An Update on the Aftermath of Mawar: Guam, & PIU

May 31, I posted about the devastation Typhoon Mawar wrought on the Pacific Islands University Campus. See here.  

I am taking a moment of your time, today, to give you an update.

Some time ago a major storm system, a derecho, hit the little community where I live. The power grid was seriously impacted. I remember seeing utility vehicles and crews from Florida and other far away places, that had come to repair the infrastructure.

Guam is 4,000 miles from Hawaii and twice that distance from the mainland. Bureaucratic, as well as

economic and geographic hurdles have to be overcome to bring in help from off-island. In short, recovering from an event like Typhoon Mawar, stresses all available systems. It takes a while.

Even the site that gives information about Guam recovery efforts is "Coming Soon."

Here are some anecdotal reports: 

• June 1, "Still don't have power, water or cell service.I can drive around and get cell service but trying not to waste gas." (a friend)
• Today (keep in mind Guam is 14 hours ahead of EDST) the Pacific Daily News reported that "The Guam Power Authority utilities restoration passed the midway point as of 1 p.m. Monday, according to the latest update released by GPA."
• From further away the Wishington Post reported 3 days ago, "About half of the island remains without water, and about 65% is without power. It may be weeks until the utilities are fully restored."

The last I heard PIU is still part of the "doesn't have it yet," part of Guam.

I talked with PIU President, Iotaka Choram, a couple of days ago. He was at a car dealership using their signal. The school is trying to get some estimates on what repairs to the campus will cost. PIU is just one of many looking for such information. Through the kindness of a supporter of PIU, some of the staff has been able to set up an off-campus "office," where they have access to a cell signal and wifi. I'm expecting an update from that office, soon. I'll pass it on when I get it.

Perhaps one indication of the current situation is that GovGuam is currently running ads to hire "Debris Inspectors."

The bottom line is I don't know much more today than I did when I wrote the last post.

• I do know that the school is planning to continue offering "Acredited, Affordable, Accessible, Transformative, Christian" higher education to the people of Guam, Micronesia, and beyond. I don't have any information as to when the school plans to resume instruction.
• I am convinced that the need for this kind of education in Micronesia and the Micronesian Diaspora is great.
• I know that just about everyone associated with the school has a big job in front of them personally, as well as in regard to PIU. This picture of the roofless Classroom 2 is illustrative. Having begun to clean up, lets one see the damage more clearly. The corner hasn't been turned. It hasn't even been reached, yet.
• I know that not only is the school damaged physically. It is shut down fiscally. No classes means that the normal flow of income is cut off. 

I mentioned seeing trucks and crews from far away that came to my home area after a major disaster some years ago. In the case of Pacific Islands University, you and I are the help that needs to be on the way. Liebenzell Mission of the USA, a mission agency with a deep history of working with PIU, has set up a fund for bringing aid to this beleaguered, indeed clobbered school. I encourage you to visit https://www.liebenzellmission.org/give/piu/#typhoon. You will see instructions there as to how you can make a tax-deductable donation to help put the roof back on and students back in the classroom above.

 Many of you have heard about Typhoon Mawar and the devastation it wrought on the US Territory of Guam. Knowing that Kathy and I lived on Guam and served at Pacific Islands University some of you have asked how the massive storm impacted the school.

The short answer is, "Badly!"

The PIU campus was damaged. 

• One classroom (classroom 2) is now roofless. While it is too soon to know about everything, it looks like all the contents of C2 are ruined. 
  Essential wifi-related cables were in that ceiling.
• An adjacent classroom (C1b) has a hole in the roof, caused by the tearing away of the C2 roof. 
• The same thing happened to the roof of the Men's Dorm, which is on the other side of C2.
• One of the fastest-growing lifeforms on Guam is mold. With things wet from Mawar exposed to periodic showers, and with no electricity for power drying aids like AC and/or fans, the mold has free reign. 
• Trees and other vegetation were destroyed or damaged. 
• You can get an idea of the power of the storm by looking at the name of the school on the campus
  pavilion--in many ways the heart of the campus. (picture below) One of the last things Kathy did on campus in the Spring of 2021 was to paint that lettering. It remained nice and bold until Mawar's pressure-washer-like wind and rain descended.
• More than anything else, the people who make up PIU have been, and continue to be, drastically impacted.
  More below:
  

I just received an email from one resident of Guam. "Exactly one week ago we lost power and still do not have power. 26% of Guam has electricity now and 51% have water." Last night I tried to communicate with several friends and colleagues there (that's morning for them). I was unsuccessful on all but one attempt. One person responded by text, "My connection is bad." (Though to tell you the truth, I'm not sure whether that was a response to last night's attempt or a previous one. With the other attempts, I got "no service" indicators. One friend was able to call back. I'm glad that before our call was cut off I was able to hear that she is fine.
I have heard of waits of up to 8 hours in gas lines. Many churches are unable to meet.

One staff member I talked to, a couple of days ago--our call was interrupted 3 times--told me his parents' house was destroyed down to the foundation. Mom and dad are living with my friend's family in the apartment on campus where Kathy and I lived the last year we were there.
Though I'm half a world away, I sense that weariness has set in. The task is huge.

PIU in particular has been in a precarious situation for some time. Obviously, the location of the school,

Post-Mawar kitchen

while optimal for serving the Micronesian communities, is in a place where Typhoons are fairly common. Mawar was more powerful than most, but the threat of a "big one" was always there. The metal roof on the main building had withstood several storms. We all knew, however, that it was vulnerable. That's why we always moved the residents of that building to more secure locations when storms came. The residents of the Men's dorm camped out in the concrete-roofed library during Mawar.
For the history of the school--certainly, while Kathy and I served there--PIU has done a lot with a little. Anyone, with any common sense at all, even from thousands of miles away can look at the "lot that needs to be done" and see that the "little we have" won't cut it.

I'm waiting for further word from the current leadership of the school. I'll pass on more information when I have it. 

In the meantime here is what you can do:

1. By all means, PRAY.
   

• You can see much to pray about from the pictures and descriptions above.
• In particular, pray for President Iotaka Choram, Vice President Delight Suda, and Board Chair, Cita Tomada. Important decisions are being made.
• Pray for those young men who were moved from dorm to library, to, I'm not sure where. I just heard that the mold forced them to vacate the dorm again.
• Other students who are likewise wondering, "What's next?"
• The mom and dad I spoke of, are representative of many who don't have homes right now.
• Pray that resources for repair and rebuilding will be available.
• Pray for the spirits of those impacted. They need strength, endurance, and courage.

      2.  You can Give.

Liebenzell Mission USA has a long relationship with Pacific Islands University. A fund exists at LMUSA, https://liebenzellmission.org/give/piu/, for gifts to PIU. You may choose to await further information, I understand. We'll pass it on ASAP. Or knowing already that the need will be great, you may choose to give now. Either way, or both, you can use this link, 

https://liebenzellmission.org/give/piu/, to make your tax deductable gifts to this fund for PIU. If you choose, you can send a check--inlcude a note indicating it is for the PIU Fund--to LMUSA, PO Box 66, Schooleys Mountain, NJ 07870.

Thank you,

Howard Merrell

Privileged to have served at PIU for 4.5 years. 

 

May 2023 Prayer Letter

Howard & Kathy Merrell, caring for those who are reaching. 

Dear Partners,

In an effort to stay on the road, Kathy and I recently cheated. We used two vehicles. We have been seeking to help a loved one whose spouse has a serious medical condition. Kathy has been going to this loved one’s house—three hours away—every four to six weeks to help out. I go sometimes. Last week we left after the morning service at Woodland Church, where I am interim, and drove there, me in the truck and Kathy in the car. She returned to Covington on Tuesday in order to teach in ladies’ group on Wednesday (two sessions) and teach her three piano students. Then she went from Covington to Rockhill SC to look after our youngest grandchild, Ava, while Tanisha was in Ghana helping to run a missions conference and Chad was in Louisiana speaking at a men’s retreat. Meanwhile, I left from the loved one’s home and traveled to LMUSA Head Quarters in New Jersey, to work on a project with Mike Branch, Global Ministries Director, and take part in the Board meeting. Kathy got back home Saturday afternoon. I arrived late that night. The next morning, we got to ride together, 😊, as we went back to Woodland.

We thank the Lord for good health. We are keeping busy.

Specifically in regard to our missions work, we continue to offer pastoral care to our missionaries. Some of you are very much involved in the missionary program of your church. Here are some numbers and facts that should be of interest to you.

·       A “big” sister mission, OMF, did research “. . . data from 11 missionary organizations . . . between 2016 and 2018, these organizations sent 1014 new missionaries to the field and saw 974 of their missionaries leave . . ..” (https://omf.org/us/missionaries-get-lonely-too-its-contributing-to-missionary-attrition/) That’s barely more than holding our own while the world grows exponentially.

·        “[I]t is estimated that 1 career missionary in 20 . . . leaves the mission field . . . every year. . .  71% leave for preventable reasons.” (“Research and Data on Missionary Attrition Worldwide,” here)

·       This preventable attrition is pronounced during the first term of missionary service.

Not to overload you with web addresses, but to demonstrate that this isn’t just coming from my gut, I’ll link one more article. BTW, my gut agrees. One of the leading reasons for leaving the field that this article presents is “lack of missionary care.” It would seem that this lack is most pronounced in small agencies, like LMUSA.

Here is a place where what we should do coincides with what is useful. Yes, we at LMUSA would like to address the missionary attrition issue, but, more so, we want to simply care for the missionaries who serve with us. They are people, bearers of the image of God, and they are servants of our Lord. They deserve to be treated as such.

It’s not rocket science:

·       We try to pray for our missionaries and let them know they are being prayed for.

·       We want each missionary to get a happy birthday/anniversary greeting, and we want each missionary child to receive a birthday gift.

·       We want to work with supporting churches to explore ways to leverage church-based missionary care.

·       LMUSA is small enough that I (HM) have a place at the table. My boss, Global Ministries Director, Mike Branch is totally behind efforts to provide better missionary care.

·       Likely some travel to places where missionaries do their work is in my/our future.

·       Mike Branch and I are working on our onboarding process. We want to work with missionary candidates in such a way that we maximize their opportunity for success. We want them to survive, but more, we want them to thrive.

It has been said that concerning the Great Commission the child of God can be either a goer, a sender, or a disobeyer. Somewhere between the goer and sender there is a place for the missionary-carer. We are trying to fit in that gap.

Personally, to you:

Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support. While Kathy and I don’t draw a salary, your support covers our ministry expenses.

Kathy and I have a fairly unique experience base when it comes to missions. I was pastor of a small church that had/has a substantial global impact. We were also missionaries in Palau and then Guam for about five years. We have also been guests in the homes of several missionary families around the world. We would love to use what God has entrusted to us in missionary conferences, and other opportunities to promote Great Commission ministry in general.

As part of the recent Board Meeting Steven and Gwen Anderson (seated) were received as missionaries with LMUSA. They are planning to serve with Kathy and Kevin Bruce, among the Awa in Ecuador.

 

We’ll be in Texas with our son, Chris, and his family for the next two weeks. We’ll still be on the grid, however, and, we’d love to hear from you.

By His Grace,

Howard and Kathy

covbchm@gmail.com

Introducing colleagues who are making a difference in a needy place. They are worthy of your support.

 Those of you who follow this blog, keep up with us via email, or through other means know that Kathy and I are no longer in the Pacific.  Part of our heart is still there, though. In our new role of helping the Liebenzell USA missionary family, we still have a vicarious function among the people of Micronesia. Seeing the pictures in Gary and Dot Houde's email touched my heart.

It was our privilege to work with Dot and Gary while we were serving at Pacific Islands University (PIU). In mid-life Gary and Dot left careers in the public-utility field and in education and prepared themselves to make a difference among people who needed an opportunity for Bible-based higher education. While they were in the preparation phase, they met Dr. Dave Owen, the third president of PIU (it was the sickness that led to his death that brought me to Guam). Dave recruited them for the work at PIU. The caring, humble spirit of the Houdes makes them a good match for working with the Micronesian people that PIU serves.

A few facts are in order:

• "Micronesia" means little islands. If you fly from Hawaii to the Philippines, you will pass over Micronesia. These tiny islands are spread over an area on the globe about the same size as the continental United States. yet the combined land mass is smaller than that of Rhode Island. 
• Guam, where Pacific Islands University is currently located, is the largest of these Islands. It and the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI), just North of Guam, are under US control.
• The population of the region is just over half-a-million. Close to half of that population live on Guam or in CNMI. 
• In my four+ years of working at PIU we worked with students from three of the four states of The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Palau, The Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI), and CNMI.
• Chuuk, is the largest of the four states that make up FSM. The Chuukese are the largest of the people groups of Micronesia.
• PIU started on one of the islands of Chuuk. The campus that was the home of PIU is currently the home of Faithwalk Christian College, a non-accredited institution.
• The current leadership of PIU has a goal of re-establishing a presence in Chuuk. This is the goal behind much of what you read in the Houde's letter.

I realize that the above is complicated. In many ways the complication is due to the fact that this region, in the last four hundred years, was colonized by, often exploited, dominated, and fought over by the  Spanish, Germans, Japanese, and the United States. Currently, the Chinese are seeking to gain a foothold there. Here is an article that gives further information.

Micronesia, and the Micronesian communities that live in various places in the US are in great need of trained Christian leaders. The Houde's letter talks about that. I believe that PIU is an institution that God raised up to help this need. Gary and Dot are God's people using what God has given them to help meet this need. They are a good Great Commission investment.

I encourage you to read the Houde's latest letter, communicate with them, or feel free to communicate with me about them. The Houdes have a donation portal on the LMUSA website. Click here. I am praying that churches and individuals will partner with the Houdes to make a difference in this too often neglected part of the world. Let me know how I can help.

By His Grace,

HM

Our November 2022, Prayer/News Letter

Howard & Kathy Merrell, caring for those who are reaching.  

Dear Partners,

One of the words of advice that I give to young preachers is to “never start with an apology.” I’m going to contradict my advice as I start this letter.

I have been very negligent in communicating with you who are partnering with us in prayer and support. I’m sorry.

Let me see if I can make up for my sorriness and bring you up to date on what is going on with the Merrells and this next phase of our ministry.

First: What have we been up to? We returned from Guam in May of 2021. Our ministry there was busy and full of challenges. Among other tasks was leading the school through the process that led to the renewal of PIU’s accreditation and managing all of the demands that came with COVID 19. I figured I was going to need some decompression time. Thus, a year and half project of rebuilding a vintage travel trailer. If you are interested in the project, check it out at https://68frolic.blogspot.com/. The more recent posts are about the big trip Kathy and I took in celebration of our 50th Anniversary. The earlier posts are about the trailer transformation.

As far as our member care ministry: I’ve been working with Mike Branch, LMUSA Global Ministries Director in maintaining regular communication with missionaries, including a monthly Zoom meeting with any of the missionary family who choose to join us. I’m working to get in a groove of reaching out to our missionaries and especially their kids, on birthdays and other special occasions. I continue to work with the LMUSA Board. One of my goals is to expand our internet-based connection as a means of encouraging missionaries. I, or we, will probably do some traveling to meet with our missionaries where they minister. I would also like to minister in churches, especially churches associated with LMUSA, but not limited to those. Missions is fundamentally the work of the local church. Helping churches have a heart for missions and a soft spot in their hearts for missionaries is something we want to do. Contact us if we can help. We don’t draw a salary from LMUSA. Any funds in our mission account will pay for travel expenses, gifts for LMUSA Missionary Kids, etc. I’ll let you know when a trip is being planned. You can get in touch with us with any questions you have about partnering with us financially in this member care ministry.

Howard & Kathy Merrell, caring for those who are reaching.

Other ministry: Our work with Liebenzell is a part-time endeavor. In addition to that we are involved in our local church in teaching, music, and occasional preaching. I am currently involved in helping to fill the pulpit in a little church about 40 miles from Covington. We want this phase of our life to count for Christ. We appreciate you praying for us as the Lord brings us to your mind.

Nuts and bolts: You can call us at (540) 620-7077, Kathy; or (540) 620-8429, Howard. We get our email at covbchm@gmail.com, Howard; and Kathy at kmusiq@gmail.com. Our postal address is 2106 S Carpenter Drive, Covington VA 24426. You can make online donations to our fund at https://liebenzellmission.org/give/merrell/.

Thanks for your interest in our ministry and the work of the Lord around the world. We’d love to hear from you.

June 2022, A New Ministry Reaching Out By Helping Those Who Reach

 Play a bit of Jeopardy with me for a moment.

Here is the answer: $300,000 +.

No, It’s not “What is the cost of a new house.”
Nor, “What does the average professional athlete pay for a sports car?”
It has nothing to do with medical bills.
The question is: “What does it cost for a major corporation to place a higher level employee in an overseas location?” The answer according to a survey of half-a-dozen international corporations is, more than $300K. Let’s suppose that this claim is double the real cost. Still, I find it jaw-dropping to consider the upfront costs of placing a qualified person in an expat situation.

Why should I care? Why do I even bring it up?

It’s because mission agencies place well qualified people in expat situations all the time. Even though we do it much more economically than IBM or Exxon, it is still a huge investment that should be protected.

Let’s take this a step further:

Missionaries aren’t projects or mere investments. They are people created in God’s image, servants of the King sent as ambassadors to needy and, yes, sometimes dangerous places, where they can have a profound impact for time and eternity. They are people who fit in the same category as Epaphroditus. Take time to meet him in Philippians 2:25-30; it’s worth the brief trip. They are people who should be “honored.” As another passage put it—the application is mine—these are people “of whom the world is not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38)

So what does this have to do with a retired ministry couple named Kathy and Howard? Folk like this deserve to be cared for. Caring for them makes sense in regard to the importance of pursuing Great Commission ministry. The life that Kathy and I have lived gives us a wealth of experience from which to draw in reaching out to this worthy group of people. We can do that. We won’t be missionaries, at least not in the usual meaning of the word, but we will be helping the missionaries of LMUSA hang in there in the work to which the Lord has called them

I have taken on a part-time role as “Member-Care Associate” with Liebenzell Mission USA, the mission with we served at Pacific Islands University. Here are a few particulars:

·         We aren’t seeking support for our living expenses, though we have an account with LMUSA that will cover ministry related traveling expenses, etc. If you want to help us with that, we can talk.

·         We very much appreciate your prayers. Like real missionaries we’ll be sending out periodic updates on our work. If you would like to be a part of our mailing list, either email or postal, let us know.

·         We hope to promote a culture of caring for missionaries. We’d be glad to talk to you, or the leaders in your church, about missions and/or caring for missionaries. We are open to ministering in various venues.

Perhaps you have questions or thoughts about what we are doing. If so, please send us a note. Our old PIU email addresses don’t work anymore.  HM’s address is covbchm@gmail.com  or hmerrell@liebenzellusa.org. Kathy’s is kmusiq@gmail.com. We are putting together a new mailing list. If you want to receive our updates, drop us a line.

By His Grace,

H&K Merrell
Helping to reach others by helping those who reach

Christmas Greetings and a "Six-month" Check-in

 As we are in the final throes of Christmas preparation, we are about as "settled in" as well as we will be. Truth be told, we are resisting being too settled. Think, "This world is not my home. I'm just a passin' through."

We have a long history of sending out late Christmas greetings. Actually, we are earlier than usual this year. We plan to get them sent out today, 12/23. Below is the electronic version. It may actually get to you on time. On-time or late, our wishes for you are sincere.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
From the Merrells (now back in Covington VA)

 

Let me answer your question before you get it out; we aren’t ready for Christmas.

When I started this letter on December 1 there was a poinsettia on the table, but little else had been done in the way of decorations. It’s now the 16^th. Getting ready is still ongoing. The “What are we going to give . . . ?” conversation continues. One reason for the delay in getting this letter out is Kathy and I were involved in a church presentation, outreach, to our community that took place last weekend. We invested a lot of time in it. Even now plans are still in flux.

But it’s OK.

Since we arrived back in Covington in early May, life has been full of adjustments. For one thing, we definitely have to dress differently. It’s good to be back home, but we miss Guam—Kathy especially misses the islands now that the weather is turning cold. It is great to be back closer to family—we have seen much more of our boys, their wives, and grandkids—but we miss our friends on the other side. It was time for a slowdown, but we don’t want to stop and after chilling for a while we are figuring out what life in the new now looks like.

We continue to be grateful, even amazed, at the kindness and generosity of our ministry partners who made it possible for us to serve in Guam for almost four-and-a-half years. We are trying to get around to see as many of you who worked with us as possible. We appreciate how so many of you have inquired as to how we are doing now that we are back in the states. Thank you!

So, where & how are the Merrells, and what is next?

(Picture on left: We enjoyed meeting up with Mayson Red, a PIU alumnus, at the 80th-anniversary celebration of LMUSA. Mayson is in a missions prep program at LMUSA HQ.)

We are back in our house in Covington VA (2106 S. Carpenter Drive, Covington VA 24426). One of the things that has occupied especially Kathy has been catching up on some repair and decorating needs.
Likewise, we are still a part of Covington Bible Church. Kathy has begun to get re-involved in music and spending time with some women, and Howard has preached a couple of times and will be teaching a Sunday School class in the Spring.
We are looking at wider ministry opportunities.
Howard took on the project of rebuilding a fifty-three year-old travel trailer. You can track his progress—or lack thereof—at https: //68frolic.blogspot.com/. We want to take it on a big trip out west in the New Year.
Our family is well. Chad pastors North Rock Hill Church in Rock Hill SC. He, wife Tanisha, Kendal, and Ava live in Rock Hill. Christopher is in Monroe LA, Carrington and husband Harrison Haley are in their new house in Provo Utah, and Madeline and husband Sam Wilder are in Greenville SC. Kendal will be moving to Boston early in the New Year for a three-month missions internship. Chris and Nancy hold down the fort in College Station TX. Silas and Kira are still at home—when they are home. Chris is now working with Hartwell University, a startup, online school with a goal of placing teachers who love Jesus and students in classrooms around the world.

You can reach us online or by phone at covbchm@gmail.com, (540) 620 7015 (HM) or kmusiq@gmail.com, (540) 620 7077 (KM).

As Kathy and I were getting ready for and participating in that CBC Christmas event I mentioned we were impressed anew with the reality and wonder of the incarnation. We are so thankful that God didn’t look down and say, “Get everything ready and I’ll stop by.” Instead, in that incomprehensible eternal-mindedness of our infinite God, He came in the person of God-the-Son to make us ready to live with Him. We pray that your Christmas will be filled with precious thoughts of God’s wonderful gift.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 Kathy & Howard

 

 With Chad’s family at Madeline’s wedding, August 7
(L t o R) Howard & Kathy, Harrison and Carrington Haley, Tanisha & Chad Merrell, Madeline and Sam Wilder, Ava, Kendal, Christopher, and Tanisha's parents, Wanda & Steve Lehman)