Nothing like good friends...

This is Deborah and Nathan Crisostomo. They are very good friends of ours. When we were here the first time, we were in the same congregation, and got along right away. Deborah is a single mom who makes us so proud. She works so hard to put Jehovah first and stay close to her son. And Nathan is really growing up. It is fun to be a part of. She is doing such a fantastic job. We will be heading to Palau with them next month, so you will probably see many more pictures with them. We love them so much.

District Convention

We had such a good time at the district convention this past weekend. All of our studies came as well. They loved the program. We took the family shopping and bought them their first ties. As you can see, the boys had taken theirs off by the end of the day. But they were so proud to dress up. Jason got to teach them how to tie their first ties. It was so much fun watching them meet all sorts of new people. And 20 were baptized.

In the lower picture, you see Jason, John (the Dad in the upper picture) and Ryan. Ryan showed up at the branch one day asking for a study. He is from American Somoa originally, but now lives in Washington and was here for work for a few months. He was studying for some months now and did not want to miss his studies while he was here. It has been such an awesome privilege to be part of his time here. He is gentle and kind. And you could tell he really enjoyed convention. It was fun too, because a lot of people that have moved here to help, moved from Washington, so he got to meet them too. What a small world.

Wedding Time

The whole Bethel family was invited to a wedding this past week. Here are a few photos of our friends that we get to work and play with every week. The top shot is of Phil and Susie Nutter. They were missionaries before being brought into the branch. You can be sure if you hear laughter, you will find them.

In the bottom picture is Jared and Marisa Fruciano from Boston. They are here as international servants. And to our right are Lacey and Travis Brooks. They are also bethelites. We have had so much fun with all these guys. From laughing at everyday crazy things to camping out on the beach.

Friends make the place.

I found Nemo!!!

Deep Blue

This is what was going on under the water the same day as the previous photo.

Can words really describe?

I took this photo after work the other day. When you're in the water, you are so consumed with what's going on under the water that, at times, we forget to look at the beauty above or at least where the two come together.

Hiking on Guam

Here you can be down in a cave swimming in crystal clear water and in just a few minutes hike up over a hill and be standing on the cliff side overlooking the ocean. Really relaxing and really refreshing. The perfect end to a service day. It was crazy too, after we had swam all over the cave, we were out having lunch and we looked down to see the biggest eel we have ever seen. It was right where we were just swimming. And it had babies with it too! Freaky!

Zero Down

This is some of our territory. They call it "Zero Down" because some big shot had an idea to create a community where people buy into it with zero down. Well, of course, the big shot went bankrupt and the "community" was left partially built. Now you have an area full of half built homes with no electricity and no running water. It is really crazy. The road to get there is long and unpaved, full of potholes. But the people that live way out in this forgotten spot are so willing to listen and love the Bible. They are humble. And many of them are from other islands, so living with out electricity and running water is normal for them.
And you are sure to run into your fair share of dogs. Quite an experience.

Our Yapese Kids

These guys showed up at the kingdom hall one day with their Dad. They are from the island of Yap. They are so beautiful. They are 14, 13, 11 and 10 years old. We study with them every Saturday morning and when we show up they are outside waiting with their books. They always have so many questions. They study ahead and look up all the scriptures. And recently they found out that we have a meeting mid-week. So, guess what? They showed up on their own. When their Dad came in from work they were dressed for meeting and asked if he could take them. They study for the meetings too. And sometimes they answer on their own. They had been studied with five years ago. But had not been to a meeting since. It just shows you that if you inculcate the truth in a child's heart, they don't forget it.

Scandalous!

Take someone on a tour here and you are liable to get hit on by the kitchen overseer...that is, if you are his wife.

Goofing around at the going away for Tessa and Aron Pederson

You know we always have to do one of these shots.

Chai Tea with the girls!

Tessa Pederson, the one in the green, and her husband Aron were visiting our family from Paterson. They were here for three months, traveling the islands to set up systems to aid in translation. They leave this week. They will be missed.

So, some people put dogs in the back of their truck...

Here they put chickens. "Tie 'er down, make sure it doesn't "fly" out of there..."

Languages and Publications

Last time we were here we posted a picture similar to this one that showed all of the different languages that this branch oversees translation for. Since our last picture, things have changed. And the Teach book has come out in four of the languages. Huge progress is being made by the hard working translation teams.

Wild Mocha Time!

For any of you that ever visited Sonora with us...or for those of you that live there, you all know my (Miki's) obsession with Wild Mochas from Dayo. Well, we received a care package from our friends in Sonora and guess what was in it? Among other fabulous stuff, mocha mix! The same kind from our favorite place. Everyone has been loving it. Even the branch committee got to enjoy it during one of their meetings. They always hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door during their Wednesday meeting. This Wednesday, it was out with an amendment. They LOVED their treat.

Here is a look at your new cook...

Some good friends of ours, Brooklyn and Jaiden Meyle (coincidentally they are 7 and 5 years old) sent Jason these fantastic chef hats. Jay loves wearing them in the kitchen because they stand out. And he loves putting them on when a tour comes through the branch. It is always a good kodak moment when the hats come out. Thank you Brooklyn and Jaiden! We are sure the food tastes better because of his fancy new hats.

Memorial

We had a wonderful memorial. We have 80 publishers in our new congregation and 215 attended memorial. It was really encouraging. Many of them were young teenagers that came on their own.

The Chuukese Love to Match

This was at our Circuit Assembly. This family is from the island of Chuuk (pronounced Choo-k). The Chuukese friends love to wear matching outfits. It makes it really easy to find your family, doesn't it?

Shout Out...

We just had to give a shout out to the newest member of our family. Since coming to Guam, Tim (Jason's brother, for all of you that don't know him) got married. We were so sad to not be able to share his big day with him. We are so happy and excited for them. Congratulations Tim and Havilah! We love you.

Sella and Cetti Hike

This hike started on a hill overlooking the ocean...





































We had to slide down the hill on our butts, down into the palm trees. We hiked up a river to a water fall and went swimming, back down the river to where it met the ocean. Swam in the ocean, and back up a different way to meet the car. It was my favorite hike yet. I will post more pics of it later.

Pigs...

It is pretty typical to see a pig or two whenever you are out in service. There are wild pigs here on Guam, but the ones we see are usually in a pen.

So What Happens If We Run Out Of Food For Dinner?

This is what happens...

One night, the food was just too good. And with many mouths to feed and no grub left to go around, Jason and Jared (a good friend of ours here that is overseer of the Kingdom Hall Construction desk in Guam) rolled up their sleeves after work and before meeting and started cooking. Egg McMuffins anyone? It was a hit. They were a great team.

Our Crazy Bethel Family

This is our most recent Bethel Family photo. Two International Construction Volunteer couples were leaving and they took this shot with us after family Watchtower study. This gives you some indication why we feel right at home here.

Night Hiking

They have tons of cool hikes here that usually take you to some cave or waterfall. Some of the hikes are fun to do at night. We took a night hike to a place called Tarzan Falls. We had a campfire when we got there. The bonus of hiking at night is that you don't get hot and sweaty. The downside is that if you don't watch your step, you end up in a muddy creek. It had rained recently and we had some pretty comical muddy feet.

How Encouraging!

This is Alice. Would you believe that she has seven boys? That is right, seven, count them. They are precious. And Alice is a single mom. She gets all seven boys dressed and ready for every meeting. She is never missing. And on Sundays, they always have comments prepared. What an awesome example.

As Requested...More Pics of Jason Cooking

Two mornings a week Jason makes breakfast for the Bethel family. This morning Jason was making 85 scrambled eggs. Not to mention the side dishes. You guys have to see it to believe it. I am kitchen helper with him on Wednesday morning. I always bring my camera, because I still don't believe it.

Meet Some of Our Family...

This is Shem Querimit. He has been off island doing volunteer Kingdom Hall construction work. Seeing his pictures and hearing his stories has been super encouraging. We got really close to Shem when we were here the first time. We are so proud of what he is doing.

Our new couple, Hannah and Neil Abid. They make such a beautiful couple. Everyone had a great time at their wedding.

Debbie Gump, that's our girl. She is a single sister who volunteers at the branch. We love her laughable nature and she loves to sing her heart out...so of course, Jason and Deb have a blast together.

This is Micah and May Griffith. We love these guys. They are some of the most hospitable people we have ever met. You can always count on them to be positive and ready for a good time.

This is Dawn and Jarrod Klingbeil. They are on the outer islands serving as Kingdom Hall Construction Servants. We got to work with them here in Guam for a few months in construction. If you ever want to find them, follow the laughter. They are always cracking people up.

Poor lil guy:(

This lil guy didn't make it, but be assured there are millions here and even ones that are smaller.

Heyyy!

As you can see, my wife really stands out here in Guam! This was taken after a wedding we attended. She was the only blond there. The sister of the two girls on the outside just got married and they asked me to be the M.C. at the wedding and that was a huge privilege. These girls have really treated us like family.

Seriously?

Now here is something you don't see every day...well, at least not in the states. Lets just say that there are a lot of roosters running around on island and so what would happen if one just happened to get entered and it just happened to win?

Our New Missionaries

This is Troy Hamasaki and Sean Duarte. They are new missionaries and they just received their assignment to the atoll of Ebeye (pronounced e-buy). They are very excited to start their new adventure. They are both Ministerial Training School grads. Troy is from Hawaii and Sean came here from Tennesse. We have learned a lot having them here at the branch and will miss them when they go.

Anybody Want To Buy A Yart?

Let's just say that they do speak English here...but I think this sign is evidence of some severe translation issues.