in pictures...

We witnessed baptisms this morning after church. These two girls were adopted from China. Abby and Emma. Emma is in my 1st grade class. They are adorable, smart and loving girls. It was a blessing to watch them. It was also neat just to see a baptism in the ocean. :) What a great God!
That's their Dad in the blue shorts taking pictures. Pastor Abe in the yellow shirt and the lead pastor, Pastor Greg next to Emma.
Emma and I after she was baptised!! So proud of her! :)


Jake and I on the beach after church

random Saturday afternoon
how tired we were after our 2 hour hike/run/walk through the jungle on a trail that Wesley Horlings created. It was awesome!!!
Some of my students in art class. This is Ken and Ye Lee.
Jon Paul (or J.P, as I'm allowed to call him) and I. And yes, he has tons of silver teeth!!

Here's my class being silly. If you look carefully at the girl in the pink shorts, she is bowing at the camera. Ohhhh Yoo Jin!!!
Ms. Winkfield and I and our volleyball team. 6th, 7th and 8th graders!!!! SO fun! :)

In action. The first game we won! :)

Life is so good here. Thank you God!!!

Start of Week 7

So another week and weekend has come and gone.
It's been a busy week, with volleyball every night of the week, meetings after school, Ultimate Frisbee for Jake and grading and planning. Teaching is going really well for Jake. He loves the middle school age children and is really enjoying planning and teaching them Math and Science. He is in charge of the Math Counts and Math Courts competitions that the Junior High does and so that is starting up now and will keep him somewhat busy. He is very involved in Ultimate Frisbee which meets on Wednesday and Fridays. It's his new lacrosse since he can't play that! :)
Teaching for me is alright. I'm not sure how much I really enjoy it. I'm having a hard time wanting to wake up in the morning to go teach them. I was reminded the other night that we are in a ministry here and need to work for the ministry of God. But it is still hard. The kid's don't listen very well and I feel like I'm not doing enough to help them learn because I spent so much time trying to discipline and get them to listen. So besides the fact that they are the most adorable little children and I love them, it's really hard to teach here. So keep me in your prayers and I continue to learn and grow in how to become and be a better teacher.

Besides teaching, Jake and I are doing good. We are making new friends and growing in those relationships as well. Sometimes I have a hard time opening up to people when I know things will change in a year and people will be gone - so pray that the Lord will continue to work in both Jake and I in our new relationships here.
I have this new friend, Nina. She is a local Philippino woman and I love her to death. We go swimming every Tuesday and Thursday for about 45 minutes and this past Saturday we did Yoga together. She is a wonderful woman of Christ and a great friend and I'm so thankful to God for the fun times we can enjoy and the conversations we can share.

As for what's new...we are in the rainy season and so it continues to just rain and rain here. And will probably do so until November or December.
We are starting our 7th week of school already!! Can't believe how fast the time flies by. We are really enjoying the island, the church we are a part of and the people we continue to meet. We are truly blessed and highly favored, like our Pastor says. We thank God for Pastor Greg and his wife Sandy. They are two amazing people and are becoming mentors to Jake and I both in our faith but also in our marriage. God knew that we needed some people like them when we came here and here they are!
So many blessings - we are very happy. Thanks for all yoru prayers and love!!! We appreciate knowing we are in your thoughts. Continue to pray for us in teaching, but also as we learn to adjust to the culture and better yet, understand living in this culture.
We miss you all!!
Love, J & J

P.S. If you ever want to send a postcard or package or cards or anything here is our address:
Jake and Jackie Van Dam
500069 Beach Rd.
Saipan, MP
96950
- We LOVE getting mail!

Sick in Saipan

One of Jake's beautiful flower pictures to share!

Hello! This week is progress report week. That means we are half way through our 1st quarter. Yikes!! It's also been a really busy week with volleyball. For those of you that don't know - I am the asst. coach of the school's volleyball team. Ms. Winkfield, the 5th grade teacher and I are coaching the 6, 7, 8th grade co-ed volleyball. So glad I don't teach junior-high - although sometimes 1st grade isn't that enjoyable either.

Anyhow we lost our first volleyball games today but I was so proud of the kids. They did so much better than I have seen any of them do in practice. It was awesome. I'm really enjoying coaching volleyball. It's a fun sport and the kids really get into it.

Besides being busy this week, Jake and I are doing. He is getting over cold #1 here in Saipan and I am just beginning cold #1. It sucks. We live on a hot, humid island and I have a runny nose and sore throat. Silly little kids - start covering your mouths and washing your hands. Oh well - life of a teacher I guess - busy, busy, busy, sick, lost patience, love for the adorable needy little kids, enjoyment of hanging out with them after school, and more grades.

Please keep us in your prayers, so that this cold/sickness will pass by quickly; that patience will grow alot faster and hang on longer during the day, and that God will give me especially, what I need everyday to teach these 1st graders.

Thanks for your prayers and love. Send us emails: jcqlnvndm@gmail.com or jkvndm@gmail.com to let us know how you are doing and how we can remember you and pray for you. We miss you all!

Love always,

J & J

On the Ferry....

The Sawyer, Mark and Brittany and us on the ferry!

The view of the island Managaha from the ferry.

just getting on the island
The whole group after intense volleyball... haha
view from the spot we picked on the beach. That's Saipan in the background.
Another view of Saipan

Catch up!

Life moves faster here than I thought it would. We have now finished the fourth week of school and our progress reports (mid-terms) are due this coming Friday!!! Thanks so much for all your prayers and thoughts as we've continued to adjust to life here, to our new jobs of teaching, to a new set of friends and even more to each other.
We've been blessed even more since last time. We had last Monday off of school and we were able to spend the weekend enjoying more sights on the island and off the island. We hiked to Forbidden Island. It's quite the hike but it was worth the refreshing swim in the cold ocean water. Then on Monday we went with the youth group from church, the Sawyers and Joel the PE teacher to Managaha Island. That was incredibly beautiful. Just the blues in the water, the fish you could see while snorkeling and the weather. It made me think again about how we are living here and not just on vacation. I'll post some pictures once we get the chance.
We are blessed. School continues to go well. It has it's days where I wonder why I'm doing this, but for the most part - Jake and I both love teaching, our classes and the school!
The friends we've made and continue to make are incredible. The really do become your family when you have none nearby. God has blessed us with some incredibly, caring and loving people and we couldn't thank Him enough for the Sawyers, Joel, Amanda, Sandy and soon her husband, Terry and the Winkfields. We love you all so much!
Well Jake and I are off to take a ballroom dancing class! :)
Hope you are all doing good. We love you all and miss you all tons!
Love J & J

A little over a month...

It's been along time again. We seem to get caught up in teaching, planning, grading or exploring this fantastic island. In fact just this past Saturday, Jake graded over 400 math and science papers, so we apologize for our lack of communication! :)

Here's a picture of us on our recent hike.

Things are going well though. We are well finished the first two weeks of school and they went well. 19 1st graders is fun but a challenge. They sure like to talk all the time.


For Jake, teaching 9 different classes within 6 periods, plus finding a good system for all that grading is his challenge. We love the students though, and especially love the staff. The other teachers here are incredible teachers and people.


We continue to find new things to enjoy: like new people to take us on awesome adventures (like David our tour guide for the past two weekend trips), other Howlies who have such awesome fun ideas to share (like Ultimate Frisbee, Paddling, $ Taco Nights on Tuesdays and Hash runs - which is basically a jungle run on a Saturday afternoon for 2 hours with drinks and food and fire afterwards), and hanging out more with the teachers that live here in the apartments with us. God has really blessed us with some amazing people as next door neighbors.


Another reminder to all, to download Skype - free talking! :)


Also continue to check out our Picasa Web Album - more pictures are up!


Please email us or post on here and let us know how you are doing. We miss all of you!





Continue to pray for us as we teach the students and minister to them in all we do.


Blessings and Love,


J & J

First Days of School...

So our first two days of school are over!!! We did so far.

The first day in 1st grade when awesome. What adorable little children:

My first grade class working on their first project!!

As cute as they are - they sure are talkers. As much as I loved the first day and enjoyed getting to know them today was a trial. They like to talk whenever and well, it'll be a challenge to get them to listen - all year!

Over in 6th grade - Jake had a great first two days. He's busy testing the 6th, 7th and 8th graders in Math so he knows what type of Math to teach them. Science he's getting started on life science. He's gotta alot of work ahead of him this year and he'll learn to become more organized and ready!

We are both so excited to be working at this school, with the amazing teachers we get to work with and the fun and adorable students!

After our first day, we went with Brittany and Mark to Pacific Island Club for a first-day celebration. Our tables were in the sand, and we could enjoy the sunset and chat about our first day. We really love this new couple and can't thank God enough for having them here too. They are a blessing to each of us.

Jake and I by the beautiful sunset

Mark and Brittany Sawyer! :) We love you too!!

The beautiful sunset and water!!!

Also - today Jake and I bought ourselves a scooter. We had been looking with Brit and Mark the past couple days for some cheap, under $400 scooters and happened to find one for $380. After Jake test drove it to an ATM he brought it home and now we have some wheels... :)

Me and my new helmet!
Our new ride!!
Please continue to keep us in your prayers and let us know how your lives are going. We can't wait to hear how everything is going for you and your families!!! We miss you all!
Love

J & J

One crazy week...

It's been awhile since the last post. And that's because we have been soo busy. This past Monday we started work at 8AM in our classrooms and with several meetings. We have both been preparing and decorating our classrooms and getting ready for our students. Our first day of school is THIS MONDAY!!! 7AM!!! :)

It's been long days of decorating, typing up letters and notes for parents, writing lesson plans and procedures and rules for the students and mentally preparing ourselves for our first year teaching.

Here are some classroom pictures:

When we aren't in the classroom we have been hanging out with all the other teachers, getting to know each other. There is another married couple, Mark and Brittany, here from Idaho/Washington. We really enjoy spending time with them so far and can't wait to keep getting to know them. The other teachers are extremely friendly and helpful as well. We both know that God will continue to bless us with the new people and friendships He continues to privde us with. He is such a great God!

Last night we went to the weekly Thursday Night Street Market. Its' a great place to eat dinner for 2 for $6 and see some culture and entertainment.

Jake and Mark


Brit and I


Things are going good. We are hoping to relax this weekend before all the busyness starts up. Please continue to check out our Picasso Web Albulms, because I continually update and add more photos!! Also if you could keep us in your prayers and things will get busier now, but also as we begin full-time teaching and yet still adjusting to our new life here on the island. We miss everyone of you so much. Blessings...

Love,

J & J

Another Week.

It's been a whole week again. Crazy how fast the time goes out here. We are loving it more and more each day. :)

This past week has been filled with time spend in our classrooms. Jake's been looking through all his science and math that he has to teach and I've been looking through all my subjects. Getting good grips on what exactly we'll be teaching will help us alot next week once we officially start with all our orientation. We'll finally meet all the other teachers then as well. Brittany and Mark, the other married couple comes early Saturday morning and we can't wait for them to get here!

This past week it's been Jake, me and Joel, the PE teacher, hanging out.

We spent some time touring the island see some more sights on the North side with Wesley this weekend again. It was incredible. All the pictures are up on Picasso our web album but here's a few for ya:

Jeffrey's Beach
and again. The waves are so strong here, you really can't swim.
Jake and an old WWII gun, by the Last Command Post from WWII as well.
View of the ocean...so beautiful!
CowTown Beach - again not a swimming one, just one for the waves

Overall we've been having a very good time adjusting and learning to live here. The weather is slowly starting to become normal...that is living in an apartment that's an average of 85 degrees. We're enjoying meeting more people from the church as well as locals around the island. We decided we are going to enjoy the next few days without being in our classrooms too much, because we start on Monday.

I hope that for all who read this that things are going well for you and what you are doing. We pray for people back home and want you all to know how much we do miss you. We love you all and until next time...

Weekend #1

This past weekend was great! On Saturday we had Wesley Horlings, a guy living here on the island, from my hometown, Holland Marsh, take us around the island. He picked us up in his 4 wheel drive Jeep and off we went. The first stop was at an old lighthouse. From there we could see the west side of the island. Then we drove up to Mt. Tapochao, the highest point on the island, which was a great overlook to see the whole island.

View from the lighthouse - you can see all the light blue water which includes the coral reef. Also that little island is called Managaha Island - where you get the nicest beach and nicest swimming and snorkeling area. Can't wait to go!

View of Garapan, the tourist part of the city, from Mt. Tapochao
South side of the island.

After all of the spectacular views from up top, more of which you can see at: http://picasaweb.google.com/jcqlnvndm, we travled down into the jungle to some cliff edges and beautiful beaches. Some of the beaches are too dangerous to swim at because of rocks and currents. Others are just gorgeous.

View of Obyan Beach on the south end from Naftan Point

Cliff edges, places where you dont' want to swim.

Lau Lau Beach, Wesley's favorite beach to go to and you can see why!

Among all these beautiful sights we saw some neat birds and banana and papaya trees as well. It's a pretty impressive area so far! :)
On Sunday we went to the 10 o'clock church service. We were introduced in front of the church and met some people who invited us out for lunch. We went to a great Chinese restaurant in Garapan where we shared all the individual courses that we had each ordered. It was something that we had never done back in the states (or in Canada for that matter). On Sunday afternoon we lazed around in the ocean behind the school. If you walk a block or so south of the school you come to a clear, less sea weedy area. So Jake and I swam and lounged around there for awhile. We got caught in a rainstorm so we waited the cold rain out in the warm water. It was alot of fun!

So far this week we've been starting to look through stuff in our classrooms and get our minds ready for the school year. Prayers for us as we begin to get ready, meet new teachers, students and parents are greatly needed and appreciated. It's exciting but kinda overwhelming at times too!

Until next time...enjoy those pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jcqlnvndm!

Love,
Jake and Jackie

Saipan in Pictures

View from our bedroom window!
Our bedroom, double bed and all!
the junior high classrooms on the bottom, and apartments on top
panoramic view of the campus, notice the open-air church behind Jackie
the sign on the road for our school!

The ktichen and living room and bedroom number 2 off to the right...

More pictures to come!!!

SAIPAN!!!

We made it!
It was 1a.m thursday, local time, and we had been traveling for traveling for 29 straight hours, but we finally made it. It was a good thing too because I don't think that Jackie and I could have handled even one more flight.
After going through customs and picking up our baggage, we went outside and were greeted by 3 people from SCS. Mr. Winkfield (the principal), his wife, and daughter, plus a big banner and two beautiful flower headbands.
The car ride to the school wasn't exciting as it was dark and so we didn't get to see much of the island last night. We unloaded all our luggage and brought up stairs on top of the middle school building to our apartment. I'll compare our new apartment to our old apartment for those of you who have visited us in Sioux Center. The layout of the apartment is basically the same, except we have two bedrooms instead of one. We'll try to get pictures of the apt. posted once we're all moved in.
After getting our luggage in, we turned the AC on and crashed. We both slept very well too. I don't really think that we'll feel too much jet-lag because we both felt fairly well rested today.
Most of today was spent running around the village with Mr. Winkfield. We did a little shopping, got drivers liscenses, and set up a bank account. Setting up the bank account took well over an hour. I guess thats just an example of the slower pace that the island runs on.
Thanks so much to all of you who have been praying for us. Our trip here couldn't have gone better. Thanks be to God.
Love,
J and J

TOKYO!!!

Well, we made it through the 11 hour flight! Thank goodness that one is over. We left LAX at 1:10 p.m. on tuesday, and we arrived at 4 p.m. local time, on Wednesday. Its kinda like we lost a whole day of our lives. Hopefully we get it back someday.
Anyway, the flight was really long. Three movies were shown, and an episode of a tv show, so that helped quite a bit. Jackie and I also managed to catch a little sleep. Oh, before I forget, I should mention that we have now been on the move for 23 hours, with eight hours still to go before we get to Saipan.
I have no doubt that we will sleep very well when we get to our new school/home, both because of exhaustion and because of sleeping pills. I can't wait.
Anyway, I have no idea when the internet service is going to run out, being as I didn't have to pay for it. So, before I get cut off, I'd better sign off.
Thanks for the prayers,
Love,
J and J

Airport Number 1 - LA

Jake and I are waiting in the Los Angeles airport, by gate 28 for our 1:20 flight to Toyko. We have about 2 more hours! We flew here this morning and won't finish all the flying until Thursday. We are soooo excited though. This morning we were a little nervous but now we are feeling much more excited and ready for this. I personally am so thrilled that I get to do this amazing adventure with someone I love and call my best friend. It's so wonderful that we can share this together and I can't wait to grow closer with him.
We'll hopefully send an email or something once we get to Toyko so everyone knows we've made it safe so far.
Thanks again for everyone's prayers and support thus far. It sure is exciting and sure is far away but we know we have some amazing family and friends that will always be there for us no matter where we are. Thanks so much!
Love J & J

Hello all, Jake here...
Jackie and I can not begin to count the number of people who have personally told us that they were going to check on our blog regularly. We kind of thought that maybe just our families would check the blog. We were very wrong. People who we didn't even know had computers have told us that they would keep an electronic eye on us. So to those of you who have spoken to us about the blog, and to those of you who will keep tabs on us, thank you. It means so much to us to know that you care about us and how we are doing.

Alright, enough sappy stuff.

Jackie and I are still in Sioux Center. We just got back from a little vacation with my family in the Black Hills, and are busy organizing, packing, shipping, and storing the stuff we've accumulated in the past 13 months. We need to be completely out of our apartment by Wednesday night because on Thursday we leave for a wedding in Des Moines. We'll return from that wedding on Sunday afternoon, and then on Monday, the 14th, we will leave for Minneapolis. We'll be staying over night with a couple of friends and then flying out of the cities bright and early on Tuesday morning.
So keep us in your prayers as these next couple days already are a bit overwhelming and new to us. Also as we say "see you later's" to good friends and family and especially as we fly for 24+ hours to our final destination...Saipan.
How exciting!
So until then...