There seems to always be something out of the ordinary happening here, at least out of the ordinary for us. A couple of nights ago, as we were downstairs in the kitchen, washing and drying dishes, the earth groaned loudly and everything to began to shake. I actually noticed the reflection of the TV wobbling in the kitchen window before I felt anything. Then, maybe two seconds later, the floor began to move and the house rumbled.

This was the second time we have heard the earth groan on Guam this year. I am not sure it is something that you truly get used to hearing. Shaking always accompanies the sound, but you do sort of get used to that part. I think that was the fifth earthquake above 5.2 or higher that I have felt since I started coming to the island four years ago. This one registered 5.7 on the Richter scale according to the USGS.

Of course, living here means that we live on the Ring of Fire, also known as the Circum-Pacific Belt. There is an earthquake here nearly every day, although most go unnoticed. The danger is very real, but no one really thinks about it until an event like the one we had occurs. Even visitors to Guam need to be prepared for an earthquake since they can happen at any time and always without warning. One never knows when they will occur, but one also knows that they will definitely occur.

Come to think of it, that reminds me of something I have read. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” (2 Peter 3:10-12)

Will you be ready for it?