Saturday, September 30, 2006

God In The Flesh



Journey to the Cross-station #2 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." -John 1:14

In front of station two were a pair of sandels, the kind that any ordinary man would wear. It amazes me that the God who created the world stepped into an ordinary human body. He became just like us. I looked up the word "flesh" and it is defined as the human body and its physical needs and desires. He experienced a spectrum of emotions that we experience on a daily basis. It made me think about how Jesus really knows how it feels when we are in pain, in sorrow, in love . . . Its comforting to me knowing that Jesus can relate to what I am feeling. What humility Jesus had. That he would leave his father's side to save us. I thought about how the Father might of felt about sending his only son down to save us. What a sacrifice He made. Can you imagine having to give up your only child? I'm in awe of His unconditional love for me.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Outer Noise



I'm taking you on a journey with me. Week of prayer is starting at our church and the series is entitled "Journey To The Cross." At church, they have divided the room into 13 stations representing the moments of Christ in His Final Hour. Each station was made so that only 2-3 people could fit in each space. This program that our church has put on was made to be available 24 hours for the whole week to the Saipan community. Please pray for our Pastor and his wife, for they are on standby all the time to pray with everyone as they enter and exit the Journey to the Cross.

The first station was entitled "Outer Noise." On the Wall the scripture read "Be Still, and Know that I am God."- Psalm 46:10. On the display were two things, one tv screen that had the static screen going on and the computer screen that was blank. Try and imagine how noisy and crazy the tv screen was versus how quiet and peaceful the computer screen was. There is a clock on the wall that represents the noise and distractions of our lives. I had to take a moment to acknowledge what the state of my mind was. My head was spinning with thoughts about the things I needed to do. Station 1 calls for us to quiet our spirits in front of God so that we may hear His voice and His thoughts through our Journey with Him.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

The Odd One

Have you ever felt out of place? How about feeling different from others around you? Well today I felt like the "odd one." I'm sure no one here means to make me feel "odd", but sometimes I do. The majority of the people that I work with and hang out with are Tagalog speaking Filipinos. I'm always getting the phrase "so you don't speak Tagalog?" or "you're not truly Filipino." Of course they say it in a joking manner but sometimes it really annoys me. Don't get me wrong, I totally love it here but I'm kind of getting tired of having to defend myself. Okay, maybe I'm just alittle sensitive. Truth is, I love hanging out with the Filipinos here because I'm trying to learn Tagalog and I'm trying to learn more about the Filipino Culture. I know they truly love having me here. I just think its funny how sometimes i joke with my American friends about the "fobs". And well, now they're joking about me=( Anywho, I'm hanging in there and I am going to learn to speak Tagalog and amaze them all :P

Monday, September 25, 2006

Siapan SDA School Picnic






I went out to support the student missionaries and faculty for their yearly Saipan SDA School Picnic at Memorial Park. These are pics of the student missionaries with their kids. They're so cute=)

Saturday, September 23, 2006

"Just Say Yes"




Ask anyone who knows me back home . . . i'm not much of a singer=) But lately I've got a "just say yes" attitude to experience new things. So here I am, an official member of the Saipan SDA Church Chior. This Sabbath was the first time I sang with the chior. When i was growing up, I was never really involved in AY Chior and I always felt like I missed out. Well, I guess now I have a second chance to experience what it is like to really be a part of a church function and a church family. We practice 2-3 times a week. Even though I am not a strong singer, I know that this is the perfect opportunity to practice and to fellowship. We are currently fundraising for a trip to sing at an island called Rota for December. I will keep you posted!

Friday, September 22, 2006

God's Perfect Present





Enjoying another beautiful sunset. Happy Sabbath.

Hi Ho Hi Ho, its off to work I go







Pictures of the SDA Dental Clinic and some of my co workers. I finished my first week at the Dental Clinic and so far I am loving it. I'm seeing alot of perio patients which I enjoy=) Everyone is so friendly and helpful. I still have to get use to the power outages but that is very typical on the island to save energy. Fortunately we have a back up generator.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Twenty-something


Happy Birthday to my best friend since the second grade! Love you Rae

Monday, September 18, 2006

The Big Journey






Saipan is beautiful. She's got white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, lush greenery and friendly people. I could easily get use to the laid back island lifestyle. However I'm still trying to adjust to the humidity and time change. So far I am loving it out here. In the first picture I had just arrived at the Saipan airport at 1:30 am and the SM's, Dr's, and some dental staff stopped by to give me a warm welcome=)

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Missionary Dedication





These are pictures from my dedication at Garden Grove SDA Church by Miss Genevieve Koh=) So happy that my family and closest friends came out to support me. After Church we ate at a restaurant called Native Foods in Costa Mesa (excellent choice made by the Sacros) and then we hung out at Mike and Gemma's parents' Dana Point Home for a restful Sabbath Afternoon.

Anchors Away

I thank God in every rememberance of you. Phillipians 1:3



From Left to right: Janssen, Mark, Jen, Laura, Me, Michael S., Gemma, and Michael M.


Thank you for the laughs, your support, and your friendship. I will miss you guys!

Wednesday, September 06, 2006