Back on Guam and Celebrating the Holidays

Hi all! Well, we hope many of you are checking out our blog in response to the ministry update we sent out today! We are back on Guam and ready to get back into the routine! It's been awhile since I (Melody) last posted. It is my goal to make a posting once a week, even if it's short! So please check back here often! The photo to the left, by the way, was taken at our church's progressive dinner about a week ago. This little one, Hope, is the daughter of our friends Edward and Ciska from Indonesia. Last year, she was "baby Jesus" in the island's "Living Nativity" on Christmas Eve.


And lest you think we don't celebrate enough over here, I am including a photo of us at PIU's Staff Christmas party (right) that was held this past Sunday night! We had a great time of fellowship, games, food, gifts, and prizes. It was a blessing to just relax and enjoy one another. Our table, by the way, won the "Christmas Carol Pictionary" game that was played. :-) Our thanks to the team of staff folks that put a wonderful evening together for us all.



(The group photo below was taken at the end of the evening.)




Do you see anyone you recognize in this photo (left) ?? :-) Tim is in the back row; I am in the second row along with Mary Lou and Joyce (for those at our home church) and Dave is in the front row. If you recognize anyone else, you either are or have been on staff, or you're local!!!! :-)

Don't we make a terrific team??







Backing up in time, a week after our return to Guam we celebrated Thanksgiving Day with students and staff on campus. I think it was about our largest Thanksgiving Feast yet with well over 100 in attendance! (This picture cannot show all those who were in attendance!) It was a worship service as well, with Eric (Seminary Dean) providing the historic background of Thanksgiving, Iotaka (Bible/theology instructor) giving us a message of encouragement from the scriptures, Lisa (librarian) reading a Thanksgiving story to the children (the young as well as the old children!) and some great singing led by Joyce and Anne (fellow missionaries on staff).

As you can see, there was no shortage of sharing at this feast! Everyone who attended brought something to share, and most took some food home with them as well!


It wasn't the intention of this blog to focus on all the great food we've been blessed with recently! But feasting and fellowship do go hand in hand! We look forward to a great feast one day in Heaven where the "food and fellowship" will be beyond anything we can imagine here at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

We pray you have a wonderful holy-day season, centered around Jesus, the "reason for this season." And do check back weekly for new photos and updates on what is going on on campus and over the Christmas vacation time.

God bless you well in all things and may He draw you ever nearer to Himself this Christmas time!
Melody and Tim