Looking forward to Sunday

(New Door... Thanks Kendel)

Today was a good day of work on the island.  Because of the delay in getting multiple jobs going at the same time, we were able to get a little more help today.  It looks like we will be able to finish the job up on Monday.  That is good news because we finally have approval to start two more jobs on Monday in the same area.  It looks like my postcard view will remain. :)  Here are a few more pictures from our day of work.

(Roof Repair)

(Steve working and Kendel making fun of his Duct Tape boots)

(The local workers on the other side of the roof)

(Kendel working on the front door)

(Finished Roof Repair)

(Other side of the finished repair)

The weekends are pretty low key in American Samoa.  Most families spend the day outside playing volleyball or their version of cricket.  It was also the first time I saw people swimming in the bay.  Most buses stop running on the weekends and most of the stores are closed.  We also had to ask permission from the homeowner to work on Saturday.  We are glad he gave us permission because we did not want to waste a day of our limited time here.

I am really looking forward to Sunday.  Part of the responsibility of a pastor or a chaplain on this disaster call is to preach at a local church on Sunday.  We have one pastor and one chaplain on our team, so they will be preaching at different churches.  I have enjoyed getting to know a brother named Marvin on our team and he will be preaching this Sunday.  I am excited about going with him to where he will be giving the message.  It is a Korean Baptist Church, so I am very interested about how a Korean church worships in American Samoa.  I can't wait to experience a new style of worship.

Being that Sunday and it we are taking the day off, we are hoping to be able to go sight seeing a bit.  There is a call for a good amount of rain, so we will see how much we will be able to see.  If we are able to, I will be uploading the pictures.

May all of you have a great day of worshiping the Lord.  Until next time.....

Blessings...... Billy

A great testimony of Gods Love

We were a little later getting started today.  We had to pick up a few items at the hardware store to be productive today.  The owner of the house was meeting us there to pay for the items, but we had to make a stop at the bank first.  I tell you that because that is where Steve and I received a great testimony today.  We were riding in the pickup truck "Samoan Style".  That just means in the back.  As we waited for the homeowner to go in the bank, the woman who was driving the truck stepped out and began speaking with us.  I wish I could remember her name, but even if I did, I would most likely not be able to spell it.... :)  She gave her account of the tsunami, which was pretty similar to the others we had heard.  But, what stood out was her perspective on the whole thing.  She stated that it was widely professed throughout their village that God must hate them to have sent the earthquake and the tsunami.  She continued on by telling us that she saw it as a blessing.  She  felt the earthquake and saw the water head back into the ocean.  And as that was happening, she ran towards the top of the hill.  She said that if God wanted her dead, it didn't matter how high she was able to get, God would have found her.  One of the things that happens on the island are boat races between the villages.  This is taken very seriously and she professed frustration because they expect the members of the village who are in the boat race to be there above and beyond church.  These boats are really long and we have even seen one named satan.  The lady continued to share that the boat in their village was destroyed and she was kind of glad.  She was hoping that people would stop taking their focus off these boat races and begin to focus more time and energy on God.

Another testimony she gave was that she had been praying for a block home.  That is the most common type of home on the island, but for some reason hers was a stick built.  When the tsunami hit, it wiped out her house completely.  They were able to take the relief money and build a block home for her and her family.  I just kept thinking that here is someone who lost of earthly possessions and all she was thinking about is how God has answered her prayers.  She was very careful to not say that God sent the tsunami to answer her prayers, but I am sure you understand her heart.  That delay at the bank was the best part of the day.

We arrived at the house and began to work.  The volunteer workers were there ready to go and go we did.  One of the projects I am working on is replacing some of the masonite in the living area.  I had a couple of sheets to go and then I could move on to the next thing.  Well, the last piece had to be cut and trimmed and it took me a bit to hit right.  After getting it adjusted just right, I installed it in the right position.  A few hours later, on of the workers was looking for  a pry bar we have.  After all of us looking around for it, Steve stated that the last time he remembered seeing it, it was on top of a 2x4 that is now covered by that "special" piece of masonite.  It didn't take long for me to realize that I have left them in the wall and the only way to get them out was to remove the panel.  It was a bit difficult because the masonite just rips a bit when you are trying to remove it.  I was able to get what ended up being four items left in the wall.  Needless to say, this took a lot of time, but I was able to get it done with a minimum amount of damage to the masonite.

Tomorrows plan is to do some more work on the house.  We should have the same crew of Steve, the VOAD worker, local workers, and myself.  But, it looks like we will have another guy from our team show up to make some good progress.

I was hoping to upload more pictures this time, but my camera battery was dead when I arrived at the job site. I am charging it now and hope to have more pictures tomorrow.

Thank you all again for your support and I look forward to updating you again.  Until next time........
God Bless You.....Billy

What a great Day!

We got up early this morning and were on our way. Cheerios for breakfast and and MRE for lunch. I have never had an MRE, but most of the people with us are ex-military and they seem to eat these on a regular basis. I have to say that overall it was not bad. I could eat it in a pinch if I had to. Others seem to like them way too much.... :)

We have seen some pretty awesome sights while here on the island, but I think today has topped them all. As we drove over the hill down into Fagasa, I felt like I was in a movie. The tropical vegetation was so thick and green and the view of the bay was amazing. As we drove up to the house, the first picture was our view of the ocean. God's creation is so beautiful I almost forgot how hot and humid it was. Just to give a little idea of what the people in Fagasa experienced, after the earthquake shook them long and hard, the ocean water reseeded to beyond the opening of the bay. All they could see was the rocky bottom knowing that the next thing that was going to happen was going to be a huge wall of water. They ran to a two story house in the village and all of the family was safe. Cars were swept into the ocean and houses were damaged or completely destroyed. Just looking at it now, it is hard to believe that such a peaceful view could bring so much havoc. I was able to sit and talk with the daughter of the High Speaking Chief that we are working for. She was able to give me a play by play of what she went though. She was also able to share with me a lot of the familiar customs that I found amazing. I wouldn't mind being a part of that kind of tradition and respect the American Samoan people practice. For instance, one of traditions and expectations is that when you have someone working at your house, paid or not, you are to prepare a meal for them. This is especially true if they are from another part of the world. They want to share with you there culture and give you the opportunity taste their food. So, at about 2:30 local time, two younger gentlemen began to setup a table right on the edge of the shore and fill it with local food. On the menu was Yellowfin tuna, breadfruit, a sweet coconut mixture to dip the breadfruit, and a fresh coconut to drink. He also included some tacos and spaghetti because as I found out later, he was worried we might not like it. All I have to say is that I am glad he did. If you don't know, I do not like fish at all. Add to the fact that my stomach was upset today for some reason, I was not up for trying anything new. But, because it is considered disrespectful if you do not at least try something, I gave the breadfruit a try. It actually tasted pretty good, but because of not feeling so well, I was not able to eat anything else. So, a bit of taco and spaghetti was all I could handle.

With that being said, the practice of tradition and respect replace the presence of God in their lives most of the time. The hierarchy is not much different than the family system represented in the bible and a lot of those traditions came from some sort of spiritual influence. But, there is a greater focus on the High Chief than on God. Getting a good perspective on how they live their lives has given me great insight on how to be respectful to their customs, but also share the Love of Christ.

We also have three local men working with us that are very knowledgeable and hard workers. They really help out with understanding the building procedures and how things are done here on the island. We have found that they do not pay a lot of respect to codes or safety. A lot of the materials, especially the concrete, is not up to the standards we are bound by in the mainland. Along with the sea air that deteriorates the building materials, it really makes it nice to have a local there to give us some direction. We are not bound to any type of inspections, but are doing our best with what is available to rebuild the homes in an up to date fashion.

(The House we are working on)

We were able to make good progress on the home today. As with most construction projects I have been involved with, we didn't have everything we needed, but will be able to pick it up in the morning. We are installing new electrical service, repairing some interior walls, installing some tile in one of the rooms, framing and installing the local type of windows, repairing the rusted roof, and installing some doors. Considering that this home was almost completely submerged by the tsunami, it is in good condition. The funniest thing that happened today was when I was removing the old masonite on the walls. As I was pulling away one of the sheets, a few cockroaches jumped and scurried away. The locals were laughing at how far I jumped away from the wall. I was not expecting anything to jump out of the walls and it completely surprised me to say the least.

(The wall I was working on)

(My partner in crime Steve)

(Our VOAD representative Roy)

                                                                                

God is so good and faithful. After a few days of feeling like we were running in a bed of sand, we were not only able to go out to the job and begin to work, we were able to begin to build relationships with the locals that I know are reflecting the love of God. I thank you Lord for blessing us with your power to accomplish Your Will.

I want to thank all of you who have been showing your support through your comments on the blog. It is very encouraging and an hope the testimony of the Lord is encouraging to you as well. I also want to thank all of those that are praying for me while I am gone. Your intercession is evident every day.

Thank you again and God Bless. I look forward to updating you again tomorrow.

Billy

Did he say cyclone warning?

Things started out pretty good this morning.  As we were sitting at breakfast getting ready to get going with our day, a warning came over the radio.  Heavy rain, flash flood, and cyclone warnings on the island.  All schools were shut down and they highly discouraged any travel along the coast.  Well, that put a pretty big damper on our plans being that most of the travel on the island is coastal and one of the flash flood areas was right were we were supposed to work.  So, needless to say, work was pushed off another day.  


The winds were high and the rain came down hard for about 6 hours straight.  It was a pretty amazing sight to see and we are glad that the cyclone did not actually hit the area.  When it was all over, it was beautiful to see the mist covering the mountains and the wild chickens come out for food.  That was the moment when I realized that I am definitely not in Kansas anymore.


At this point, things look pretty good to get the project started tomorrow.  The best thing about the delays is the relationships we have been able to build with the team here at the church and the other team here from Alaska.  They have been able to share some amazing testimonies that are really encouraging.  Especially being that we have been frustrated at times with not being able to get to the job.  It has helped me keep focused on the real task at hand and know that God is in control.


We attended our first church service today.  The Wednesday evening service is not well attended by the locals, but between us, the Alaskan team, and the volunteers on site that work at the school, we had a great time of worship.   Although things have been slow going, we really feel that God is doing a mighty work here and that the next week and a half will be great.  I am sure we will still run into some road blocks, but God will work them out as He sees fit.


I hope to have some pictures of the house we will be working on and look forward to updating you on the progress.  Thank you all for your continued prayers.  The evidence is seen everyday and I appreciate your continued support.


God Bless.... until next time... Billy

Wrapping up Day 2...

Today ended up being another day of preparation.  We met up with the home owner at the building supply store to purchase all of the items needed for the repair work.  They are set for delivery tomorrow, so it looks like the actually work will begin on Thursday.  


After realizing that we were not going to be able to work at the house of the High Chief today, we went back to the mission house and helped out with the kitchen remodel.  The area we stay in is on the second floor and there are several spots that are week and about to fall through.  As a matter of fact, one of the workers fell through today.  He is alright, but the water pipe is not.  Not a major fix, so all is good.


I had another opportunity to hand out a gold coin.  Here on the island, there is an a group call Volunteers Organization Active in Disasters.  There role is to locate people on the island that are in need of assistance and get facilitate us evaluating the property and giving them and estimate of what it would take to get the repairs completed.  They also are there on the job sites and serve as our interpreters.  Although most of the people on the island speak English, there is still a good amount of people in the villages that do not.  So, back to the coin.  The social work assigned to us form VOAD was giving us a bit of history of the island.  There was an opportunity to ask if she had ever seen a gold $1 coin before.  It took a bit of convincing, but she eventually believed us that it was real currency.  The conversation lead to talking about how we live our lives and in the end, she said .... "I really like working with the Baptists."  As before, I pray that the seed planted will flourish and eventually lead to a relationship with Christ.  After all of the running around this morning, it made it all worth it to be able to be in the situation to share.


The schedule for tomorrow is to verify the delivery of the materials purchased yesterday.  If they arrive in enough time, then we can begin the work.  If not, then Thursday it will be (unless things change).  We will continue to work on the mission house as well.


Thank you all for you comments and prayers.  I know that God is working and I hope that the opportunities to share continue to arise.


In Christ..... Billy

Day 1 down....

We woke up this morning and had our "debriefing" meeting and then headed out to see some of the places that were destroyed by the tsunami.  For my brothers and sisters at Morristown Christian Fellowship, we drove right over the bridge that the video showed was destroyed.  Pretty humbling to see brown tents that look like what we might use for camping or at a sporting event and realize someone is living there.  After looking at the damage, I am amazed at how little appeared to be done.  There are a lot of hoops to jump through to get the littlest thing done.  We are praying that those hurdles are taken down and that we will be able to be very productive with are time here.

I have uploaded a few pictures of the grounds in which we are staying.  We are in a mission house that is located on the grounds of Happy Valley Baptist Church and School.  There is plenty of room and the pastor has been such a blessing with getting us situated.  Part of our mission here is to do some repairs on the mission house in order that more missionaries can come and stay and serve the Lord.  We were able to repair the electrical panel and one of the storm doors today.  The kitchen floor and cabinets need to be completely replaced due to termite damage.  There is a crew that will begin on that repair tomorrow.

I need to take a moment and say thank you to my brother Don for the gold $1 coins.  It provided a great opportunity today while in a shoe store to be able to speak openly with  three of the people working there.  I was able to give them each a coin and the expression on their faces was priceless.  I know this might seem like a little thing, but they knew who we were and why we were there.  I just pray that God uses this experience to touch them and lead them to a relationship with Christ.  That after all is what this trip is about.

Today was about getting ourselves situated with the area and get the information we needed to start the jobs waiting.  We are still waiting for some permits and materials, but there are a few jobs that we will start tomorrow.  It looks like at this point, me and another team member Kendal will be going to a home that is in need of electrical, masonry and carpentry work.  In the villages of American Samoa, the High Chiefs are the ones that make the decisions.  You can not even build a home on your own property unless the High Chief approves it.  This home is the home of the High Chief.  So, we feel that if we do a good job for him, it would open the doors for future work.  Your prayers regarding this home and the hurdles would be greatly appreciated.

To all of you that have left messages and read the blog, thank you for your prayers and support.  I appreciate it beyond words.

Well, my hope is to have some pictures of the home we are supposed to be working on and to give you some idea of the damage that was done.  Thank you all again and I look forward to be able to post again.

Blessings.... Billy

(This is called a Fali, which means guest house.  You see these all over the island in front of the homes  They are used for family meeting times, prayer times, and a place for your guest to stay.  I am sure you noticed that there are no walls.  A lot of the homes are open this way due to the fact that the temperature only fluctuates approximately 10 degrees all year and most buildings do not have any type of air conditioning.  A lot of the victims have everything they own setup in a Fali. )

(This is one of the areas the missionaries stay)

Made it to Pago Pago

Well.... after a day of travel, we made it.  It is raining pretty good right now and they expect that to continue through the week.  We are getting settled into the mission house and getting basic instructions on what to expect while we are here.

The schedule for tomorrow is breakfast with the team, a relief team from Anchorage, Alaska, and the pastor here.  They will be going over the local customs and things to be aware of when dealing with the people on the island.  Then we are off to the jobs to get setup with tools and materials.  As of now, there are three homes that the team has assessed.  Once those are completed, there is a list of people that have requested assistance that we will be reviewing for the next project.

That is it for now.... off to bed.  I hope to send and update tomorrow with some pictures.

God Bless... Billy

Landed In Hawaii

Well.... I made it to Honolulu.  The flight was pretty good overall.  A bit bumpy at times, but overall pretty good.   I am now sitting down to eat waiting for the connecting flight to Pago Pago.  Looking forward to meeting up with the rest of the team that is scheduled to come in later today.  For some reason I was the only one on the early flight.

Well... not a whole lot to report right now.  I hope to be able to update shortly after I arrive in American Samoa.

Till next time....
Billy

American Samoa

Hello All,

The Lord is so good.  I am ready to go and am looking forward to the opportunity to serve in American Samoa. If you are reading this and wondering what I am talking about, I will give you a quick update.

An area the God has lead us as a family to get involved with is Disaster Relief.  So, we did and in November an opportunity arose in American Samoa to help rebuild some of the homes that were damaged by the tsunami that hit the island last year.  It was ever so clear to us that it was something I needed to make myself available for and let God lead.

Well, he did.  He put things in motion and provided a way for me to serve and my family to stay and support me as I travel.  I am set to leave for American Samoa on the 24th of January at 8am and will be there for two weeks.  We have a team of 7 men that are going at different times to help with the rebuilding process and to share the Gospel.  My hope and prayer is that through our willingness to serve, Jesus Christ is glorified and that the Gospel is portrayed in our actions and words.

I have had a lot of requests for updates, so I thought I would create this blog and post things to it during my time on the island.  There are so many people that have supported me physically, spiritually, and financially in order to make this trip possible.  Thank you all for your willingness to support what the Lord is doing in the life of my family.

Please continue to check in to see what the Lord is doing...... till next time.

Billy