After much planning and false starts, I wondered if I was ever going to get to Guam to see my son Jesse & his new Filipino wife, Joan. I had wanted to share their wedding with them on the island of Saipan. But that was not in Yahweh’s plan.
In March 2013 Jesse called and said, “Get your passport mom, you are coming to Guam.” My heart swelled with excitement. Since I was attending Passover & the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the trip would happen after I returned from Holts Summit, MO. Late in the month of Abib, Jesse called again and asked, “How long can you stay? Are you up for 6 weeks?” Of course I was!
The flight was long. The leg from Los Angeles to Tokyo alone was 11 hours and the total travel time was over 24 hours. When I arrived in Guam, however, I felt great! Jesse put a lei on my neck, which he had just made from Plumeria trees in his yard.
I had a wonderful time with my son and getting to know my new daughter-in-law. Yahweh truly blessed us both with Joan. Long before Jesse met Joan, I had spent much time journaling in prayer to Yahweh for a wife for my son. I didn’t realize then that Yahweh would answer my prayers with a wonderful woman from the Philippines, a school teacher on the island of Saipan.
We had a grand time in Guam. We rode a commercial submarine to the bottom of the ocean and glimpsed a part of Yahweh’s creation seldom seen. While deep sea fishing and dolphin watching, we spotted a large pod of spinner dolphins. We also visited many historical sites from WWII and the commemorations to those who lost their lives. We were able to actually talk to people about what it was like during the Japanese Occupation. On one side of Guam, where Magellan first discovered the island, we saw a small look-out from that time in history. Being right on the ocean the whole time I was there, we were able to spend lots of time swimming on private beaches and learning to snorkel. Traveling all over the island was totally awesome. Until you have experienced “tropical,” it is hard to imagine.
My son was in the U.S. Coast Guard at this time and his job was to orchestrate rescues in the ocean when people were in trouble. Before I arrived in Guam he had received a call from a small island close to Saipan. There was a boat with a dead engine and five divers in the water. It was almost sundown and the boater had lost sight of his divers. Jesse thought to put out a call on the citizens band radio. Because of his quick thinking, another boater heard this and all six lives were saved. So, while I was there I got to see Jesse receive an award for this service, along with many other USCG men and women being recognized for their work.
I am so very thankful to Yahweh. To see the other side of the world was a life-changing experience. I left Guam on a Thursday and, because of the time change, arrived home on the same Thursday. Would I do it again? Yes, and I would stay even longer. Yahweh is to be praised for answering my humble prayer.
Praying unceasingly, as it says, does work. Did I doubt? Yes, but I kept praying
by: Linda Cox
Beautiful