A Week of Changes!

We left Mongolia at a dry 5 degrees and landed in Guam to a humid 85! That kind of temperature change definitely called for a different wardrobe, so we did a little shopping when we arrived. The change also brought a whole new color palette—our eyes haven’t seen this much green in a very long time! Everywhere we look, it’s lush and vibrant.

One of our favorite stops so far was Two Lovers Point, a beautiful lookout with breathtaking ocean views.

We were also able to attend the temple in Guam...small in size but large in spirit!  The church building right next to the temple was also beautiful.  There are no hallways, the chapel and classrooms all surrounded a courtyard with the baptismal font in the middle.  

We’ve also had some fun everyday changes. We’re back to using the dollar instead of tugriks. We’ve seen familiar restaurants and stores—Outback Steakhouse, Applebee’s, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Famous Footwear, Ross, and more. Of course, that also means higher prices! Our meal for two at Outback cost more than what we’d pay for a meal for four in Mongolia. Come back, Mongolia prices!

We’ve also experienced a change in language—our new greeting is Håfa Adai! (Goodbye, Sain bain uu!). Although each island in the Micronesia Guam Mission has its own language, most people in Guam and Palau speak English, which will make communication much easier for us.

Another big change: we can wear our name tags again! Due to visa restrictions in Mongolia, we couldn’t wear them there. It feels wonderful to have them on, and we’ve already had several people approach us because they recognized that we’re missionaries.

One memorable encounter happened while we were eating our final meal in Guam before our flight to Palau. A man from Hawaii who works on submarines in Guam came over to talk with us. He told us about serving a mission in New York as a young man and was interested in hearing about ours. When it came time to pay the bill, our server informed us that our new friend—who hasn’t been paid for his government job in a month—had already paid for our meal. His small act of kindness was such a touching reminder that there are good people everywhere. We will definitely be paying that one forward!

Just to give you an idea of where we are, here is a picture of Palau in relation to other countries as well as a zoomed in location of our apartment building...kind of out in the middle of nowhere! 

We weren't sure what to expect in Palau, but the grocery stores here are another change—so many familiar items everywhere, not just in one small “Good Price” shop. We’ll have no trouble finding food here, and though it costs more, it’s worth it. (Just look at this beautiful package of bacon!

The view from our apartment has changed too. We’ve traded the excitement of watching construction projects for a stunning panorama of islands and ocean right from our balcony. We’re still in the process of settling in, so more on our apartment next week.  

We’re also driving again! The mission provides us with a car, and we can use our U.S. driver’s licenses—so we have wheels!

Although this week has been full of changes, some things remain the same. Just as we met amazing young missionaries in Mongolia, we’ve found equally wonderful ones here—serving 18 months to two years to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We were greeted at the airport by the six missionaries we’ll be working with, along with some branch members who gave us such a warm welcome.

Cultures and languages may differ, but the gospel is the same throughout the world—and we love it.