Guam

It has been a great 2 weeks so far with Tim, Joann, Connor and Eliana in Guam. Click HERE to see some pictures from our time in Guam. Our first few days here we realized we had been missing some of the comforts of civilization. Heres a few:

• Family and Friends



• Flushable toilets (especially ones that you can put your toilet paper in)



• Hot showers and water pressure



• Cereal and milk for breakfast instead of rice



• MEXICAN FOOD, Nachos, Burritos, Tacos, Chips and Salsa



• Washer and Dryer



• Having Internet at home



• AMERICAN FOOD



• Did I mention Nachos and Breakfast burritoes



• Full conversations without referencing our Thai Phrasebook

It has been nice to get some of the comforts of home. But, mostly we have enjoyed getting to know Connor and Eliana. Connor is almost 4 and loves to wrestle, hike, swim, and loves anything with Star Wars. We have watched Star Wars 1-6 since we've been here, and some of them we've watched a few times. When he's not watching Star Wars, he's often humming the tune of Star Wars or saying "the force is strong with Luke". Every morning we sleep to late, he knocks on our door and says matter-of-factly "its time to wake up guys, look outside, see, it's light outside, that means it's time to wake up." He is so funny and continues to shock us with his extensive vocabulary, ability to spell and remember things.

Eliana is 18 months old and she loves to eat. She eats more than Connor. Blueberry Yogurt is her favorite, and if you try to give her Strawberry, she'll give it right back to you and ask for a different kind. She likes to eat the yogurt, and then take the rest of it and give herself a facial/ mudbath.

Ashley and Joann both started the visit not feeling well so the first week we all stuck pretty close to the house so we could pump the vitamins and rest. We're both feeling better now and are thankful for everyones prayers!

Since we've been here we've spent a lot of time playing with the kids. We've gone snorkeling a few times. The snorkelling here is great, with beautiful coral, tons of fish (so many we're afraid we're about to get attacked), lots of starfish, and nice clear blue warm water. The beautiful coral reminds us of Jean and Jerry's sea aquarium in Florida. We've gone for several hikes to secluded beaches, Japanese Caves and guns and cannons from World War II. We've gone for a few runs. On Guam, they have a 5k race almost every Saturday at 6am. Jonathan and Tim ran 2 of these races so far and Ashley did the last one. Jonathan won his first race ever but didn't realize it so we left before the awards ceremonys. Even though Tim beat him, apparently runners aged 20-29 are not as fast as the older runners, and Jonathan won his age division both weeks. Ashley also won her age division and came in 2nd place overall among girls. They are fun runs, with start times before the sun comes up, tons of friendly people and families, views of the beach and always a nice sunrise.

We've also enjoyed getting to catch up with some friends and family on the phone or internet. We feel a little like computer geeks, but after 5 months with very limited internet access, we have some catching up to do. We didn't even know who won the Super Bowl! We've also been listening to sermons from Flatirons Community Church. Even though we're far away, it still feels like our church, and the messages still apply to our lives.