Christmas Break

Well, Christmas Break is nearly over! We had a really fun, relaxing time while Erin was here! Here are just a few highlights of events we participated in: Here is one photo among many of a fun and fellowship-filled progressive dinner with our church.



Erin and Melody enjoyed a fun afternoon on a dolphin boat with other PIBC folks and their families. (Sadly, Tim was sick and couldn't go.) The weather was picture-perfect and there was so much to see along the way, like these caves.



We also saw flying fish for the first time in our lives! They were so amazing! They do seem to literally "fly" as they flip up out of the water and skim along the surface!



Christmas Eve we attended worship at our church, reading scriptures and then following each segment of scripture with a verse to a Christmas carol! It was beautiful, and I think we got to sing almost all of our favorites! (Below is a photo of our Christmas tree; our favorite "decorations" this year were photos of some of our families and friends that you all sent us!) Christmas morning was simple and quiet! We had Mary Lou and some of our students over in the afternoon and evening to feast and celebrate with us.


Shortly after Christmas, we went with some friends to view a "Christmas Village" layout that two local families put together. I don't think any photo could do this incredible little sight justice. There were whole villages put together from ceramic shops and houses, a carnival area, a ski and snowboard area, and a couple of train layouts! The families who did this asked no admission fee; they simply wanted to share their "collections" with others!

Of course, no "vacation" time on Guam is complete without several trips to the beach! We went three different times, two of them enjoying fun and fellowship with some PIBC students. (See previous blog for a couple more photos.)

One lovely discovery we recently made was a coffee and tea place right on the beach at Agana Bay. While it is no "Starbucks," it is reasonably priced, very clean, and offers a relaxing covered deck where we can sit and sip coffee or iced tea. It will be a great place to take students as well!

New Year's Eve found us trekking to the parking lot on the roof of Kmart (adjacent to the beach) to join a bunch of our students in watching the fireworks shot off at one of the beaches at midnight. The fireworks continued for at least 15 minutes and were really quite nice!

Check back in a few days for our New Year's activities! We have been so blessed to be able to be together these couple of weeks and are feeling rested and ready to welcome students back soon!
God bless you in this New Year! Tim, Melody, and (for this post, anyway), Erin
Tim and Melody serving as Liebenzell USA Missionaries at PIBC, Guam
Erin serving as a missionary teacher in Palau from Gold Country Baptist Church, California