I have had a few more thoughts since the last time I blogged, so here I am back to give you some more, but not in a mean, threatening, I’m gonna smash your face, sort of way. I like to share with you some more about the topics Kara and I have been learning in Bible study, things about Managaha (which we recently visited), and of course random things about Saipan.
Bible study has been a wonderful time for Kara and I as we get to know other young couples and have pot luck dinner with them. Lately, we have been going through a video series with a speaker named Andy Stanley and his series called, “The Best Question Ever.” Normally, I do not like reading from a little booklet and watching video as programs like this can be very entertaining but not go very deep into the word, but this series is different. The humor from the video helps me to relax at the end of a long day of teaching and to think about the greater perspective of God in relation to my life. On Sunday, I attend a Bible study that probes the word more deeply than this study, but during the week I enjoy listening to Andy Stanley and what he is going to teach me about God that night. This past Tuesday he talked about how we spend our time and how to use it wisely. This opened up a new way of looking at many of the Bible verses that play a key role in my life. The thing that hit me most was when he talked about how the “important arenas” of life can only be enjoyed if we invest our time into them and by being involved in those important arenas thus making mini-deposits into things that last such as kids, family, marriage, etc. If we choose the “petty arenas” in life to spend the majority of time like going to the bar after work, setting something up we never use, or looking a websites etc (the list is infinite) we simply would not be able to give an account of what we did and the value we would ascribe to those petty arenas could not be tallied. The important arenas that we should spend our time in can easily be tallied because you see the result i.e.) working out produces a fit body over time, money matures over time, and our marriage improves the more we invest in our spouse w/ quality time etc. Just thought I would share those thoughts, it really made me think of my friends and family and how if we make poor time investments we often try and make it up like missing a work out day and working out the next twice as hard only to end up sick and sore… Something to think about... this can be explained in the verse Ephesians 5:15 if you let the message of the verse permeate your mind for a while.
Earlier in the week we also went to Managaha, which is a small island located off the main island by a 15minute ferry boat ride (which is free if you’re a local). On the island is great snorkeling as there is a “no fish” zone around the island which has contributed to a beautiful abundance of life some have said is even more beautiful than the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia. The picture on our blog is of a statue dedicated to a Carolinian Chief named Aghurubw who sailed from the Caroline Islands in 1815 to ask Governor Medinilla’s (Governor of the Marianas Islands) permission to resettle his people on the island of Saipan after their island was destroyed by a major typhoon. His grave is located on this small island of Managaha. We visited Managaha with our friends Brian, Rachel, and Jen. It was a wonderful and relaxing day.
Other random information about Saipan I have learned recently is as follows: At Bible study the other night I tried a piece of fruit called “Sour Sop.” I didn’t take a picture of it, but it is a tasty fruit that when it is soft and ripe enough to eat tastes like a stick of rhubarb with the sweetness of a Granny Smith apple…hard to describe. It was very soft and yummy, I would like to dip it in sugar next time to make it even more sweet! Also, Bird Island, which appears in one of our previous blog entries is also called, “Isleta Maigo Fahang” in the Chamorro language indigenous to the island and it means “Island of the Sleeping Seabirds.”
Well that is all for now. Kara has said she would like to blog soon, but has yet to find time, until she writes next, have a great day. Sincerely, Grant
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