Happy Birthday Jimaela!

I was invited to Jimaela's birthday party at a resort on the ocean! We ate a huge meal and had fun swimming in the pool. Most of the kids were my 5th grade PE students.

Jimaela and her friends showered Melody and I with flowers from the hotel garden! They did our hair and gave us bouquets!

You can never have too many flowers!

Aren't they precious?!

Bed Bugs or Fleas?

Ok, so I have bites all over my legs, and I have no idea of where they came from. I woke up the other morning with them. Hmmm...
I have been petting a few stray dogs. Shoot! I know I shouldn't, but I just gotta give them some lovin!

My 5th Grade P.E. Class!

Gotta Love 'em!

Crysta, a 5th grader, picks flowers for me every P.E. class! I put a bunch in my hair the other day, and pretty soon I had ants crawling all over me! I learned pretty quickly to blow the ants out before doing that again!. They were crawling all over my body for the next few hours! Ah!

Melody and I met Bennie at a coffee shop last weekend, and he offered to take us and the other girls on a tour of a big supply ship. It was so great! We felt so privileged!

This is the small boat that took us out to the ship. They let us stay outside for the ride. It was so great! check out my videos to see us on board (click on "check out my videos on google" on the right side of my blog).

We had a private tour of the 1st Lt. Jack Lummus, a military supply ship anchored off the coast of Saipan. I felt so small on such a huge ship!

This supply ship was 2 and a half football fields long and stored over 700 vehicles!

I tried to speed up the ship, but the gears just wouldn't budge!

Mel and I kept getting behind because we would stop to take pictures.

Submarine!!!!!!

When we came back from the ship, we saw this submarine (nuclear) docked and thought we would see if we could get a tour... WE DID! It was awesome! Supposedly it's rare that it would happen so easily (and free!) as it did for us. I think God really wanted to bless us!

We got to check out the torpedos on the submarine. I tried to find the button... they must keep that hidden!

Yay! We went snorkeling today! It was unbelievable! We saw really colorful fish and umm... some were a little bigger than I would have liked! God continues to amaze me with His creativity!

Melody and I got daring at the Grotto and got as close to the crashing waves as possible. One more step and we would have been in what is called the "washing machine" where we would have been banged up against the sharp rocks till we were black and blue and well, possibly dead!

Doesn't this cave remind you of the Indianna Jones movies where there were boobie traps everywhere?! I kept thinking I was going to have to dodge a spear or jump in a certain pattern to avoid a cave-in!

Grandpa, this picture is for you! This was one of the tanks the Japanese used when trying to fight off your fellow comrads in the battle of Saipan in 1944.

Divine Appointment?

I had the honor of meeting Antonetta Ada, who was 9 years old when the battle for Saipan took place. She hid in a cave for several weeks and saw her father die after being shot by a machine gun. Her mom also was shot in front of her in the jungle and died soon after. She was so kind to share her story with me. She said Melody and I could come visit her. I am excited to get to know her better and hear her stories. Maybe God arranged this meeting and has something planned :).

Why am I so blessed?!?! I found SERIOUS Ultimate Frisbee players here on the island! They play twice a week. They've already asked me to go to join them in some tourneys in Bali and the Philippines! Last night we played in the rain!

This is the Senior Class I will be teaching. They welcomed me with a song on their ukelelees. They sounded pretty good!

GOD IS SO GOOD!

I have been very busy... counting my blessings! In addittion to the apartment with an amazing view, we have been given a car to use for free for the two months we are here. We were going to have to pay $400 each for a rental! The car is a stick, which I am reaquainting myself with! I had lots of fun today - especially on the hills! We also were told that we will be getting $25 meal allowance per week from the school, another unexpected blessing! Every bit helps! The weather has been gorgeous the last few days, and I got to go swimming tonight after class and after I joined an intense Ultimate Frisbee game down by the beach. These people were serious and very competive! I loved it! They already asked me to play in a tournament coming up! Oh, and we can't forget about teaching! I have been there 2 days now, and have officially been scheduled to teach the following: 6th grade history, 8th grade Bible, 12th grade history (the history of Saipan and the other Marianna islands! Yikes!) and 5th and 6th grade PE. I get to wear PE clothes all day on M, W, and Fridays! I only have to wear the uniform 2 days a week! Whahoo! I am so thankful for the favor God has been showing me so far this trip! Life with Him is the way to go! He doesn't always promise an easy road or a fun road, but He does promise to be with us and to give us peace. I am just grateful that I am experiencing all of the above for the time being! :)

This is the view from our apartment! Wow! We arrived in Saipan today and were greeted by teachers from the school with real handmade lays - they smelled so beautiful!

The only downer about our apartment is the residents who greeted us. This guy was in the shower, and we found a couple cockroaches (big ones!) and a lizard.

Heather, Kelly, Molly, Melody - excited about teaching in Saipan!

A little sleepy, but definately enjoying eachother's company on the 14 hour flight.

We didn't order this... but we felt it was the right thing to smile and eat since that sweet man had picked up the tab. Just wish he ordered us something other than this! By the way, I am still not sure what this was... I think I am OK without knowing.

This is an ancient temple where people have come to wish for their future spouses. They write their wishes on a piece of paper and slip it in this box. I gave it a try too!

This sweet old man offered to pay for our lunch this afternoon! Some may call it luck, I recognize it as favor from God! Thanks God!

Mel and I outside a temple in Tokyo.

Hello from Japan!

After being up for 45 hours (no exaggeration - I pulled an all-nighter before the flight), I finally arrived at the Holiday Inn in Tokyo and fell fast asleep for a good 11 hours. I don't ever think I have been so tired. But the good news is that because my sleep schedule was so messed up before getting to Japan, I am not really being affected by jetlag. Yay! Today my 3 student teacher friends, our Professor and I went shopping in Tokyo. Tomorrow (Saturday) we fly to Saipan. Whahooo!!!!

Goal #1: Find this cool rock and have a picnic on it! 

This is Saipan!!!!! 

2 days till take off!

Welcome to my blog (what a funny word!). Drop in here to read about my latest adventures in Saipan. I'll try to keep it updated atleast once a week, depending on accessibility to the internet.
If you are reading this, thanks for taking the time!