God and Saipan...My Thoughts

Dear Family, Friends, and Followers:

As I write I am suffering from a persistent cough/mucus cold that won't seem to leave me so picture that as you read this...not tropical paradise. Lately, I've been thinking about the various new things about God I am learning and about Saipan in general so here are my thoughts.

God is good. In church our pastor in Saipan, Pastor Dickerman, just finished a series that was on the topic of Sex and Relationships. Many of the congregation are now thankful that it is over, but despite the odd topic that is not so frequently talked about, I did pick up on a few things. Perhaps they were things I knew, but the way they were said in the sermon made things easy to think about. One thing he said that I think a lot of young men in my generation should take to heart is the fact when a guy desires to have sex with a girl before marriage they are asking that woman to "disrespect themselves." I find it deplorable that many young men will only date women if they are allowed to sleep with them before marriage... The second thing that he said that I knew but was said well is a two fold statement that are in regard to the greatest need for men and women in a marriage relationship:
#1) For women, he stated that their greatest need is to feel secure in the love of their husband. #1) For men was that we are respected by our wives. When I thought about my own marriage I figured in my heart that this was right and good.
Soon, I am going to start a program on Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study called "The Truth Project," which is a DVD series that is sponsored by Focus on the Family, though the topic of the study is not anything like what Mr. Dobson normally talks about. The study will be somewhat philosophical (which I like) and will explain many of the worldviews people have today and will relate them to Christ. It will be a two hour Bible study starting at 8am and going up until the start of church. I will share what I learn as I learn it.

Thoughts about Saipan. You know you live in Saipan when you go to lick your bills and the adhesive is no longer sticky because moisture has ruined it haha Also, I opened my first coconut with a machete' yesterday and will probably make a short video later of my technique for those of you wishing to see me lose a finger haha I have attached to this blog various photos from Saipan. I hope you enjoy them. Their explanations are below...many of them are local things that I felt I should take pictures of I am going to try and do that more to capture every day Saipan life when I see it and have my camera along.

PICTURE EXPLANATIONS:

-The picture in black and white of "The Big Dipper" is a locally owned ice cream shop that Kara and I like to frequent. Our friends tell us that the ice cream they use comes from Oregon, which is why it tastes so good.
-One is of Kara and Laura Kyonka with the Pacific Ocean surf in the background crashing into the shores off of Banzai.
-One is of a business/apartment building on beach road that was semi-run down and had a cool look in the sunlight when taken in black and white in bright sun.
-Lastly a picture of a green lizard we noticed scurrying up a tree while we were on our walk. It was very shiny.

What to do on a day off- go to Mandi Spa!

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers-
I love the Mandi Spa and think it is my favorite place on Saipan. I took Grant there for our day off of school to relax and to spend time together. It was a beautiful day and it was not very crowded. We enjoyed the flower bath, the hot pool, and the large lukewarm pool. I am actually not very good at relaxing, but I had my book and the water and I was very calm! Grant is the opposite of me and is great at relaxing and he enjoyed his book and the water too. It was a great day to chat, be together, and think about the future. We will go back soon! Enjoy the pics!

Cliques & Forbidden Island Ponderings

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers:

It has been a while since I blogged about anything, so for this blog I decided to write about thoughts about blogs/workplace, Random Saipan realizations, and our recent visit to the outcropping of coral known as "Forbidden" on Saipan.
First, I wanted to share how I have been contemplating how in this "modern" age we are unable to truly communicate as believers in Christ. I was thinking about how many blogs are out there and how the purpose of a blog (in my opinion) is communication and how little actually is communicated through them sometimes. Partially for fear of others reading the blog and being offended or vice-versa... Unfortunately, I am going to be the type of writer who does not end this paragraph stating a "course of action" but will simply state my thoughts on the issues we face. At our school we need prayer in regard to relationships with other staffers. Don't get me wrong, we don't "hate" one another, but there is an awkward silence at times that leads me to believe in someway that my wife and I have offended others or that because we graduated from a different college or don't do Xterra races that we cannot be friends. In a world of technology people are still as jaded and the message of Christ is still not being followed... If we have an issue with others we should bring it up with them not sulk or be oddly silent on an issue. I haven't said much because I feel innocent or hurt. Being silent is like having a huge ship (our quiet concerns) floating through a set of locks in order to get to another body of water and to freedom. But that moment leading to freedom is awkward as the boat just sits in the lock, slowly moving along until free and the issue disappears entirely. All I can say is..."what now?" The one thing I will say about the lack of communication among our generation and our group of young people on the island is that even though our Bible study is covering how Satan "Twists" the truth, the truth is that we have been unable to see him sneaking in to our hearts. Any "cliques" or feelings of "hurt" come from people who are unable to reconcile (no matter how painful) the issues amongst their brothers and sisters. The "Greek" Adelphos (in the gospels) refers to other brothers/sisters of the faith. I will pray that others will forgive us our wrongs and that we could forgive others for any hurt they've caused us as Jesus commands us to pray.
Our trip to Forbidden Island was a lot of fun some of the pictures are from that trip. The island is "forbidden" because of local traditions, much of which I still do not know much about. One of the history books we bought does not tell us about why local Chamorro peoples do not visit it. I may buy another history book later when we have some more money that explains why it is forbidden in more detail.
It is now a bird and marine life sanctuary so no hunting or fishing is permitted within the vicinity of the island. It is a beautiful area but difficult to get to as the path down to sea level is rife with loose gravel and sand. On a rainy day it would not be safe to go down. We were fortunate to be able to go during a time when
it was windy (cooling us off) and during a time of high tide, which filled hidden forbidden (a small grotto) with cool water 7ft high. The trip was taken by myself, Kara, Matt, and Amy Grosenbach. It was a good workout and offered lots of climbing for those who enjoy climbing coral. A video is on our facebook for those who wish to see Kara and Matt jump off coral outcropping into a pool of water. I hope you enjoy the pictures and the blog.
Yours truly, Grant

GJ & KJ's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was a sweet day for Grant and I. I love holidays and enjoy everything about Valentines Day. We decided to go exchange gifts and then go to PIC which is one of our favorite places for happy hour. It was amazing to spend time with Grant and we enjoyed watching the sunset over the ocean while we ate dinner. It was a romantic time and we really enjoyed being able to spend some quality time together. Grant bought me the CD Crazy Love by Hawk Nelson since they are my favorite band and also because our love can be called crazy love. I bought Grant all of his favorite things: beef jerky, candles, and chocolate. I have a wonderful hubby and had a sweet Valentines day with my sweetie!!!!!!

Valentines Day is the Best Day to be a teacher!

Dear Friends and Family,
Valentines Day is a great time to be a first grade teacher. I had so much fun helping them make valentines crafts to get ready for the day. First we made valentine mail boxes so that way there was a place for their classmates to put in their valentine cards. Then we made Valentine Cards which was fun for them too. My kids love hands on learning and so anything with cutting and glue they are super happy. I made the rule that they had to give valentines to all their classmates so that way they can learn to be nice to each other and to not leave others out. They were so excited all day to pass out and open Valentines it was hard to teach. The kids were so fun to watch while they passed out cards, because they were so into what they were doing. They had a blast with the candy and cards and now they are big fans of the holiday. I also got a ton of cards from my kids and felt very loved!

A Surperb Saturday!

This Saturday was an amazing day! After a long week of teaching it was time to relax.
I started off the day with going to the local flea market with another teacher named Anna. The flea market is where locals can sell anything they like. You can find anything and everything there. I found a coin purse for myself and baby clothes for a friend who is expecting. The afternoon Rachel and Brian and Grant and I had a double date day at the beach. We went to Pau Pau Beach and we had not been there in awhile. We spent the afternoon chatting and taking in the sun. Grant and Brian went far out to the reef to go exploring. Grant saw an octopus and a ton of starfish in the water. Rachel and I were close to shore chatting but we did see shark fins go by.
Saturday night we had Amy and Matt and Rachel and Brian over to watch Eclipse. My friend Amy is on team Jacob and I am on Team Edward. We are still friends tho:) It was a a great end to a wonderful day!

Spelling Bee & Other Thoughts

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers:

After celebrating Chinese New Year in style with friends I thought I'd share some random thoughts and photos with you. The thoughts and pictures are on God's creation, school, and Chinese New Year celebration with friends. I'd like to start with how this school year has been going as we have hit the home stretch.

As the year is almost complete (or at least the 3rd quarter...) I have had some time to reflect. I just finished working on the spelling bee at school, which wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I have attached a short video I took of the spelling bee for your enjoyment. The final result was that one of my seventh grade girls won the competition at our school. She will now compete in Guam in March. I may or may not be going as both of the students parents are hoping to go and I told the principal it really did not matter to me whether I go or not. I was glad that he asked me. I simply replied that if the parents were o.k. acting as her coach at the Bee, I was fine with that. I also feel like it would save the school a little money. I will let you know what happens when it gets to that point.

As for the rest of my school year. I am working on teaching the students the writing process and MLA format as we near the end of the year. I could have included writing throughout the year, but I feel as though this is a good way to finish up the year...a culmination so to speak of all the information they have assimilated this year from their grammar books.

As for the rest of what I've been thinking about...well, I can't help but think about how great God is to have brought us to Saipan. I don't say that to upset those of you in the middle of winter, but in all honesty when I was in middle school I never imagined that I would be on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I am also astounded by God's beautiful creation. I have attached a few pictures of the sunset tonight on Saipan. I will at some point get a more beautiful sunset picture as there are often purple and pink sunsets, I just have to get out on the right day and capture it. I'm sure I will post many more sunset pictures later in the year.

I hope you enjoy everything. Enjoy! Ciao,
Grant

Chinese New Year!

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers,
Last night Grant and I celebrated Chinese New Year with our friends. After a long stressful week of teaching and progress reports it was a nice stressfree time. We all went to Laura and Josiah's for a Chinese dinner. (Grant made rice and stirfry and I made Chinese cupcakes) If you are wondering what Chinese cupcakes are let me tell you, they are cupcakes with red and yellow frosting. Yum. My cupcakes are famous in my friend group and I take every excuse to make some!
We played a Chinese game called Mahjong which is Chinese solitaire. It was confusing at first, especially since the numbers were in Chinese, but after a free rounds it made sense. After that we played the Game of Things which is one of my new favorite games. It is where there is a card that is read such as, "What not to scream at the top of your lungs" and then everyone writes down their personal response. Then we go around and try to guess who said what and then you get points for guessing correctly. It was pretty fun! It was a great night of being able to hang out with friends and catch up on life. Here are some pics from the night! Enjoy!

History of Saipan, MP

Dear Family, Friends, and Readers:
On January 29, 2011 Kara and I visited American Memorial Park in the village of Garapan. It is a small, well designed museum/park with lots of information to digest concerning WWII and the soldiers/locals who died during the war. I suppose I should give you a brief summarization of the facts about Saipan before, during, and post WWII, which is what we learned while there.
Pre WWII Saipan was a time of population boom where the most developed village “Garapan” was the unofficial beating heart of the island. The Japanese had a large sugar cane plantation on the island and Garapan Village was 15,000 people strong consisting of Japanese, Okinawans, Koreans, Chamorros, and Carolinians. As WWII approached during the 1930’s around 42,000 Okinawan and Japanese people have relocated to Saipan and Tinian. These relocated workers join 1,000 forced laborers from Korea and the 4,000 Chamorro/Carolinian workers. For those of you curious as to how long the Chamorro people have called the island of Saipan home…we saw a sign that stated they had lived on the island for 4,000 years prior to the Japanese and that the Carolinians came in the early 1800’s. The arrival of WWII on the shores of Saipan would change the island forever as so much progress would go down the drain in a matter of weeks.
In 1942, WWII was underway, but Japan’s possession of Saipan would soon be abolished. The decisive victory by the Allied Forces at The Battle of Midway would soon prove to be the tipping point against Japan. By 1944 the Mariana Islands became strategically important to Japan’s defense against foreign attack/invasion at home. As a reader of history, I found it interesting that Saipan and the Mariana Islands as a whole were not fortified as much as they should have been. I am not sure if it was preoccupation or pride that led to Saipan being forgotten strategically. I say pride because I wonder whether the Japanese really believed the war would be brought close to their shores. Little did Japan know that the atomic bombs would eventually be loaded onto two B-29 bombers at the neighboring island of Tinian (right across from Saipan). The B-29 known as “Enola Gay” carried Little Boy (1st atomic bomb) on August 6, 1945. The second bomb, Fat Man, was carried by Bocks Car several days later, but that would be getting ahead of the story. The invasion of Saipan started on June 15, 1944 at 8:40 A.M. with landing parties arriving on Saipan’s shores. This day is what is known as “Dog Day”. It was given this name because on this day countless Japanese die and over 2,000 U.S. Servicemen are dead (not to mention innocent civilians caught in the cross fire). In the end Saipan is declared secure on July 9th, 1944 after 25 days of fighting and totals combined from both sides (Japanese & American) total 43,000 dead!
After the war there were a few Japanese who refused to surrender as the Boshido honor code does not allow for surrender. The 24th infantry (an African American unit) is sent to the island to clean up the strong hold of about 300 men led by Captain Sakae Oba. After a year of skirmishes the island is officially “mopped up”.
The story of Tinian’s capture by U.S. Forces is equally tragic, but I will not go into too much detail here. What I will say of that event is that Tinian took 43 days of bombing, 9 days of fighting to conquer, 328 dead, and 1,571 wounded. Japanese losses at Tinian are nearly 8,000 men some by fighting others by suicide on Tinian’s cliffs. Tinian was taken on August 1, 1944. When the islands were finally secured many things needed to be answered, such as: What country would control the islands? What about repatriation? What about reward for service for valor on Saipan?
Thanks to President Gerald Ford, Saipan would become allied with America when he signs the covenant between the U.S. and the Mariana Islands on March 24, 1976 (many years after the war). The repatriation of Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean citizens occurs in 1946. The Chamorro and Carolinian internment camp prisoners are released from Camp Chalan Kanoa on July 4, 1946. For military service the 24th Infantry earns a Presidential Unit Citation and a Purple Heart and Gold Star medal are awarded to Cristino Sablan Dela Cruz for his efforts in helping clean up remaining Japanese hold outs in many of Saipan’s caves as part of the Mariana Marine Scout Unit of 64 Chamorro and Carolinian men (he died 9 days after receiving the award in old age).
Now that you have had a brief history of Saipan’s place in WWII, I can talk briefly about the pictures I have posted.
Picture 1: KJ and I in front of a little lagoon leading into an area where a couple of boats are docked near the end of the park.
Picture 2: KJ & I standing inside an open circle stone monument that is dedicated to all the locals who died on Saipan during the WWII conflict and battle for its possession.
Picture 3: KJ in front of a large monument at the park called the Courtyard of Honor. The flags that are flying above her represent each branch of the armed forces that fought in Saipan. All around the Courtyard of Honor are names engraved of each unit and man that was killed during the siege that took place here.
Picture 4: A cool picture of the lagoon where the ships are docked. I was standing on a cute little bridge at the park when I took this picture. I like it because it is tropical.
I would have posted more pictures, but I didn't want to put any museum photos I took up since I was not the original creator of those photos. But I can send more to those of you who would like to see images from the museum.