Pictures Galore

home again, home again.

well, this trip has been an amazing experience. I am already missing all my new friends in micronesia. right now I think we are all exhausted. the flight home was really trying, as this monday has seen two sunrises and two nights. I learned a very importnant lesson, Airplane food and long flights don't mix. YUCK! sunday was a great last day. we woke up early to go to church were our team (everyone except for Brian) taught sunday school. Brian gave his testimony instead. what a crazy experience. that afternoon we went to Nan Madol followed by the waterfall. Nan Madol is an ancient stone ruin built 200 BC. it has been ranked among the unoficial wonders of the world because they poored these stones (2 to 100 tons) into the ocean creating 50 man made islands. nick-named the 'venice of the pacific' it was an awesome sight. although I was angry at the time because they charged us four dollars a person to get into the area and then wanted another 3 to enter the ruins. we said, "forget that" and went to the waterfall. the waterfall was the prettiest natural thing I've ever seen! me and keyla managed to climb half-way up the waterfall before realising, Hmm, that's a long way down. that night the PMA church gave us a wonderful potluck. I learned how to dance. well, learned is a false statement. tried to and made a fool of myself is a better term ;-) anyways, stay tuned for the next couple days and I'll upload a Lot of pictures (and maybe the embarrasing video of me trying to dance) anyways our team took over 1500 hundred photoes so you are not going to want to miss this.

Kaselehlie
Caleb

Mission update

Well, tommorow is our last day in Micronesia. I am for sure going to miss this place and it's people, but on the other hand i'll be glad to get home. Ebong Cola nemo as the Islanders would say. (I want to go home in pohnpeian) I want everyone to know that TJ got here safely (in case my mom didn't mention it) and also that our testimonies went great. I could feel your prayers as I poured out my heart to the youth, as God put words in my mouth for his purpose. Today was our fun day. We went to Nalup, a small island of our pohnpei. we kayaked, snorkled and saw some amazing reefs. Abigail got cut by what we later learned was 'fire coral' it swelled and had to be treated, as fire coral is posioness. Don't be surprised if when I come home I want to eat raw tuna our spear a shark with a machete. oh, one more thing. I just found out that the canvas the youth signed as encouragement arrived two days ago. (we wrote encouraging messages on a bunch of canvases and sent them to various churches and schools) the cool think is that I signed this canvas before I knew I was coming here and now I can look at my hand writing 6000 miles from home.

Kasalehlie Mein Co
Kalanghan

Caleb

PS, hey John, my mom came in after reading your post and said, "John Maybee says hello to Tater?" Ha Ha

prayer request:

Caleb and I are giving testimonies this evening (Friday) to the youth at their youth meeting. We are prepared but want God's Words. Our hope is that God will use our experiences to help someone else. So please pray for God's peace and courage.

thanks
-lori

ps. I'm typing this on Pia's German laptop very cool and challenging, everything in Deutsch,ja?

Lori's musings...

I would like to add that our (Lori, Caleb and Abigail's) encounters with the wildlife do not have anything to do with friendly cute yellow geckos. The second night we were here I battled with a 4 inch roach with wings. He won the first round but that night I found some bug spray at the Page's house (a.k.a house number 4) and I think I won the second round, at least we haven't seen him anymore. Then that evening Caleb killed what he swears was a very large tarantula in his bed. We are told they have no tarantulas here so it was a just a big, hairy spider. No more problems though, after that.

It's been so strange, being here in this place. Micronesia in the South Pacific, very foreign, an island for goodnes sake. And yet America is everywhere. Nob and Eddie, our very patient driver, have Pohnpei Ace Hardware shirts (I really want one of those!). As I was sitting in the House Of Beauty waiting for my turn at the 'Foot Spa' there was a table with magazines and right next to the Pohnpei phonebook was a Better, Homes and Garden magazine, maybe from last year, that I have at home. We even have had Pizza, at Arnold's Pizza, in cardboard boxes -get this, DELIVERED. We have seen graffitti on walls 'Da Boys in Da Hood' to be exact, and young boys walking around with baggy pants and straight bill caps. Crazy. And as I contemplate all this I am reminded of God's command in Genesis for Noah and his family to scatter to the ends of the earth, and multiply. And then how at the Tower of Babel, this command was disregarded, people wanted to build a tower "so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth" Gen 11:4 So here we are, on the other side of the world where people have scattered because God's Will will not be thwarted. Amazing. Another thing that is so cool; Michelle and I had the opportunity to give our testimonies at a ladies bible study where they are doing, get this, Beth Moore's Breaking Free. It was one of the more surreal experiences I have had here, to be sitting in a room with precious godly women, just like I do at home, learning truth that Beth Moore teaches. Anyway, the ladies could identify with everything we had to say and were so very kind to us. So even as we live in such different places (did we mention how hot and humid it is?) we are still the same, loved and called by God.

ok, I have to go, thanks all your comments, it makes us feel loved.

-lori

Okay, Day 6 is coming to a close. We spent the morning hanging snowflakes in the Youth Center, while Bryan and Lori put finishing touches on the awesome mural. You guys should see how talented they are!!! Kayla was commenting on how she was getting tired of threading string to hang the snowflakes, and I told her she could tell Patrick that she "threaded snowflakes to the Glory of God"....how appropriate, huh, Mike, seeing the scripture you left for us! Of course, she said she couldn't talk to Patrick, it was like talking to Jesus! ha ha! Don't tell him that, he'll get a big head! We had lunch at Joy Restaurant again, and Kayla and Abigail got to have another helping of sashimi and fried fish. After lunch, Caleb came back to Nob and Sylvia's for a nap (he stayed up really late with his new friends and stayed the night at Nob and Sylvia's), Bryan went with Nob and Roland to pick up TJ at the airport (yes, he did arrive safe and sound!), and the girls all went SHOPPING!!!! Woo hoo! We had so much fun hunting at all the little stores for Pohnpei skirts, Pohnpei pepper and "Zories" (Pohnpei flip-flops). I think my girls and I wore Lori and Abigail out, but we sure had a good time. Then Kayla and Kira went to the House of Beauty for, you guessed it, a Foot Spa. Kira chickened out, but Kayla is sporting a nice, new french manicure on her toes! Then we went to dinner at Cliff Rainbow Restaurant, just a hop, skip and a jump from Nob and Sylvia's, and most of us had.....you guessed it! Sashimi and fried fish! John, TJ took your advice to heart and tried it too! Now all the kids are at the movies watching "Pirates of the Caribbean", while Lori and I are filling you all in on our day. Note: Be sure and ask Kira to tell you the "Ant Story"! ha ha.

BTW, we have a new little friend that the girls would love to bring home....a resident little yellow gecko that stays in our house. We see him running around everywhere. It's amazing what you can tolerate when the heat has melted your brain! ha ha! Guess that's all for now. Continue to keep us in your prayers, especially Caleb, who seems to get a new scrape or cut every day, and who eats more than anyone I've ever seen! He never gets full! :-) We love and miss you all, and will see you soon! Michelle

another day comes to a close in Pohnpei, today was spent preparing for the VBS in a few weeks. tonight I am hanging out with Alex and his island friends for a bit a jungle air-soft warring. my prayer this week has been, "Lord, i am hear to serve you, not to be a supermissionary (like I could anyways) but to do what you want me to do. Today I was struck with a fear of not doing what I''m supposed to be doing. It could be said, "you traveled six-thousand miles to hang out with the Islanders and set up a VBS? the answer is yes, except for one admendment. I have traveled six-thousand miles to hang out with the Islanders and set up a VBS because the Lord called me too. Let any logic try to stand up against that simple truth, and It will fall short. I ask that all of you back home would be praying for us that we may be consumed by God and be his hands and feet. A quote that keeps coming to mind, "it's not about perfection, but the pursuit of Jesus" and that's what we're all about!

PS, Sorry for the lack of photoes, but it takes like an hour to upload one. (well, It isn't that bad, but when your trying to do it and stay awake at the same time, it can be frustrating) I'll upload some pics very soon, and you'll be glad I did!

Caleb