(This is an article published in the Evansville Courier & Press Westside Supplement on June 15, 2007 with this note:
Cindy Gries is a longtime West Sider and the public information officer for the German Township Fire Department. With some prodding, she agreed to recount for Westside a trip she made earlier this year to visit her daughter, Emily, who lives and works on the island of Saipan. )
Above the two daughters, Sally & Emily lead on a hike on the island of Saipan
As any mother will tell you, we only want the best for our children. With three children, I have tried to do my best to help Sally, Emily and Russell have good values so they can make the best possible choices for their lives. They are all doing just that, but let me tell you a little bit about my second oldest child, Emily.
Emily Rose Gries attended elementary school at St. Joseph School in Vanderburgh County, high school at F. J. Reitz, and college at Oakland City University. She graduated with honors in the fall of 2005 with a Special Education/ Elementary Education Major. Her first teaching job was at Chandler Elementary School. She enjoyed being with the children with special needs there, but felt that just wasn’t where she was supposed to be. Emily knew in her heart that God had other plans for her.
In the spring of 2006, Emily came
across a request for teachers in a place called Saipan.
She started reading about Saipan and discovered it was a small island in
the South Pacific Ocean and is a Commonwealth Territory of the United States.
Saipan Community School was in need of several teachers.
SCS is a Christian School, and Emily knew she was getting close to what
she was looking for. She filled out
an application and sent it off. The
school principal interviewed her over the phone, explaining what would be
expected of her and what it was like to live in Saipan.
She would be teaching a 1st grade class of regular students,
not children with special needs.
Emily accepted the job and her journey began.
Emily started getting everything ready for the 8000 or so mile trip to Saipan. She had to make sure her passport and immunizations were up-to-date and had to pack some things to send so it would at least look a little bit like home. Then the end of July, 2006, we wished her well and put her on an airplane for the long trip to Saipan. As a mother, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I hoped she would get a good job – but then we don’t always know where God will lead us.
Three airplanes and 24 hours later, Emily arrived in Saipan. She was about to embark on the job of a lifetime.
Emily sent many, many pictures, but as a mother, I just wasn’t sure she was okay. Does anybody even know she is there? Who will take care of her if she gets sick? She doesn’t have a car, how will she get around? What does her apartment look like? I had so many questions. Emily kept reassuring me she was okay and that her friends and God were taking care of her. But how did I really know that?
The only thing that would answer my questions was to visit her. Emily’s older sister, Sally, and I, began making our plans for the trip; Emily would be home for Christmas and the three of us would fly back the first of the year. December 23 came and so did Emily. It was so exciting to see her – it had been five months since she left. We made the most of the week or so she was here, then came the big day. It was our turn to leave for Saipan.
January 1, 2007, the three of us boarded an airplane in Evansville for the 1-hour trip to Chicago, the 14-hour trip to Korea, and the 4-hour trip to Saipan. Twenty-four or so hours later, our plane touched down on Saipan. It was about 1:00 a.m. island time, which was 14 hours ahead of Evansville. We were tired, but so excited to see where Emily was now calling “home”.
Several teachers from the school were there to meet us. The ride to her apartment at the school was short. Saipan is about 70 square miles, 14 miles at the longest point and 6 miles at the widest point, so you are never very far from anything.
After a quick couple of hours sleep, it was time to start our adventure. We rented a 4-wheel-drive vehicle so we could get to all the places Emily wanted us to see. We saw many beautiful sights including the highest point on the island, Mt. Tapochao. From there you can see very edge of the island and it was absolutely breathtaking. We also visited Suicide Cliff, Banzai Cliff and Bird Island. The colors of the ocean were so incredibly beautiful. There was bright blue and deep teal blue, and the waves were huge on the north and east sides of the island. On the west side of the island was the coral reef, which is about a mile off shore. The ocean waves break where the reef begins, and the water is calm at the beach. We also took a couple of hikes to see Old Man By The Sea and Forbidden Island.
For scenes on Saipan click on thumbnails for larger versions
We met some of the friends Emily now calls “family”. Her roommate, Debbie Harris, is from Tennessee and teaches at the school also. She is a great friend to Emily. Owen and Irene Gabbie are from New Zealand and help operate the Far East Broadcasting Company. They are wonderful people who attend church with Emily. Irene also does substitute teaching at Saipan Community School. We also met the pastor and his wife, Greg and Sandy Dickerman. Then there was the principal, Bobby Winkfield and his wife Debbie. We were also fortunate to meet Emily’s friend Marissa, and Marissa’s son and father. They are from the Philippines.
Sunday we went to church. What an experience. The church walls are completely open. It rained while church was in progress and we could feel the mist from the rain on our faces as the breeze blew through the church. Then a butterfly gracefully flew by as God reminded us of the beauty of this island.
That afternoon we helped Emily get her classroom in order. The children would be back Monday morning after Christmas break and things had to be just right.
With three Grieses in the room, we were Miss Sally, Miss Cindy and Miss Gries (Emily). The first graders in Emily's class at Saipan Community School were excited to see us
Monday came and so did the children, all fifteen of them. There are five different nationalities in her class, none of which is American. They all speak different languages, but the classes are taught in English. They are 1st graders, 7 and 8 year olds. They were great, so happy to see Sally and I. With three Gries’ in the room, we were Miss Gries, Miss Sally and Ms. Cindy. The children were such a pleasure. They asked us many questions and we could feel the excitement in the room. After school we took a tour of the classrooms and met the other teachers and staff. They were such warm people. I finally knew there are many people on Saipan who truly care about Emily.
Then it was time to start packing and getting ready for the long trip home. Emily took us to the airport at midnight that evening. We left Saipan early Tuesday morning January 9th and arrived in Evansville that same afternoon.
As I think back to August when I watched Emily leave to go so far away, I prayed that she would be okay. Now that our trip has ended, I realize she is okay and God is watching over her. My questions are finally answered: they do know she is there, she has plenty of people to take care of her if she gets sick, there are ways to get where she needs to go, and she has a very nice apartment. Now when she says, “we went to Garapan today”, I can picture in my mind exactly what the road looks like, how long it takes to get there, and what she will see and do there. I thank God and all her new friends and family in Saipan for taking such good care of her. Emily, I love you.