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Guam Update - June 2023

The Brantley's Journey To Service

Recovery from Typhoon Mawar
Hafa Adai! Greetings from Guam! First, I want to apologize for the delay in getting out a newsletter. On May 24, 2023, Guam was hit by one of the largest typhoons to affect the island. Typhoon Mawar was classified as a Category 4 typhoon just before it made landfall. We were expecting a Category 5 (super typhoon). The storm had been predicted to make landfall with the eye over the southern part of the island just a few miles from the church. There was a shift in the track of the storm and the eye and strongest part of the storm hit the north end of the island, primarily Andersen Airforce Base, Dededo and Yigo. That being said, the entire island was affected. I would encourage you to look up satellite imagery to see how the entire island was covered by the storm.

The church sustained very minimal damage. Many of the families in Agat that attend church with us have been displaced from their homes due to damage. A month after the storm, there are families and businesses still without power. The days following the storm were difficult with the heat and humidity. The whole community pulled together though. We helped each other clean up debris and shared food that would have otherwise gone bad. Ice was definitely a "hot" commodity! Every day, people would share in the WhatsApp groups where they were able to find ice. Once we got power back on, we started freezing water and passing it out to those still without power. It doesn't seem like a big thing until you go days without a cool drink in 90+ degree weather. 

Things we have learned after going through our first typhoon:

-- freeze lots of water bottles before the storm
--have a generator (we have one now)
--duct tape door frames to keep water from blowing in (we mopped up sooooo much water)
--coconuts and windshields do not get along well in 100+ mile per hour winds (see picture)
Downed trees was one of the biggest obstacles. Power lines could not be repaired until trees were removed. The removal process was a challenge because there was no where to dump the "green waste". Green waste removal is still a challenge at this point. 
Several days after the typhoon, we still did not have running water. Everyone was collecting rainwater every chance they got. Then we heard the hydrant being flushed outside! This meant lines had been repaired. The kiddos enjoyed the cool down, the parents were thrilled that it meant we would have running water again that day. 
 
Unfortunately, these two pictures are the sad post typhoon reality. Where there were lush jungles, there are now bare trees. Where there were full fruit trees, there are now just remnants of trees if that. Whole bamboo groves were destroyed, banana farms devastated. Many families will be affected for years to come by the loss of family farms. 
 

Happy Mother's Day and Father's Day
We recently celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day at Agat Community Church. We are trying to incorporate family togetherness into our services. We have a lot of single parent families and families where grandparents or aunts or uncles are raising the children. They need our prayers and support. 
One of our families that falls into this category is Jesse and Luke. Jesse is raising his nephew Luke. Luke has 13 brothers and sisters. One of which was Jurika, the young lady that passed away last year. Jesse has helped raise several of his nieces and nephews. He is a local Chamorro with a deep history on Guam. His grandmother was held captive during the Japanese invasion of Guam. Through all that she endured, Jesse said she still shared her love of God. And that God is about loving all people even those who do harm to you. He brings Luke to church and youth hour and has shared many times with us that he is learning more about the Bible each time he attends. Please continue to pray for this family.
 

Cadet Master Sergeant Allie Brantley
We had been telling you about Allie going to an overseas encampment with Civil Air Patrol. Well, with the typhoon we weren't sure if we were going to be able to go. But, everything fell into place and Guam was able to send 22 cadets to Korea for their Far East Encampment 2023! At the last minute, literally one week before encampment, I was asked to attend because two of the active-duty senior members were not able to attend due to their leave being rescinded because of the typhoon. The squadron was able to raise enough money during their fundraising efforts to cover nearly all of the expenses for the senior members and cadets. 

The overseas encampment was a wonderful training opportunity for cadets to see larger units functioning together. They focused on the core values of Civil Air Patrol which are Respect, Integrity, Volunteer Service and Excellence. They also had aerospace and cyber technology courses throughout the week. A large part of their day was spent practicing drill and ceremony as well as marching. The cadets also participated in daily physical training.  Allie was appointed an element leader and was recognized as outstanding element leader at the end of the encampment. 

While in Korea, the cadets stayed at K16 Air Base and visited Osan Air Force Base and Camp Humphreys. They were able to see A-10 fighter jets, Patriot Missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, and other military aircraft. At Camp Humphreys they tackled the confidence course. They were also able to utilize flight simulators and speak with pilots, flight surgeons, and medics about the different opportunities that are available in the military. 

Over the past year we have seen such amazing personal growth in Allie. She has become much more confident and able to speak up and lead a group. She is looking into visiting Civil Air Patrol squadrons when we are home on furlough.
 

Graduation?!?!?!?
It is still a little surreal to me that both of my kiddos have graduated from high school. So, what is next for them? Well, Jeremiah is still pursuing his pilot career and working full time at the flight school. He has almost enough hours for his commercial and flight instructor ratings. Those would allow him to start flying for hire. He is also looking at starting college in the spring since he will be home on furlough with us when fall semester starts. 

Allie is a bit more of a challenge as she is just going to be turning 16 in September. Her plan right now is to join the military when she turns 17 next year. She plans to continue with Civil Air Patrol. If she makes rank of lieutenant, which she is on track for, she can enlist as an E-3. Our plan is for her to also start taking college classes in the spring. 
 
Summer is upon us! We are excited about coming home and visiting with a lot of you. Our schedule is crazy to say the least. We did our best to schedule times with as many churches as possible. Schuyler, Allie and I fly in on July 17th. Schuyler will only be in for three weeks. He feels it is important to not be away from the church for too long. Allie and I will be in for three months and doing visits and speaking engagements. Jeremiah will be joining us in September. He is working full time now and couldn't take the full time off. He did want to be home for his birthday (the big 18!). Please know, that even though we cannot see each and every one of you, you are all important to us. This ministry would not be possible without all of you.
 
We can not express our gratitude enough to all who support us whether it be through deputation support, project funds or prayer support. We would not be able to do any of the work that has been done here without God blessing the work and people being willing to support and send us. We pray daily that we are constantly found doing God's will. Thank you again for your kind and loving support. We look forward to seeing as many as we can when we come home this summer.


Thank you and God Bless,

Cathy, Schuyler, Jeremiah and Allie Brantley
PO Box 8345
Agat, Guam 96928


Our current prayer needs:
  • parents to attend with the new children coming to church
  • prayers for recovery efforts post typhoon
  • prayers for those still without power
  • hearts to be prepared as we evangelize to the community
**On a side note: Thank you to all who send coupons, I can still use them! They can be expired up to six months.