T H E R E P U B L I C OF PA L AU
Love Found in Mission
S
ix years ago, we arrived in Palau to serve as volunteer teachers. Now we’re back, serving as a couple! Here’s how it happened.
Javi’s story
During college, I felt a tug on my heart to serve as a student missionary, but a couple of things held me back. As the eldest of three boys, I felt I should be
Kyari Leen Alcantara Nava was born in the Republic of Palau to missionaries teaching at the Adventist elementary school and academy. She lived there with her family until they returned to the Philippines when she was eight. Kyari went back to Palau to serve as a volunteer teacher at Palau Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School from 2016 to 2017. Javier (Javi) Nava, arrived the same year from San Fernando, California, to serve as a volunteer teacher at Palau Mission Academy. In 2022, Kyari and Javi returned as a married couple to teach at Palau Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School.
6
1
there for my family, and I was committed to finishing my degree without taking a year off from school. As my graduation approached, I thought it would be nice to take a little time off for myself afterward. A short trip to Europe seemed a fitting reward. But as I began saving money for the adventure, God placed the thought of mission service heavy on my heart. I didn’t want to ignore His call, so I researched Adventist schools that needed volunteer teachers. This process was especially challenging because I attended a state university with no connection to the Adventist Church and I had never heard of Adventist Volunteer Service, which facilitates church members’ volunteer missionary service around the world. I sent applications to several schools overseas and waited as the weeks of summer slipped by. As the time approached for the schools to start, I began to think no one would respond. Then, on July 25, Mr. Abner Sanchez, principal of the Palau Seventh-day Adventist Schools, invited me to join
