This is Jayleen and me looking at Christmas lights. I think she's on the phone with my friend from the states...and Meyou's behind the camera.

A few days after Christmas, Meyou, Jayleen, Leeman and I went to run some errands and we ended up stopping at one of the most beautiful hotels on Guam, the Sheraton Laguna Resort. The water was gorgeous, there was a great reggae band playing, and we got to spend some great time together. It had to have been one of the hotter days, though, because by the end of it we were all a little delerious- we ended up tasting, or...sampling...some of the lifesize gingerbread houses. I think all of us did that. Oh well, the Christmas spirit lives on long after =)

Twice in the last four days friends and I have been able to hike to Pagat cave and then to the ocean. This cave is close to my house, an an awesome medium-difficulty level hike with some rocky climbs and mossy floors. It's mostly shaded, which means we could go any time of the day, even in the hot afternoon. At the bottom of the hike is a beautiful cave that hikers wade into and then light candles to illuminate the rocks while we relax or swim.

Past the cave is a hike up through an ancient Chamorro village with grinding stones, latte stones (old housing supports), and leftover pottery pieces.
Beyond that is coral, an arch, and beautiful views of the ocean. I hope to do this hike one more time before the government completely takes over the cave and closes it down. Guam has some wonderful sites- this is one of my new favorites.

Merry Christmas from Guam

A few years back, I would get frustrated when I would hear "happy holidays" instead of something that referred to Christmas. This past year, I learned that Jesus wasn't born on December 25 (well, who really knows? The speculation is that it wasn't during the winter) and that the reason we celebrate it on this day is because of the pagen winter solstice. We piggybacked on that holiday so we could celebrate without being persecuted.

Now, I don't get frustrated when I hear the general term "holidays" because it is the holidays. It's all sorts of holidays, all being celebrated at the same time, probably for the same reason. Instead, I pray that people can know and celebrate God's son in the way that we know and celebrate Him.

It's not about receiving, about what we get. It's about our one amazing gift. Because of this gift, we want to give in return. While I miss everyone back home, I see that God is doing amazing things out here. Merry Christmas from my island to yours. I pray that you can know God's love and that you receive His blessings. What an amazing time to celebrate.

Love to you all,
Jen

Fall on your knees, and hear the angels' voices- Christ is born

seeking scripture

One thing I definitely do not do enough is spend time in my Bible. I think most of us are in this boat: we do all kinds of things every single day, yet we don't take a few minutes out of our day to read what God has to say to us. I have made it part of my day to wake up and pray before doing anything else, even before getting out of bed. When I first moved out here, and even back in California, I would wake up and check my Facebook. I miss my friends and family so much, no matter where I am in the world, yet don't seek comfort in the right places. I never really have, and I'm working on that.

Now, I'm on my Christmas break. I have a few things scheduled business-wise (finish grading, submit them, prepare my syllabus) but I also have some great opportunities and time to rest and relax. This year, as most of you know, I get to spend Christmas with some of the girls from PIU. My friend Meyou will be with me the entire break, which I am so happy about. We were together a couple days last month and got along really well. I am looking forward to the peace and quiet. I know she misses her family, too. What a cool blessing to get to spend Christmas with a sweet friend, right? I'm excited =)

Now, I don't know if this is a "New Years" resolution or what, but I think its my life resolution. I am resolving to work diligently and to take time to rest. I want to write more. I want to be a better friend and example. I want to be a better teacher and coworker. I want to be a better daughter and sibling. I really feel like God wants to show me something but I'm too busy to listen. It's hard not to be busy here, but I know this is my problem anyway.

Tonight, when reading, I came across 2 Thessalonians 3. It reads:
¹¹We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. ¹²Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. ¹³And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

The verse: "they are not busy; they are busybodies" wow, oh yeah? Is that me sometimes? Am I just busy for the sake of being busy? I have been slowing down, leaving my planner at home, and hanging out a little more. I am trying to calm down my mind and working on what I am here to do. I do not want to get overwhelmed, and I want to see what God has in store for me. So, this is my resolution. I want to be held to it.

Last Night of Devotion

We had our last night of devotions at PIU for the end of the semester and before Melissa leaves on furlough. Each of the dorms have devotions two nights a week, and we get together twice a week in the main classroom (just the girls) for a large group devotion. Melissa made it really special for everyone by celebrating the rest of the year's birthdays, Julie's birthday, and a last chance to sing and worship together as sisters before the semester ends and some of them move on. The girls love action songs so that meant a lot of dancing for us, which for a white girl from the states is different...but I love it. These girls are awesome- I'm going to miss them!

Last night, the students had their annual "Angels + Mortals" Christmas party. Each person has an angel who is their secret Santa in gifts and prayers, making them the mortal. The students decorated a classroom, made food, and did a skit. In this skit, the freshmen, mostly, dressed up like the winter graduating seniors. The girls dressed up like the guys, and the guys dressed up like the girls as they acted out a Jerry Springer show. It was interesting and had us cracking up. I'm going to miss my graduating friends.

The day before, I got to see my twin brother at chapel. We planned our matching outfits. Merry Christmas to PIU :)

Hello, this is your English teacher speaking

Translated into some bad English: Where the sun rise has first in America. Why is the "i" capitalized? Why is there bad usage of apostrophe? Guam is funny- even the government makes signs with English like this. It's the islands language, otherwise I wouldn't even say anything about it.

I think what they mean to say is "Where the sun rises first in America" and our slogan is "Where America's Day Begins"

It gets better. I'll post more as I snap them.

23 Years

This year is absolutely amazing for me. I have so many blessings to thank God for, and I still wake up in the morning and can't believe I am in Guam. Where are the freeways?? Anyway, as you all know, Christmas is coming up very soon. In fact, it'll be here one day earlier for me than all of you in the states. Aside from all of this weirdness, this year is also my first Christmas without my sister, Esther. Ever since she was born, we spent every Christmas together, going back her 23 years on the planet. When our parents divorced, we traveled coast to coast together. When she moved to California, I'd drive the six hours from Riverside to Monterrey to pick her up, and then drive the three hours to Sacramento area to spend Christmas with our dad. When we were going back east, she would take a short flight down to Riverside county to fly back with me. Recently, Esther moved to Santa Barbara for photography school. This meant that she was only 3 hours away (2.5 if there wasn't traffic and I kept a really, really good speed the whole way). My favorite long weekend or even just a night activity was to drive up to Santa Barbara and spend time with her. We would walk to Trader Joe's, go eat at The Habit, shop at Drishti (my yoga store), and even found a great vegetarian/vegan restaurant right next door. Whenever she needed models for her assignments, I'd go help out. Sometimes, I brought friends like Faisal or some of my girlfriends. Before I left for Guam, I got to meet up with her at Domenico's, a family favorite Italian restaurant. A few weeks before that, we had a "Day in LA" adventure. She took the train into downtown LA, where I picked her up for some cupcakes at Sprinkles and dinner at The Waffle, and went to LACMA (museum). We went to a Mat Kearney show after The Waffle one night, too. Our favorite things are hanging out over good eats and checking out the local culture and museums. Even when we're in New York, we do museums and lunch. I love being able to hang out with my sister in anything we do, though, and at this time of the year, I'm really missing my family, especially my sister. We have spent all of our Christmasses together, and even though I am sharing this one with some sisters, it's going to be very different for me. Last year, we drove to my dad's for Christmas and then up to Bend, OR for New Years. We set out on snowy, icy roads up the 5 and then through Weed and Klammath on our way to Bend. At some point, they stopped grooming the roads. I thought we were going to slide off the road. We somehow, by the grace of God, made it to Bend in all of the ice and snow. When we were driving up our sister's road, we got stuck. We made it 8 hours through all of that to get stuck right in front of the house. I look back on that and it cracks me up. Our drive was much better on the way back, although it was also incredibly interesting.



One year, my boss told me "well, that's part of growing up." But I don't think part of growing up means spending so much time away from your family, especially at the holidays. I miss you, love you, and look forward to spending time with you again hopefully very soon, and of course, with my sister again.

Christmas is almost here...

My friends Leeman and Alepo helped me get my Christmas cards and odds and ends sorted out after church this past Sunday. It was awesome to hang out with them, but also that they donated their time to me. Whether they knew it or not, they donated to my missions by helping me get a few things out of the way. I really love my time with them!

Reef Walking pt. 2

It's almost 6am, and it's hard to imagine that just two hours ago my roommate Laura and I were wading through the reef at negative tide looking for humpback cowry shells and other little treasures that can only be accessed by foot about twice a year. We were fortunate enough to be able to do this last night, without injury (see my post from November) and decided to go back again tonight. Last time we went, the tide wasn't low enough and we were both banged around on the rocks. This time, the ride was so low that we were literally able to walk on the reef. This kind of tide only happens twice a year, and it just so happens that this is right before Christmas (we dubbed it "Christmas shopping").

Over the last two nights, the sand was lit by the full moon while the rock formations casted shadows over the reef. The coral underneath us was a pinkish yellow color with spots of bright blue and green. We avoided the live corals as we went around small trenches and rock holes. Last night, a green and yellow baby octopus was gliding across the reef while we paused to just watch it. Tonight, bright blue parrot fish were sleeping near rocks. They were about the size of our forearms. Coral fish in bright reds, oranges, pinks, and designs wove in and out of the reef and our ankles. Sea urchins hid under rocks, while brightly colored crabs scattered above and below them. There is a type of fish that jumps around on the rocks, and one large fish, about seven inches, jumped out of the water and into a hole in a rock. It was amazing. If only my waterproof camera was working . . ..

Our flashlights helped us see these beautiful animals as we were looking for shiny brown shells. It was as though we were looking for Easter eggs, even though we dubbed them Christmas gifts, as both Laura and I would get excited when we had a find. Some of our shells were as big as the palms of our hands, while others were just under that size. Sometimes they were under rocks and we had to stick our hands in to grab them, and others were just on the reef. We put back the babies, as a fisherman would cast back the fish that weren't quite ready, and in the process found other beautiful shells that were not cowries nor were we looking for them. Whatever happened to catch our eye as we scoped out the reef; a shiny reflection from our flashlight, indicating a spot where not one, but maybe two or three shells would be living.

I guess it's human, and animal, nature to go for shiny, beautiful things. I'm not really into jewelry, but if I were to see a diamond or precious stone hidden amongst some dull rocks, I would want to get it. These shells are like diamonds shining from under and around old, dead coral. It's such a blessing to be able to see and experience the ocean and shore like this. These opportunities don't come up very often, but when they do, I want to really experience God's design. Being able to do that is worship in itself, even if we didn't get any "Christmas gifts/Easter eggs" out of it. The coral, crabs, sleeping fish, jumping fish, fish being fish, the octopus, starfish, and everything else along the way is a beautiful testimony of this great design. I feel blessed spiritually to be able to enjoy it, especially as quality time with my roommate.





Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it Psalm 96:11






(Some of you who are reading this may receive one of these, as we were blessed with many. Merry Christmas :)