Ready. Set. Go!

Saturday night in Guam we started to pack our bags one more time.  They took us to the airport to drop off our bags and pick up Pamela and Andrea from the airport so they could have dinner with us.  The people on Guam are so friendly!  One of the ladies took us to her house and ordered pizza for all of us.  It was finally time to go!  We got to our gate at 10 pm and waited anxiously.  We definitely stood out from the crowd of islanders waiting for the plane.  I had the impression that they knew who we were and why we were going to Yap.  I can think of times in my life when I have been scared and anxious; but few of them rival how I felt during that plane ride! I read a million things about Yap, asked past student missionaries, looked up YouTube videos; but no amount of preparation could truly prepare me for it.  It was one giant, scary unknown.  Just before landing Sabrina and I read Philippians chapter 4 and prayed together, which brought complete peace to my pounding heart.  The landing was rough! The plane screeched to a halt on the short runway and we walked onto the tarmac.  The entire airport was outside.  I was so thankful for the breeze! It is extremely hot and humid here.  As we walked out of customs we were greeted by a group of Yapese people who adorned our heads with beautiful leis.  We didn’t get to our apartments until almost 2 am, but I was wide awake now! Because there are only three of us we each get our own room which is really nice.  We have a large kitchen, a couch, dining room table, several shelves, and a large deck that stretches the full length of the apartments.   I was happy to see there is a washer, but no dryer.  We hang our clothes out to dry on the lines strung along the deck. 

                The view that met me in the morning was stunning.  Just off our deck are a whole bunch of coconut trees! If you look between the leaves you can see the gorgeous light blue ocean peaking through.  We don’t have hot water here, so the cold shower woke me right up. We spent the morning unpacking and seeing the campus.  I can’t wait to get into my classroom!  We were then informed that we were going to a birthday celebration for one of the kids.  This meant potluck and swimming at the beach to our pleasant surprise.  We all loaded into the school van, made up of wooden benches we all crowd on along the side, and headed down the dirt, pothole filled road.  We were greeted by several new faces and a bunch of children at our destination.  The scenery was too picturesque, it seemed impossible that I was really there.  Open hut like buildings peaked out over the white sand beach flowing into the crystal blue ocean.  They laid out a mat and we all enjoyed a potluck of some of the best food I’ve ever had.  Pilipino, Indian, and island favorites were spread out across the mat.  Next came snorkeling!  I saw coral and the fish swarming around them!  Back on the beach we played with the kids for a couple hours tossing a beach ball around and swimming.  The principal’s son, a 3^nd grader, grabbed my hand at one point and pulled me out into the water. “Miss, miss come snorkel with me! Will you poke that rock? I want to know if it’s a crab.” 

                This morning, Monday, we went grocery shopping.  The cars here are European so the steering wheel is on the right side of the car.  It’s so strange! Luckily they still drive on the right side of the road.  Sabrina was surprised to be told she was the driver today.  The drive in was quite humorous, I know it will be scary when I have to drive.  The grocery stores are a lot different.  The food is limited, but we managed to find plenty for us to cook.  The three of us pooled our money together and cooked together.  I made some pasta for lunch and we all worked to make some delicious rice for dinner.  It’s common to take off your shoes before entering most buildings, even one of the grocery stores which I found quite peculiar.  Next we had a staff meeting.  School will be starting at 8 and end at 2:15, but we will continue working until 5 and later if we need to.  Every morning we meet at 7:30 am for staff worship.  We will start this schedule tomorrow morning working on lessons and campus cleaning.  I finally got to see my classroom! I will be the 12^th grade homeroom teacher as well as the math teacher for all of high school.  The classroom needs a lot of work.  Tiles were cracked and ants spilled out of them.  A whole section didn’t have any of the flooring left on it.  Trash was thrown about and everything was just dirty.  A giant spider crawled out from the cracks behind the chalkboard!  The ants were crawling all over my feett so the first thing I did was attack the room with RaidJ.  I’ll tackle the cleaning tomorrow.  I also got to see my textbooks.  We had to carry them all across the campus to our room. We were completely drenched in sweat, a cold shower sounded wonderful then.  I’ll be teaching Algebra 1, Algebra2, Geometry, and Precalculus.  I’m excited to really get into my classroom and get everything set up this week. 

The island of Yap and the people here are beautiful.  They are so welcoming.  I keep finding myself surprised every time I look up and see a coconut tree or a gecko runs by.  It feels like I’m watching someone else’s life because this is too crazy to be mine.  So, despite the cold showers, lack of air conditioning, slow internet, rustic surroundings, and isolation from family and friends; I know God has put me here.  This is exactly where He wants me.  He’s blessed me with good people to live with.  Little kids are always running around because they live in the apartment next to us.  They peak in our windows and leave little flowers on our door.  They are all so happy we have come, thankful for our help, and ready to help us with anything.  I appreciate your continued prayer as I adjust to this new environment and I ask for your prayers for the school too.  We still need many more teachers, particularly guys.  We currently have no guy student missionaries, which makes it harder when we wish to leave campus.  We are confident the Lord will provide and make a way for the school to be up and running soon!

If you would like to write or send anything my address here is…

Yap SDA School

             P.O. Box 700
           Colonia, Yap 96943
           FSM