pictures...

Jake and David trying on some sweet hats!
Some of Jake's 8th graders
Pastor Dickerman talking to my class.
Climbing into the ambulane on our Fire Station Field Trip!
My 1st graders!!! :)

Sandy and I - the Canadian Thanksgiving cooks :)
Jake and I :)
Terry (fellow teacher and awesome amazing woman) excited that we were playing Apples to Apples!
making sure it's sharp!
Out to dinner, amazing dinner, with David and Nina - also amazing people. :)

New Things...

This past week and a half has been very busy. We've had long weekends and long days and these next two days are report cards and parent-teachers. Volleyball keeps me busy everyday til 5 and Jake has tutoring plus helping with volleyball and his new sport: ultimate.
Last Friday we had a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner with our bible study group. It was so great! Pastor and Sandy and I cooked the whole meal minus a few extras provided from others. We laughed, gave thanks, worshipped our Good God, ate, and played a game. It was nice fellowship. I am really thankful for the church group we have here. It's a great community of believers who genuinely want to help and love you.
This week has been busy getting report cards and grades ready. Tomorrow theh Parent-Teachers start. I'm a little nervous - because they are my first ones. Most of my kids are all doing great. I have a few Korean students who need to work a little harder and perhaps tutoring will help. Pray that God works through the languages and what needs to be said will be said and also understood. :)
I've been a little homesick this week as well, especially the amazing friends we basically lived with last year. I miss you all so much - we both miss you. I was able to talk with Katie Jansen, one of my closest friends, early yesterday morning, before school and that was such a blessing. God really provides what you need, when you need it.
Today, the 1st graders went on a Field Trip. My first one! :o
We went to the Fire Station. It was alot of fun. They let the kids climb into the truck, all go into the back of the ambulance, climb on the truck and take lots of pictures. We then went beside the fire station to the park and I just let them run around for about 30 minutes. I had some awesome Mom's with me - who were very helpful and watchful and fun! :)
Besides all that we had a double-header in volleyball tonight and games yesterday as well. They played awesome yesterday but tonight not so well. I was discouraged tonight and found it hard to get into the game myself, so I can imagine what the poor students felt like. We have one more week and it is almost over, so keep me in your prayers for perserverance for the last week.
Keep us both in your prayers for Parent-Teachers tomorrow and Friday and also as we head into a 2nd quarter, with new exciting things to hopefully happen - like American Thanksgiving break. ha :)
love always,
J & J (but mainly the first J - jackie)

Blessed

This week I was reminded of how God has blessed us since we've been here.
Our new friends and family here.

Sandy, the Kindergarten teacher and amazing woman gave me a little care package. I couldn't have needed anything better that day. SHe's perfect and it was just what I needed. So I thank God for her!

And on Tuesday we had Mark and Brittany over for dinner, as well as David and Nina. Nina is a local Saipan lady and David is her boyfriend. David happens to be Canadian :)

I love them both to death - they are amazing people. As are Mark and Brit and Jake and I are so blessed to have amazing friends like them. So we had dinner and played some games and talked and had a great time. Amanda came over after her tutoring and she is also another blessing in our lives. She is happy and cheerful and always knows what to say. Plus we think alike and it's been so awesome getting to know and love her as well. So thank you Lord for these people in our lives. We are truly blessed.

And one more blessing: Tomorrow is Friday AND we have Monday off! Thank you for that as well God!

a picture of the Sawyers and us.

Time Flies

This past week went pretty fast, as did the weekend. Jake is keeping busy with Math Courts. It's a math competition the school is involved in. He is the head proctor for the junior high, so he has to make up schedules to practice with the kids as well as all the review sheets for them. I'll be helping him at the meets, as well as the elementary kids are their meets. It's been good for him - to learn to be organized so all the kids know what's happening and what to do. He kept busy with that this weekend as well.


Yesterday we meet an older couple from church, Beverly and Dean Brubacker, as well as another man David Creel, for some snorkeling at Pau Pau Beach. It was pretty awesome. You could walk far out towards the reef and snorkel around. We saw tons of awesome, colorful fish. After swimming there we went up to the Far East Broadcasting base where they live/work. We had hamburgers and salad for dinner and blueberry pie for dessert. It was so great! After eating and good conversation we played PIT. Then Jake and I took the 35 minute scooter ride back. haha! Some of the awesome fish we saw (not our pictures):



the black and white zebra fish - they are so cute!!!




Today we had church, then a cheap lunch with David and Nina, Pastor Greg and Sandy, four amazing people. After lunch we went to the Grotto. We swam there. It was so clear today that you could see the underwater caves. We snorkeled and jumped and swam there for a few hours and then came back here to Sugar Dock and swam around and talked here. Then a yummy $1 Taco Dinner at Oleai's - the only restaurant with a patio on the beach. A great but fast weekend.
Here comes another week...and then only one more week until Report Cards. I can't believe how fast it's gone!
How are you all doing? Keeping busy with life? Any new things going on that you could let us knwo about??? We'd love to hear how things are going for all of you that read this. We miss you all tons!
Keep praying for us as we continue to learn how to live and teach in the Asian culture but also as we continue to live and learn from each other. We value your prayers. Thank you!
Love always!
Love,
J&J