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Dear Friends, I am sorry I have not posted anything new here in many weeks. I am in the last stages of pregnancy ("Coda" is due October 30). This condition, combined with my age (old enough to know better than to be pregnant), is making life stressful and uncomfortable. I don't like sitting at the computer for long periods. Plus to make matters worse, the computer is not working well. (I could be off-line for a long time after today.) I had intended to write a column about what has happened to Guam thanks to the terrorists who attacked New York. However, let me just explain what has happened. It may be difficult to imagine that an event on the East Coast has had any affect on a tiny island in the Western Pacific, but life on Guam has changed dramatically in the last three weeks. When the FAA grounded all planes, it also pulled the plug on Guam's economy, which is utterly dependent on tourism and air cargo. The week the planes didn't fly, there was no mail and no new tourists. Within days, stores in the tourist district were laying off workers. Some major stores have already closed. After the planes began flying, the stranded Japanese tourists went home, but new tourists did not come to replace them. I have been told the Japanese have been banned from coming here, but I have not confirmed that. I have also heard that the planes are coming in almost empty, both from Japan and Hawaii. Although the planes started coming from Hawaii a week after the bombing, the FAA's prohibition on commercial carriers hauling mail continued to strap the island. Our post office chartered a cargo plane to take mail to and from Hawaii, but this plane could not begin to carry everything that was stacking up. The FAA has allowed first-class mail under one pound to be carried by the airliners, but this means that much of the mail is not moving. This includes air cargo (including food), and lots of first-class mail that weighs more than one pound (schoolwork for the Middlebrooke boys). A friend said she had talked to someone at the post office. Plans are to charter a cargo plane once a week to shuttle mail to and from Hawaii. The Navy and Air Force bases were put on high alert immediately after the attack. That meant HOURS to get into the bases for the first two days, as all cars were searched. The Navy lightened its restrictions within days, but the Air Force base, continued its increased security for weeks. (The AF has lightened some of its restrictions--personnel may now leave the base-- but that base still has tighter security than the Navy bases.) According to the folks on the AF base, every kind of plane imaginable is on the flight line. Fighters are running exercises daily over the island. There's also a guided missile cruiser in our waters now, and I was told another may be coming. The major suspect in the attack, Mr. bin Laden, has MANY contacts in the Philippines, just 1500 miles to our west. And there are reports that he has quite a contingent in Indonesia, which is also not that far away. Overall, we do not feel totally insecure militarily and we are not considered a major target. (However, in the event of all-out war, Guam could become an important staging place.) Our greatest problem now is economic security. Many people are being laid off, and overall, people are not spending money. Guam's economy could go into a major recession, if not depression, in a very short time. If you think about us, please pray for Guam. Our church is planning a week of special revival meetings in October, and we are praying for a great attendance. Our church's school, however, could face uncertain times. If people can't afford to keep their children in school, we could see possible staff cutbacks. I'm sure our administration will do everything in its power to avoid that, but the possibility is there. Personally, we are trying to remain positive and walk by faith. Mike's job is secure for the moment, but there are rumblings about the weather service that make us wonder. No matter what happens, we know that God is in His heaven and He has not abandoned us here on earth. And we know that all these events will work to accomplish His perfect plan here on earth. We keep looking up, and encourage you to do the same. Still in His Hand, Helen |