Summer's Gone & Fall has Fallen Upon Us

It's impossible to describe how fast the summer flew by . . . but it did! Before we knew it, we were saying goodbye to our (sometimes silly) kids and grandkids and flying back to our home on Guam. Summer had its ups and downs - the ups were the great times we had with family and friends; so thanks to all of you who made the summer good for us. We miss you all, but back here on Guam, things are really hopping!







We arrived back on a Tuesday night - and by Wednesday morning, in spite of a bit of jet lag, we found ourselves back on campus to evaluate what needed to be done before students started to arrive and classes began. The first week we had three meetings; the second week, there was a one-week intensive "pre-semester" learning skills class that Melody and new arrival, Jen, taught. (Jen stayed with us the first 2 1/2 weeks while she got acclimated and got a car.) Here we welcome her to Guam at 2 a.m. at the airport!


School rapidly changed appearance as students returned and classes began. We have about 112 students in our undergrad program this fall. This means that Tim was kept really, REALLY busy the first weekend as students began arriving and enrolling and settling into dorms. More beds and matresses needed to be purchased and set up, more trashcans, more cleaning supplies to start out the semester . . . more more more! And though tiring, it was a joy to see so many students joining the ranks to study! Our annual "orientation" and bbq went very well!


Chapel is a joy to be a part of twice each week - especially this year with the room packed full as we can get it. The singing, devotional message, and even the announcements are enjoyable as we all gather together to take a "break" in academic studies to worship.

Students also are making good use of the relocated computer lab which, thanks to Tim and Mary Lou, is back up and running better than ever! The students were happy to see this completed, as complications with getting it relocated and re-established kept them from being able to use it last spring! So HOORAY for this task being all done!




Another lovely surprise awaited us back at our house. Last spring, Tim found some cuttings near the dumpster on campus and thought to himself, "Hmm . . . those look like 'Bird of Paradise' cuttings!" So he threw a few in two buckets, dumped some dirt on them, and brought them home. All spring and summer, they have been watered . . . and guess what welcomed us when we came home? Yep! Fully blooming Bird of Paradise plants!!! Things really grow easily and well here in the islands!!


I'll close this post with a sunset over the "new" pavilion that was a summer project here. This has become a wonderful blessing for our students on a daily basis. It's also been wonderful for outdoor campus events like our Third Annual Sports Challenge between PIU and our church! The sound system can be plugged, set up, and used without any concern for getting soaking wet in a tropical shower! And that's a good thing in Guam where we get an average of about 100" of rain a year!! :-)

Check back later this week for photos of the above-mentioned sports challenge! Blessings!
Melody an dt