I love this small, quirky island that we now call home. I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around what our family purpose is. It’s never easy being the new person in town, but we have been trying to build friendships wherever we can. It has been interesting observing the workings of Saipan. Everyone seems constantly busy, running from place to place. I often wonder why. It seems like the chaotic American life-style is starting to spread and at times life here seems busier than our life in Italy. If we aren’t intentional about stopping and taking time to explore the island and spending quality time together, it won’t happen.

I’m determined not to get sucked into the busyness of it all. I try to take time to quiet my mind, to sit on the floor with my kids and play Candy Land, to read a book and to simply enjoy this wonderful life that God has given me.

If I focus on the busyness around me I’m bound to fail. My heart and mind are still recuperating from the traumatic blow they received nine months ago. I’m still processing all that has happened since then. I’m learning to just let certain things in life go and not to let them bother me. My energy is needed elsewhere.

I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to live and serve on this tiny island. It has already begun to change me. I am growing in patience and compassion. I’m pushing myself daily to come out of my shy self and to make connections with others. There’s no time for being shy, life is too short.

The word that keeps coming to my mind for this year is PEACE. I keep seeking God, knowing that peace comes from Him. This world could never offer peace, there’s too much chaos surrounding it. I need peace in my life and I pray peace over those I love. The only way to not get sucked into the busyness of this world is to shelter under His wings, to focus on what truly matters and to know how to say no. Pleasing people is not what matters in the end, but pleasing God is what I strive to do. He is the one who delivers peace to those who are searching.

PEACE