ISLANDBILLIE

Amma! Pank Mark!

2009-04-23T22:57:00.001+10:00

MicroChanga seems to have a Stewie Griffin complex these days.

She called yesterday and asked Grandma to spank Mark. She was annoyed because he tried to help her with the push-to-talk feature on his cell phone. She’s fiercely independent and insists on doing things herself. When she gets mad at her Dad, she calls him by his first name. We just spoke with him and he tells us she’s still on a first name basis with him.

She recently tried to feed him with a pretend cookie as he was falling asleep. Let’s just say that it was something from her diaper. Luckily, she missed his mouth and got him just under the nose, whereupon he woke up. Note to self: No tea parties when she visits this Summer!

C.J. Is Bored!

2009-04-19T22:37:00.005+10:00

Our Corps has two congregations, one of which prefers to meet outdoors, on the beach. C.J. attends the Beach Church and always has a great time but today, he got a mite bored...

...so he decided that he would help me preach.

Ruh roh! He's already bored again!

This is not looking good.

If you don't like they sermon...tackle 'em!

Finally something to do! He helped serve the food. That bag of sandwiches was almost a big as he is. He also handed out cups of soup and managed to not spill a drop...although he sneaked a few sips from some of them.

MicroChanga Speaks

2009-02-23T19:42:00.011+10:00

AMMA. The easiest of all to figure out. Grandma.

TEETEE. A demand she asserts after someone takes a photo of her with a digital camera.

BUBBA. You would think this to be a reference to her brothers but it’s the thing that holds formula and from which she derives comfort, although she eats solid food.

BOWBA. Soba (soup).

BOBBA. Yours truly. Many Chamorro children call their Grandfathers Papa.

DEDANCE. Her response when you ask her name.

EE EE. This lets us know that she wants paper to draw on. Its origin remains a mystery.

MIMISH. She has completed something.

MOMACH. It is full when she has mimished her food.

POO. You were wrong about tee tee and you are wrong again. This can refer to either forks or spoons.

WO WO. The canine order. She is afraid of them but loves to pretend that her brothers are doggies. She calls out “wo wo come” and they crawl after her. She directs them around the house but then gets irritated when they won’t get into the oven as she commands.

She loves to play Wii Rock Band. Here she is, guarding the drums with a bazooka. Thou mayest play with the Wii Stratocaster but Thou shalt not touch the Wii drums, which are hers. Hmm...that bazooka reminds me of....I dunno...a vacuum cleaner attachment?

Taking a moment for a photo op with brothers Ping and Kobe...but she is still between them and the Wii drums....and she has the bazooka at the ready.

She is also in a bike gang. Tough Chic!

Posing and showing off trikes and matching outfits is fun but MicroChanga is all about action!

Our budding drummer at practice. Notice that she had turned her sticks around, in order to get a bigger sound. She's a power drummer!

Missing Books of the Bible Rediscovered!

2009-02-01T22:06:00.011+10:00

Today was a very important day for our youth. They have been studying the books of the Bible and had an exercise in which they were to write as many of the books as they could remember.

Upon grading their work, we discovered that there are several books missing from the cannon of scripture.

Here is a list of the missing books, as compiled from their papers:

Old Testament historical books
Sablan

Old Testament poetic books
Mikie
Mirie
Rotti
Den
Pen

Major Prophets
I Doll
II Doll
Higtor
Liner

Gospels
Mohira
Rotti (Rotti also made the list of poetic books – see above)
Clair
I Avenaa
II Avenaa
I Parker
II Parker
Seven

New Testament books of history
Lord
God
Angel
Kill
Devil
Bad
Good
Evil
I Bad People
II Bad People
I Snow Town
II Snow Town

Once we find these lost books, it will be tough to decide where to start reading but I lean toward Sablan, followed by I and II Bad People or I and II Snow Town.

Key Thang

2008-12-10T21:23:00.002+10:00

MicroChanga is very smart, and tenacious when trying to figure something out....she just won't give up! Lately, she's just not giving up on locks and keys.

If the key doesn't fit the desk, maybe....

.....it'll fit this door....wait....no lock here.

Can't reach the lock to get the key in....hmmm...maybe if I just turn this thingy...

....or, maybe it might work in this lock.

HA! I found Grandma's big giant key ring and I'm gonna figure this thing out for sure!

MicroChanga At The Kettle

2008-12-01T21:42:00.004+10:00

MicroChanga is visiting us again and joined us for her very first Kettle Season!

Grandma was really good at customizing an adult sized apron to fit a Munchkin.

All ready! Where's my bell?

Hey...why doesn't this bell ring?

She especially liked giving out candy to other kids.

Even Ebeneezer Scrooge would drop money into this cutie's kettle!

Corps Outing To Managaha Island

2008-11-12T20:19:00.002+10:00

We recently had another of our many outings. This time, we visited the beautiful Managaha Island, which lies in close proximity to Saipan.

A view of Managaha from the boat.

Maggie, Lena, Kayla and Jerome on the boat.

Quinton, Joveta and Mikey on the landing, just after getting off the boat.

Lunch!

This baby Black-Tip shark crashed the party!

The Big 01

2008-09-22T15:59:00.003+10:00

A big happy birthday wish to a gal who hit the big 01 last week. Happy birthday, Anisha!

Microchanga Visits!

2008-07-12T15:26:00.004+10:00

Microchanga, the youngest of our Chimichangas (Granddaughters) visited recently.

Such progress she's making! She can wink correctly (I've never seen a baby who could do so at her age), blow kisses, show where her nose and eyes are and a whole lot things that make us proud.

I could go on and on but will reign in my dotery (is that a word?).

We have a large toybox for her but this big honkin' pantry was too good for her to pass up.

It has big doors. Grandmas can sneak up behind these and play peek-a-boo.

She wanted to play with a carton of milk and laid the charm on me to get her way. She's knows she can con Grandpa into anything.

Family Day!

2008-06-27T23:34:00.009+10:00

We recently had another family day. This time, we went camping at Obyan (pronounced "ob-zun") beach. We had fishing tournaments, great food, fellowship, a worship service and rain.

The first order of business for the kids was to scope out all the tents. From the left: Devan, Trinnie, Libby and Tysha.

When this new tent was taken from the box, we discovered that it came with a latern with a remote control. That's just wrong!

We had an EE tournament for the kids (EE are baby Skipjacks that run inside the reef this time of year). It took Jerome less than ten minutes to win, with six!

Jerome landing another EE and winning the kid's tournament by landing all the fish caught.

More Family Day Photos

2008-06-27T23:13:00.008+10:00

Camp Chef Jack grilled up ribs and teriyaki chicken for dinner. The teriyaki sauce was the very best in this galaxy (because I made it, lol).

Happy campers, pictured from the left rear: Esther, Tina, Mia, Merlyn, Trinnie.

Santiago rigging up in preparation for the Mafuti (pronounced "muh-foo-tee") tournament for the adults. Julie won with the largest of only 2 fish caught. Tina came in second place. It was a night tournamant and we failed to get photos of their fish the next morning....d'oh!

It started raining during the night and we had to have our Church service in the rain. I was pushing up part of the tarp, to angle the water away from the folks at its edges.

Graduation!

2008-06-27T23:06:00.004+10:00

Kayla recently graduated from elementary school. She carried the flag of Japan when she marched in with her class. Note her beautiful leis.

Random Happenings

2008-06-27T22:56:00.006+10:00

Kareoke is very popular in this part of the world and we solved our lack-of-musicians problem by getting a kareoke system. We found a type that uses chips. We got a chip with a lot of gospel songs and the congregation loves it! Here, Kayla and Trinnie lead us in a song.

Joshua is from Nepal and recently taught our Women's Ministry ladies how to make puri (pronounced "poo-lee") bread.

Puli is made with flour and water, rolled out, then fried in oil. Joshua says that it can also be cooked on a stone. It puffs up a little, when fried.

Easter Happenings

2008-04-13T09:47:00.006+10:00

Aiyumi, our Japanese exchange student, pitched in and helped decorate Easter eggs.

Alice and her Granddaughter Tihani. Tihani was really excited with her egg finds.

Our Granddaughter Kaydence visited us for the Easter holiday. She can't yet walk on her own but she loves to take assisted hikes like this one. She wanted to stick her feet in all the cups of egg dye and it was a tussle to keep her out of it.

Pesky papparazi kept getting in the way and the MicroChanga was none too happy about it. (Granddaughters are Chimichangas; the smallest one is therefore the MicroChanga).

Upon the advice of her Agents and P.R. people, MicroChanga made nice-nice with the papparazi, offering them a foody kiss.

Another Pool Fellowship

2008-04-06T22:13:00.006+10:00

We recently had another pool fellowship. This time, we were at the beautiful World Resort. We have a very strict schedule for pool fellowships and are careful to schedule them precisely every now and then.

Kayla and Mikey floating around on some infaltable thingy.

Cheryl, Abigail and R. J. taking a breather.

More infaltable thingies! World Resort has a large water park and this is the Lazy River section.

Naiomi working on getting brain freeze.

Making CNMI History

2008-04-05T19:35:00.004+10:00

Majors Dave and Sharron Hudson recently visited and helped to make history by enrolling the very first Senior Soldier in the CNMI. Congratulations, sister Annie!

We also enrolled four Adherents. Congratulations to Connie, Tina, Johson and Julie!

The Hudsons also officiated a baby dedication. Major Hudson warned that babies always cry when he holds them during dedications but Shanna did not get the memo. She found him quite comfy.

Naiomi was recently inducted into the National Honor Society. Here she is with May and Kayla at dinner, following the induction ceremony. She wanted ribs, so we went to Tony Roma's for slabs of baby backs.

Church Fellowship Day

2007-11-06T14:34:00.002+10:00

We have frequent outings and recently had a big day at the Hotel Nikko, a resort hotel here on Saipan. The kids had a blast and we adult types had a great time, as well. If you ever visit Saipan, you should plan to stay at the Nikko or any of our beautiful resort hotels.

Mikey liked to go down the slide backwards, on his stomach. This shot was taken as he left the top.

Bonzai Dana and Kayla.

A gaggle of kids headed for submersion.

Malakai and the toddlers hung out at the kiddie pool. They enjoyed tossing balls around and sliding down the kiddie slide. His mom wanted to take Malakai to feed the fish (see below) but he scarfed down the bread when she wasn't looking.

2007-11-06T14:15:00.002+10:00

Kayla and Zack love to play "find the penny". I sometmes pretend I'm throwing it into the water, hiding it in my hand. They fall for this every single time.

Libby at lunch.

Quinton volunteered to help carry lunches and drinks. Here he is at the serving area, awaiting his load.

Jon Jon and Junior have recently learned how to snap their fingers and insisted on a demonstration for the blog.

2007-11-06T14:02:00.001+10:00

Like all our resort hotels on Saipan, the Nikko grounds and amenities are exceptionally beautiful. They pump ocean water into several ponds on the grounds and have reef fish for guests to see and feed. This is just one of the ponds.

Just a few of the fish in one of the ponds. The yellow fish in this shot are yellow Tangs and there are some Surgeon fish, Damesels and others.

They have a huge Imperator (Emperor) Angel in the pond. Some marine aquarists feel that the Imperator is the most beautiful of the Angels and I have to agree.

Home League Flower Arrangers

2007-10-12T21:31:00.002+10:00

We have Women's Ministry and Junior Soldier meetings on Friday nights. Annie presented a flower arranging class for the ladies and here they are, hard at work. The Junior Soldiers are in the background, watching the movie "Left Behind".

They made very attractive arrangements and were surpised when Annie told them that they got to keep them. They want to do more in the future and sell them as a fund raiser. Methinks they'll be very successful!

Recent Junior Soldier Events

2007-10-12T13:51:00.001+10:00

Kina and Chommy working on memorizing the Junior Soldier Pledge. They chose to study in a closet, for some reason.

Jerome celebrated his Birthday with his Junior Soldier buds.

Naiomi has the guitar bug. She's taking lessons at school and practices faithfully. She's working on some new songs for the group.

Recent Events

2007-10-12T13:20:00.002+10:00

We dedicated Luke John, shown here with his family and moi.

Annie and the ladies of our Home League (part of our Women's Ministries) recently held a "Get to Know You" event and several new ladies became part of the group. Annie did a sushi making class and they all had a great time. Captains Tom and Christi Taylor, our Micronesia Islands Coordinators were here for the big night but didn't make it into any of the photos. We'll get them next time!

Chai and sister Annie (we have two Annies!) serving drinks to the Junior Soldiers, who have their meeting on the same night. Captain Taylor and I grilled kilbosas for them as we taught their lesson. Capt. Taylor used the example of the egg (shell, yoke, white) to help the kids understand the Trinity. He led them in several songs, playing one of our ukes - which was horribly out of tune. Captain Christi Taylor performed a beautiful initiation ceremony for the Home League group.

R.J. and his Mom Joanne. He is a big eater and gobbled down a LOT of sushi!

Atis!

2007-06-09T23:30:00.000+10:00

At today's Junior Soldier (Youth) meeting, Mikey brought a gift of Atis for Annie. In addition to being kind and generous, Mikey is a very bright fellow who contributes a lot to our meetings. Thank you Mikey!

Happy Birthday Kobe!

2007-05-27T15:28:00.000+10:00

Today is Kobe's 9th Birthday. We had a party for him after services. He wanted a pizza party so his Mom, Dad and Grandma got up early and made a lot of pies. Next week: Trinny will be on deck with her Birthday bash!

Kobe (in the front, black shirt), our Sunday School kids and Annie, after cutting and devouring most of his cake.

All the Sunday School kids made special Birthday cards for Kobe. They covered an entire table!

Rie Rie (pronounced "ree ree") has been dethroned. She recently got a baby sister and is dealing with the trauma of no longer being the baby of her family. She can't understand why she's no longer carried all the time but now that she can walk, she does well. She lost a sandal today but didn't seem to notice. We recently got a puppy that turned out to be a zealous thiever of shoes but he was not guilty in this case.

I've Been Too Lax

2007-05-17T01:17:00.000+10:00

Quite a bit has been happening with our Outpost and I'm trying to catch everyone up. I've posted a small album at Picasa. Please click the title of this post and follow the link to see a few photos of what we've been doing.!

She Dasn't Like The New Outfit

2007-05-14T00:43:00.000+10:00

A new outfit? Nobody asked me about this!

Hmmmm....nope...not likin' it.

....And there's a hat? You know I hate hats!

Just shoot me!

Just kidding. Time to do my little turn on the catwalk. Yeah, the catwalk.

Click the post title and follow the link to see an album of Kaydence's cute faces!

New Chimichanga

2007-05-14T00:35:00.000+10:00

Proud Mom Crystal and Papa Mark with our new Chimichanga, Kaydence!

Congratulations, Josh and Mileng!

2006-12-26T15:04:00.000+10:00

Our Nephew Josh and Niece Mileng were wedded recently. Congratulations!

William was the Ring Bearer and was very careful in carrying out this big responsibility.

Alee, Dustin and Tysha. Alee and Tysha were Flower Girls and Dustin was the Coin Bearer. They all did a fine job!

Recent Saipan Salvation Army Youth Activities

2006-12-04T01:10:00.003+10:00

We've had several outings with our youth since the last post. They've had a trip to the zoo, countless beach barbecues and a day at the water park. Here are some shots from the water park.

R.J. blasting down the water slide. He likes to make big splashes.

Libby used an infatable vest and had a great time kicking around.

Dustin preferred the body boards.

Kobe zipping down the water slide.

Saipan Salvation Army Meeting October 8, 2006

2006-10-08T21:35:00.001+10:00

We have two Youth Fellowships each week. They begin on Friday night and run pretty much through Sunday evening. If there's a long weekend, they run through Monday nights. Some kids come for a few hours, some for the long haul. We all have a great time. We study, play and do various activities. They like to cook a lot and this weekend, they wanted to make spaghetti with alfredo sauce and caramel popcorn. After making the alfredo sauce, the kids decided that spaghetti is boring so they decided to have macaroni alfredo instead. Devan came and although he didn't want to get involved in the cooking activities, he was an avid participant in a lot of other stuff.

At first, he didn't want to get out of the van. He wanted to spend the night in it. He dragged out the infamous tent and when dinner time came, he didn't want to come out. Annie fed him through the side window. The kids later began calling the tent the "technology tent" because there was a portable fan inside.

He wanted to play MarioKart but it was too complicated for his age. The other kids gave him an unconnected controller and he was convinced he was playing. He thought he won every race and would leap up and do a victory dance. "Suckers! You lose-you lose! I win!"

He played Uno, too. He played with Annie but we forgot that he's learning his colors. He called out the color of each card dealt, which for all you non-Uno players means that we knew what their cards were. He also had an interesting way of holding his cards. Despite all this, they won quite a few games.

This fellow doesn't mess around when he gets sleepy. He zonks out quickly, as if there's a sleep switch somewhere.

October 1, 2006 Saipan Salvation Army Meeting

2006-10-01T23:29:00.001+10:00

Today we continued our study of the the life of Joseph, covering chapters 39-40.

We are careful to point out that this is not a story about a coat of many colors but about God and His sovereignty. If you have been studying along with us, you will probably remember that God had revealed to Abraham many years earlier, that the children of Israel would at some point go into Egypt and be oppressed there for more than 400 years.

The account of Joseph is primarily about God making provision for the children of Israel by sending them into Egypt to escape a terrible famine. As we study it, we can see God orchestrating events as He pleases. Although we are not told much about what Joseph’s thoughts were, we can easily imagine how crushed he was by the betrayal of his brothers and at having been imprisoned again because of false accusations.

However; God is sovereign and was in control of Joseph’s life every step of the way. There is much to learn from this account but the purpose of this blog is not for me to preach a lot, so I will now step down off the soap box, lol.

Rosie celebrated a Birthday this week. We had a hoe-down for her at Neng's. There were a lot of folks there but our little camera has a small lens, so I could only capture of few of them singing "Happy Birthday". HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSIE!!!

After Sunday School, Dustin and William lined up the chairs and made a train. They sang "choo choo" a lot.

After the train thang, Dustin played his favorite Superhero for a while. Up, up in the sky...it's a bird...it's a plane....

September 24, 2006 Saipan Salvation Army Meeting

2006-09-25T00:21:00.001+10:00

Today, we began our study of the life of Jacob's son Joseph in Genesis, chapter 37. There are many important spiritual lessons to be learned in studying the life of Joseph and there are also many practical lessons, as well. Anyone who is or aspires to be in a supervisory, management or administrative role should undertake a study of him.

Rie has been working on her clapping skills. Her Dad Bob explains that she has a portfolio of claps. There's the general clap of happiness/excitement, an attention-getting clap and even an angry clap. We've also noticed a warning clap, which is what she gives when she wants...er, demands...to be picked up. You get the angry clap if you make the mistake of putting her down....she doesn't like that. You grow girl!

After our fellowship meal, someone made bishu ("bee - shoo"). It can be made with various ingredients and our kids usually use a powdered soup base that contains tamarind, which is somewhat sour. They add tabasco or other hot pepper sauce to it and sometimes unsweetened Kool Aid or other powdered drink mix for an extra measure of sourness. The result is a powdery mix that is both very sour and spicy hot. They dip raw veggies into it and it's always a big hit. Here is a group diving into it.

Momma Nanny

2006-09-19T20:02:00.001+10:00

Having a House Church presents special challenges. To say that Annie's weekends are frantic would be a good start. She dearly loves ALL children and no matter how busy she is, she makes time to show them a lot of affection. Of course, the kids love her in return and always seek attention from "Momma Nanny" (they can't seem to say Momma Annie).

Eh? What's this? Someone's getting attention from Momma Nanny?

Time to que up! Annie was so busy that she didn't even notice that photos were being taken.

Of all the memories I will have of Annie, the most vivid will always be those of her with all our little Sunday School kids gathered around her.

Fishing Fellowship

2006-09-17T22:04:00.001+10:00

A nice late-day shot of Annie and William fishing. William loves to fish and has his own special rig. This pic brings a lump to my throat because it says a lot about Annie and her love for kids. William's Mom Miling took these photos with a simple cell phone camera. Is she good or what?

One of the ships just off shore. There are always several boats around and they're great neighbors. They even put up lights during the Christmas season!

Another great shot of Annie and William.

Hawgs

2006-09-07T09:25:00.001+10:00

We keep Youth Fellowship as intersting as possible and the kids sometimes like to go fishing. Naomi bagged a Grouper and a couple of small Mafuti (in the plate).

Kayla bagged a buncha red fish of some sort. She's holding her hawg here. "Fight Roni" is a big deal in Japan (from whence her shirt) but I'm clueless about what/who Roni is.

We're hoping to do a puppet ministry but don't have performance type puppets. Kayla and Naiomi found some toy stuff lying around at home and put some skits together for the toddlers. In this shot, they're leading the kids in a song. They were a HUGE hit. The kids got really excited and kept rushing the "stage".

Behind the scenes action. I was tossed out for not being in possession of a back-stage pass.

Major Hudson Returns!

2006-08-16T21:29:00.001+10:00

Our Divisional Commander, Major David Hudson, visited us again recently. This time Major Sharon Hudson was able to accompany him, along with Major Brian Saunders, the new Guam Corps Officer.

With Annie on the long stairway to the last Japanese Command Post from WWII. It's a long way up and down!

Major Saunders checked out the entrance to the command post but didn't go in because of several inches of water on the floor from recent heavy rains.

2006-07-17T00:40:00.000+10:00

July is a big Birthday month in our congregation and family. We had 3 birthdays this weekend and several more in the upcoming week. About 12 total!

We took a pause today in our continuing series in Genesis, for a sermon on the basics - faith. Our usual fellowship followed, then off to Neng's to celebrate Carmen's birthday. Couldn't get the captions to line up properly with the photos....aargh!

Bob and Taisha celebrated their Birthdays yesterday. Here they are, holding the cards our Youth Fellowship made for them.

Carmen with her custom card.

This week's Saturday Night Youth Fellowship group (from the front and proceeding left): E.J., Marica, Anjerika, Banzai Dana, Kayla, Naiomi.

ChewBang being ChewBang....chewing up a cup!

July 2, 2006 Saipan Salvation Army Meeting

2006-07-02T23:08:00.002+10:00

We continued our study of Genesis today, looking at the life of Isaac. 11 adults, 15 children and 4 cradle roll babies attended. We had our usual fellowship meal together afterwards. Annie and the kids from our Saturday night Youth Fellowship made a really nice soup, which was readily consumed by several of us who have been fighting a flu. Later in the afternoon, I fired up the Islandbillie grill and barbecued some beef and pork steaks for another fellowship gathering. We fellowship a lot!

Rie is now mobile!

ChewBang working on his open-the-door-close-the-door-endlessly skills.

He also made the miraculous discovery that if he tapped a cerain lever, water would come out! Here, he's just biding his time until Annie looks away, so that he can do it again.

William grows more responsible each week. He stacked the Sunday School chairs today.

June 18, 2006 Salvation Army Meeting

2006-06-18T13:41:00.001+10:00

Our message today was from Genesis 25. Abraham passed away and was buried in the cave in Machpelah, with Sarah. We saw God's faithfulness in blessing Isaac and giving him assurance. We saw the birth of Jacob and Esau, and Jacob's attempt to swindle Esau of his spiritual birthright, even though God had already declared it to be Jacob's. Esau readily gave up these important spiritual responsibilities, which included being a type of Priest to the family and the great honor of being head of the chosen line from which Jesus would descend. Esau thought nothing of his spiritual birthright. In fact, he despised it. He thought so little of it that he traded it for something of almost no value - a bowl of stew! Among the things we learned from this chapter is that we must carefully avoid the unbelief of Jacob and the flippancy of Esau.

Our Niece Rima and Anjerika are home from Hawaii for vacation. We are very close to them and delighted to spend time with them!

Mark intended to pose with Anjerika but several of the kids love him so much that they had to pose with their Uncle Mark.

Quinton had been sitting on the floor and chatting with some of the other kids, when ChewBang wondered over and laid his head on Quinton's arm...and promptly went to sleep. Quinton didn't want to disturb him and valiantly stuck it out until ChewBang woke up.

Josh and his God-Son Escalo. Escalo is cameracentric now and always does his best to pose when he sees a camera. He got so intense that it looked like he would jump through the lens!

June 11, 2006 Meeting. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALEKAI!

2006-06-12T15:58:00.000+10:00

We celebrated Malekai's (ChewBang) first birthday today! He took his first steps at last Saturday night's fellowship and is now zooming around with a great deal of energy and zeal. He can be seen here clapping as we sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

He enjoyed his birthday cake but was especially taken with the ice cream cones.

Willam and his Grandpa Frank. Frank noted that William licks his ice cream cones quickly, like a lizard.

It was a long weekend for our birthday boy. He and I slapped congas together on Saturday night. The "bang" part of his nickname "ChewBang" is well-deserved. When he got bored later, I taught him some simple rhythms and we slapped them together on the kitchen table. He did them perfectly...at barely a year old! He pooped out after cake and ice cream on Sunday and I had to get this shot. He had his hands on a bag of birthday party goodies and had also found a purse. He was probably going to empty the purse and put it all back in....he spends a lot of time emptying stuff out - whatever he can find - and then putting it back in...over and over.

June 11, 2006 Meeting - Message Summary

2006-06-11T21:31:00.000+10:00

Our area of study today was Genesis 24. This is a very rich chapter and just as chapter 22 pointed forward to Christ, so does this chapter. It gives us pictures of God the Father, God the Son and especially God the Holy Spirit. If you are following along with our study, please see a brief summary of this below.

Abraham
· Abraham was a picture of God the Father, in that God the Father makes a marriage between His son Jesus and Christians (the Church), just as Abraham made the marriage between his son Isaac and Rebekah.

· Abraham demanded that Isaac not intermarry with the sinful Canaanites, just as God demands that Christians keep themselves separated from sin.

· Another important lesson here is that Christians should not marry spouses who are not Christians. Such a marriage will be greatly stressed and may not succeed.

The Chief Servant
The chief servant was a picture of the Holy Spirit in several ways.

· He did not speak of himself but of his master, just as the Holy Spirit speaks not of Himself but of God the Father and God the Son (Jesus).
· He called out the Bride (Rebekah), just as the Holy Spirit calls out the Church (Christians) to be the Bride of Christ.
· He brought the Bride to the Bridegroom, just as the Holy Spirit brings us to Christ. Please note that it is the Holy Spirit who brings us to Christ. Men may preach the gospel or witness to us but only the Holy Spirit brings us to Christ (salvation).
· He gave gifts to the Bride, as he saw fit, just as the Holy Spirit gives gifts to all believers (Christians), as He sees fit.

Isaac
Isaac was a picture of Christ (Jesus) in several ways.

· His Bride was called out by the servant, just as the Holy Spirit calls out sinners to become Christians – and therefore, the Bride of Christ.
· He went out to meet his Bride and took her to his late Mother’s tent, which was the place that Isaac’s Father (Abraham) had prepared for them. On the day decided upon by the Father, Jesus will take the Church (Christians) to dwell in the place prepared by His Father (heaven).

Rebekah
Rebekah was the picture of the Church (Christians) in that:

· She was called out by someone to become betrothed, just as we are called out by the Holy Spirit to become betrothed to Christ (to be saved or to become a Christian).
- She stepped out in faith and agreed to become betrothed to someone she had never seen, just as we step out in faith and agree to become betrothed to Christ, although we have never seen Him.

June 3, 2006 Meeting Photos

2006-06-06T21:56:00.002+10:00

Alee and William are best buds. Alee waits for him every Sunday and pounces on him when he comes through the door. It looks like a wrestling match but it's a hug fest.

Escalo was energetic today. He wanted to hang out with Annie and be taken with her, wherever she went. She played puppets with him after Sunday School. Turned out that he was a mite frightened of puppet reindeer.

Bob took his turn at passing out Bibles from the Bible basket.

Liberty noshed on tuna sandwiches, pork and beans and fresh carrots. She also did very well in Sunday School, especially with her coloring page.

Sermon Notes Experiment

2006-06-04T14:34:00.001+10:00

Some of the readers of this blog want to know more about what we study, in order to follow along. Some are also curious as to what sort of messages are given when planting a Church. So, I'm trying an experiment today. This post consists mainly of my sermon notes from today's message. Some of the bullets/numbering did not come through when pasted from the Word file on which I had the notes - sorry - I don't know how to fix that. If you want to follow along with us in the future, just send a comment with your email address and I'll forward our sermon notes to you!

As you study Genesis 22 on your own, please remember that this is just one example of the gospel being presented in the Old Testament. This was not only a test for Abraham and Isaac but was also God giving the gospel to them. If you are a new Christian, please don't neglect the Old Testament. Study it as much as you do the New Testament and never make the mistake of thinking that the Old Testament has little to say about Jesus or the gospel. In fact, the Old Testament if full of the gospel message and is primarily about Jesus! Please also remember that one can have only a very shallow understanding of the New Testament, if one does not understand the Old Testament. Please contact us, if we can be of any assistance to you! (Do so by leaving comments, which then come to us by email - we will NOT post them or make them public, of course).

Abraham’s Final Test/God Presents The Gospel
Genesis 22

As we have progressed through the book of Genesis we have seen many themes.

As touching God, we have seen the incredible long suffering of God, His great love, His great kindnesses, His great faithfulness and many other wonderful things about Him.

As touching man, we have seen our incredible wickedness, our total depravity, our inability to repent (stop sinning), our absolute refusal to obey God or listen to His counsel and many other awful things about mankind.

We have seen the beginnings of God’s plan to provide a way to be saved, after the fall of Adam and Eve doomed us all to eternal separation from Him.

We have seen that His plan was to set aside a chosen people and that eventually, Jesus would be born from the lineage of those chosen people (Jews/Hebrews/Israelites).

We have seen that God chose Abraham to be the Father of the chosen people and thus, the Messiah (Jesus).

Last week as we studied the birth of Isaac, I pointed out that some Bible scholars believe that God would not allow Abraham and Sarah to have His blessing (the child of promise – Isaac) until the sin in their lives had been addressed.

Although we didn’t spend a lot of time talking about it, God also tested Abraham 4 times. They were:

Leaving the land of his relatives (obeying God, not knowing where he was going).
Having to separate from his Nephew Lot.
Losing his son Ishmael (Isaac was the chosen line).
Being obedient to the point of having to give up his son Isaac…the subject of today’s message, found in chapter 22.

First, we should define what is meant by “test” here. The Bible does not seem to mean the kind of test in which God doesn’t know the outcome (impossible, because God is omniscient, although His immutability could perhaps come into play).

Rather, it seems what God is doing is refining and proving Abraham. Perhaps a good way to understand more about it, is the way in which gold is “tested”. In refining gold, the smelter (?) will often refine the gold by melting it many times, in order to rid it of impurities…in other words, he “tests” it. He isn’t trying to find anything out about the gold; he’s simply refining it and proving its purity.

Today, we are going to see Abraham’s final test by God. God will not be testing Abraham to see how he will react but as part of His refining of Abraham. We should also remember that Isaac, too, had a test (trust and obedience).

Not only is chapter 22 the account of Abraham’s final test but it is also a presentation of the gospel!

Even having read the material many times, having had Sunday School lessons, Bible stories and sermons about this account, many folks don’t notice this.

Many also don’t notice Isaac’s age when this occurred. Bible stories and Sunday School lessons often have pictures of Isaac portrayed as a young boy but we can tell by comparing Abraham’s ages listed in other chapters, that Isaac is at least 30, perhaps as old as 33.

As the chapter opens, we see God ordering Abraham to take Isaac to the land of Moriah and to offer him there as a burnt offering.

It is very, VERY important that we pause here to point out that God would never order you or I to kill anyone as a sacrifice. God had no intention of having Abraham actually carry out the act of killing and sacrificing Isaac. God knew what the outcome would be.

Abraham simply obeyed God.

The Bible does not tell us what was going through Abraham’s mind but it must have crushed him to have to lose his beloved son Isaac, the child of promise. After having been through all the things he had to suffer, to be blessed with such an important son – only to have to see his life given up!

Note in verse 4, that it took 3 days for Abraham, Isaac and their servants to reach Moriah. That means that Abraham had to think about all this for 3 days! That was plenty of time for Abraham to try to come up with a way to save Isaac’s life or to simply choose not to obey God.

We must note that God had matured Abraham’s faith, obedience and belief to the point that Abraham was willing to obey Him.

Perhaps it is better if I simply summarize Abraham’s actions briefly, then spend the remainder of our time together to point out how all this presented the gospel. We need not go into the genealogies given in the final verses of this chapter.

We see from the rest of the chapter that Abraham, knife in hand, was about to kill Isaac; God told him not to do it and provided a ram for the sacrifice.

In verse 12, we see that Abraham had been willing to not even hold back his beloved son. He loved God so much that he would have obeyed by killing his own son and offering him up as a sacrifice, in order to please God!

This shows us how much spiritual maturity that God had given to Abraham over the years. There was no righteousness in Abraham that was of his own doing. Only God could grant him that kind of righteousness. It is the same with Christians. Only God can give us righteousness.

At this point, I’d like to talk about how God presented the gospel here. He did this by using types and ways of pointing forward to Christ.

Abraham is a type of God the Father here, in not holding back even his beloved son and being willing to offer him up as a sacrifice.

God the Father did not hold back His only son Jesus but allowed Him to be killed and offered up as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Isaac is a type of Christ here, in that:

a) He was the only and beloved son (as Ishmael was not the child of promise and was not born of Sarah).
b) He was innocent and it would have not been just, had he been killed.
c) He nonetheless obeyed his Father, and was willing to be sacrificed.

· Jesus is the only and beloved son of God the Father.
· Jesus was totally innocent and it was not just that he was crucified.
· He nonetheless obeyed His Father and was actually killed and sacrificed, that anyone who would come to Him could be saved.

Some things that also pointed forward:

Isaac had to carry the wood to the place where he would have been killed and sacrificed.

· Jesus had to carry his cross to the place where He was actually killed and sacrificed.

The ram that God provided was a substitutionary sacrifice (substituted for Isaac).

· Jesus was a substitutionary sacrifice for all sinners who would come to Him.

Abraham got his son back on the third day. This was a type of the resurrection.

· Jesus was resurrected on the third day.

Isaac was approximately the same age as Jesus, when He was crucified.

The place where Isaac was to be sacrificed was near the place where Jesus was crucified. Many Bible scholars believe it to have been in the same place.

So what have we learned?

We learned that God builds and matures Christians into what He wants them to be.

· Abraham and Sarah were not given their blessing (Isaac) until the sin in their lives had been dealt with.
· God put Abraham through 4 tests as He matured Abraham spiritually.

We learned that only God can cause spiritual growth.

Abraham could never have brought himself into spiritual maturity. He would never have been able to make himself willing to sacrifice his own son!

This is proof that we cannot help ourselves spiritually. Only God can help us.

We learned that God was preparing mankind for the eventual coming of the Messiah (Jesus). He presented the gospel to Abraham and the world in the example of Abraham being called upon to offer his only son for sacrifice.

Naiomi Graduates 8th Grade!

2006-05-28T15:34:00.000+10:00

Our eldest Chimichanga (Granddaughter) Naiomi graduated eighth grade last night. She was very beautiful and mature beyond her years as she came out in her cap and gown. Grandpa was very proud of her and got all teary-eyed.

We had a great Church service today, continuing our study in Genesis at chapters 20-21. Next week, we will be looking at Genesis 22, Abraham's final test. This chapter also presents the gospel...this surpises many who have never noticed (including me, at one point). More comments on that next week!

It was a busy time for Naiomi but she somehow found time to pose. Note her leis. There are many different types of leis and Annie created one with flowers and candy, and one with money (bills woven into creative flower-like shapes).

Naiomi and her Dad Jun and Mom Jackie, after the ceremony.

Saipan is the front door to Asia and there are people from many countries here, including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and China. Naiomi's class honored this rich heritage by presenting the flags of several of these countries. Here, she is carrying the flag of Japan. A student behind her can be seen carrying the Korean flag.

Naiomi and my beloved wife Annie (Nomi's Grandma) got a quick photo before the ceremony started.

May 21, 2006 Meeting. WELCOME RAYVAN!

2006-05-24T17:37:00.000+10:00

Today, we welcomed the newest member of our group, Rayvan. Our cradle roll now numbers four.

Our area of study was Genesis 19 and we concluded the account of Lot. There are many important things taught in Genesis, sin and its effects being one of them. Although Lot was a righteous man, he allowed sin to compromise him when he moved to Sodom. Most Christians follow pretty much the same pattern that Lot did when we get into trouble with sin. Another important thing we see in Genesis is the love, faith and long-suffering of God. We see how He personally encouraged Cain not to sin. We see how long He strove with men before having to destroy them with the great flood. We see His unfailing faithfulness toward Abraham and his great mercy toward Lot and his family, in removing them from Sodom before its destruction.

Next Sunday: The child of promise is born! Genesis 20-21.

Rayvan brought his parents to Ray and Ann Margaret to Church today.

Where would this posting be without a photo of the weekly fun from our Saturday night Youth Fellowship? Our kids work hard to get everything ready and Lina found the night stand more convenient than a ladder, for cleaning. Dunno how she managed to squeeze into that teeny little space!

My sermons continue to keep 'em on the edge of their seats. Bob was especially attentive today.

May 15, 2006 Meeting Of The Saipan Outpost

2006-05-14T23:43:00.001+10:00

We had a nice service today and presented gifts to all the Mothers in our congregation. The younger kids wanted to have a youth fellowship of their own, so we had them over last night. They wanted to make something to surprise their Mothers, so Annie brought out her considerable stash of stamping stuff and they made Mother's Day cards. I tried to get photos of all of them presenting their Moms with their special cards and got all the Moms but not all the kids.

They were so intense at stamping that they couldn't be bothered to look up and smile for pesky would-be photographers.

Rita gave her Mom Sally a big kiss, with her presentation.

.....so did William.

....as did Tysha and Joaquisha.

....yup, they all did. The shot of Devan kissing his Mom didn't turn out but this one was better anyways! Is he a ham or what?

Saipan Outpost Girls Camp-Out

2006-05-12T19:41:00.002+10:00

Last week, Bea invited the girls of our youth fellowship over to her house for a backyard camp-out. They had a blast!

Someone got an artsy night shot of my youngest Chimichanga Kayla roasting marshmallows.

Bea before the "what was I thinking?" phase hit.

My wife Annie. Something isn't perfect in this tent and she aims to fix it.

May 8, 2006 Meeting of the Saipan Outpost

2006-05-08T00:55:00.001+10:00

We had a great Church service today. 15 adults and 18 kids attended. We are using a chronological teaching of the Bible approach and have covered quite a bit of material since our first meeting.

Today's sermon covered God's appearance to Abraham and Sarah to announce that Isaac's birth would occur soon and Abraham's intercession for the the small number of righteous people of Sodom, as found in the 18th and 19th chapters of Genesis. The subject of intercessory prayer resulted in some discussion of prayer and I promised the congregation to bring a message about it soon.

All of our congregation now have Bibles and study the material at home. Several are reading ahead and Tisha shared with us today that she was very moved when she read the account of Abraham being willing to obey God by sacrificing Isaac, part of God's test found in Genesis 22.

After our fellowship meal, we had a beach outting.

The intervening time between the end of Sunday School and the serving of our fellowship meal is "go bonkers" time for the kids. Liberty used some of this time to get a ride on her brother R.J.'s back. She didn't even use a saddle!

Today is our oldest son's Birthday. After Church, Annie, Bea and the girls made a really nice Birthday dinner for Jun. Bea had enough self control not to eat the crab as it came out of the pot. Can't say as much for some of the other Cooks.

Our Nephew Evan and Niece Christine supplied the yummy spanner crabs that we all love so much. Thanks, guys!

Happy Birthday Alee!

2006-04-30T21:00:00.000+10:00

Today was a very special day. After Sunday School, we celebrated Alee's Birthday. She turned 3 today. Happy Birthday, Alee!

Alee posed with her Mom Ann Margaret, her Dad Ray and her little sister Lica.

We wanted something special and creative for Alee's Birthday cake and after some thought, Annie decided to try a cake made of cupcakes. She placed them together and iced them, so that they were a single cake of sorts, with faces. Everyone liked the idea and it appears that the cake o' cupcakes might become a tradition here at the Saipan Outpost!

There were party favors but they didn't last long. William managed to hold his together longer than most. Note that he has juice close at hand!

As always, there was plenty of food, including my fabulous teriyaki chicken. Our middle son Mark taught me how to make it and now I've become a Teriyaki makin' fiend!

April 23, 2006 Meeting

2006-04-24T08:17:00.001+10:00

Our special visitors today were Quinton and Liberty. They're sweet kids!

Alee sported nifty sunglasses today. She didn't wanna take them off. The snack of the day was bannana pudding. The kids wanted it in cups.

Sally and her daughters Rita and Ree paused for a photo. Ree is a very quiet baby and loves to play with her sister. I'm her favorite Uncle, of course.

We played "Bible Jeopardy" today, which is our way of reviewing about a month's worth of material. My eldest Granddaughter Naiomi is always our "Scribe". She has a lot of other responsibilities and does a splendid job!

Joel is a serious student and used the time before our Church services started, to get in a few extra minutes of cramming. He and the other Amigos are smart and talented. They have bright futures.

Finding Nemo Continued

2006-04-18T19:07:00.001+10:00

...Continued from the posting below. This shark was lying on a ledge. According to the documentaries I've seen, sharks do not have to be moving all the time. They can rest and sleep. Some of the staff at Underwater World thought this one was beginning to deliver (some sharks have live young, while a few lay eggs).

Nemo found! The cartoon Nemo was patterened after a Clown Fish. This one is nosing around its Anemone. The relationship between Clown Fish and Anemone is symbiotic. Clown Fish use Anemones for protection and in return, clean their host and provide other services. Most Anemones have stinging cells and other fish touching them will be stung to death and eaten. Clown Fish are thought to have a special mucous coating that render them immune to the Anemone's poison. If you are thinking of adding Clown Fish with anemones to your marine aquarium, it is best to purchase both at the same time and ensure that they have a relationship. If you get them at different times, your Clown Fish might not recognize or accept the Anemone.

Finding Nemo

2006-04-18T18:28:00.001+10:00

Several of our Outpost congregation traveled to Guam recently. William wanted to find Nemo, so they all went to Underwater World. Hmmm...I could only get 5 photos on this posting, so I'll have to put Nemo in a subsequent posting, above.

While in Guam, they all went to Funtastic Park in the Micronesia Mall. William spent a lot of time on the rides and is seen here waving from the carousel.

A good shot of a Lion Fish. These make great aquarium specimens but sometimes go blind, if the lights are too bright. They have venom in their spines that is lethal to other fish and very painful to humans. Those who are allergic may die if stuck. Always be careful around these and never touch them. They also have stinging cells on their fins. Lion Fish are carnivores and only eat live food. Small goldfish are good food for them, if you are thinking of adding them to your marine aquarium.

A really good shot of an Octapus that was crawling on the tank glass. It isn't an albino. It is frightened. They (and some fish) fade out when frightened or stressed.

Most of these fish appear to be Tangs and/or Surgeon Fish. They were feeding.

They have several nice eel specimens at Underwater World. This one was peeking out from behind cover.

April 9, 2006 meeting

2006-04-11T19:47:00.000+10:00

Taisha wanted a photo op today. She was in an especially good mood and had a great time in her Sunday School class.

As I came in from picking up the bus route, I found these guys gathered around the copier. Turns out that they were taking turns removing the printed sheets as they emerged and were getting impatient in waiting. I figured I'd have to referee but they handled it well. Our kids can make a game out of anything....

....as they demonstrated later, with their coloring pages from Sunday School class. They discovered that they could skate with them and turned the living room into a rink.

Mothers seeing this photo will instantly know what Lica is really up to in this shot. I didn't notice until my wife pointed it out. I had thought she was just using the chair to help her stand, as she is just beginning to toddle. I'm chuckling now, wondering how many guys won't be able to figure it out and will have to ask their wives to decrypt it.

Special Visitors

2006-04-06T17:53:00.001+10:00

We were thrilled to have special visitors today. They were: Major Dave Hudson, Divisional Commander of our Hawaii and Pacific Islands Division and Majors Dave and Linda Harmon of the Guam Corps. We began our day with breakfast at Coffee Care, a local Restaurant with a beautiful ocean view. From the left: Major Hudson, Major Linda Harmon, my wife Annie and Major Dave Harmon.

We took them to Bonzai Cliff, which is infamous for incidents occuring there in World War II. That will be the subject of future posts.

We also visited the last Japanese Command Post from the Japanese occupation of Saipan in World War II. There's an old tank there that's falling apart but enough is left to give some idea of how Japanese tanks of that era looked.

Here they are at the back exit. The ceiling is really low in the front and this is the only place in the Command Post where most people can stand up. Click to enlarge.

Early Easter Egg Hunt

2006-04-02T20:29:00.001+10:00

We adult types had discussed having our Church Easter egg hunt a week early this year, so as not to conflict with the kids families' egg hunts. The Munchkin Mafia (2-5) must have overheard and they got it into their heads that they would be hunting eggs today and there was no convincing them otherwise, so now you know why it was early. Besides...who could look into all these cute faces and tell them no?

We had our fellowship at the top of a sloping beach. This is a view. Most of Saipan is enclosed by coral reefs. That's why you don't see any waves. The reefs act as a barrier and the waves that wash over them are pretty much spent by the time they reach shore, unless the reef is close or the tides are unusually high. You can see some small ones coming in over the top of the reef, in the upper left.

Devan didn't create cryptic lyrics today. He lives on Guam but visits us every now and then. He's pictured here with his Gradma Doll (some refer to her by her actual name "Deloris") and his Sunday School Teacher Bea.

Escalo had a keen eye for hidden eggs but preffered the small candy ones for munching. His Mom Christine handled the feeding chores.

Dustin was quite successful and was proud to show off the booty.

One of Devan's eggs had a toy camera inside. He spent a lot of time playing photographer. In this shot, he had his finger over the lense.....Doh!

Early Easter Egg Hunt...Continued

2006-04-02T16:41:00.001+10:00

Feneca found a bunch. She's a bit camera shy but wanted to pose with her Mom Jessica and Dad Jeffrey.

Lica found a bunch of eggs but seemed to favor the yellow one with candy inside. She also got a ride on her Dad Ray's shoulders.

We ate, of course. Annie and our ladies cooked a turkey and a huge amount of spaghetti. William liked the spaghetti!

We make things interesting for the kids with "money eggs". Alee found the silver egg, which pays $5.00. William found the gold egg, which is big prize and pays $10.00. They're posing with their eggs and loot, although the wind blew William's bill flat and it's hard to see. Alee seemed to be suddenly distracted by the color of the gold egg.

Feneca cleaned house on the single dollar eggs. Looks like she might have been the day's big money winner! She and her Mom Jessica show off her takings.

2/26/06 Meeting

2006-03-03T09:41:00.000+10:00

William's nickname is "Noggin" because he likes to do stuff with his head...like stand flat-footed and rest it on the floor.

Backpacks are THE big accessory for our 2-5 year old set. They dasn't take 'em off. We've learned that they think Sunday School is the same type of school their older siblings attend. They can't be convinced otherwise. They even do "homework" at home sometimes, although they have not a clue what it is.

Marica was in Islandbillie attire. The Islandbillie look is an island person in overalls or a Hillbillie in island attire.

William, Alee and Tysha wanted a photo op but Tysha got distracted and lost interest. Alee is holding one of the gifts that Bea gave all the kids. William is panicking. He's paranoid that Alee will bump him and cause him to spill his drink. He drinks a lot of juice and when he wants something to drink he asks for "apoo" which means apple juice but applies in his mind to all beverages.

G'head....Guess!

2006-02-21T16:48:00.000+10:00

Can you guess what these are?

They look like grotesque space alien paws or some junk but they're wild yams that grow in the boonies here. They have white flesh and taste a lot like the regular white potatos that we have in the mainland. They have a rough exterior, with a very course layer of abrasive, hair-like fibers. Peeling them is a chore and it's best to wear gloves, because they'll tear up your skin. To my taste, they have a smoother, silkier texture than regular potatos. I'm quite fond of them!

2006-02-19T14:22:00.000+10:00

Bonzai Dana joined us today. It wouldn't be accurate to refer to her as a visitor because she's our Niece. She lives in a different part of the island but drops by whenever she's in our neck of the woods. I gave her the nickname Bonzai when she was younger, due to her enthusiastic demeanor. Her cool nickname would be great for a restaurant or similar business and "Dana Bonzai's" works as well as "Bonzai Dana's".

The younger Sunday School kids wanted to sing to the adults today and chose "Jesus Loves Me". Annie (not in frame) led them through the hand movements as they sang. Our kids love to sing!

They also decided to sticker up their Sunday School Teachers and plastered a couple on Annie's cheek. She was busy getting snacks ready when I noticed and took this shot.

Annie, Lani and Lena of our youth group made bannana lumpia for our fellowship today. We break tradition a mite by rolling some of them in sugar and cinnamon. Guess who came up with that idea?

Clayanna and Clayton brought drinks to share with all their Sunday School Buds. Clayton and the older kids want to become Junior Soldiers, so we're planning an enrollment ceremony for them. Thank you, Clayanna and Clayton!

Home League Takes Triggerfish

2006-02-18T21:33:00.001+10:00

Our Home League ladies had another fishing fellowship today. They've been several times and are pretty lucky, usually catching several. Today, they caught two Picasso Triggerfish. Our ladies prize these, as they like them best of all fish, when grilled or sashimied.

I used to keep saltwater aquariums in the mainland and would have paid about $35.00 for one this size fifteen years ago. They're probably a lot more expensive now. It makes me cringe to see them eaten.

Triggerfish are so named because of a trigger-shaped bone on the very bottom of their bodies. I forgot to deploy the trigger of this one for the camera.

A word of caution about Triggerfish. There are many kinds and most of them will swim right up to you, if you are diving or swimming. They are very bold but totally unpredictable. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they are docile...but they most definitely are not. Although their mouths are small, they have lots of large, strong teeth and can move with amazing speed. They're very tenacious when they attack and tend to bite repeatedly and not give up easily. They will get in a large number of severe bites before you realize what's happening. Always be cautious around Triggers!

February, 12 2006 Meeting

2006-02-12T15:04:00.001+10:00

Our special visitors today were (from the left) Luanne, Flor and Ronian, and Lec Lec (in the front). They were hosted by our regular members Rita and her mom Sally (on the right). Welcome to our group!

Naive types like me consider that black thing to be a castinet but Ronian knew it was really a baby rattle.

Annie and I were in Guam for a day and I impulsively bought some congas and bongos that were on sale. Those who know me are probably rolling their eyes, because I did this with two other instruments in the past couple of years and didn't really enjoy learning to play them. Methinks I'll enjoy getting back into drumming....and both "Congabillie" and "Bongobillie" are great nicknames, huh?

Justin, who is also a drummer, stepped up to the plate and managed to play along with our congregational song. Neither Justin nor I are hand drummers but we're confident that we'll make the adaptation.

The 3 Amigos, who are our musicians, find it more comfortable to play while sitting on the floor.

Annie led the singing and had to sit down to see the music. Dustin saw that as an opportunity for a piggyback ride, for some reason.

Amanda made it to Youth Fellowship last night. She and her Dad are excellent guitarists and I caught Amanda playing a tune or two for the group. We don't have a guitarist, so Amanda is about to learn all about the word "draft".

Our dear friend Bea and Chewbang. Bea is a tremendous help to us. She has jumped into the trenches with us and works very hard. She attends another Church but leaves services in time to teach our childrens Sunday School class. We haven't figured out how she fits all this into her schedule but she seems to manage, somehow. We appreciate you, Bea!

Newbies

2006-02-05T20:55:00.001+10:00

We were happy to have a couple of new kids join us for today's services. Clayana and Clayton (from the left) had a great time with us and will be coming back next week.

They posed with Dustin and Marica just before they all jumped into the van for an afternoon beach outing.

Dustin has been confused for 3 weeks now. While his Sunday School Teacher was teaching a class on Adam and Eve's temptation, Dustin yelled out that he wanted dibs on being the serpent. He doesn't seem to care that there's no play. He just wants to be a serpent and runs around hissing like a snake and scaring the younger kids. He's in sore need of repentance!

Home League Activities

2006-02-01T21:17:00.002+10:00

We have several Womens' Ministries in The Salvation Army. One of them is called Home League. Our Home League has met several times. They do a lot of cooking classes and have had a couple of flower arranging classes. Here's an example of a valence and silk flower arrangement they created.

Today, some of them got together for a fishing fellowship. They did pretty well, bringing home six fish. William seems fascinated with his fingers, for some reason.

After the fishing fellowship, William hung out with us while his parents were off at play practice. He chose "i preem" (ice cream) for dessert and the usual cuteness ensued. Good thing the camera batteries still had a little life in 'em!

Sticker Madness

2006-01-29T18:44:00.001+10:00

Sometimes the kids want to wear their stickers in...uh...different ways. A lot of the kids had them either in their hair or on their foreheads after Sunday School today. William ended up wearing a fish sticker on his forehead and posed with it and his fruit snack.

Surely you didn't think Dustin would miss out on a photo op! He was trying to show off his coloring page but his choice of sticker placement was more interesting.

Last night after Youth Fellowship Naiomi, Lina and Lani made sandwiches for today's after-service fellowship. Looks like Lena got a head start on munching!

Joel and Joey provided special music today. We forgot to put Joel's keyboard on a table or stand so he just played it on the floor, which is the way he usually practices. These guys are really good Musicians!

Tuckered Out

2006-01-22T00:03:00.001+10:00

I know what you're thinking...but you're wrong. Although this would be a common reaction to one of my sermons, it's only Saturday night and Justin was just all tuckered out.

Five kids (the 3 Amigos and our 2 Chimichangas) spend Saturday nights with us and have a youth fellowship, after which they help us prepare for Sunday services. They work pretty hard.

Justin zonked out as soon as he walked in tonight and missed everything. He couldn't even be convinced to wake up and have pizza or ice cream.

Must be nice to be so young and able to sleep in contorted positions like that!

Birthiversary

2006-01-15T23:50:00.001+10:00

Today was our Birthiversary....or Annibirthary, if you prefer. Annie and I married on her Birthday, you see.

Annie's family gets together every Sunday at Nang's and as many other times during the week as anyone can dream up a reason for. Birthdays and important dates are a big deal to everyone and they celebrate in a big way. Today, the family surprised us with two celebrations and we're really flattered and grateful.

Two of Annie's sisters came to Church and brought a Birthiversary cake and a big meal for the congregation. An hour later, we were at Nang's cutting another cake and having another Birthiversary celebration. The little kids were keen on scarfing cake!

There were THREE Birthiversary cakes and two dinners...and there will be another celebration tomorrow night at a friend's house. Did I mention that people on Saipan like to celebrate?

Terry and Alex presented us with a wonderful scale model of the Victory. We're giving it a prominent place in our living room. Thanks, Alex and Terry!

Preparing For Church

2006-01-14T23:14:00.004+10:00

Saturday is a busy day at our house. It's our final push day to get ready for Church and lots of people get involved. After preparing all the craft supplies and tidying up the classroom, Naiomi, Kayla and Marica are squeezing tangerines to make tanger-ade for our Sunday School kids.

A Day At The Water Park

2006-01-12T23:33:00.002+10:00

Our Granddaughters and some of our Nephews recently went to the Pacific Island Club, one of the really nice resort hotels we have in Saipan. The P.I.C. has a beautiful water park that you must see if you ever visit Saipan. The Chimichangas really enjoyed the waterfall.

Dustin and William - the happiest baby on earth - drying out. I suspect that William was lured out of the water by the snacks. He loves to eat!

Somebody must have slipped the Chimichangas a sedative, in order to slow them down long enough for a not-yet-in-the-water photo. They go ballistic when they get to go swimming.

3 Amigos

2006-01-08T22:01:00.001+10:00

Christine and Escalo posed for Escalo's Uncle, who is on active duty across the pond and has not yet seen him.

The Three Amigos (Joel, Justin and Joseph) are going to be providing music for us in the future. One plays the violin, another the keyboard and the third plays drums.

The Three Amigos also helped out with the Cradle Roll kids. Dustin (in the red shorts) is too old to be in Cradle Roll but is too much of a ham to miss a photo op.

Third Meeting

2006-01-08T21:41:00.002+10:00

Daisy and I practiced waving. Not sure what happened to my ring finger. Musta been an attack of old age. Looks like I need more practice.

After Sunday School, Annie's kids came out and seranaded the adults and older kids with the song they had learned - "Jesus Loves Me". Then they showed off the pages they colored.

Lica (pronouced "Leeka") responded enthusiastically to my sermon.

Hazard Mitigation

2006-01-06T17:31:00.003+10:00

We have a small construction project.

Today was the day the concrete footers were poured.

Looks like a lotta high tech equipment has come into vogue since I spent a Summer as a Construction Laborer, long before dinosaurs became extinct.

Due to all the typhoons and earthquakes we get here, 100% concrete construction (including roofs) is a must.

After the blocks are laid, each hole will be filled with concrete. The result is a really strong structure that stands up better to typhoons and high winds.

We had ELEVEN typhoons in the region last year. We were lucky, in that only two of them struck Saipan.

Walmart Makes Her Belly Belly Happy!

2006-01-04T23:31:00.001+10:00

Being new to Saipan and unable to find just the right thing for my Wife's Christmas gift, I tried Walmart online.

They got it here as quickly as they would have in the mainland and we were very satisfied with the order.

I had thrown her off track with an "it doesn't use gasoline as a fuel" line.

Surprise! It doesn't use batteries!

'Risa's Art Work

2006-01-03T00:08:00.001+10:00

Our Niece 'Risa in Kentucky sent us some of her special art work.

Can you guess what it is?

It's an ELEPHANT, of course!

'Risa also picked out a new Kia van for her family the other day.

She chose a gold color and is thinking of allowing her Dad to drive it to work sometimes.

Yet More New Year Stuff

2006-01-01T17:44:00.001+10:00

Loli was happy to be home on semester break.

She wants double peace.

We discovered Liberty (far left) standing in front of the Band area, crying.

Couldn't get her to stop until we took a picture.

Then, she wanted to be in EVERY photo and followed us around, getting into all the shots.

We figured that maybe she wanted one with just her in it and that proved correct.

Here, she's bustin' a modeling move.

Annie used to be a professional model and all the little girls in the family try to mimic her photos. However; we aren't sure where this pose originated. Several of the kids do it when their picture is taken. We know they're "modeling" when they cock their head to the side. Maybe it's a Bratz thing..they're all obssessed with Bratz. Cute!

More New Year Photos

2006-01-01T15:31:00.001+10:00

For some reason, I didn't get many food photos.

This is tuna sashimi. The stuff on the left is a bowl of soy sauce and some sliced limes.

They squeeze the lime juice into the soy sauce and dip the sashimi in it.

I can't eat sashimi and will never know how it tastes. It's a textural thang...too squishy!

William - the happiest baby on earth - and Nadia.

William felt compelled to show the world that he was eating candy (or something red).

Nang and Marica struck a pose.

Some of the teenie boppers played Mexican Train.

This is a very popular game in our family and someone gave Annie a talking version of it for Christmas.

Big hit!

New Year Plant Decorations

2006-01-01T12:04:00.001+10:00

I had never seen this fruit. It's called Pahung ("pah hoong") and each of the knobby-looking things on it bears a nut on the inside.

This one isn't yet ripe. When they ripen, they turn darker and fall off the tree, whereupon they are cut open with a machete and the nuts are taken.

The Pahung isn't seen much these days. Fortunately, several trees are still growing on the family farm.

The plant decorations were really nice.

Adorning this canopy were tangerines, pahung and baby coconuts.

The green thingies with sprigs are a cluster of baby coconuts.

The food tables were decorated with bannana leaves.

I thought they were especially spiffy.

Greeting 2006

2006-01-01T11:44:00.001+10:00

The New Year is the most important holiday to Annie's family. The have a big 3-day celebration that goes on round the clock.

Annie paused in her food coordination duties long enough to pose for a quick photo with Nang (Chamorro for Mother).

A tremendous amount of cooking and food preparation is required and it takes a lot of supplies. A lot of work goes into it.

My eldest Granddaughter Naiomi took this shot of Finica and Rose Annie, two of the ziggity zillion cute kids in our family.

Not Step On White

2005-12-31T00:11:00.001+10:00

When I asked Rita what she was up to recently, she said that she was playing "not step on white". I figured it out quickly (that doesn't happen very often). She was trying to step only on the dark floor tiles.

Trivial observation: We have no white floor tiles - they're light gray.

Note her "who cares what color they are" look.

Escalo, Our Youngest Cradle Roll Baby

2005-12-29T14:09:00.002+10:00

Austin is the youngest member of our Cradle Roll.

Figuring out a good nickname for him was not difficult. Before he was born, all the kids in the family kept demanding to know what his name would be and one day "Escalo" popped into his Mom's head and she told them that as a joke.

In this photo, Escalo is wearing his favorite hat and sporting those hand covers that keep newborns from scratching their faces. He and I were not boxing, I promise you. He'd kill me.

Crypto Lyrica

2005-12-27T21:18:00.001+10:00

Name: Devan
Hobby: Cryptic song lyrics
Goals: Figure out that whole knock knock joke thang

Devan: "Knock knock". Victim: "Who's there?"
Devan: "Knock knock". Victim: "Who's there?"
Devan: "Knock knock". Victim: "Who's there?"
Repeat endlessly.

Latest cryptic lyrics:
Cry-baby Mommy, sleeping in the water.

And:

Hug me.
Kiss me.
Turn around and poo poo.

He's also a very talented Musician and can play several instruments - at once.
Here he is playing a song he wrote this evening. It's untitled at the moment but sounds exactly like the back-up warning on a delivery truck.

Second Meeting

2005-12-26T00:02:00.003+10:00

Lica anchors our Cradle Roll (the Salvation Army term for Nursery) and is learning how to give me the business. Here, she has seized the t.v. remote (and we all know how paranoid we male types get when we lose control of the remote) and is giving me the nyah nyah nyahs.

My beloved wife Annie and Malachi. Malachi is also a member of our Cradle Roll. We're trying to come up with a nickname for him. He's stout and active and tries to do everything at once. He zooms around in his walker, chews a teether and bangs his hands on whatever catches his eye. How does "Chewbang" sound?

Snow Flurries

2005-12-24T01:20:00.001+10:00

Our Niece 'Risa greeting a few flurries of snow in Kentucky. I'm her favorite Uncle, of course.

Greeting snow is really hard work!

First Meeting of the Saipan Outpost

2005-12-18T16:10:00.002+10:00

Today was our very first Church meeting. All the credit belongs to Majors Dave and Linda Harmon, Corps Officers of the Guam Corps and their family. They have poured more than ten years of their lives into the work in Micronesia. They are our Pastors and Mentors and spent a lot of time helping us along. I sat under their leadership for over seven years and remain confident that the work here will be successful, because they trained us so well. The seeds they planted in us are now beginning to bear fruit. Hats off and a big thank you to the entire Harmon family!

2005-12-18T15:45:00.002+10:00

All the kids zoomed around a lot and it was hard to find them still long enough to get photos. If you click to enlarge and look at the youngest ones, you can see that they're all about ready to burst into a spontaneous song. Now, you'd suppose they were gonna sing "Jesus Loves Me" or "I've Got That Joy Down In My Heart", which they'd just learned. But nnnnOOOOOoooo! They started singing "Happy Birthday" to me. We were really baffled at this, as it isn't my (or anyone else's) birthday today. Go figure.

2005-12-18T15:19:00.002+10:00

We set up a little tent that turned out to be a big hit amongst the toddler and just older set. It was hard to get them out of there. Our Nephews Dustin and William discovered the high tech side window, which seemed to really impress them.

Star In Her Eyes

2005-12-12T23:35:00.001+10:00

Our Niece Miss Anna and Nephew John Daniel (Bikin' Sister's kids).

Happiness cannot be faked. It's obvious that Char and Daniel have put their family first and made these kids very happy.

Can they take great photos or what?

To see more of their photos, just click on the title of this post above.

Bikin' Sister

2005-12-11T13:35:00.001+10:00

I view the world a bit differently than most people. If you're my really good friend, you're actually my brother or sister. Char is my sister in this way.

Her husband is therefore our Brother-in-Law and their kids are our Niece and Nephew. They're also our sisters and brothers in Christ.

They're a biking family and this is my favorite pic of my little sister. She's a racer and a jumper and one of the world's best moms. Same goes for Daniel, and he's one of the world's best Dads. They're really good photographers and their stuff will appear here often.

To see more of their photos, just click on the title of this post above.

Clever Disguise

2005-12-10T12:07:00.001+10:00

I'm really dense.

All this time, I thought she was my eldest Chimichanga but alas, she's really Princess Toadstool in disguise.

This is what happens when she sneezes.

Of course, this means an eventual visit from Mario.

Wonder if he'll grant autographs?

Happy Exit

2005-12-10T12:00:00.001+10:00

Our Nephew William - the happiest baby on earth - spent the night with us last night.

He has gone back home now.

Exit....stage left!

Angel Alert

2005-12-10T00:16:00.001+10:00

Our youngest Chimichanga (Granddaughter) was in her class Christmas play this evening.

Here she is posing, following her Academy Award winning performance as a singing/dancing Angel.

There were lots of Angels in the play and they all got jiggy wid it.

Is Today Your Buh Dee?

2005-12-08T23:35:00.001+10:00

Earlier this evening, William - the happiest baby on earth - sang "Happy Birthday" to me.

It isn't my birthday. He was just being preemptive. Smart young 'un!

Please join in with him:

"happy buh dee yoo yoo
happy buh dee yoo yoo!"

Beast Attack

2005-12-08T18:04:00.001+10:00

Fierce beasts sometimes leap out of the jungles of Saipan and attack hapless hillbillies.

This one paused long enough for a quick photo before slicing Grandpa to ribbons.

Note the horrifying origami claws (shudder)!

Click to enlarge for better detail.