Has it really been eight months since our last blog post?! Wow. Sorry about that. Time is flying. Once I took the job as the Youth Services Director, much of our drama worth writing about faded away and I also had less time for blogging (hooray!). To sum up, we’ve gone about the process of making Kwaj less of a temporary adventure and more of our home.
Half of our home – decorated for Christmas
With my new position came the opportunity to move into a ‘married bachelor quarter’, or two small rooms with a connecting door. Compared to the previous several months in one tiny room, our new digs feel pretty great – add in a regular sized fridge/freezer and we’re living like kings (no address change for you letter writers). Having spent last Christmas in New Zealand, we did the best we could to bring the holiday spirit into our home this year with our mini tree and fun decor. We were also able to share in some of the Kwaj Christmas celebrations like scuba Santa, Christmas Eve worship and the decorated sailboat parade. When the biggest winter weather change you get is more wind, you have to do what you can to make it feel like Christmas.
Chasing a manta ray
Most of my free time remains in and around the water as I increase
Michelle has jumped headfirst into a variety of active roles within the community. She became the president of the church’s Christian Women’s Fellowship, began teaching a variety of dance classes for all ages, and is on the board for the Protestant Congregation with me. She is enjoying the challenges of her new job training both American and Marshallese staff who run daycare and before/after school programs.
My job has been a wonderful combination of organizing K-6 sports
Michelle and I did our best to visit as many friends and family as possible when we were back in the states last August. We feel blessed to be able to keep up with so many of you through facebook, phone and facetime. Our plan for next summer is to explore Europe instead of the states so we’re hoping for even more island visitors. With the exception of August/early September, we would love to host friends and family any time of year and explore this unique part of the world with you. The offer remains the same: you pay to get here, we’ll pay for everything else (think $2,000 round trip – cheaper than a resort!). We have no exit strategy at this time, but you never know when we’ll feel called to the next adventure elsewhere 🙂
Comments