I John and the Power of Forgiveness

It's hard to believe I'm (Mike) already in my last week of teaching here. As much as this busy schedule has worn me out, it will be hard to leave this incredible experience. Last week we finished the last of the General Epistles (2 John, 3 John, and Jude) and today we begin the final stretch in the book of Revelation. I've had some experience in these books before, of course, but the experience of studying them to teach on the college level has caused me to gain new insights and depth in my own understanding of these books and their true power to transform.
Seeing the students learning something new that can have a direct impact on their lives is exciting. In the book of I John, we spent some time discussing what it means to live in light of forgiveness as a believer. The familiar verse "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins" I think too often falls on deaf ears. What is so profound about this simple verse is how much it says about God's grace by all that it doesn't say. It doesn't say that we need to perform acts of penance or work our way back into right fellowship. Here on Guam, there is a mountain with crosses at the top. Many religious people climb this mountain to reach these crosses, some beating themselves as they go, or crawling on their hands and knees.

How tragic, for professing believers, to think God would somehow take satisfaction from self-punishment. Scripture is clear, that for the believer in Christ, his sin is forever taken care of. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Jesus died to take care of our sin forever. Why is it then, that those of us who have been granted such forgiveness can't seem to accept it? John says that God is faithful and just to bring us new forgiveness and restored fellowship by nothing more than simple confession of our sin to him. The grace of God is what separates knowing Christ from all world religions that demand countless works and rituals to find some kind of peace. Peace is ours as believers, and its all because of God, who he is, and what he has done. Living in guilt, discouragement, and defeat is in no way consistent with the worldview we so adamantly claim to hold. If we as believers don't live in light of forgiveness, who will?

Our 3-Year Anniversary!

Our anniversary fell on a Wednesday so I planned the evening of our actual anniversary and Mike took care of our plans for the weekend. On Wednesday after class I took Mike to Two Lover's Point (Click here for the legend of Two Lover's Point), for a walk on the beach at sunset, and then out to eat.
On Friday night after class, Mike surprised me by taking me to the Hilton and out to eat at Outback Steakhouse (thanks to Mike's mom for the gift card). We had such a great time. It was like a tropical vacation only 30 minutes away. The hotel and all of its amenities were beautiful. They had infinity pools that overlooked the ocean, and torches to provide light at night. On Saturday, we spent the day swimming at the Hilton and snorkeling in the ocean. On the way home, we got ice cream thanks to Jen and Sarah who gave us a gift card.
To view all photos CLICK HERE.

Island Tour

Anne and Steve, two missionaries that work for PIU, took us on a tour of the whole island last weekend. From our homes in Northern Guam, we headed south along the west coast to the southern tip and then back up the east coast. We stopped at amazing sights along the way, including caves, WWII memorials, and the first protestant church on Guam. We stood at the edge of the Marianas Trench, rode a carabao, and even saw the tallest mountain in the world (depending on how you measure it)! Mount Lam Lam on Guam is the tallest, because its base starts at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, seven miles deep, and reaches aprox. 1000 feet above sea level. We had a great time and learned many interesting facts that help us understand more of Guam's history and culture.

Slide Show of Island Tour
(click here to view full size)

Update from Libby

My class is going very well. I am learning a lot about teaching, especially teaching students of different cultures. On the one hand, my Asian students tend to be highly motivated and hard working. On the other hand, my local islanders tend to be extremely laid back and I am having trouble getting them to be responsible and take their education seriously. This is obviously a generalization. However, the two cultures clash consistently.

Last week, we discussed common word parts from Latin and Greek that show up often in English. Tomorrow, they have a test on the most common ones. Currently, I am teaching the students how to use context to determine the meaning of unknown words they come across when they read. Since it is such a small class, we are able to get a lot done and I am able to provide the students with individual assistance.

Please pray for one of my students who is not a Christian. This student knows a lot about Christianity as well as many other religions, but he does not believe in God. He is open to listening and is taking the basic Bible section of the English program. His English is very low, so pray for understanding of what he hears. I am so grateful that he is here and he chose PIU for his English training due to the low tuition costs.

In addition to teaching daily, I have also been able to put my graphic design training to use. I really enjoy deigning and wanted to see if I could be of any help to PIU. They were very excited for the offer and have already put me to work on their website and creating a flyer about their school.

Last week I was able to meet up with a friend who I graduated from college with. She is here teaching 6th grade at Christian school on Guam. What are the chances? It was very strange, but wonderful, knowing someone on this tiny island that is located across the world from our homes.

We have about 2 more weeks left here. I hope your summer is going well so far. Thank you for keeping up with our trip. We can't wait to fill you in on all the details.

Love, Libby