Finally . . . the promised update!

Our blog has been a bit silent for several weeks - shortly after our last entry the end of the spring semester loomed large. I (Melody) found myself engulfed in finishing out teaching my own classes as well as visiting and completing observation reports on 12 others! Then came finals and our accreditation review for the school. In the midst of this, we received news of the death of our middle daughter, Traci . . . so I would like to start this blog just repeating the gratitude that our entire family feels for all of you who prayed, called, emailed, wrote to share in our grief. In spite of this loss, we rest in the firm knowledge that God is good all the time, and that even in sorrow and loss, God's peace and love are present in our lives. We rest in knowing we will see Traci (above at left) again someday in Heaven because of God's faithfulness.


Backing up to April, I (Melody) was blessed with a "free" trip to Palau to visit with daughter Erin before she finished up her second and final year of teaching at Bethania Girls High School. The sunset view from the airplane on the way down was amazing! Erin met me at the airport and we had a light dinner, sat up and caught up with each other till nearly midnight, and spent the next day seeing the capital of Koror. I got to see a couple places where "Survivor" was filmed and where the crew stayed; then we headed up to the campus where I spent the next three days with Erin and meeting her co-workers and students.




I had the blessing of teaching a session of English and of science (see left) for Erin, giving her a break and giving the students a "guest teacher!" I also had the blessing of leading her 11th grade Bible class (see below right) where I shared my testimony and challenged the girls to always keep in mind the fact that God's grace and love for us is so much more great than we could ever imagine. I reminded them that when life seems to throw us flat on our backs, we are in the best position to "look up" and look to God for all things. I really loved getting to know a few of the girls at Bethania as well as some of the staff there. I am praying that many of these girls may some day be in one of my classes at Pacific Islands Bible College - to be called Pacific Islands University from July 1 of this year on. (Yes, our university status has been approved!)


My trip wasn't all work; Erin and I took a couple of lovely hikes near the high school in the northern area of Palau - the island she was teaching on is called Babeldaup - along an ancient stone path (see left), and then down to a lovely beach (below right). It was a blessing to have some good "mom/daughter" time with her and to see where she's been ministering for two years. Palau is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. There are so many very tall, "old growth" trees there, pristine beaches, and (as we have found all over the islands of the Pacific) very lovely, friendly, and hospitable people.




My favorite outing with Erin was a lengthy hike down into a little valley, down a stream bed and across another, and up a short rise to a HUGE waterfall near the village of Ngaardmau. It was a breathtaking hike! Believe it or not, if you click on the photo at the left and look closely a bit up and to the left of center, you can see the TOP of the waterfall to which we hiked; at this point here, we were about halfway into the hike.





Now at the bottom of the hill above, Erin is hiking ahead of me, down the streambed (see right). I had to stop and take a picture of one of the "potholes" in the stream. This photo below to the left showed such a beautiful reflection of the blue sky and a tree that was overhanging the water-filled hole that I had to include it. By the way, the streambed was solid rock all the way down to the bottom of the ravine!







At last, we reached the waterfall! I have hiked to a couple of falls on Guam, but have not seen anything to rival this fall! The rock in the left foreground that the water is pouring over is a LOT larger than it appears. Compare it to me (I am 5'3") in the later photo below where I am in front of the same rock. I would estimate the rock to be about 7-8' tall, and the height of the fall to be about 65' - but that's just a guess! The wind generated by the waterfall in the photo to the left was so strong, I had a difficult time standing up! In fact, I believe I fell over or slipped quite a few times!! Regardless, it was one of the most amazing sights I have seen in my life.



The next day, we headed back down to Koror for my last day. We stayed at Bethania House, an apartment kept ready for Bethania guests and teachers who need a place to sleep while visiting or shopping in the capital. The guest house is located on the campus of Emmaus, the boys' high school in Koror. We had a lovely visit with Ate Luz, the secretary for Emmaus and hostess for Bethania House, and a friend of hers who teaches at Emmaus. It seemed like only minutes and I was at the airport saying good-bye to Erin. I am so glad I had the chance to visit Palau and to get to know other missionary teachers at Bethania and Emmaus. Tim and I both hope to visit together in Palau someday.

After Easter break (which is when I traveled to Palau), it seemed like the rest of the school year just flew! First came finals! Then, before we knew it, came bacchelaureate, and then graduation, pictured in the photos below.











The weekend following graduation, Tim and I were privileged to attend the wedding of two of our students. Sonny, the groom, graduated as valedictorian this year (photo below with Melody); his bride, Elilai, will finish her coursework this coming December. They made a lovely couple and the wedding was as joyful and beautiful as the two of them. Many others from the college were there to celebrate and participate in the reception with special songs, games, and skits. It was a lovely afternoon and evening! Pray for this young couple as they prayerfully seek God's will for their lives.



We left Guam at the end of May to travel to California where we will spend the next several weeks. On Sunday, July 19, at 6:00 pm, we will be sharing at Gold Country Baptist Church and we would welcome any of you who are in the area to come and visit us at that time. If any of you would like us to share about the ministry of Liebenzell, USA in the Pacific Islands, feel free to contact us at our email address. We will be in the San Jose area the last week of June, southern California the first 2 weeks of July, and northern California the last 2 1/2 weeks of July. God bless!Melody and Tim Plaxton, serving as Liebenzell Missionaries on the Island of Guam

(currently on furlough in California)