Riding in the back of trucks

We were given a ride home from church on Sunday by one of our "angels" ... Jason sat in the cab with Papa 'sus while I hopped into the back and took in the scenery as it flashed past (at the speed of 25 mph - the speed limit for all roads in Palau).

I had a moment where I realized that this was something I can't do in the States and took time to think about how much I love it. It's something that I realized I've taken for granted while here (& while I was in Tonga), but something that I want to remember doing.

It is such a great feeling to have a breeze blowing past you as you gaze up at 50 foot banyan trees that form a complete arch over the road and wave to locals sitting in their outdoor kitchen areas ... it is in these moments that I wonder how I can return to regular life?

A Slightly Larger Fish...

Titus & Seagal took Jason fishing last week and they caught this big fish! Awesome! More sashimi for us :)

Sunday Potluck

Last Sunday, our friends at church let us know that they were going to bring a potluck to our house...sure enough, they showed up with huge pots of food (mostly fish & rice, but even some spaghetti and a green papaya & tuna salad). We had a great time with them.

Palauns usually sit on the floor to eat, and even though we had a table, they wouldn't sit at it. Our islands new Peace Corps volunteer, Sarah, is in this picture.















Secu, one of the "old mammas" of the island and a very sweet lady with some incredible stories.














Some of the Filipino workers on our island showed up unexpectedly to join us.








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Kastol, one of the lay-pastors at our church, and Jason with Kastol's daughter, Itab.

Exploring "our island"

A Fish!

Since we arrived nearly 3 months ago, Jason has been trying to catch a fish from the cliffs by our house. Until Thursday, he was unsuccessful and getting pretty discouraged. His Thanksgiving gift this year was that he caught a fish!!! And had sashimi for his Thanksgiving feast! Yay! Not too worry, we had a traditional feast on Friday - complete with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing & cranberry sauce (thanks Botts' and Mom&Dad!).

Pastor Jason??!?!!

As some of you know, we're blessed to have a very dear church here that has welcomed us into their community. Including us, there are about 12 people in the congregation. We have a pastor who comes every 6-8 weeks from the capital and the rest of the time, the preaching is divided between two men in the congregation ...

Last week, after singing and announcements, one of the lay-pastors, Kaston, says to Jason, "do you want to share some blessings with the church?" Jason stood up and shared how blessed we've been by the congregation, their assistance to us and how welcoming they've been and sat down ... we soon realized that was NOT what Kaston had in mind! Since Jason had nothing prepared, he asked if he could share next week and it was agreed upon.

So...this past Sunday, Jason delivered the message to the congregation! And, he did a GREAT job! On Ephesians 6:10-18. He was pretty nervous, but not as nervous as I was when they told me that I was to lead worship!! Seriously!

Manna from Heaven (almost!)

Wow! We received FOUR packages in the mail on Friday! It literally felt like Christmas ... coffee, tea, chocolate, dried fruits, nuts, candy, books, magazines and so much more! We could not have been happier! Thanks Trudy, Bonnie & Marilyn! To top it all off, some new acquaintances who live in the capital contacted us to tell us they were going to try to put some fresh produce on the next boat for us! How generous & thoughtful! We haven't had any fresh fruit or veggies since we were in the capital 6 weeks ago! Yum!