It has been taking a lot longer updating my blog than I hoped. But so much has been happening in my life since the adventures of Guam... It was so awesome coming home to the love and open arms of my family, and what a blessing it has been to spend time with them! Throughout the summer I was busy with family, friends, a wedding, working on the farm, and lots of other good stuff. I had a few temporary jobs working as a receptionist, and then I found a term job working with Cuets doing data entry. I really liked that job and was supposed to be working there until December. God had some other plans so in the first week of October I got a job offer, it was confirmed, and I was moving to Saskatoon. I am still waiting to get into my place, and am staying with my aunt until then. I really like my job, and I work with awesome people. God has definitely guided me and been so good to me. I know that if we give of ourselves, and learn to trust Him, He will not only guide you, but He will bless you with the best.
That was a short version of my life in the past few months....
:)
God Bless!
Love Kalena~

~Home~

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted anything on here. My last few days in Guam were very busy, but amazing as well! My mom and I had fun seeing things and having new experiences down to the last day! :) The flight home was interesting... seemed like things never seemed to go right, but praise God we made it home safely, and everything worked out. I will be posting some more pictures, and stuff soon. thanks for all your prayers.
Love Kalena
God Bless

pictures :)

Even when we are driving around- we still have a blast! Never a dull moment that's for sure!

This is us hanging out at the laundromat! very fun- who knew you could have that much fun waiting for laundry with not much to do! hehe

I took my mom to Chamorro Village. I never noticed this venue before, but if you look in the picture behind me, there is a sign with my name on it! How cool! This BBQ stand they had was named Kalena's BBQ. We tried some island food and drink. To give my mom a little taste of the island.

We went Kayaking. It was a gorgeous day! We found tangerine trees on the bank of the river, so I climbed up the muddy bank to get some! They were a little dry, but we ate a lot, and it was still really good.

This is a hot tub you can only go in and see when the tide is out. The waves are splashing around you- it is very clear and unbelievable!

This is Marble cave. It was the coldest water I have swam in since I've been here. It was nice not to get too adjusted and used to warm water, and beautiful beaches all the time...

We have had a few different opportunities to go on hikes with my cousins, youth and a team of college students that are doing an outreach here (Azusa team). We have been able to relax, go to the beach, go swimming and see a bit of the island so far. We are planning to see a lot more! God has really blessed us along the way, and has provided for our needs. :)

Be Blessed!~

Love Kalena

*mY mOm*

My mom arrived on Guam on June 2nd. It was so good to see her and it has been so awesome to show her things and introduce her to people that have been a part of my life here the past 7 months. We are looking forward to doing as much as we can and enjoy the time we have here together. We had a barbecue with a few people to welcome her to Guam and so everyone would have a chance to meet and have a time of fellowship. It was a great time, and good food. Later that evening we moved into a different place, which God opened doors and really blessed us with. I am so happy that I can now spend time with my mom. It is a nice taste of home, and we are having a blast together! (home-something that is not too far away... I will be arriving home on june 28th. )
God Bless!~ Love Kalena

~3o HoUr FaMiNe~

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. "
~ Romans 8:28 We had a sleep over at the church. This was the second time we have done this since I have been here, and it was really fun making beds by putting the pews together- feels like you are sleeping in a box. :) It was raining which limited some of the activities that we did but we still made up for that and had a really great time! I personally learned how to play Hawaiian Speed! So much fun, and I have to teach it to you all when I get back! haha It definitely takes coordination which I seemed to lack a bit of, at 3 in the morning.

I had the opporunity to really be challenged this weekend. I needed to prepare 2 different devotionals for two different age groups of youth. I was very nervous, yet excited at the same time. It turned out to be an awesome experience for me.

Even though this was a famine and not a wake- a- thon, you almost couldn't tell the difference. We never got much sleep and everyone was so tired the next day. We went to two church services which was nice and the youth had a song they sang during offering. Everone did so awesome and were really good sports throughout the whole thing. I honestly expected there to be more cranky people! haha

We had some really good times of worship! I love sitting there singing to God and watching more of His children praising His name and giving Him the glory! How incredible. Those are times that brings us all together and I really cherish. Everyone here is so amazing and I am constantly blessed as I get to spend more and more time with each of them. :)

We could continue to use your prayers here, and they are really appreciated! Thank You!

God Bless you all! and have a great day!

Love Kalena

*beach day*

Gary, Gwen, Kelty and I all went to Fai Fai beach. We went snorkeling, and walked around. It was really low tide, so you could see and walk on the reef. It kinda sucked for snorkeling, but then we just went out further. We stayed there to watch the sunset, it was very beautiful. ~*~*~

On my way to the beach... fun in the sun :)


A few of us went to the movies before youth on Friday night. We went and saw Shrek 3. And we hung out for a bit. It was lots of fun. We also went out to eat before the movie to tacobell. People here are neat to see eat. Most of the people here will not eat something if there is any vegetables in it. Chamorro people strictly like rice and meat. That is their main food groups: Although there are the few that will eat some vegetables and fruits. But it is so neat to see how there are many big and small characteristics that pronouce the differences within the different cultures and lifestyles. I am still becoming aware of more and more each day. :)


Be Blessed! Love Kalena

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Repent...By: Catherine Doherty

"There is the deep stuff inside, where you have to go and cleanse your soul and your heart of all that accumulated junk through the years. Go into your heart and you'll see... thousands of things: envy, jealousy- a lot of things. Think of your soul as a room, a room that you are making ready for God, and if you knew that God was coming, you certainly would wash and clean and scrub. Do it now... And as you come out of it, a great joy will prevail in you."

I've been challenged and working in my own life on having and making sure my heart is right with God, and with others. I thought that this was a nice reminder... :) "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accrordance with God's will."
-Romans 8:26-27

*Be Blessed!*

Love Kalena

Celebrate :)

On May 6th it was my friend Mhay's birthday. We had a surprise lunch planned for her, and even though we thought she had caught on... she didn't, so the surprise was a success! It was a lot of fun. On May 8th My cousin Kelty came home for the summer from Portland. That is really exciting that I have the chance to see her and spend some time with her before I leave.
This past Wednesday a few youth, Mhay and I watched another Joshua Harris video, it was good and really threw out lots to think about that was challenging. We also walked around and hung out before youth, picked up pizza, and then had a great devotions time, sang some songs, etc. What I really liked about the devotions was that it was put and discussed in a way that each of us could relate to. We could relate to this scenario that we were talking about, which helped give a new perspective of things and the authorities/people in our lives. We also shared our weaknesses and strengths as a group. Most times we don't just take the time to give it deep thought, but it is really rewarding when you do. This has really helped me see things that I'm strong in- and how I can work on using that for the Glory of God and to help me be a stronger servant. And it has helped me see my weaknesses- so that I can work on those things to become a better person, and trust God to help me persevere, etc.

I am also currently taking a drumming seminar. It is on Tuesday's and Saturday's, and will last 5 weeks. It is really awesome . I'm loving it... I'm learning how to read drum music, and different beats, and the basics, as well as a lot more things I don't know. I really feel like this will help me overall improve my drumming, and enhance my desire to keep it up and practice. The drumming instructor is really talented, and a neat person. I feel so blessed by this opportunity.

Please keep the youth/ my friends in your prayers...and the staff... and please keep me in your prayers too.
I appreciate it so much, thank you and may you be greatly blessed!



*Love Kalena*

*HaViNg FuN!*

"You heavens above,

rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down.

Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it;

I, the Lord, have created it."

Isaiah 45:8

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*

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Mhay and I went out for a nice supper. It was very relaxing- we went to a cafe in the PIC, beautiful view once again- and ate an amazing meal and shared many laughs. It was a nice evening and so much fun! The funny thing is we checked out only about 3-4 places before we finally decided where we wanted to go. haha but it all worked out. :)
Things are going to be busy here the next few days so it was good to take this time, and enjoy every minute of it...

PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER PLEASES GOD:)

HAVE A GREAT DAY! LOVE KALENA

*Searching for True Love*

We had a Sr.Girls retreat weekend at the PIC- Pacific Islands Club. It was a resort Hotel, that was absolutely beautiful, not lacking with things to do. During our time, we did a devotional with the girls, and watched a series of videos by Joshua Harris- "Searching for True Love." They were on True Love, Purity, and Trust. It helped us to focus on God's desire for our lives, how to live a life of purity and making the purity of others a priority, and to continue seeking our first True Love- God. It also spoke on trusting God- by being patient and obedient, being content in every circumstance, and recognizing the truth that God is our hope and refuge. God wants to be part of every aspect of our lives, if we only let Him and learn to trust Him. It was a very powerful series that I feel was very beneficial and encouraging. We went out for a "Rotic" dinner at a nice restaraunt. It was Rotic, because we took the man out of romantic. We had a lot of fun, and ate really yummy pasta! Yep, we walked out of there stuffed! :) The Hotel had a waterpark- which is indescribable. In this waterpark there was Kayaking (you could go under a waterfall), Basketball courts, Volleyball courts, squash, archery, tennis, pool and ping-pong tables, waterslides, water jousting, hammocks, hula performances, windsurfing in this little pool-but it wasn't running when we were there, snorkeling, hot tubs, snack bars, etc. I mean they had everything. It was awesome, but at the same time almost teasing because you could only fit so much into one night/day! Sorry there are no pics of the waterpark, we had so much fun that no one out of our group remembered to take any pictures. Overall it was a great experience and something to remember. I loved it. Tagalog> "9 Maging tunay ang inyong pag-ibig. Kasuklaman ninyo ang masama, pakaibigin ang mabuti. 10 Mag-ibigan kayo na parang tunay na magkakapatid. Pahalagahan ninyo ang iba nang higit sa pagpapahalaga nila sa inyo. 11 Magpakasipag kayo at buong pusong maglingkod sa Panginoon. 12 Magalak kayo dahil sa inyong pag-asa. Magtiyaga kayo sa inyong kapighatian, at laging manalangin. 13 Tumulong kayo sa pangangailangan ng mga kapatid. Ibukas ninyong lagi ang inyong pinto sa mga taga-ibang lugar." (Romans 12:9-13)

English> Romans 12:9-13- "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

Have a great day, and be blessed!

Love Kalena

Trust...

*A person trusting God is making Him our source of hope and refuge.

~"This I declare, that He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him." -Psalm 91:2 (The Living Bible) ~

>>>Lord, may we all learn to trust you completely, and with everything we have! You are merciful, compassionate, loving and faithful!

~"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." -Psalm 61:5-8 ~

God Bless! Love Kalena

pIcTuReS...

For fun, some of the girls tried to get as many pencils as they could in his hair, without them falling out...haha anything to keep your mind off of going to sleep... This is a picture of some of the girls playing cards during free time...I royally sucked when I played! :) This is a pic of the beach we had the bonfire and games at... One of the relays we did was: one person at a time had to fill a cup of water, jump a skipping rope, then dump the cup of water into a jug, and the first one to fill the jug wins. The girls won :)
This is when we went on our hike and came to a spot where we were out of the jungle...less creepy.
This was another one of the Kangaroo court moments- he had to fill the cup- but he missed the cup quite a bit!~ This is our game of water balloon volleyball... This is Gary and I, our ripped towel, and sweat rags! Sleeping... :)"To see God's hand in everything makes life a great adventure."

Be Blessed, Love Kalena

Wake-A-Thon

The wake-a-thon turned out to be a lot of fun, and an excellent bonding experience! There were many laughs, giggles and yawns, which made it even more interesting...We had times of worship and devotionals, free time, some beach and water games, clean-up/service time, a movie... We played volleyball: staff vs. youth. It was a blast, and got to be fun and competitive. Then we upgraded, and played water volleyball with water balloons. Some of them had a hard time getting the water balloon to even leave the towel, where as some could launch it really high, no problem. Gary and I had a hilarious problem, that got the kids going even more. We were partners, and our towel that we were using was very old... We would try to launch it as high as we possibly could, and then rrriiiiiiiipppppppp! The part of the towel where Gary was holding, ripped right off of the towel. Then shortly after my side did the same thing. It was fun though, and we then had sweat rags to finish off our game! :) We later went down to the beach, had games, then hotdogs, marshmallows and a bonfire. My first one since I've been here- I was excited! We had the guitar and worshipped around the bonfire and watched the sunset. Beautiful! We also had a scavenger hunt planned at Kmart. We had the kids split up into teams and go around the store finding prices, etc. of certain objects. After that we had a Talatamona hike planned. We went on this hike at 4:00 in the morning- it was dark, and a few staff planned some scary things to scare the youth a bit. We had glow sticks that looked like eyes hiding in the jungle, and a white sheet attached to a string, so when you pulled it, they would catch a glimpse of something white in the distance moving... We hiked down to another beach where we had another devotional, and watched the sunrise. We went for breakfast, and some of them were so tired- Josh, one of the guys fell asleep spread out on one of the eating booths. From there on we slowly watched some of them give into their lack of sleep, and calling pew benches. :) One thing that I found the hardest was when we went to the Days Inn swimming pool at 2 in the afternoon. The sun was hot- not much shade, it was draining my energy... To end the wake-a-thon we had Kangaroo court. That is where the staff come together at the end, and discuss if there was any youth we had problems with, etc. There ended up only being a few, and then they would have to stand before a "jury"- made up of a few other youth, and they had to do something. One of the things was this guys had to put eggs in his sandals, and then step on them breaking the egg all over his feet and sandals. They were all good participants, and it was a nice closing to our 36 hour wake-a-thon! We had a turnout of 23 youth, and about 5-6 leaders. Thank you to everyone that supported us in this event. It was really appreciated! I have really been blessed throughout these times to hang out and get to know the youth better, and just be blessed by the people and my involvement here!
*Love Kalena*

Very cultural...

This past Saturday and Sunday, there was a Yap festival.
All the Yapese on Guam, along with a few others, came together to Celebrate "Yap days." They have many talents and traditions. As I walked around I saw women weaving with flowers, and weaving baskets, outfit pieces for the dances, and all kinds of things. They played games and had raft making contests, dancing, and food and music. This was very excting to watch and be part of this. After going to Yap in December, I have learned even more about their culture, and have come to really appreciate the Yapese and experiencing something like this, even more. Love Kalena
*Be Blessed!*

Lots to be thankful for :)

April is going to be a really busy month... Easter is coming, and there are some really exciting youth events planned. On April 3rd-4th the youth have a "WAKE-A-THON" fundraiser. Ages 11 and up will be staying awake for 36 hrs. We have a bunch of activities planned throughout that time- as we try our best to keep everyone awake. haha that will be a lot of fun!

The youth group is still growing! We have around 50 kids attending on Fridays. Please continue to pray for the youth, God is using this time to draw others to Him! Something really powerful for me has been the 40 days of healing that has been taking place. We have about 12 different groups that meet each week. We are Reading the book; "Healing is a choice" and connecting with others to talk, and share as part of the healing process. God has been at work in many lives, and it is very exciting to witness the power of prayer, forgiveness, etc. We have about 2 weeks left, but hopefully the groups will continue even after the 40 days. It has been amazing to be a part of this, as well as I have been blessed to get to know more people.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7
~GOD BLESS!~ Kalena

*VeRy BeAuTiFuL!*

Most of the youth didn’t even know what floor hockey was until we played this past week. But once introduced… it became competitive and fast paced. They were excited and could hardly wait for their turn to go in. We played in the church parking lot, which also made it more challenging.
On Saturday we took the youth to Tarzan Pool. It was the first time I’ve been there, and the first time for them as well. It was a long dirt trail (red dirt)… but when you reached the bottom there was a pool of water surrounded by beautiful rocks. We found a rope swing on a ledge that we could launch ourselves off of into the water, and higher rocks to jump off. It was awesome- I would love to go again! On the way down there we tried to fit 17 of us on this one lonely/bare tree. It was interesting and really funny! haha but we managed to do it.
It seems the time here has been incredible, but has been flying by. We have had some exciting events taking place lately and many more to come!~

“Faith is not demanding what we want; it is trusting God’s goodness in spite of life’s tragedies.”

God is Good! Be Blessed!* Love Kalena