Marz visits family in Honolulu and Hilo

The first Akamar member I met in Honolulu was "Fouirepi" = Joshua. When we met that night, he was sound asleep, but woke up as we came to park outside a small mart.

After some years, I got to meet my Mom when I flew to Hilo for a few days visit with Mom, Dad, and other family members living in that area. In this photo, Kantita and Eliakim are planning for the activities and chores of the next day.... What a team!

On my way back to Pohnpei, I was very happy to be able to take this picture of the famous Randy, his handsome younger brother Herby, and thier "kuchofuchof" youngest brother (sorry I forgot name!!!!).  [I owe you one for not remembereing your name at the top of my head]! Very happy to have been able to spend 2 nights of chitchatting with Uncle Ira, Unty Mercy, Mike, Pauline, Mae, and Manning, along with Nicky and Silvanus, and at another Point, Qme and Joshua, --- at Kunia, home of these great threesome in this picture.

They say you can not claim to have seen the "Big Island" without seeing the volcano area. So here, Uncle John Bosco Lewis, a fellow January 31er, teaches me how to style with the volcano pit steaming in the background. I guess I now can say that I have seen much more than "the State of Hawaii".

Marnes and Tisek in their makenai at residence on Big Island. Tisek is checking the BBQ chicken to make sure it is not "paikin" before everyone eats. Marnes has already finished third serve!

Me with Nat, Diana, and Uncle Bosko's family outside Mom and Dad's house the night before I returned to Honolulu. Very beautiful happy faces!

Natibo and Diana, trying their dresses from my one and only "Fidarina". Maybe their dresses are too styling for Chrismas?

I had a great time with family members in Hawaii, many of whom I have not seen in more than 4 years, and some of whom I got to see for the first time during this trip. Kinissou ngeni Kot!

A baby boy, A Secretary, and Me = Guam

In case you have not heard or read about it, Beatrice and Weller have been blessed with another baby boy.

Also, Mama Vita took her Oath of Office on Monday, October 17, at the FSM Consulate Office, Guam to continue as Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Affairs.

And, I am currently writing out of Guam, where I will be located until this coming Friday, doing media coverage for President Mori's series of meetings here in Guam.
Uncle Bob is also here, as you can see in the picture, attending the meetings and taking care of other family and official matters.

Mama Vita just came back from the Filippines, where she attended a high level meeting for health officials. She stopped by in Guam specifically to help Beatrice and at the same time assist the President at some of his meetings (feeding two birds with one seed).

The past two days have been pretty much eventful for all of us. Mama Vita had to be pulled out from the Guam Memorial Hospital the minute after Beatrice's baby was born to prepare for her swear in ceremony.

For more updates on activities for the next two days, check out fsminfo@blogspot.com

iwe.

Uttut Ren President's Cabinet Members

On Tuesday, Oct.4, FSM Congress voted on President's nominations for cabinet members. Mama Vita me Uncle Maketo were not confirmed. I felt so bad (angry!) as I sat through the rest of the proceeding...

Driving home from work in the evening, I told Fida (my achimaki), "today the Bible is proven wrong". She asked, "what you mean?".

Well, it says, "ask and you shall recieve".... i'm sure people ask for Mama Vita to be confirmed, but how come she wasn't confirmed today?????

My Fida said, "remember that not everything you ask for is good for you. God gives what is better than what you ask for. You just have to be patient and open".

I told my wife, "today maybe one of the rarest moment when (you) will be smarter than (me)."

Sometimes, God speaks to us through the person(s) sitting right there in the same spot. We have to be willing and open to hear (HIM)!

Akamar 2012 Reunion: Can We?

photo by a Saramen Chuuk Academy student after retreat on Fefen SY09-10

As Akamar Family grows bigger, it seems to also get more difficult to gather in one place. At this point, there seems to be more family members living outside of Chuuk than there are living in Chuuk. For some of us, this reality comes as a difficult truth to live with. For others, this is believed to be momentary. Still others, it is an unavoidable demand that our smaller family units must obey for very critical reasons: medical, school, employment, etc.



In all these, one common interest remains. That is, there must be a time when we "all" can come together in a location to celebrate our oneness, our uniqueness, our togetherness, our ties, our moments, and of course our friendships and cherish the fact of our being Akamar.



Given the many circumstances and various obligations, it is recognized that for all -- that is every Akamar members -- to come together in one place at the same time, very careful long term planning and coordination must take place in advance. This will not be a easy convenient task to achieve, but we will never know what is truly possible without trying.



For this reason, some of us put forward as a proposal or suggestion to the rest that we target to have the second Akamar Reunion by December 2012.



If there is a better time frame to work around, we must remain open to a time practical and ideal to most members.



Can we further discus the search for time? Other related ideas will be addressed after this first layer of concern is more or less clear.



(note: not all Akamar on Internet can read Chuukese. challenge: all Akamar on Internet should strive to be able to read and understand Chuukese .... just a challenge not a requirement)

Yomai Twins going abroad

Today marks the turning of a new page for the Yomai Family in particular and Akamar in general. This day was in the making the past four years and only became a concrete experience as a result of days, weeks, months, and years of dedicated work by Mi and Chii. Their voyage is a good one; one that is acutely felt because it is a plural notice, a two-some movement.

Indeed, their journey should serve as an example of our togetherness. The fact that they now "move together" and "go together" to attend college together is a strong and beautiful sisterly force to face the new world -- a world unavoidable.

Their journey is a continuation of our journey together. Their journey is our journey. Unique in its own, yet very universal and familiar in purpose. One of a kind for the individuals living it, yet it is almost as if you and I can tell what they will face and what will happen day in and day out.

The thing is, we know that their experience will add to our history of "finding our calling" and defining our lives through education and daily living. We know their trip is for the purpose of pursuing college education and higher learning. But, live is more than that. The moment their flight took off from Chuuk to the minute it should land in Hawaii, their trip is indeed about "living their lives" as sisters, as Yomais, as Akamars, and ofcourse, as twinly-individuals.

So as we readjust to the "void" in Chuuk created by Mi's and Chii's departure, we should remember that this is another "turning point" another new level that would only serve to enrich and strengthen  Chii and Mii and everyone else they hold dear in their lives. We pray that they find peace and courage  at their new location and that they always feel God's guidance in their situations and experience. We pray that THEY BE HAPPY so we can share in their joy as well.

Take care/ Achocho.

Akamar at 2011 graduations



Photo by: Yomai Family

Chon Akamar mei sochungio non ei ier 2011: Harvest Yomai, Harmony Yomai, Mairanda Rudolph, Me Akapito Mori... Akamar family, as we all know, cherishes and is always appreciative and proud of the educational achievements of our family members from elementary to high school to college and beyond. This year, we also express our hope and best wishes to Akapito Mori for keeping his dream (and ours) alive and graduating from a higher level of educational and technical training.

As Akamar, along with the rest of Micronesa, continues to face challenges and newer demands in the world of education, the job market, professional fields, we must be reminded once more of our family motto of "puuni puun mannap, tooni toon aaw" -- soar as high upward like the big bird, live deeply grounded  like the big tree (banyan tree).

To the grads, take up the torch, light the way brighter, show the younger generation (as in those pictured with the grads in the photo above) that we must strive and strive some more to better ourselves and our world. This is our mandate from the very beginning of Akamar, one exemplified in the marks of the first generation, that all of us are called to live by and fulfill as family members and believers in the bigger context of Christ's commissioning of his disciples and those who believe in Him. In a very special way, this commission was kept in place for Akamar when Felix and Rosita Muritok took up their missionizing station on Fefen. In this mission are undeserved endowments that come along with the dedications and humble sincere achievements down the years of Akamar's journey until this very year of new bright crops in whom our hopes are althemore nurtured.

So, where ever you go, where ever you shall live, be an Akamar from skin to bone! Pursue your dreams in the right manner of dedication, sacrifice, courage, self-control, patience, understanding, willingness, generosity, endurance, and fun. Whatever you do, make sure it makes you happy. For your state of mind and heart will set the overall temperament for our one and only Akamar.   



Non Mother's Day 2011, a pwan iei porausan pwe ach family epwe pwan chufengen me ikei fiti inach kei: Mama Vita A. Skilling, Neelma Skilling, Sr. Gloria (Siis) me Sr. Concept (Moch) pwan appach Sr. Maria (Spain) me Rina (emon pwin Neelma seni Kosrae). Murin ekis mwongon kinissou, niekei me onokei ra sasing me non imwen ekkei Mercederian Sister me Kolonia, Pohnpei.

Dr. Repienifou Urban JP Akapito, 30 years seni ei fansoun, plus 3.5 feet upward and a few inches sideways, minus the background.

Reedemer Mesenifich : Xavier High School

                                                                                                                                                       (photo by Clark Graham)

Redeemer Mesenifich non an a wesewesen chunguti ukukun an tongeni faniten Xavier High School fansoun ewe Interscholastic Secondary School Athletics Championships, April 15, 2011. Congratz ngeni Ifich ren an achocho inteiten ier non pekin sa me an sukuun. Xavier a nampa 2 non ei ier, improve seni ewe nampa 4 last year.

Nelma Skilling A Opochokun

 

Bishop Amando a epiti Nelma Oil Mi Pin. Fr. Julio Angkel a anisi, Sr. Gloria Billimond M.M.B a wisen sponsor. A fis non ewe Our Lady of Mercy Church, Kolonia Pohnpei non April 30, 2o11.

Itingaw Onowe Reipas

Itingaw fetan onowe Reipas ren an metip... a peen akanamon, uchukain xbox, ese or chienan.... Iwe nge iei a kan ekis sine fosun merika, chowe an yes, no, i don know, oh heeeeaaaaa.

As we begin a new year, let us keep the flow of communication going in every means and ways available. The other day, Finnom and I conversed on Skype. I promise to update this blog. It seems Neute has also formed a family group on Facebook.

Go Akamar!