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 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.
Right off the plane after about 24 hours of travel from New York. He missed bagage claim and had to go back through customs. No wonder.....he was tired and baggage claim is off in a corner.
Anne took us on a "mid Island Tour". Look at the philodendron draped down the cliff in front of man made caves carved out by the Chamaro as Japanese forced labor. The philodendron is the same kind kept as house plants back in the states.
Roy and I at one of the stops on our tour.
WW II memorial panels.
Roy and I visited Ritidian Beach on the north end of Guam.
WW II memorial on a beach where the US began invading to re-take Guam.
One of the Cannons and the Spanish Fort which is in the southern part of Guam.
It is a fact of life that anyone on Guam WILL encounter the friendly cochroach. This is how I like to find them -- lying on their back with feet in air. My finger gives you an idea of the size of a Guam cockroach.
I haven't written anything since January. It seemed like all semester I was writing, writing, and writing. That's because I was in the second half of a college essay writing class. It is finally done and I think I have learned how to write better papers for college classes.
Although I came to Guam to work at Pacific Islands University as the computer person. I have now, also, become an official student. At the rate I have been taking courses it will probably take about 10 years to get a BA. It's a good thing I'm not in a rush. This summer I am taking "Spiritual Formation" online which means lots of writing. I have a feeling that is true of every college class at PIU.
I can't remember everything that went on since January, so I am going to look through my pictures and post the best of them and any stories they remind me of.
At the beginning of January I went with a group on a Boonie Stomp to Shark's Hol (a beach) and Lost Pond (a fresh water pond a few hundred feet from Sharks Hole beach). Boonie stomps are always done in groups. I was told the minimum is 3. One gets hurt, one goes for help, and one stays with the hurt one. Makes sense to me.
It was a great walk doing a lot of beachcombing looking for what we could find:
We went a low tide which make the hike easy (around rocks instead of over them) because we could wade around piles of rocks between a couple of beaches. We ran into hundreds of butterflies:
We also encountered a centipede with stingers like a scorpion but I did not get a picture.
I did get a picture of this crab looking me right in the eye:
This tree is growing right out of rock. I am much safer around water wearing a life preserver:
Shark's Hole is an actual deep hole in the middle of the beach inside the reef. It shows in this picture as a brighter blue area in front of the white waves. I have not been brave enough to swim out there but I understand the fish are wonderful:
We also visited "Lost Pond". I don't know where to go into the jungle so Anne had to lead us or it would have been truly lost. The water is fresh and a bit green from algie.
The stompers at the overlook called "Two Lovers Point" which is the top of the cliff where one leaves for Shark's Hole.
A wonderful day enjoying God's great creation with friends.
Something that Rob said on a boonie stomp this past weekend brings to mind some of the realities of living in the tropics on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.
Rob said there are 3 stages to acclimating to the tropics:
Stage One: You find a bug in your food. You throw the food away. Stage Two: You find a bug in your food. You pick it out an toss it away and continue with your dinner. Stage Three: You find a bug in your food. Unless it is a cockroach, you eat it along with your dinner.
I think I am in stage 2.
When I first came to Guam I kept uncooked rice in a sealed container. Soon the boll weavels hatched and started eating my rice. I picked bugs prior to cooking rice each time. I certainly didn't throw it out. Then Melody told me I should keep it in the Fridge. No more bugs.
Supposedly margerine/butter does not need to be refrigerated. However, here, if I left it out, all I would have is a puddle.
Most things that are not frozen in the grocery store (like bread and meat) was frozen when shipped. Bread has to be frozen to keep it from molding, so, it is refrozen (ohh yeah ... that's a rule violation). The same with all of that non-frozen meat in the store. It will be re-frozen when it gets home.
I read somewhere that bad things leech into bottled water in plastic at 60 F degree. Guess what, I don't think Guam has EVER gotten that cold. The only places that cold are refrigerators and freezers. That means every plastic bottle on the island is supposedly leaching chemicals in the water. One is also not supposed to re-use plastic bottles but in the tropics it is a good idea to have a bottle of water with you. We reuse. I can buy 3 gallons of filtered water for 1.80 and I carry it around with me in used plastic bottles (I would make a dangerous mess with glass .... drop / smash / splash -- plastic bounces).
The eggs in my refrigerator were packaged in Nov. 2009 and it is now the middle of January. Those eggs traveled a very long way. I was taught to break the egg into a bowl in case it's bad. Could save my whole dinner by doing that. I have not got any bad eggs but one of these days.......
Most things are a lot closer to their expiration date in the stores -- after all, it came a pretty long way. If it has expired, you can buy it for less. Milk comes in boxes and doesn't have to be refrigerated until opened and has an incredibly long shelf life. I don't notice a taste difference, but then, I don't drink milk all by itself.
If you see something you want or will need (food or anything else), buy it because it probably will be out of stock when you need it. If a product is too popular, stores will stop stocking it because it is too much trouble to keep it in stock.
It's a good thing the Lord has granted me the gift of being fairly laid back for an American.
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:
