Changes coming!

Stay tuned for changes to my blog's layout and design. Special thanks to Chad Filipiak for teaching me how to update my layout and utilize new features which should make my blog easier (for you, but harder for me) to view and enjoy. My blog's layout will be more like his. I'm excited about learning a more sophisticated way of putting my blog together.

Christian Female/Male Ratio

I have often wondered if there really were more Christian single women than Christian single men, or if it was just my imagination. According to the Wall Street Journal, there's a 60/40 split of Evangelical Christian women to men. Where have all the Christian young men gone? Suzanne Hadley explores this topic further in "Why Dating Outside the Faith is Illogical" and cautions against dating non-Christians because there are fewer Christian men than women.

F-B-I! Gonna have a good time! Hey, hey, hey!

Spirit Week is a week filled with special services, team challenges, games, and skits. Each year God uses this week to help us reach our students and share the gospel with many who have never heard it before.

The team competition this year was between the FBI and CIA. I was on the FBI . . . and we won! (Not because I was on the team, though. :-)

Twin brothers Mike and Mark Herbster preached in the chapels and split sessions during the week. I appreciated their ministry and it was great to hear testimonies from my students about how God worked in their lives during the week.

The Herbsters also played the trumpet and sang before each service.




Mike joined the FBI team.


Mark joined the CIA.



A highlight of the special music was when some of the administrators, teachers, and students joined the Herbsters for a trumpet special. It was especially fun to see Pastor Herron, Pastor Henson, and Dr. Watson ministering in song. We don't get to see that very often!


The FBI guys were a little frightening as they performed an intense New Zealand chant, complete with native grunting and gestures.




During the teacher round of one game, the FBI had to try to pick up the CIA members. I fought my attackers so much, it took 4 of them to finally get me off the ground. Several of us ended up with bruises! Jessica and April, I'm (sort of) sorry I kicked you, but I would have preferred to have gotten away!


Doug Abels wrote a 5 scene play called "Spark of Love," which was performed on Friday afternoon. If you're looking for a humorous skit to use for your camp or retreat, I highly recommend this one. From left to right we have wanna-be superheroes Inspector Trinket (John Collier), Safety Man (Andrew Potter), Twitty Nerd Boy (Jeff Borchardt), and Gravity Man (Doug Abels).


G.O.O.F.B.A.H. (Guardians of the Order of the Fraternal Brotherhood of Heroes)

I was just an "extra" in the fight scene in Cafe Franswa, but we had great costumes and enjoyed our role thoroughly. And how often do you get to beat up your principal?

Church at the Beach

On Labor Day weekend, Harvest holds the Sunday evening service at the USO Beach. We had a fiesta dinner, great singing with the guitar and ukelele choir, and preaching from one of the special speakers for Spirit Week, Mark Herbster, whose twin brother, Mike, was also here for the week.

I cannot claim credit for any of these pictures. My roommate Elizabeth had the camera for the evening. She's becoming quite a photographer!

Two of this year's new teachers, Josie and Dayna


Brenna is stylin'


Two of my friends, Jenni and Julie


This is a great picture! Isn't Caitlyn adorable? (No, she's not Kevin's baby. :-) She's the daughter of Warren and Janet Han.)


Caitlyn gets passed around quite a bit. Here she is with Jodi.


I love this woman, Helen Middlebrook. She's always an encouragement and inspiration to me!


We enjoyed a breathtakingly beautiful sunset while Mark Herbster preached. I love the sunsets on Guam! God is such an awesome Creator!






Even the Piti power plant looked stunning in the sunset. Elizabeth did a nice job with the framing of this picture.

Labor Day Hike to Tarzan Falls

On Labor Day, a group of us hiked to Tarzan Falls down in southern Guam. We had a blast even though it was hot and muddy. I had been to Tarzan Falls twice during dry season and the hike wasn't nearly as slippery as it was on Monday. Even though the trail was messy, the rains made for a spectacular, gushing waterfall, when all I'd seen before was a trickle.

My friends, Elizabeth and Jodi, before we started the hike.


The first of many mud holes, which we encountered right at the beginning of the hike.


The view from the top of the falls


From above the falls


Jodi and me; I was getting up the courage to go under the falls




Elizabeth and me under the falls. I could barely keep my eyes open, the water pounded so hard!


Jodi and Jo under the falls


Playing in the water


Andrew climbing the falls; I tried this once and chickened out about halfway up, then it was worse trying to get back down!


A group of us after the hike; we're just a little bit muddier and wetter than we were when we started!