Paata Mission Trip - Update 3

(by Teresa)

Guam is certainly a world apart from Montana! For weeks prior to our departure, I wondered how we would fare walking from a frigid Montana winter with minimal humidity, into a climate drenched with moisture and temps in the high 80s. As we attempted to fan away the smothering heat while driving away from the airport last week, Rachel ventured to ask our driver “would today be considered hot, normal, or cool?” “Oh, this is a cool day!” came the reply. All of our eyebrows rose in unison.

We are so thankful for our air-conditioned apartment! We have been blessed with wonderful sleep which has allowed us to bounce back quickly from jet lag. Our car (where we spend a large share of our time each day) is another matter. NO air-conditioning. Well, we are adapting. It makes each un-air-conditioned home we visit feel nice and cool.

As we neared the Guam-Micronesia Mission headquarters where we are staying, our driver informed us that we might need to take a different route, as the roads had been cordoned off earlier, due to a bomb that had been discovered that day at a construction site about half a mile from the Mission. We later learned that the bomb was a remnant from World War II. This is the local newspaper article.

Enjoying an overlook across the road from the Mission

The day after our arrival, we began visiting our Chuukese friends who live on Guam now. A Chuukese lady who also used to live on Paata went with us to help us find our way around. We are amazed at the ability of this simple island lady to navigate us around such a complicated road system! God blessed in so many ways. As we visited the many homes, we were saddened by stories of hurting marriages and families, and of serious health problems. There is still so much work that is needed among this group of people. Truly this Scripture is true — “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Thank you for keeping these people in your prayers!

Our dear next-door “grandma” when we lived in Paata

This lady is a treasured friend who helped us with housework before she was married.

There is much more to share, but we are in the midst of preparing to leave for Chuuk/Paata tomorrow, so have to abbreviate our report this time. We’ll not have regular internet access for the next three weeks, so if we’re not able to post as often, that will be why. Thanks in advance for your continued prayers. They mean a lot to us!!