Quick update

...We're enjoying life in our new home. Here are a couple of pictures of the outside of our new digs (click on photos for a bigger view). The inside is still too messy to show-off.

One of my potted Calamansi trees is blooming and even has some new fruit starting to form. So the farmer in me is happy.

I stayed home yesterday waiting for the cable guy to hook up the Internet. We're now fully connected to the world again. And as a bonus, while waiting, I was able to grade all of the tests I gave in preaching on Thursday (based on Calvin Miller's new book, Preaching: the Art of Narrative Exposition), hung a few light fixtures, and got things a little organized. Now the most pressing need is bookshelves. For several months I've been unable to get to needed books.

...Unfortunately, having to stay home meant missing Friday morning chapel. Fridays are always student designed and led chapels. Yesterday one of my preaching students, Happiness Lodge, gave the talk. Cheryl was very impressed -- giving me a point-by-point run down. I'm sorry to have missed it. At least I was there on the previous Friday when Mac Alfonso did an outstanding job leading chapel. Our students are very gifted. Our job is to help develop those Holy Spirit-given gifts.

...I understand that Happiness, who is from Chuuk, will be on the mainland this summer, touring with Dave and Joyce Owen, and then working at the Liebenzell camp in New Jersey for a few weeks. I'm sure that Happiness will be surprised by how often he is pressed into service to preach and speak.

...Keeping the Internet going on campus has been a challenge. I had the cable company increase our bandwidth by a third. That seemed to help some. We're also going to put in a separate connection in the library. That will help even more. However, some of our problem is related to the collection of home-grade switches and routers in our network. Our new IT assistant, Joshua Jones, who is studying computer stuff at the community college, has been mapping out our system and is starting to troubleshoot some of the problems. I'm grateful. We are still in need of a full-time IT manager.

...Dave Owen is in Palau for a few days to teach the classroom portion of the Wisdom Literature class. Then he goes to Yap to do the same. Once Dave is back from his island tour there will be online reports and interaction between all the class members on Yap, Palau, and Guam.

...Jim Swanson, friend and supporter, was hit hard by the storms in Florida.