TV screens on the seats, unlike the bigger plane we had gotten off of--and the staff was very friendly), and after a little while we found ourselves screeching to a halt in the little (but beautiful) Palau airport.  Our Palauan "parents" were there to greet us.  My "mom" introduced herself as "Bilung".  we were given leis and bags of food, and were welcomed warmly to the island.  It was a long day, but God got us through in spite of all the difficulties, and we're here!  Can't wait to start exploring and meeting the people of Palau.  Praise God for getting us here safe and sound!

I haven't been able to get consistent internet so I haven't blogged since Hawaii.  Here's a post I wrote  for July 30.

Sabbath in Hawaii...quite an experience.  We were all still tired, but it was easy to wake up for a lot of us because we were still in the Eastern Time Zone.  Pastor Ken Norton (now president of Guam-Micronesia Mission) had a great testimony for vespers, and a good sermon today.  After a hearty Adventist lunch (haystacks of course), we got to have an afternoon outing.

Sights, sounds, and experiences on a Hawaiian Sabbath afternoon:

A hike to Manoa Falls through a jungle of palms, vines, and giant Hawaiian tree ferns that made me feel miniature.

A drive around the coast (I guess it was Diamond Head?), with the crashing waves against the cliffs.

Some time at the beach feeling the foamy waves around our feet, and walking on the cool yellow sand.

Worship on the beach with the sunset and cliffs in the backdrop.  A great message by Pastor Jesse, who went to one of the islands when he was younger as a student missionary (it might have been Yap or Chuuk).

Driving to Waikiki with the Palau group for frozen yogurt (they had a good lime coconut dairy-free sorbet) and a quick trek around.

Even though we only spend a short time in Hawaii, and use most of it up in meetings about how to survive and teach on the islands, we certainly got a substantial taste of what the state has to offer today.

After a looooong day of traveling, I arrive in Hawaii on the 29th of July.  SAU student missions former coordinator, Julie greets the other students as they arrive, and we're handed leis!  There are about 65 people going as student missionaries to the different islands like Kosrae, Ebeye, Majuro, Palau, and Pohnpei.  We get to stay at Hawaiian Mission Academy and spend time in training, bonding, and learning all the practical details about the culture and job descriptions that we'll be taking on for the next 10 months.  It's beautiful in Hawaii!  Even though the academy is in the middle of the city! there are beautiful flowers, birds, and some mango trees that make it special.  Since I've never been to Hawaii, this is exciting.  :)