Meet You Where You're At

As I kneeled on the platform one by one the hands of my friends and family touched my shoulders as my pastor prayed for me. A million things were going through my head during my missionary dedication that took place at the Garden Grove SDA church almost two years ago. I was about to embark on spiritual journey.

One thought was how will my spiritual journey in Saipan change me? I knew that change was inevitable but I wasn't sure exactly how I would change. As silly as this sounds I was scared God was going to turn me into one of those REALLY religious followers. Some people refer to them as the "bible thumpers". I really dreaded that thought. For those of you who really know me, know that I'm more spiritual than religious. I simply just wanted to follow God. And I wanted to dedicate the years that I'd spend here to learn more about Him and to share with others what He has done in my life.

First off, I had this idea that missionaries had unshakable faith. I also thought missionaries always came back home stronger in their faith after serving time in the mission field. I have learned that being a missionary doesn't make you any less susceptible to experiencing weak moments and doubts. There was a point when I even questioned the existence of God and the existence of organized religion.

My spiritual experience in Saipan has been the hardest point in my life. It has challenged me to think about what It is I actually believe not just what I was taught all of my life.

Though I struggle with my spiritual daily walk I know that no matter what phase I am in my walk . . He will always meet me where I am at.

Tuesday Round up

Yes yes, I have been slacking off a bit.

Firstly, I dislike CUC. I'm REALLY irritated with the rolling black outs. It would be nice to have a nice dinner at a nice restaurant and not worry about the power going out. Or it would be nice to play our championship volleyball game without the lights going out in the middle of our last set. Thats right, the lights shut off at Ada Gym during what was suppose to be our last game of the season. We had to reschedule or last game a couple of days later. When the power goes out some schools actually shut down and send their students home. Such a shame that CUC can't get it together.



Well at least our team, the Yoyo's, defeated the Pikan Gaga girls in the next round. Thats right, we sweat like men! We are the champions!! Woo hoo.







Secondly, I have a new crush! j/k Jake Shimabukuro. My favorite song of the night was Let's Dance. He's the most amazing Uke player ever!





He's brilliant! His performance at the Beautify CNMI was absolutely magical. The VIP seating was totally worth it! He's just really passionate about music and I love that he encouraged the youth to follow their dreams. What an inspiration. Also, Gus and Jun, performed some medley's on their Uke's which I adored.


Thirdly, I planned beach vespers at Ladder Beach and beach volleyball night at PIC for the SDA Youth group with the help of Amy, Mai, Judith, Jessica, Rikki, and John.

One of the goals this year was to try and combine the youth at our central church with the newly built Kagman SDA church. The girls from Kagman are sooo shy but I think they are starting to break out of their shell. We were just happy that they were able to make it to our vespers.


Joy played melodies on the guitar while we sang a couple of our favorite praise songs. One of my favorite songs is Grace like Rain. Its kind of the youth version of Amazing grace but a bit more upbeat.


We had yummy veggie haystacks for dinner and just enjoyed each other's company. The sun was starting to set. I paused and enjoyed the view. Before we knew it was dark and the stars covered the entire sky. Some of the kids saw a shooting star and I heard them laugh and wish. . . Wow, it was a beautiful night.


John talked to the kids about making plans and where God fits in. We went around in a circle and talked about our plans. The kagman kids had great dreams. Some wanted to be a teacher, a policeman, or in the military. Some of our kids wanted to be doctors . . . Me? I guess I have goals but I'm not one to make plans. I dont' even know where I will be at the end of this year. I said I wanted to travel for a bit. See more places that I didn't know much about. Thats about it.


After we closed with prayer we toasted marshmellows and made s'mores! The perfect ending to a perfect night.











Fourth . . . Greg crossed the finish line after his grueling 8 day Cape Epic Race in South Africa.

It's probably the hardest mtn bike race in the planet and the mother of all stage races. He averaged on the saddle about 9 and a half hours and sometimes ten hours on his bike every day! So proud of him and his partner Rou! Mtn biking rocks. I gotta find a crazy partner to do this race with me before I turn 35. I've got five years. =) *nudge nudge* Crystal!

Riki Turns 21 and Spring Break!

Great things come in small packages and Riki is one of them. We celebrated her 21st birthday over dinner at Spicy Thai.

















We crammed together in the corner at one of the low tables. You're either sitting cross-legged on a pillow or on the bamboo mat . The thick lacy curtain blocks our view of the outside and there are colorful Christmas lights still hanging from the ceiling. I really like it here and they have the best Thai food

In the meantime various plates are being served to us. Lets see, there was Phad Thai, Fried vegetable rice, Tofu Yellow Curry, Spicy Papaya Salad, Mixed Vegetables, and Veggie Egg rolls. All my favorites! Great company and good eats. Life is good.


My how the school year has flown by. Spring break has started and some of the teachers will go to either Australia or the Philippines for a week. I'm going to Guam for the weekend to meet up with my girl friend, Nikki, from California.






In about two months the teachers will be leaving and I will have to say goodbye again=( Riki will be attending Loma Linda University in June for the Masters in Occupational Therapy degree in California. The other girls have all made plans already. Me? My contract ends in September. I feel like I'm floating inbetween dreams right now. Not quite sure where I belong yet but I kind of have an idea.

Well, where ever we end up . . . I'm so thankful that God brought us together here in Saipan. I know I'll always cherish the moments we spent together.

Church Planting In Kagman

Since I was a kid I would hear about the amazing stories of missionaries church planting off in far away lands like Africa, Cambodia, or Thailand. As a kid I remember thinking how far those places seemed and how perfect those missionaries must be. Now that I have grown up I have realized that those places don’t seem so far away after all nor are those missionaries any different than you and me. Definitely not perfect. Experiencing God in Saipan has made me realize that He can use just about anyone who has a willing heart.

The Saipan Seventh-day Adventist Church is getting ready for our two-week evangelistic series in the village Kagman starting this Saturday. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d get a chance to take part in church planting. Pastor Ravia and the other missionaries have been going door-to-door giving Bible studies on Sabbath afternoons for the past couple of months. Pastor Duenas will be flying over from Guam to lead out in the series. The drama group that I have joined, Real Christian Theater, will be making its debut performing short skits before the sermon. I’m a little nervous about that . . . but I’m sure we’ll do just fine.

What I didn’t fully realize at first about church planting is what a major production it is. So much planning and hard work goes into these meetings. The load can seem unbearable at times. It made me realize how much work the Pastor does and much church support he needs. We believe with the hard times that have hit the CNMI that people are searching for something more than what this life has to offer. It’s been a challenging road but I am hopeful that God will work through us to bring even at least one person closer to Him. Please keep us in your prayers.

Weekend Island Tour

Its always exciting to see a new face on island. Roy Kim MD was doing some medical relief work at the Guam SDA Medical Clinic and decided to visit Saipan for a weekend. I think its safe to say that he loved Saipan more than Guam or Rota after this weekend.

Our weekend started off with a dive on late Friday afternoon at the Grotto. It's been really hot lately so I was dreading climbing up and down the 100 grotto stairs with my wet suit and dive gear on. So this time I opted to dive without a wet suit and I loved it! I just felt so light and unrestricted. Think I'm lazy about the 100 steps? You climb 'em!



Roy won't admit what number this dive was for him since he had just gotten his open water certification in Guam this past month. I'm thinking this was his third or fourth dive but he did really well for an advanced dive site! The sun was starting to set so we didn't get to see the light shine as vibrantly through the three exit holes like usually. Visability was poor but atleast we saw one white tip shark and an eel.


On Saturday, we went to church together. Any missionary who visits our church we ask to do something during church service on a last minute notice. Thats just the way it goes. Pastor asked Roy to tell the children's story and he so graciously accepted. He did a great job.



Ken took Crystal, Rosana, Roy and I on an island tour. We hit a bunch of hot spots that I had never been to like Tank Beach, Marine Beach, and the caves off the road going towards Lau Lau Beach. My favorite spot of the day was Forbidden Island lookout. We were planning to hike Forbidden on Saturday but it rained all day.




We would have went on another dive on Sunday but Roy was flying back to Guam already in transit to dive in Palau. Lucky guy. I want to go back to Palau!
Photo Credit: The Pierson's and Rosana.

Improving Access to Dental Care in Saipan

We didn't have to talk about money or what their insurance co-payment was. We were just there to get people out of pain and discomfort. We came together as a team and shared the same heart as Jesus: to serve others.
I feel like this is what I came here to do. To be able to provide dental treatment to those who really need it.
Ever heard of someone who lived with a toothache for more than a year? On Sunday we saw plenty of patients who put up with pain for over a year due to financial restraints or lack of insurance to visit their dentist. We saw 66 patients and did over 80 dental procedures. Dr. Crystal Edmister and Dr. Ken Pierson extracted over forty teeth as well as other dental procedures like fillings. The other registered dental hygienist, Lori and I did a bunch of gross debridements on patients who hadn't seen the dentist in over 10 years. We provided over $10,000 worth of dental procedures. I think it was a success. Here's an article about our event in the Saipan Tribune news.

But still the sad fact is 40 percent of the population in the U.S. is not getting the dental care they need. I read the Surgeon General's Report 2000, Oral Health In America, and it called untreated poor health the "silent x-factor promoting the onset of life-threatening diseases which are responsible for the deaths of millions of Americans each year." Its a serious matter and unfortunately it doesn't get as much attention as it should.
Access to dental care is limited. I've seen it on my dental mission trips not only in Saipan but in other countries like the Philippines and Mexico.
Its hard because coming out of dental hygiene school you want to go out and make a difference. Now that I am out here I am realizing how great the epidemic is and how short handed we are. So, I guess I can only do what I can . . . save one mouth at a time.
Photo Credit: the Pierson's and Kuya Ernie

A New Life

Being active in Church and seeing how much work is put into the ministry by the Pastor, Elders, and the church members is ubelievable. Seriously, sometimes I feel like I have alot on my plate but when i see the sacrifices others make for the work of the church . . . well, its inspiring. We have different departments in the church all reaching out to different parts of the community. At church during our family time we share with each other what is going on in various departments. Head elder, Eric, has been giving bible studies for the men in prison every Tuesday nights. He shared with us that six of them have given their lives to Christ and have decided to be babtized. Usually I hear of only one or two at a time, but six! Well, thats just amazing.
This past Saturday a church member rededicated his life to Christ after being away from the church for a long time. He spoke in front of church about his struggles and his desire to come back to God. I can relate to how he felt. Its called backsliding. Your intentions are good but there is no follow through. Without a true conversion in the heart nothing will change. It was just incredible to see how God changed his heart and seeing him start his new life.
Saturday night the Women's Ministry gave a baby shower to three mothers: Sue, Ethel, and Renea. We had dinner, played a couple of games, and just enjoyed the fellowship.

Insomnia & Smoothies

I drank coffee way too late last night and I am up posting at four in the morning=( Since I have to get up to run in an hour anyway, I wanted to post some pictures from our Smoothie Night this past weekend that was hosted by the Pierson's.

All of the missionaries came to hang out and we sampled four different smoothies: coffee ice cream, tropical blend, wild berry, and pina colada. My favorite smoothie was the tropical blend which by the way had fruit and tofu in it! Yes, tofu and the best part is I couldn't even tell the smoothie had tofu in it. The smoothies reminded me a place that I use to frequent much in the states, Jamba Juice.

The school year is coming to an end in May and most of the teachers will be leaving back home to the states. I feel like it was just yesterday that we started this journey together. I remember them being there at the airport to welcome me and pick me up at one in the morning. Such a great bunch they are and I am going to miss them this upcoming year.



Missionary life has surprised me. It has been everything but boring and predictable. I admit that sometimes it can be down right lonely at times. But during the times that I most feel alone is when I'm leaning on God the most. The friendships I have made, the work of the church, and the adventures I have shared . . . they continually remind me that I am exactly where I need to be right now in my life.

Thank you Crystal and Ken for a great night and thank you to Ken's parents who gave them the Vitamix blender!=)