Easter in Saipan

Hey Readers-
This Easter was a fun one and it was such a gorgeous day. It was also the first time in Saipan that I had seen the sunrise... I am not a morning person. Grant and I also watched the sunset since it is on our side of the island so on Easter we watched God's beautiful sunrise and sunset.
Our day started at 5:00 am when we got up and ready to go for the Sunrise Service. The Sunrise Service consists of all the local Christian churches and we met at the top of Mt. Tapochu which is the highest point in Saipan. We were not actually at the top top but high enough where we could watch the sunrise. It was a good time to reflect on Christ's love and to view His creation. After that we had a quick brunch and then came home to relax.
For Easter Lunch we went to Laura's parents house and had a Easter potluck. I brought my mom's meatballs which is a family tradition. One of my friends wondered if we did meatballs at every holiday and I said yes! Everyone loved them and Grant was sad to only of had one. We spent the afternoon talking, taking pictures, and dying eggs. Dying eggs was really fun, because we could feel like little kids again and enjoy coloring and dying the eggs. It was a good day to think about Christ's love for us and to spend it with friends. I feel so blessed to be able to have great friends to spend the holidays away from home with. One verse that stuck out to me this Easter was Mark 16:6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." It reminded me that Christ has risen and we have new life in Him!
Enjoy the pics!

Saipan Update from Grant

Dear Family, Friends, and Readers:
It has been, oh so many days since my last confession, so I have decided to write while my wife is taking a long shower. My exploits to be talked about are as follows: seeing the Japanese field hospital, seeing a bomb depot, San Juan Beach, our Saipan Community Art Show/Young Writers Showcase, and my rehearsal with the Friends of the Arts organization on Saipan for the up and coming production “The Three Musketeers (the comedic version).
Matt G. and I explored a WWII Japanese field hospital /grave site that a friend had told us about. The field hospital was on a guy’s property, but he didn’t seem to mind us going and exploring. It was hidden inside of a natural cave in the jungle. Inside the cave are some markers and plastic candle holders previously lit in their honor. There is also a marble block with writing in dedication to the site. Since it was in Japanese, we could not read it. The neatest thing at this site was the boonie bee nest that was hanging in a cleft of a rock above the cave, very cool indeed. The bomb depot was on private land and we went to find the owner but they were not there to ask permission, so we continued on the path because our friend who gave us directions said that the owner allows people to see it. On our way down this path we came across a little chicken coop with a pig pen. When arrived we noticed a sow pig that was easily 300+ Ibs with piglets! On our way back from the bomb depot we had a slightly intense standoff with the mother until the piglets went to another area (the pen they should have been in was broken). The cave that the bombs were hidden in was really slippery and had huge bombs, small bombs, and mines. It was pretty cool, but we didn’t have time to explore it because our wives needed the car to go to their Stamp It party. Earlier that day we went to San Juan Beach, which can be found by going past King Fisher Golf Course and taking a right turn when you get to a dead end at someone’s shack/house. The road is very dilapidated, but my Ford Contour was able to make it 75% of the way. It is very much like Old Man by the Sea, but quiet and less trashy.
The Art Show and Young Writer’s Workshop was very well done. The students are very talented and all of them worked very hard on their projects. Even though some poems had incorrect format, grammar, and spelling errors I’m glad to know that students are learning and exploring various aspects of the humanities. That night I left one hour early, with permission of my principal, to go and rehearse for the play. I play the character of Porthos (the womanizing musketeer) and I needed to learn some sword fighting choreography. The night was full of fun and by the end of all that had gone on I was very tired. I also owe a debt of thanks to my wife and co-worker Ms. Nierras for bringing my students projects/table to my room in my absence at the end of the night.
I hope to write again soon as it has been far too long. I also hope you enjoy the pictures some of which are on my facebook and others simply stored on my computer. Sincerely yours,
Grant

Marriage Encounter

Last weekend April 8-10, Grant and I spent a weekend together experiencing Marriage Encounter. It was held at the Aqua Resort Hotel. It was such a beautiful hotel and right from our room we had a view of the beach. The weekend was for couples who had great marriages and wanted to make it better. We had heard about about it from couples in our church and wanted to experience it for ourselves. One thought I had this weekend was we spend a lot of time focused on getting ahead in other areas of life and spending time to focus on them, why not marriage too? It was definitely an intense weekend. We spent the whole weekend together and grew in our marriage. One important concept I learned was when I listen to Grant I can't motor run, which means think about other things while listening to him. When I am listening I need to listen with my heart and head and to give full attention to the other person. I also learned that we talk a lot about the details of our day to day lives but we need to talk about our feelings as well. I also realized that in our case the littlest things can cause an argument and to be able to take a minute to look at what is really worth arguing about. What really meant a lot to Grant and I was when we found out our prayer partners for the weekend was our Pastor Greg and his wife Sandy. Prayer partners means they prayed for us throughout the weekend. We have spent some time with them and really enjoy their company. It brought tears to my eyes when they came in when we had officially ended our weekend and they handed us a gift basket. When I see true Christian love I cry, because it is so beautiful. We ended the weekend with a huge potluck and got to sit with our church community. It felt like an accomplishment to finish the weekend and to be able to feel supported by our church family. Grant and I are going to start the Steps Class soon which is a 10 week session of the topics we learned but broken down and are ready to learn more. It was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it to any couple who wants to deepen their marriage. If you want more information on how to find one close to you go to the WorldWide Marriage Encounter website www.wwme.org/
Grant took the pictures of the end of Marriage Encounter and I hope you enjoy them!
Kara

World Resort

For the last day of Spring Break Grant and I went to World Resort together. It was a place that I had wanted to go for a while to see what it is like and we had planned to go earlier in the week but rain delayed our plans. It was the perfect way to spend our last afternoon of spring break. World Resort has a water park as a part of the hotel called the Wave Jungle. It truly feels like you are at a water park in the states due to how nice and how many options there are of what to do. We spent a lot of time in the lazy river. From there we spent time in the wave pool and then onto the water slides. They had quite a variety of water slides. One we went on as a couple, individual ones, slow ones, and fast ones. Our favorite one was one that looked like a toilet bowl and you go around and around and then fall out of the bottom. It was really relaxing and it felt like a place where grownups could have a lot of fun too.
Since we have our underwater camera now we can get some great shots when we are having fun in the water!
Enjoy!

Mandi Spa & Thoughts!

Hi Readers,
This spring break has just flown by so quickly and I am definitely not ready for monday to begin. I felt like a kid today when I counted down the days until school was out- 33 days to be exact. 33 days is such a short time and I just can't believe that my first year of teaching is almost over. I really enjoy my kids- even the naughty ones and their smiles everyday bring joy to my life.
Right now in Saipan it is supposed to be the dry season but this week has been the exception. It has been raining off and on for most of the week which means some of our outdoor plans were scratched and we had to be creative in what we have been doing. Friday and Saturday have been the rainiest days and so we have been hanging out, talking, and watching movies. Last night my friend Amy came over and we had a great time eating dinner, talking, and watching the movie The Social Network. It is an interesting movie and I enjoyed watching it.
So as far as the weather goes there are some days when it just rains so much you need to spend your day inside.
Thursday was an exception and it was a beautiful day on Saipan. Grant and I decided to spend the day at Mandi Spa and relax on our break. It is one of our favorite plaaces on the island, because it is quiet and beautiful. It is a place where you can talk if you want, sit in the different pools if you want, or do whatever you want. My favorite thing to do is to sit on the waters edge and read a book.
Grant and i had a wonderful time together and really enjoyed playing in the flower bath.
This week I have had a lot of time to think and I remember last year at this exact time wondering what would be our next step. We knew that our jobs at AOP was not where we wanted to be yet not knowing what the next place would be. This time last year we found out about Saipan through an email a coworker had given to us asking if we were interested in teaching in Saipan. We asked a ton of questions, had an interview, and eventually said yes. We did not know what Saipan would be like, if you would like it or not, and who we would meet on the way. Looking back I remember my first night here and how scared I was for the future and what Saipan would be like. I also remember how nervous I was about being in front of the class and now I could not be more comfortable up there. A lot has changed in this year and Saipan has brought Grant and I even closer together since we have had to go through the new experiences and challenges together. We miss our families dearly and there are those days when you just wish you could jump on a plane to get a real hug and conversation with your family, but we know that time goes quickly and the next year will fly by just as this one has.
As far as future plans, Grant and I are planning on being here until May 2012. I just found out this past week that I was accepted into the Masters of Counseling Program at Bethel University that I applied to. I had taken my MAT test before I left and we together visited Bethel in preparation for us leaving for Saipan. It was the only school i applied to and was the only school I wanted to go to. It was great news to know that I was highly qualified and wanted at this school. I do want to be a counselor someday and teaching this year has solidified it even more. I do love to teach, but my biggest complaint is not being able to take care of each child's needs and having 20-24 kids at a time. So I am getting excited about going back to school and being able to have the skills and education to pursue my dreams. Grant wants to go to seminary there at the same time as me and will apply next year. We will need a lot of prayers with the transition to moving to Minneapolis, finding jobs, and getting financial aid to go there.
We are also waiting on summer jobs right now. We had an interview for an Eco Camp this summer and the interview went well. We are currently just waiting to see what happens. So prayers in this area would be great, because Grant and I need to work this summer.
So this is a lot that is going on, but I am really pumped to teach again next year and to be more confident as a teacher since I will have had a year under my belt. We are also excited not to move. Grant has moved every year since graduating from college and I have moved a lot since college. Together this is the 3rd place we have lived and we are excited to not have to pack up. I am also excited about having more than 1 year on my resume since I have changed jobs 4 times since college. I am also starting to save up my money so we can go on one more big trip while we are here. I am pushing for Australia since I have been there before and would love to show Grant what it is like. I also would love to see my host mom again. I told myself when I left Sydney that I would be back and now is a great time since we are already halfway there. I am excited to be apart of our bible study group again next year. I also look forward to meeting new people next year and getting to help them adjust to the island as well. I also look forward to keeping the friendships I have and deepening them as well. So good things are on the way for us and just know that we think about our family and friends everyday!
Overall it has been an amazing break to be able to stay in saipan and get to spend a ton of time with Grant. We have been working since we arrived in August and spent Christmas break in Japan so it was nice to relax and go to our favorite spots and enjoy time together. It has been a wonderful wonderful break!
Love,
Kara
Here are some pictures from the spa!