Coffee House

This year my friend Jodean offered up her services to help host a coffee house to try and raise funds for my mission work. The coffee house was held in July at Crossroads Coffee House in Drexel Hill, PA. It was a relaxing night with good coffee, chatting, and great music. Here is Jodean and the Sojourners performing their first set.
The audience seems to be enjoying the tunes.
Friends from Manoa (my home church) enjoying some drinks.
Here I am waiting to greet people as they arrive.
It was a nice night and was a lot of fun.

United Presbyterian Church of Moorestown

One of the tasks that I had planned to do this summer is to visit the churches who had supported me over the last two years in Guam. I was blessed to be able to spend time with the mission's committee at the United Presbyterian Church at Moorestown, NJ. The following Sunday, I was also able to share with both services about my work in Micronesia.

I see my supporters, both churches and individuals, as being part of my team. Without their prayer, and financial committments, and the help of God, I would not be able to do anything.

Paul Daniel Heck

Born 2/27/1928 - Died 7/23/2008

Nothing ever goes as planned. This summer I came home to raise support for my mission work in Micronesia. I was not even home a week when we had to take my Dad to the hospital to have a endoscopic procedure to try to clear blockage from his liver. Turned out that the blockage was a malignant tumor in his bile duct..... Although what we read on the internet was not good, None of us imagined that within three weeks my Dad would no longer be with us in this world.

I firmly believe he is now in heaven with Jesus.

Before he left though I had time to share scriptures about heaven and sing some songs with him. We song Amazing Grace and Jesus loves me. It amazed me that with such little energy that he chose to sing in his last days.

He also made sure that we each new that he loved us and was proud of us. Even during the last few days when the bilirubin was coating his brain and he was hallucinating, he still was able to recognize each of us to the last day.

It was a very exhausting time but I feel extremely blessed to have that time with him.

The Long Road Ahead

One thing I have reminded since I have been back in PA, staying with my parents as I try to raise funds for my ministry. Shortly after I returned, my Dad was diagnosed with Bile Duct Cancer. Since then we have been in a whirlwind of Doctors and Hospitals.

Bile Duct Cancer is relatively rare and can be pretty aggressive. If the tumor is operable, there is some hope. However, at this point, they don't believe that they can remove the tumor. There is a major artery in the center of the tumor.

We are going to at least one of the major hospitals in Philadelphia called Fox Chase Cancer Center for a second opinion.

Please pray for my family as we go through these appointments for wisdom and encouragement.

Amish Country

This past weekend I spent time with my friend Jill and her family. Here we they are after enjoying some good "local food". :o)
Here I am in my Chuukese Skirt in front of the Amish Buggy. I wore the skirt to speak in Jill's church about my mission work in Guam. Wayside Presbyterian Church gave me some support last year. I was glad to meet them. Hopefully the relationship will continue.
This is a statue of an Amish man outside the restaurant.
A local rooster running wild near the restaurant making me feel that I might just be in Guam.
A scenic view of the countryside. I have really been enjoying the beauty of the Pennsylvania countryside....

Mission Headquarters

One of my first stops on my trip home was to Mission Headquarters in Schooley's Mountain, NJ. It was great to spend time with Steve and Anne Stinnette as we caught up and talked about support raising. I also had time to talk with some issues with Jane and Mike Galley. We all enjoyed lunch together as the waitress snapped a picture.

Ready.... or not Here I come!

It is hard to believe that tomorrow in the early morning I will be boarding a flight to come back to the states. I really look forward to my arrival and being able to catch up with friends and family.

I will also be visiting a number or churches and our mission headquarters in Schooley's Mountain, NJ.

Well I must go pack and clean so I am ready to go.

Thailand..... Here they come!

This morning at 5am, we loaded the vans with the Thailand mission team and their luggage.
Here they are excited and a little nervous about their long journey. Joel and Kalvin (in the front) also were on the Thailand mission team last summer. They will be leading the team this year which includes Jayvina, Johanna, Mesikt, and Sonny. We spent the last couple of days shopping so they would have all they needed for the trip. Please keep them in your prayers.

• Pray for safe travels
• Pray for team unity
• Pray for health and safety
• Pray that they would be a blessing to those they meet
• Pray that God's purposes for them will be accomplished
  

The Burning Bush

Actually it is not the burning bush..... it is a "flame tree". These are a type of tree found on Guam when they are in full bloom, they are spectacular, covered with reddish orange blossoms. It does kind of give the impression that the tree is on fire.

Newbies

This is Judy and Mike Albin. The other day I had the pleasure of hanging out with them and taking them on an island tour. Mike is the new interim pastor at the church I attend here in Guam. He works with Titus minisitries to help a church discover what type of pastor they need to fit the congregations needs and vision for growth. Mike and Judy should be with us for at least a year and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.

First Wave for Palau

The part of the Mission team for Palau left tonight for the airport. Here are Tanja, the Farnsworths, and Jonathan. Leeman will meet them at the airport. Elilai was sick and will join them later. Percia will join them when the flight stops in Yap. Unfortunately several of the team members had financial problems prevent them from being able to join the trip.... Pray for Everly who hopes to have his finances straightened out this week so he can go and join them later. The team is smaller than originally planned but pray God will use them to do mighty things for His kingdom. Just like David and Goliath.

T and Me

This is Tanja Gorges. She is the daughter of Liebenzell Missionaries Hanalore and Harald Gorges. The family has lived on campus for most of the last two years. I have enjoyed getting to know them. Last summer especially, Tanja hung out with a group of us left on campus for special "adventures" before I came back to the states. This year Tanja graduated from High School and she and her family will be leaving for at least a couple years as Tanja starts school in Germany. She left today with the Palau Mission team and I will not get to see her again because I will be back in PA before she returns. Waaiiiioooo.... I will miss Tanja and her family. Fortunately I will have some more time to hang out with her Mom before she goes.

Rockin' and Rollin'

Of course NOTHING at all compared to China....but again at 2:14AM - Everything shook.... kind of felt and sounded a bit like being on a train. Everyone is fine and everything is ok. Still a little weird for me.

Earthquake Details
Magnitude
5.4
Date-Time
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 16:14:20 UTC
Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 02:14:20 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
13.398°N, 144.773°E
Depth
49.8 km (30.9 miles)
Region
GUAM REGION
Distances
10 km (5 miles) SSE of HAGATNA, Guam95 km (60 miles) SSW of Rota, Northern Mariana Islands225 km (140 miles) SSW of SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands340 km (210 miles) SSW of Anatahan, Northern Mariana Islands
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 7.4 km (4.6 miles); depth +/- 8.4 km (5.2 miles)
Parameters
NST=131, Nph=131, Dmin=23.5 km, Rmss=0.81 sec, Gp= 58°,M-type=body magnitude (Mb), Version=6
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID
us2008spa3

Graduation.... Looks Like We Made it!

Here I am posing with the graduates in our library (hence the books) before they get ready to march to Pomp and Circumstance played by Ned Farnsworth. I am so proud of all of them. I will miss them greatly.
The faculty will march in before the Seniors and take our seats. At this school the faculty does not wear their robes. I have mine ready to go should that change. ;o)
The undergraduate students performed a special number to honor the graduates.
Twinsanne Sam and Joy Hosei were both Valedictorians. They did their speech together. I am always touched by how the students work together and support each other. This was just one of many examples.
Jonathan Sam gets his diploma case from Dr. President David Owen.

The Seniors wrote their own song and sang it for the crowd.
And we do mean crowd. There were probably over 5o0 people here on our tiny campus to celebrate the event.
Charity is a very talent and gifted student.
Mac and Merong are not just co-students but relatives.
Smilen and Marsa are part of a group of students which transfered from our Tol Campus to complete their degree.

Baccalaureate

On Sunday May 11 (Mother's Day) we had a Baccalaureate service to give thanks and honor to God for all the accomplishments of the Graduating students.
The underclassmen sang a special number during the service.
Jayvina gave the Salutatorian address. She challenged the students to keep focused on the Lord as they leave PIBC.
The graduates started the line for communion during the service.

Student Council Honors Seniors

At the end of the semester the Student Council hosts a year end party to honor the seniors. There is a large feast with all kinds of delicious food.
The seniors sit in front as the special guests.
Underclassmen provide entertainment. There was singing and skits.
The Yapese students and their friends performed a traditional stick dance which they changed to celebrate the gospel as opposed to the traditional pagan stick dances.
Here is the group in their traditional dress... well almost.... Yapese traditional dress for women is to go topless. Along with the stick dancers is our president David Owen and Joyce, his wife.

Shopping Photo Montage

Here are just a few of the pictures that the students captured on my camera while we were doing our weekly grocery shopping.
Jayleen, Jaynee, Ginny, and Ertin posing.
Mark "hanging loose" while making sure the guys have plenty of bacon and hot dogs for the week
Ertin was a regular shopper this semester. He will also be one of our workers on campus this summer.

Finally.....

Last Thursday was the final day and final presenations for the study skills class. I have to admit it was nice to have a break from preparing. Here Myumi talks about the importance of Good Listening Skills for success in college.
Morin is one of the students that created a poster for her project.
BJ was glad to be finished too.

Great Helpers...

This is Ansia, Jayvina, and Ethel. Anisa and Jayvina where my RA's this year. Both are graduating which makes me sad since I will miss them but proud since they have done a lot of hard work. Ethel has been my assistant dean this year and she has been a great blessing to me and the female students.

I treated them to dinner the other night in celebration of the end of the semester.

Thanks Ladies! God Bless you.

Final Projects

Today we started our final projects in my study skills class. Each group had to do a presentation on a project that they completed detailing six study skills that they learned this semester which were the most useful to them. Some picked a skit format, some a two page hand out, some power point presentations. Here Alvin, Ertin, and TJ play Brad Boydston, Tim Plaxton, and Dave Owen talking about study skills.
Smilen decided to us a power point presentation to illustrate the study skills she picked including avoiding procrastination.
Dave and Jeff worked also worked as a team as they covered the study skills described in their two page handout.

Senior Salute

On the last night of Women's Devotions we honored the seniors by singing and by writing encouraging words on congratulation posters. Here are the future graduates with Ethel and me after devotions were over.
The Bannex ladies sing to the seniors.
Waiiioooooo..... Sandra and Smilen will be missed.
The Dorm girls sing the Barney song to the seniors.
The seniors sing their swan song.