Hello visitors! Come view this page to see what is happening as I work as a missionary at Pacific Islands University and learn about a new culture on the beautiful island of Guam.
The wall to the right. The jungle is creeping through.
The wall to the left. More vines creeping through the wal
A couple of months ago I moved to a new apartment in the same building but on the 1st floor. No more stairs! It has been wonderful when carrying laundry and water in and out (Guam water is technically drinkable but tastes terrible unless treated). Here is what my new back yard looks like. There is a wall about 6-8 feet from my back door. I also have included a picture from yesterday's sunset. Sunsets are over in a minute. I have missed sunset pictures while I got my camera out it's case!
Sunset at University of Guam looking over Pago Bay.
I enjoy Christmas Eve here on Guam. At 5:00 this evening the Lutheran Church of Guam held the first of 2 services at the San Ramon Hill Caves in Hagåtña. These caves were dug by hand during WWII by the Japanese using forced Chamaro labor. After a short service of singing, prayer, and the Christmas story, we went into the cave where a live creche scene was setup. As was done last year, a couple with a newborn child took the place of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus.
Melody played her 12 string guitar for the singing.
The cliff is elegantly draped with philodendron vines.
A glimpse into the manger scene with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. A caribau (water buffalo) is just visible behind.
I ran into Suzanne and Anne as well as other friends from PIU including a passel of Owen's
Last years baby Jesus (Hope) is just learning to walk.
It has been a while since I posted any news. Since July 17th I have been vacationing in California at the house where I used to live before moving to Guam. Here is a glimpse of my home away from home. I have been very comfortable.
One thing I have done a couple of times is take a ride on the American River bike trail in the Sacramento area. Here are a few pictures.
Canoes on the river
American River - the water is very cold.
The river is shared with Canada Geese at the Negro Bar park.
This morning I went for a walk up the hill behind the house where everything is wild and untouched. I found the trails I had made all blocked by branches and finally ended up following quad tracks through the grass. I saw a family of turkeys that kept an eye on me but certainly did not run for cover. I evidently was not seen as a threat.
I found a Digger Pine cone that was from this years crop and still green and tightly closed. I picked it up to bring back for pictures but it was so sticky that I dropped it. After 2 washings, my hands are still sticky. Later I found a cone that was drier and cone open still hanging on a tree where it was low enough to knock it down with the hoe I was using as a walking stick. I brought it back to the house for pictures.
Digger Pines are very interesting. The wood is good for nothing because it is too soft and the trees have a tendency to fall over without warning when there is no breeze. They are interesting because of the cone. Only one other tree has a bigger or heavier cone. That comes from the Sugar Pine which also grows in this area but at a higher elevation. Not that these cones compete with coconuts for size and weight but look at the spines. They are deadly!
I looked up the tree on the internet and the cones are oval and 6 to 10 inches long the cone scales are triangular and bearing a stout, triangular, curved, point great for sticking anyone picking it up. Sugar Pines are amazing with cones well over a foot long.
The pictures below are of the cone I knocked out of a tree. My guess is the cone is 9 or 10 inches long. But, look at how big around it is! Look how much damage those spines could do if dropped on your head from 50 feet above!
One mean cone next to my hand so you can see the size.
Mean looking spears sticking out of the cone ready to stab.
Now I have to go outside and remove all the stickers from my sneakers so that I do not bring them to Guam!
Vacation is almost over! I will be returning to Guam in a few days. I have enjoyed my vacation but now it is time to go home. My next post will be much greener.
I have been making signs for my church which are given to people and families that leave Guam. So many are in the military that are stationed here for 2 or 3 years and then transfer out somewhere else. So, we are a transient church. While people leave, new people arrive. This is a picture of some of the signs I have been working on -- drying under a 100 watt light bulb. Polyurithane just does not dry quickly in the humid air.
A whole group of us hiked to Tarzan Falls. It is classes as an "intermediate" "stomp" which is my limit. This is the sign at the beginning of the trail. Other than a couple of arrows in the jungle that didn't seem to point to the trail, the trail was marked in the usual manner -- plastic strips tied to branches.
There was a little rain that morning so the trail was a bit damp as we started out. This caused mud to adhere to our shoes and we kept getting taller and taller. By the time we returned, everything was as dry as if it never rained at all. Here is a hiker trying to get shorter by removing some sticky muck from her shoes. It didn't help much.
Here we are at the top of the falls. Anne Stinnette wasn't sure there would be any water because it has been so dry but there is some!
That is muck I stepped in. It was a boggy spot and my right leg sank to my knee. I had mud on my shorts! Both shoes are studies in muck. I washed it off below the falls where there is swimming. Anne asked me "Is your shoe still on your foot?" It was but this was not a silly question. I stepped in a bog up to my knee in Connecticut one time while picking elderberries. My foot came out that time shoeless. I reached down the hole and found my shoe, pulled it out with a slurp, tossed it up on the road and went barefoot while I finished my quest to pick elderberries.
This time, when I got home, the sneakers were still brown -- they are supposed to be black. It may be permanent.
Water falling down the cliff. I though the rock strata very interesting and beautiful.
Relaxing before the climb back to the top.
For me, climbing up is always easier than the climb down. I think it took about half the time to get to the top including rests times at frequent intervals. Naturally, the young folks with us were lounging around waiting for the us old folks to get to the top.
I had the opportunity to go on two boat trips to see Dolphins and do some snorkeling. The ocean and the creatures that live there are such a testimony to God's creativity in the creatures he has made. Dolphins show that God has a sense of fun. Dolphins seem to like to have fun with the boats that visit -- or is it the hot dogs thrown overboard to attract them.
On May 15, 2010, was the first trip from which I took the videos below:
On June 5, 2010, I went again. The dolphins were not as playful with another small boat with swimmers in the water.
This picture is from the boat. You can see it looks like it's dry. We are having a really dry season this year. I hope the rains come soon.
Some of the group that went on the trip from Lutheran Church of Guam. So many people signed up that it had to be split into Saturday and Sunday trips! It was the same boat (The Scoobie Roo) for all the dolphin watching I have gone on.
Tim and Melody Plaxton had a great time too.
Our Captain
Spanish Steps boonie stop is to a beach between the cliffs.
Pacific Islands University had 19 graduates this year. I am blessed to know a lot of them. Some will be continuing education at PIU. I will miss the students who will be entering ministry, additional education, or the business world. The Baccalaureate service was organized and presented by the graduating students.
Graduation took place the next day but I only got one picture taken at the rehearsal because my camera memory card was sitting in my laptop at home, not in my camera. It was a great ceremony which others presented on their blogs.
I heard it was great to take a walk on the beach anywhere in the area of Ypao beach and up North (sort of). These pictures are of the sunset on May 1, 2010
On April 24th the Farnsworth family led a farewell programs. The Farnsworths have been missionaries serving here at Pacific Islands University for a number of years but now they will be returning to the States and then on to Ecuador. We will miss them all. I took the Evangelism with Ned instructing last summer and got to know him better. He is a man of God serving Him wherever he sends them.
Here are some pictures from the program which was to glorify God and support the Voices of Micronesia who are touring the US states right now.
Ned playing the piano and singing a wonderful song.
Melody Plaxton blessed us with a song accompanied on his 12 string guitar.
I don't know this young man's name but he also blessed us with a song.
With Doug O'Meara on the bongos:
Here the whole Farnsworth family sing an action song:
And we also heard a song from the Voices of Micronesia group. I really like to hear them sing. I hope you have a chance to hear them.
Every Spring, Pacific Islands University holds "PIU Days". The staff, faculty, and students are split into 3 teams for games and worship. Each team was in charge of evening worship on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. This year, for the first time, the students organized all the activities and worship times including supplying the speakers. It was great!
We started out with volley ball on Friday afternoon. It got washed out a bit. Dave Owen told me it wasn't rain because it was the "dry season" but it felt wet to me. We had no other rain for the rest of the weekend.
More Volleyball.
The volleyball was a great spectator sport.
These are a few of the "Patience" team.
Running contests came first on Saturday. I ran in the staff race and, as usual, came in dead last. A couple of students thought I needed help and boosted my speed. I wasn't out of breath. I am just slooooooooow. Bike riding gives me good lungs but doesn't make me run faster. I am contemplating using my bicycle next hear. Maybe the crowd won't recede in to the distance so quickly!
Tug of war is always one of the events eagerly participated in.
The other end of the rope.
My team HUPOMONE - Greek for perseverance with Ann Stinnette and Julie, a student.
It's not all serious! Part of worship is presenting skits with a message. That IS Ben wearing a Chuukeese skirt!
One of the students gave the message for the evening.
Witness team picture after worship.
Here are some video clips from all 3 days. I did not get any of the worship that the team I was part of. Sigh.....
The day after Roy left for home, I flew down to Weno, Chuuk. The Pacific Islands University teaching facility is located in Mizpah High School. I spent Friday - Sunday checking over the teaching facility laptops. I was very welcomed by the friendly people of Chuuk. I stayed at the Truk Stop Hotel. Below is the dive pier complete with rainbow.
On Sunday I attended Logan Memorial Church which is meeting in Mizpah HS while the church building is being rebuilt.
The greatest problem I had with the work I was doing, was that power is only on in 4 hour blocks. Some time ago, the backup generator for the island broke and they had been using both primary and backup generators for electricity. Until the backup generator is fixed, it is rolling blackouts of 4 hours on and 4 hours off. The very inventive people at Mizpah suggested I take the laptops back to the Truk Stop Hotel because they have their own generator. That worked very well on Saturday and Sunday so that I was able to work on all of the laptops.
These two ladies took me to lunch at one of the resorts where I had the absolute best fish and chips I have ever had. I am sure the fish were swimming in the Chuuk Lagoon only minutes before they were put in the deep fryer.
A picture looking out into the lagoon. Prior to my going to Weno, it had been very dry with dust everywhere. (It was the dry season). Prior to my arriving and while I was in Weno, there was a lot of rain. The drought was over for the moment.
Another picture of the lagoon from the resort. In this picture there are portions of one of the many Japanese ships sunk in the lagoon during WW II.
At the resort there was a pond with these fish swimming round and round in circles. It has since occurred to me that maybe this is the source of the fish in my fish and chips. Or, maybe they are just there to entertain the guests. I don't know.
This is a beautiful picture of the hill accoss the main road in Weno. As you can see it was misty and rainy.
This picture shows a slice of the road in Weno. I had heard stories of the pot holes. The portion you can see is actually in quite good condition. There is no need for stop lights or speed limits. The condition of the road dictates the maximum speed anyone can drive.
I had a great first visit in Chuuk. It is truly the most remote place I have ever been. Weno is not really a beautiful town but the nature there is very beautiful and the people I met are very nice and friendly.
In January, 2007, I was happily working as a computer programmer / analyst when I looked at the thermometer.It said 14 F.I said to myself “I should go to Guam when I retire and volunteer at Pacific Islands University”.Was it a nudge from the Lord?I think it was.It turns out I didn’t wait until I retire but felt led to “go and serve” as soon as I could.I found that PIU was in great need for someone to in charge of the campus computers and network that would stay to provide consistency.Short term volunteers are a great help but each one may have their own idea of how to do things and then go home.This produced inconsistency.
At PIU I am being stretched in learning new areas in computing while serving students, faculty, and staff with their computer needs.The Lord is using the talents he gave me to help PIU in its mission to in providing accessible, transformational, quality Christian higher education to the people of Micronesia, the Pacific Islands, and to the ends of the earth.
I arrived as a missionary in October, 2008, with all of my support coming from my home and sending church, Gold Country Baptist Church.
How to Partner with me
If you would like to partner with me in my work at Pacific Islands University, you may contact me at maryloucarruthers@gmail.com to receive my prayer letters and follow my blog and pray.If you would like to help financially, you may write a check to Gold Country Baptist Church.The donation will be deductible if you attach a note to the check noting “for the support of Mary Lou Carruthers”.Mail it to:
