superhero alert::

What do these things have in common:: a newly developed talent for identifying odors within a 5mile radius- a.k.a 'the super smeller', an unquenchable desire for sleep and a curious disgust with my old friend, coffee?  I know, I know.. you're thinking 'super powers, zombie-like exhaustion and a weakness of kryptonite proportions.. she must have turned into superwoman!'  Although some may consider it even more impressive than invisibility or mind reading, the truth is that I am simply growing another human being.  Yes, it's true!!  I've been waiting to spill those beans for two months but Christmas was the perfect time to tell our families.

family picture #1

#2 - after Derek said 'on three everyone say Bethel's pregnant!'

I am 13 weeks along which means Baby Pearl is 3in long and the size of a peach.  He/she is due to make their grand appearance on July 10!  Derek and I are very excited!  As far as sickness goes, I've been incredibly blessed.  Nauseous, yes.  But actually throwing up, no.  That means Derek hasn't lost his best farm hand!  Even my extreme dislike for coffee picking pales in light of the terrible sickness I know has accompanied many of my friends and family members through pregnancy.  I'd much rather be picking or pruning, our newest task, then the alternate option.  As long as I'm allowed a significant amount of pee breaks and have plenty of snacks on hand, I'm good to go!
Although this Christmas will always be remembered as the one in which we divulged our exciting news, there were many other memorable moments.  Being 'Vanna White' in our church's Christmas version of Family Feud has given my parade wave quite the reputation!  I was able to enjoy the first fig grown on our very own tree!  Card games, coffee (for everyone but the prego!) and cracking jokes resulted in much laughter and even a little coffee spewing!  Christmas Eve was a perfect beach day, concluded with the island's best clam chowder and a candle light service on the beach!  We had fun weaving together different family traditions; my family's cheesy bean dip for movie night, the Pearl family's 'Christmas breakfast'.  A pool party with church family and Derek's excitement at finally getting everything he needs to finish his surf board also rank high on the list!   It was, indeed, a Merry Christmas!

[candle light service!]

Thanks to Skype, we were actually able to see the reactions of many family members as we showed off our brand new ultrasound picture!  The expressions were priceless.  As we talked to close friends throughout the next few days, the giddiness grew.  It's starting to seem real!  Announcing it to church family was very exciting; our baby has about 30 'aunties' and 'uncles' that can't wait to begin the spoiling!  And, now that the cat's out of the bag I don't have to take as much grief for tucking into bed at ridiculously, early hours of the evening.
Knowing we're adding to our family has been the underlying 'unknown' in our decision making the past few months.  Finding out we had a place to live and a possible job for seven months was enormously more significant to us, knowing that seven months was exactly how long we had until our sweet, baby's arrival!  Yes, we'll need to line up other jobs and find a place to live after the seven months.  We're not sure of all the when's, what's or how long we'll end up living here but we can clearly see that God is making a way and, as always, He is an incredible provider.
The best present I got this year was having several family members go along with my wish for them to give my Christmas money to someone that truly needed it.  This came in the form of donations to World Vision, help for sexually exploited girls and a goat sent to a family in India!  Thinking about the difference these gifts could make in the lives of those that desperately needed it is the BEST kind of gift and exactly what I wanted!  This wasn't about me suddenly developing saint-like qualities, far from it!  I love getting presents, just like anyone else, but I really felt God speaking to me about being a blessing to others.  There was nothing I truly 'needed' this year and Christmas was the perfect chance to GIVE!  After all, that's what it's all about... the gift of Jesus Christ!!

[Light of the world, You came down into darkness]

As we draw to the close of this year, I don't want to make a giant list of resolutions that will be thrown to the wayside by mid-March!  I do, however, want to reflect on all the incredible opportunities and adventures of 2012!  I stand in awe at my God and the countless ways He has loved us, provided for us, taught us and walked with us.  I'm married to my best friend and we learn more about 'love' every day.  There's no one else I'd want to be on this journey with.  As I look forward to 2013 I am absolutely ecstatic!  We are beginning a new chapter and I can't wait to see where God will lead us and all that He will teach us.  Derek and I have been abundantly blessed and I'm excited to BE a blessing in this new year, allowing Jesus to live through us!  Plus, we can't WAIT to meet the little munchkin growing inside of me!
That's all I've got, for this year...

God with us!

Christmas is my favorite time of year for countless reasons; the songs, the secrecy of presents, lavish decorations, family coming together and the once-a-year kind of foods!  But, as the Grinch learned, even when you take away all the trappings and feasting, Christmas is about oh-so-much more!
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel [which means 'God with us'] Matthew 1:23
God. With. Us.  How do we even begin to comprehend this?  Every single human being is sinful and wretched from the moment they are born into this fallen world.  We deserve Hell.  The only way we could be redeemed was if God Himself came to earth and paid the price for our sins.  And God so loved the world that HE DID!  God with us!  He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life! [John 3:16!]  He knew exactly what it would take to save us and He said we were worth it!

We've been 'on vacation' this week.  Coffee picking came to a screeching halt after two days when we reached the point where all the remaining cherries had either gone bad or weren't ready to be picked!  I did my best to mask my sheer giddiness at this realization, but I don't think I fooled anyone!  It was perfect timing.  We were able to help set up for the Christmas play at church, get some last minute shopping done and spend an afternoon at the beach!  After putting my family straight to work, relaxing was absolutely lovely and strolling around downtown led to the discovery of an amazing pizza place!  Our cultural experience of the week was a Celtic concert that Dad read about on a poster.  Not quite what we were hoping for; it definitely provided some laughing material.  It also cost Dad his entertainment choosing privileges for awhile!
When we were picking this last week, I couldn't get enough of David Crowder's version of the old hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing".  The words are incredible!  'Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.  He sought me!  He rescued me, by sacrificing Himself!!  O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!  And it all started with the birth of a baby, Emmanuel.  God WITH us!
Christmas is a great excuse for parties; a chance to give gifts and wear ugly sweaters.  Beyond that, however, is the celebration of God coming to earth!  Do I truly understand what that means; what He sacrificed for me??  The Author of Life entered this world through a birth canal, just like me!  The Word of God learned how to walk and talk and eat mashed up bananas!  Thinking in those terms is mind boggling.  The King of Kings became a servant, washing the feet of His followers.  Jesus Christ went against every social and religious 'norm'.  His ways seemed backwards and confusing to those waiting for a victorious ruler.  But to those with childlike faith, He was the epitome of love.  He was exactly what the world needed and NEEDS!  And in the end, He WAS that victorious ruler!  Jesus crushed death and the Devil and set me FREE!  That's why I love Christmas!

[our Christmas tree quilt, thanks to Mom!!]

This year's celebrations have been unlike anything else we've known.  It's still a balmy 72 degrees and instead of fur boots or a new ski coat we put a swimming suit or new surf board (wait, Derek.. what!?) on our wish list!  Not wanting to slave away in the kitchen all day, our Christmas menu consists of delicious, yet significantly simpler meals.  We're excited about our tropical celebration plans, but there is something special about turkey, mashed potatoes, and the works.  Last night, however, we had dinner with a couple from church and imagine our surprise upon finding that they had cooked the full, holiday meal for us.. complete with green bean casserole!! YES!  God provides, even the simplest of needs or desires.  He is an amazing God who gave EVERYTHING, His Son, that we might be with Him and know His LOVE.  I'm so excited to celebrate Jesus, today, tomorrow and every day of the year!  Because of His birth, because of the freedom He gives, I have everything to be thankful for- everything to celebrate!!  God is WITH us!  

constant in the chaos

Setting up a 9ft Christmas tree in the church, sipping egg nog and sneaking away to wrap presents has us all in a festive spirit this week.  We also did a little volcano exploring and managed to pull off a camping trip in the rain!  But before all this excitement came a few lessons in coffee picking.  Dad and Mom are starting to catch on to the best techniques and Abe is certainly a trooper, going on four weeks in the fields!  It is nice to have more hands out there; the bags fill up a lot quicker!  Sometimes we pick in silence, everyone in their own zone; other times you can hear our bantering for miles as we reminisce and go back and forth with 'would you rather' questions!

Our evenings consist of card games, 'The Grinch' and a random quiz site that can entertain for hours!!  We've inhaled a fair amount of ice cream and our late night bowls of cereal have taught us that one gallon of milk will not last longer than four days!  Having more people in the house means extra laughter, more available dish washers and, thanks to Dad, an endless supply of fruit.  Unfortunately, we're not talking juicy mangos, just all the avocados and guavas he finds on the ground.  We have been blessed with bags full of oranges the last few weeks and it's nice to have more muscle around for some extensive juicing parties.  

[baby banana!!]

We're almost to the point where the remaining cherries are one extreme or the other.  They've either gone bad because we didn't get to them in time or they have yet to ripen.  Translation: our work is far from done, but we can afford to take a day or two off for adventuring reasons.  So, on Thursday we headed for the volcano..

Let me tell you, this trip was wacky from start to finish!  Not a 'bad' wacky, just a significant lack of anything going as planned.  First of all, we've been cramming five people into a truck that barely holds four.  Although this is manageable for the seven minutes it takes to drive to the fields, we knew our cramped positions wouldn't hold up for a two hour road trip.  Thankfully, Abe volunteered to ride in the back with Kai.  Problem solved, except for having to pack all the camping stuff in the back, too!  Let's just say, Abe and the pooch had to get pretty cozy for that trek!!  We arrived at our favorite campsite and it immediately started raining.  Not a downpour, rather an alternating mist/drizzle for the next few hours.  Not easily discouraged, we rigged up a make shift canopy to play cards under!  We soon realized, however, that one of our tarps was a leaky tarp.  And, as we unpacked the truck, it dawned on us that the pump for my parents air mattress had gone AWAL; the extreme, southern winds of the island had snatched it right out of the truck.  Things were looking pretty bleary!  

The rain finally let up and the guys started a fire.  We skewered our cheese brats which, in my opinion, are the only kind of brats worth eating!  Second course had us roasting jumbo marshmallows for s'mores!  The ranger tried to rain on our parade, not too much of a pun intended, by notifying us of the $20,000 fee if Kai wasn't on a leash at all times.  But it takes a lot to phase us!  By the time darkness had taken over we were ready to hike to the lookout point.  The carbon dioxide levels keep anyone from getting too close to the volcano, so the guide books are a little misleading with all the pictures of lava flowing right by you.  We do love to look over the caldera at night, though, with the smoke billowing out in shades of red.   The horizon takes on an ethereal glow, tinting the night sky.  

[Kilauea Caldera]

Heading back to the campsite we were feeling better about the camping situation.  We purchased a new tarp and Dad found a fellow camper with a pump, improving my parents sleeping arrangements significantly!  After some star gazing and story telling, Abe folded his 6 feet 3 inches and a full head of hair into a kid-sized tent and Derek, Kai and I settled into the back of the truck.  All was well until the rain started back up.

We slept in peaceful oblivion for most of the night.  Water leaked in on the sides of our blankets and massive puddles formed on top of the tarps, but we were in dream land.  Dad and Mom were snug as a bug, unaware of the fact that the bottom half of their blanket was soaked and the water had run a nice little zig zag pattern on the mattress, right around their heads!  They say that what you don't know can't hurt you and I suppose it was true in this case!  Poor little brother, on the other hand, became extremely aware of his miniature tent being, in fact, NOT water proof.  He came staggering out the next morning, ringing water from his blanket and cracking his neck.  Oh, and did I mention it was still raining?!  

At this point, the only option was laughter.  Nothing was really funny, but we had to laugh as we packed up the soggy mess and heated water for our oatmeal.  Next stop: COFFEE!!  I can only imagine how we looked, running into this little store sopping wet and rubbing sleep out of our eyes.  But they had what we were after: hot coffee, tea and the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever tasted!!  These beverages enabled us to venture into the volcano park where, although it was still raining, we had a great time!  The caldera takes on a whole different look by day and the steam vents felt even better than usual because of the state we were in, mostly 'wet to the bone'.  A rainforest walk and giant lava tube completed our soggy trip.  Thank goodness for laughter and dry clothes for the ride home.  Abe couldn't ride in the back, so quarters were cramped.  But we broke up the trip with a stop at the Punalu'u Bakery, which had been on our list for quite awhile!!  We were certainly not disappointed and with fresh, lilikoi frosted malasadas in our tummy we returned home in high spirits. 

The truth that accompanied me throughout this week was that God is the same no matter what may be going on in my life.  No matter if things are mundane or chaotic; rain or sunshine.  Whether we're -picking our 9000th pound of coffee or sending presents to those we won't spend Christmas with.  Jesus is the constant in a world of variables.  He is laughter when things don't go according to plan and He is peace amidst all the unknown.  'Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday and today and forever.' Hebrews 13:89 

stronger than I imagined..

Last week was exactly what we needed... a giant helping of 'different'.  While coffee picking may not be the hardest line of work, the monotony was threatening to overwhelm.  Derek summed it up pretty well by telling someone that 'the natives are getting restless!'  And, of course, I had to take it a step further by declaring that THIS native was about to lose her mind!  All joking aside, God knew we just needed a change of scenery and I'm very thankful for the way He works everything out.
Derek had a landscaping job to do on Monday and Tuesday.  This was a welcome change for several reasons.  Landscaping pays a LOT quicker than coffee, and by that I mean receiving a check the same week vs. the coffee check we've been waiting a month and a half for!  A day in town gave Abe and I a chance to run errands, take Kai to the dog beach for frolicking and discover an awesome, little coffee shop.  Derek's day included a lot more sweat and dirt and being within walking distance of the waves was almost the death of him!  He was prepared the next day, though; with his surfboard in the truck he headed straight down to the water after work!
That second day of Derek's shoveling adventures wasn't quite as leisurely for Abe and I as the first.  Derek dropped us off at the land early in the morning so we could get caught up on weed wacking.  Unfortunately, the wackers BOTH had a melt down after the first hour!  I did my best impression of a mechanic and actually managed to get mine apart!  But, alas, Japanese YouTube videos can only get a girl so far.  'I think he said to unscrew this part??!'  Abe made a little progress on them, but they still weren't up and running.  I know this may seem unbelievable but, at this point, we actually decided to pick coffee!  Only problem: we realized we didn't have picking baskets or any bags!  So, we walked home.  Not kidding!  In full work garb, in the heat of the day, we decided a 5 mile walk was our best bet!!  Needless to say, we both took a cold shower and a coma nap upon our return to the apartment!  I am thankful even for this trek, though; for anything out of the ordinary.
Wednesday was a picking day, but at the other farm we've been working at so it still qualifies as 'different'.  This was our fifth round there and the whole acre was picked in just three hours.  Plus, we headed home that day with arms full of the juiciest oranges on the island.. a pay day all of its own!!  And did I mention it was sample day at Costco??  Best.Day.Ever!
The next two days had massive potential for disappointment.  Two families had agreed to pick coffee for us and we had been anxiously awaiting their arrival.  Thinking about the progress that seven or eight pickers could make had us all giddy!  Unfortunately, this turned out to be another no-show.  This didn't get our spirits down, though!  It might have helped that we switched up our usual ham and cheese sandwich routine; who knew tuna salad could be so tasty?!  But, I'm convinced the real reason for our unexplainable cheerfulness lies a bit deeper.  I'm reading through Isaiah and every time I opened my Bible this week I came across something along these lines...

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, 
they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; 
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  Isaiah 43:2-3

These verses began refueling me and I was reminded of Who it is that renews and sustains me!  I also realized that He doesn't say I won't have to go through the waters or the fires of life; He simply promises to be WITH me.  And that's a promise I can live with!  A promise that will continue to carry me through the fields and fill me with joy!
There was plenty of laughter throughout the week.  My funny bone was especially tickled on one occasion; driving home from town we saw a Santa look-alike (fluffy, white beard and ALL!) driving a truck full of coal!!  Not sure why, but this had me laughing for quite some time!!  We also started up a new tradition: Grilloha Friday!  An end of the week celebration paired with our craving for cheeseburgers, morphed into a weekly grill night!!  The arrival of my parents on Saturday afternoon, was the best kind of cherry on top of our week.  There has been much laughter, catching up and plans for exploring the island, after a bit more coffee picking, of course!  Dad and Mom were so excited to finally meet all the wonderful people in our church family here; Sunday was a wonderful day!
What an awesome God we serve.  I am extremely thankful for all the ways He reminds me of His love and faithfulness.  Even when I am weak, He is my strength.  When I think I've reached my 'end' He carries me and then sets me back on my feet to realize that in Him I am stronger than I could ever imagine!

I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you; 
I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4

He 'pitched his tent' among us!

At the risk of sounding overly dramatic or, as the guys would put it, 'a little bit of a Judy', this week had me feeling exhaustion that I'd never before known.  Ex·haust·ed: 1. Drained of one's physical or mental resources; very tired.  2. Completely used up.  Wednesday found all three of us at an all time low.  Not the greatest mental motivator but I found myself pondering every activity I'd prefer over picking more coffee... the list included eating green slime and walking across a bed of nails!  (Told you my dramatic side might flare up!!)

-FIG!-

Here's where it get's crazy: after eating our turkey sandwiches, Derek voiced what we were all thinking, 'None of us wants to be here... So, let's leave!'  And we all applauded, or at least thought about it!!  But, while scheming what to do if we did leave, all three of us came up blank!  Looking back, of course, I can think of about 300 perfectly, lovely options.  In that moment, however, and in such a funk, nothing came to mind!  We've been picking coffee since August.  Granted, we only had to pick a few times that first month.  But if it only takes 21 days to form a habit; four months is more than sufficient for falling into a rut and forgetting how to do anything but pick and sleep.  My poor brother, thinking he was in for the adventure of his life, arrives to find our inspiration at an all-time low and our bed time at an all-time early!
Disclaimer: I understand that people all over the world work jobs that they hate, day in and day out, because that's what they have to do.  I realize that being 'self-employed' and working outside makes this particular line of work very attractive to a large majority of people stuck in an office.  I also know that I shouldn't complain and I'm very aware of this being 'just a season'; I remind myself of that fact daily!  But, this blog is for the recording of my raw, unedited feelings.  And, I promise, if you bear with me, this post just might shape up to be more than a whiny, diary entry.

[decorating at the apartment!]

Thursday night Bible study focused on John 1:14 and the incredible fact that God became flesh and, as the Greek translation says, 'pitched his tent among us'!  We talked about all that Jesus went through and beyond the what, the WHY.  'Born in a stable and placed in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inn.'  This is all very quaint and lovely in the nativity scenes but, let's be real, no barn or stable I've ever been in smells or looks like a great place to birth a child.  And a manger is actually the feeding trough for animals, not the cozy, freshly sterilized bassinet we'd like to picture!  I'm not saying this to take away from the Christmas story but to make it that much more breath taking.  The Maker of the universe became a tiny, human baby and made His grand entrance to earth, not in a palace, but in the lowest and humblest of ways.  And that was just the beginning.  He lived among the poorest of people.  He walked along dirty, dusty roads with dirty, dusty people.  Jesus, God in the flesh, got sweaty and sore and was exhausted.  The Star Breather was whipped and spit on and nailed to a cross, dying the most gruesome of deaths.
And He did it all for me.  For you.  All for love!  Lest I somehow think I'm facing anything 'beyond Him', He went through it all, was tempted in every way (but did not sin!) and He conquered!!  He rose from the dead, victorious over Satan and the curse holding us captive.  And now, no matter what I face, He says, 'Daughter, I get it!  I love you!  Walk in the grace I died to give you, let ME be your strength!'  Hebrews 4:14-16 'Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet He did not sin.  Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.'

~sunrise from the top of Mauna Kea~

We watched 'The Nativity' with the youth at church this weekend, and what I used to think of as a slightly cheesy flick had me awe-struck with tears in my eyes!  I want to dive so much deeper into this, especially as Christmas draws near!  But, for this week, the truth I needed to be reminded of so desperately was God's nearness.  Anything I'll ever walk through in this life, any overwhelming feelings of exhaustion or the internal debate as to whether I can go on or not- He can relate to and will walk through it with me!!  This brings me to my knees.. and if not to the end of my whininess, at least to the end of my feeling hope-less.  There is light at the end of this picking tunnel.  And there is grace, abundant grace, for my very confident taking, all because of the extraordinary sacrifice of my Savior!

a roller coaster ride!!

Baby, it's NOT cold outside!  But the air is feeling slightly more festive each day!  One reason for this feeling is that I am now, officially, allowed to sing Christmas songs!  Another cause: my parents will be here in 11 days!!!  And I've been spending every bit of my free time online, searching for ideas of how to inexpensively decorate the apartment.  I want to make the most of this wonderful season, but I feel as though I'm starting from scratch in the idea department.  Getting bundled up and tromping through the woods to select the perfect pine tree is just not done here!  I am holding onto hope that a few neighbors will go all out with lights and decorations but, other than our local Ace hardware, I'm not seeing very much potential for a tour of lights!
Enough of that, though.  It's not even December yet!  Thanksgiving was wonderful.  We are abundantly blessed!  Although we really missed gathering with mass amounts of family, it was good to celebrate the day in new, tropical ways!  After putting my 'little' brother, Abe, straight to work on his first day here, it was good to have down time.  We started the day by concocting a delicious mess of biscuits and gravy and then headed to the beach.  The guys frolicked in the water for hours, while I was content with an occasional toe dip and reading my book in the sun.  We wanted to be at our absolute hungriest for Thanksgiving dinner, so lunch consisted of granola bars and two bags of Rambutans from the farmers' market!  The spiky looking fruits, once peeled, are sweet and juicy like a big grape!  And our growling bellies were certainly not disappointed that evening.  Dinner with one of our 'adopted' families from church was a great time and absolutely delicious!

No ground breaking developments in the coffee fields this week.  Just more picking!  Derek says we're 'over half done'.  I think he's vague about this for my sake, lest I conjure up an 'end date' only to be disappointed when there's still more picking to be done!  (Still, I'm convinced we're at least 75% done!)  It's awesome having a third pair of hands busily picking; Abe is certainly a trooper!  This is his first trip to Hawaii and we're excited to show off more of this beautiful island once my parents arrive.  He has done a bit of snorkeling and went surfing with Derek and a friend on Sunday!  Unfortunately, their beach adventure was cut short when a rookie crashed into Derek, somehow managing to knock loose his big toenail!  Derek had to operate on himself, ripping the nail completely off (with pliers!!) 'while his adrenaline was still pumping!'  Yikes!  I definitely don't regret missing that episode, especially because I was enjoying 'girls night', going to a Christmas concert and eating Chinese food!!  

I know the 'what's next' developments in our life resemble a roller coaster; I'll apologize in advance for any motion sickness you may be experiencing!!  These past few weeks Derek and I have been soul searching, peeling back layer after layer of dreams and ideas, and we've been praying a LOT.  Knowing we had a month and a half left in the apartment was the motivation we needed to look forward and ask hard questions.  In the process, we realized our dreams have been doing some rearranging, unnoticed by us until now!  Traveling and wild adventures have always ranked high on our 'list' and that may not ever change; what has happened is the shuffling of other options on our priority list.  All of a sudden we're thinking that our very own place to call 'home' sounds pretty great.  We're realizing this next season of life may not include relocating to a different continent, but that does not mean it has to be any less adventurous!  

By mid-week we're suspecting that our time in Hawaii would be coming to an end and we were actually okay with that.  We were brainstorming on how we would manage to transport all that we've acquired back home.  We're also wondering where 'home' is and figuring out what location would put us by family, an ocean and a great church.  The possibilities were exciting!!  Then came the knock on our door.  

A man that Derek had just met on Sunday wanted to know if he was interested in a landscaping job for the next seven months while they went back home to Canada.  Hmmm...  The NEXT day, we find out there's been a change of plans with the pastor coming to our church and we're told we can stay in the apartment through June! (yep, that's seven more months!!)  I don't believe in coincidences, which means this didn't 'just happen to work out'!  God is AMAZING!!  We don't understand His methods; I must admit, I was confused and actually a little bummed when it first sunk in.  I'd already allowed my imagination to go wild with thoughts of the next chapter.  I was excited about a cross country trek in a U-Haul, I LOVE road trips!  The thought of living by family again was SO exciting!  And, I was ready to see what God had next for us.

But, as we talked everything out once again, it became crystal clear- God was making a way!  And I am incredibly thankful!!  It's possible that this soul searching was necessary simply to keep us in a place of surrender.  This week prepared us to go, wherever that may be, and whether that happens next month or in seven months... or whenever God says it's time!  We don't know why He wants us to stay, but all that matters is that He does.  We don't want to be anywhere but right where He puts us!  And that's as far as we've gotten!

                                                    

jungle festivity!

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, with Christmas hot on its heels!  Only problem is that, aside from a few chillier evenings, it still feels like summer in Hawaii!  Now, I'm not saying that I miss the bitter cold weather, scraping ice off my windshield and blowing on numb fingers all the way to work.  It is, however, a little more difficult to get in a 'festive' mood when it's still 80* outside.  We have been drinking eggnog and munching homemade, chocolate chip pumpkin bread; I think that's definitely helping our frame of mind!  

I've also been doing a month of thankfulness, which just means a post everyday on Facebook of what I'm thankful for.  It's truly amazing how much I have to be grateful for.  And how much I take for granted.  One thing I'm grateful for is that my 'little' brother is flying out this week and we'll get to spent Thanksgiving with him and a wonderful couple from church.  (Little brother is also going to help us pick coffee and I'm overjoyed about that, too!)

Speaking of picking, this last week was one of my favorite ones yet!  We were in a section of field that we had just weed wacked, so there was no need for machete wielding and no tripping on hidden rocks or forgotten snares.  Also, this was the fourth time picking through that section so that means the trees only had a few cherries left, and we cruised through the rows.  Or whole clumps of cherries had finally ripened, meaning we could fill our whole basket on one tree!!

I'll admit, the main reason I'm rating this week 'exceptional' is because I spent it in Narnia!  I've been wanting to read the Chronicles of Narnia for awhile, but can't seem to find the time to check them out at the library, leave alone actually read them!  Derek found the perfect solution to my dilemma: audiobooks!  And he bought all seven on Monday!  Let's just say, the days flew by and I'm already on book number three.  I highly recommend them, no matter how 'grown up' you may be and especially if you find yourself in a field all day, your brain checking out for hours on end.  Derek's reconsidering if I should be allowed this privilege, however.  Apparently, he noticed my picking pace resembling that of a snail..  But, I'm a happy snail!!  That must count for something!
I was really glad for the chance to do some weed wacking this last week.  It had been quite a while since I'd had a freshly chopped weed facial!  Seriously, Derek is always shocked by the green monster emerging from the rows once we're done, covered head to toe in jungle, oh wait.. that's Bethel!  (Don't ask me how he manages to stay so much cleaner that me!)  We also did some more de-pulping last weekend and my husband whipped up what I call 'the drying stage'.  The first batch we have drying is almost ready to be taken through the dry mill (getting the papery 'parchment' layer off) and then roasted!!  We will definitely keep all you coffee drinkers updated on this progress and let you know when you can purchase our happy little beans!

Although this week was significantly better than others, as far as picking goes, I was still 'pau' (done) by the time Friday night rolled around!  I'm so thankful for weekends and the chance to catch up on things at home and let my fingers rest.  That's another strange thing: Derek's fingers look the same as before while mine are not handling this season so gracefully!  They are cracked, stained and gross.. even though I wear gloves!  The worst part is, I've developed the nasty habit of biting them, as if that will help the situation!  This is certainly taking a toll on my femininity.  Fortunately, I wasn't too high maintenance to start with!  

One of my favorite realizations this last week was when Derek pointed out all the new, red flowers that were blooming!  They are unlike any I've seen here, different textures and accents.  Even a bush exploding with vibrant, crimson berries!  Here I was, wishing for 'festivity' even though, in my mind, that means all things snow and winter which I don't actually care for.  And God showed me His creativity and Christmasy beauty right here in the jungle!  Absolutely lovely.  How could I underestimate the Creator thinking He was somehow limited to snowflakes and sled rides and caroling in negative degrees.  He can reveal his Majesty however and whenever He chooses, and remembering the birth of His Son into this world, His plan to redeem mankind, is definitely not a celebration that He skimps on!

Last, but not least, my favorite thing about this week.  Not the gelato date with my husband, although I really loved that!!  Not the amazing gathering of women this weekend, but I did enjoy the fellowship AND was successful in my first flower arrangement!  Not even watching Derek tickle Kai's feet while the poor pup was asleep and laughing till our sides hurt!  

The best part of this week actually came in the form of an unexpected phone call; an interruption.  We were finishing up in the fields one afternoon, having filled several bags we were excited to get home at a decent time.  I wanted to go for a run and we already had delicious plans for dinner.  That's when Derek's phone rang.  It was a lady we didn't know, she had gotten the number from a friend at our church.  She was moving into town and was desperate for some help moving her couch.  (You know what they say about friends with trucks!!)  So, Derek agreed.  

We finished up and headed over... only to find that 'moving her couch' was just the tip of the iceberg.  A sweet, single lady with a teeny tiny car; she was planning on taking full advantage of a pickup truck.  45 minutes later we've loaded up half her house and helped her rearrange the furniture she's leaving behind.  We followed her into town and unloaded everything, while she thanked us over and over and over.  Before leaving we were able to talk with her a little bit and invite her to our church.  She said her friend (the one who gave the phone number) had been wanting her to come and now she just might!  

All of a sudden it didn't matter that this was an interruption, an inconvenience or that we didn't have the nice evening at home that we had envisioned.  We were able to respond to an opportunity from God; to be His hands, feet and muscle!  This lady saw willingness in a couple she didn't know, when all of her friends had bailed on moving day.  This isn't about how awesome we are. We didn't jump on the chance to help a stranger move, it was more like 'Uh...okay.. yeah, I guess we can come.'  But God used that!  And when we step aside and become a vessel for God to flow through, things happen!  I'm not sure of the circumstances in this woman's life, but now I can pray for her.  We planted seeds and not much in this world can top that feeling!  THAT is my favorite!

[But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7]

garlic, chameleons & the unknown

Several months ago, when we were still in the greenhouse, I woke up to the unmistakable smell of... garlic?  Derek was no where to be found but the smell was undeniably potent!  Finally I located my husband and he explained his latest experiment.  Apparently, he had dreamt about creating a concoction to spray on the coffee cherries in hopes of killing the CBB (coffee berry borer).  Upon awakening, he immediately tried out a few different combinations, one even included his favorite hot sauce, Cholula!  But the one he felt had the most potential was the garlic.  

Fast forward to this last week when we were selling coffee cherries at the mill.  I noticed a paper stapled on the wall and went over to check it out.  Turns out, the University of Hilo has been doing some testing on new solutions for the CBB and their latest recommendation is the brand new 'Garlic Barrier' spray!  Needless to say, I freaked out a little!  And Derek is now under strict orders to patent his next great invention before anyone else thinks of it :)

Our week was non-stop.  The pickers we were hoping for were otherwise detained.  But we got a lot done and we're staying positive!  I'm thankful for humorous moments throughout the day to keep things light.  Hearing Derek yelp is a fairly rare occurrence, but he had bona fide reason after grabbing what he thought was a branch only to find a rather large chameleon in his hand!  He flung the colorful critter and let out quite the shout!  What really tickled my funny bone, though, was after the fact when Derek felt bad for Mr. Chameleon, picked him up again and reinstated him on his perch!  

Another highlight of the week was finding Blue Bunny ice cream on SALE at the local grocery store.  We're talking $4.50 instead of $9.50!  Chocolate chunk goes a long way in rejuvenating a weary, coffee picker.  But what goes even farther than a bowl of sweet, creamy dessert is the incredibly, tangible presence of Jesus!!  This last week brought a new development to our unfolding 'next step'.  Because of happenings at our church in the new year, Derek and I will be moving out of the apartment at the end of December.  We are so grateful for the time we've been able to spend here, this door literally opened at the perfect time!  And we are very excited to see where God takes us next!  His plans always surpass anything we could ever manufacture on our own.  

Our prayers range from "Please lead us to an apartment that our coffee farming budget can afford!" to "Are we even supposed to stay in Hawaii next year??" to "Please give us strength and prepare us mentally in case we need to take up residence in the greenhouse again for awhile!"  We're very thankful to have the next month and a half to seek God's will and formulate a plan.  And although neither of us feels too worried about the unknown it was definitely on our minds throughout the weekend.  That's where God's amazing presence comes in.  We're going through Acts in our Sunday morning Bible Study and I'll admit, Derek and I don't always get to the lesson in advance like we're supposed to.  This week was about Paul's sea voyage and shipwreck and I was actually able to skim through a bit of the text that morning.  The part that grabbed me was a little blurb that said, 'sometimes the surprise is not in what happens, but in what it turns out to mean.'  A few minutes later, as Derek perused the lesson, he exclaimed 'This is talking to us!' and I knew exactly which part he meant! Bible Study was awesome; a HUGE reminder of the way God uses and even orchestrates events in our lives that may seem overwhelming, scary or shipwreck-like for His glory and purpose and to show us His awesome power!  This was confirmation for us, that we need not stress and worry but TRUST, obey and watch expectantly as God reveals His plan and leads the way!  

Heading into church that morning we were encouraged and hopeful.  Then came a time of prayer and worship that blew our minds!  Words can not do justice to experiences like that, the joy bubbling up inside of you, the desire to sing as loud as you can and at the same time just soak in His presence.  With tears in my eyes, a smile on my face and hands lifted towards heaven, I knew that I knew that God is at work and He is faithful!  'God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble.' Psalm 46:1

So, bring on another week... bring on the cherries that need picking and decisions that need making.  Sore muscles, yes.  Feeling like I could sleep for a week, absolutely.  Unknowns, number crunching and a few more bowls of that chocolate chunk!?  This is life.  If I had all the answers, I'd die of boredom.  If there weren't any surprises I would never learn to trust.  And I don't even want to consider what life would look like if everything actually worked out the way I thought it should.   

we are but a mist>>

Although I do have a legitimate reason for being terribly late with this post; I must warn you, it will sound incredibly familiar to the age old excuse "Honest, teacher, the dog really did eat my homework!"  I won't mention names, but there was an incident involving the computer charger and Kai's water bowl and it was definitely lacking in the happy ending department.  Once the last percentage of battery life ebbed away we were laptop free for almost a week.  This simply meant less netflix, more card games and considerably less election drama!  However, we finally broke down and bought the new charger.  $80 later.. or, since we now think in terms of coffee, 50 pounds of cherry later, I can update my blog!  And a pumpkin spice latte certainly made the purchase more pleasant, thanks to my sweet husband!
                                                                 

[this is how Kai chills on the stairs]

As for our week::  we logged another five days of picking!  We also called up every one of our Hawaiian contacts in attempt to find coffee pickers, but apparently we're not the only ones up to our eyeballs in cherries!  There is hope for some help at the end of this week, but we're learning to believe they'll come once they're actually IN the fields, picking!  So far we've managed to stay on top of things but we're rapidly approaching the point where neglected cherries will start to spoil and resign themselves to 'raisins'.  Not good.

I was clinging to the hope that once we crossed that 5000 pound line I would have developed killer shoulder muscles and lightning quick fingers.  Alas, that line has been crossed and this is not the case.  The cold, hard truth is that I'm just not a very, speedy picker!  I do my best, yet my husband still manages to lap me on a regular basis.  The cause for this may be tangled up with a slight case of OCD on my part when it comes to picking every single red cherry.  

Derek bought me a picking belt, though, and that's certainly helping with the soreness factor.  Depending on which body parts are complaining I can alternate the belt with the shoulder harness.  I've also learned to dump my basket before I start feeling my life expectancy dropping!  (And, apparently, before the over-dramatic side of me rears its head!)  We're only about half way done, though, so there is hope for my skill level to improve.  'Most Valuable Picker' award, anyone?!  (And I will hold on to my sculpted muscle fantasy for a little while longer!) 

So, what do we do in our 'free time'??  One evening this last week found us on the beach with our Dairy Queen blizzards and a beautiful sunset!  Other nights we take turns massaging sore muscles and end up sleeping half the night on top of the covers because crawling underneath would require considerably more energy than we possess.  We've started going to a great, mid-week Bible study!  Derek's in the beginning stages of making his own surfboard!  My 'quick run' one night turned into six miles.. what?!  And Kai is learning how to catch, we're so proud :)

[my favorite sunset of the week!]

I've started dropping to my knees first thing in the morning to spend a few uninterrupted moments with God.  Whether I'm simply basking in the love of Jesus or surrendering everything already swimming around my brain, competing for attention- it is an awesome way to start the day!  Just one or two minutes dramatically affecting the next 24 hours!  I've never been one to say you have to pray a certain way, for a set time or with specific words.  But some routine can be beneficial and if anything should be constant in my life I'd say communication with the One who's got the plan is definitely top priority! 

A lot of pondering went on this week.  What (or where) in the world is next?  What should we do after harvest?  How can we best bring glory to God through our lives.  Coffee farming, although an incredible adventure, might not exactly be utilizing our full potential.  Not to mention, we'll be spending all our earnings on chiropractic adjustments if we keep up this lifestyle!  The lessons we've learned from this experience are invaluable, but now we are seeking God's will for the next step.  We have yet to arrive at any earth shattering conclusions, but we're realizing a brand new chapter is just a few pages away!  And God, because He knows me incredibly well, is sending little reminders my way.  Don't over-analyze.  Don't get ahead of yourself.  Definitely don't worry!  Live today while it's still today.  Whether through the Bible or a devotion book I happened to pick up, God's subtleties became pretty obvious as the week progressed and the potential for stressing out increased.  

[yep, I think he's pretty cool!]

So, we live life.  We pray a lot, trusting God to lead the way, and keeping in mind that 'advance notice' isn't always His style.  We're ready and excited.  James 4:14 says we don't even know what will happen tomorrow!  We are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes!  Stressing about next year seems kind of silly in that light!  So, we surrender.  We keep picking.  We hold everything with open hands.  We have a bonfire with friends on a Saturday night!  We soak up every bit of the beauty around us, enjoy time with our 'family' here and listen for the Spirit's leading.  

pruny feet, centipedes and beyond

What do pruny feet, chocolate chip cookie bars and a 100 gallon tank in the back of our truck have in common?!  Picking season, that's what!!  This week was different and I loved it!  We were still picking and I suppose 'love' is not the right emotion to associate with that particular task.  BUT I do enjoy making progress, I'm grateful for the paychecks starting to roll in and, for several reasons, this week wasn't overwhelming like the past few have been!  Therefore, I loved it!

After a few days in the fields we mixed things up with the very first de-pulping of our own coffee cherries!  We want to take this batch through the different steps, all the way to roasted, packaged beans- ready to be sold, brewed and enjoyed!  Talk about exciting!!  This is what we've been working towards for the last eight months!  Plus, it was an adventure all its own; purchasing a 100 gallon tank, hauling 450 pounds of cherry to the 'other' farm, de-pulping them (in a down pour of rain) and filling the tank back up with the slippery, little beans.  Driving around town, running errands and going surfing with that tank full of floating beans in the back of the truck might seem slightly redneck but, trust me, that's nothing!  

The beans have to ferment over night, and this allows the 'bad ones' to float to the top and be scooped out.  My husband enlisted his other girlfriends for this task.  (Two, sweet girls from our church that love 'Uncle Derek' and can be talked into doing just about anything for him!)  There was no cajoling this evening, however, as they were eager to get their hands dirty and take turns with the strainer.  Their laughter (and the occasional words of guidance from Derek) floated up to the apartment as I relished the extra time I had for finding a new recipe and actually cooking dinner!

Here's where it gets even more redneck.  Because we don't have water at the property anymore (long story about another farm worker accidentally running over the pipe and draining the tank!) we had to rinse all the beans in our driveway at the church!  Derek built a screened, wooden frame that we dumped bucket after bucket of beans into for rinsing.  Then, for lack of a better place to keep the clean beans, they went into a (freshly washed) trash barrel!  Once our tank was emptied of it's contents, we could hose it out and put all the beans back in to transport them to the greenhouses.  Phew!  But wait, we're just getting started!  At the property we needed to scrounge up more wood to make frames, then staple the wire mesh to the frames and haul cinder blocks into the greenhouse to keep the frames up off the ground.  Then, once again, transport the beans bucket full by bucket full, filling up our new drying racks.  We'll begin to figure out better methods as time goes on, but thankfully my husband happens to have carpenter skills up his sleeve and all went well for this first round!

The day we did this was rainy.  Abnormally rainy.  We're used to the occasional wet morning or an afternoon shower, but the majority of the days here are always sunny.  So when the sun didn't burn through after a few hours of rain in the morning we resigned ourselves to being wet and tackled the project.  Then, not willing to waste a day, but unable to pick because we forgot to purchase new bags that we fill with the cherries, we turned to other tasks.  In our harvesting frenzy, and because we're not living out there, maintenance around the greenhouse has dropped to an all-time low on the priority list.  This was a perfect chance to weed wack, mow, clean AND replant the garden which had morphed into a mini-jungle of its own!  It was great to get caught up and it actually looks like someone loves the place again!  This is where the pruny feet come in, though.  By the end of the day we were sopping wet and looked like we'd been sitting in a hot tub for eight hours!  I was chilled to the bone but, making the most of the 'coldest' day we've experienced here, I was giddy about breaking out leggings, wool socks and a sweater that evening!  Unfortunately, our work boots didn't dry at all that night and even though the next day was sunny, our feet were once again confined to a full day of wet, sogginess.  Oh well... such is life in the jungle! 

Even though we live in an apartment for the time being, there's still many reminders of our 'jungle life'.  Some are wonderful; sitting outside the church at night, talking about the day and basking in the night sounds that have become so familiar.  Or it might be a little ad-libbing in the kitchen, mixing up cookie dough only to realize we are still lacking a cookie sheet!  So, we improvise and our cookies become bars!  And I realize that I wouldn't trade imagination and ingenuity even for a fully furnished kitchen!  Other jungle evidence, although expected, is never pleasant; ahem.. the centipede crawling across our living room floor the other night.  I have to brag a bit, though, I didn't freak out and was actually the one to smash it with a flip flop!  [Although, Derek did have to dispose of it!]  I may not have as many adventurous tales to tell these days, but our life is anything but normal.  And we wouldn't want it any other way :)
We had an awesome weekend!  Derek had a men's breakfast and we were able to celebrate two years of life with a beautiful little girl and part of the church family we love so much!  We headed to town Saturday night and I was elated with an excuse to get dolled up!  Working in the coffee fields all week leaves little reason to put on dresses, do my hair or put on mascara; so date nights must be savored!  We strolled through a downtown festival, ate delicious mexican food, went to the new surfing movie Derek's been dying to see... oh, and experienced our first tsunami warning!  As Coloradans we don't really know about natural disasters, apart from raging forest fires.  So, the sirens going off into the wee hours of the night, massive coastal evacuation and everyone in line to fill up gas tanks and stock up on toilet paper made for quite the commotion.  Thankfully, nothing came of it and island life resumed as normal on Sunday.
One of the highlights of this past week was being able to call and/or skype with all of our immediate families!  We saw faces that we haven't seen in a very long time, heard countless stories from nieces and nephews and just caught up on life with so many of the ones we love.  Thank goodness for communication!  That is the one improvement that we would make to this life- being closer to our families!  Thankfully, we are our own family, too.  I don't understand how this works but it's rather incredible:: when I'm fresh out of motivation and energy, Derek encourages.  And when he is not exactly feeling upbeat about the situation, I'm positive.  Every time!  If ever we'd both 'check out' we would be on the first plane back home.  But God knows exactly how we work and never gives us more than we can handle.  He's blessed us with each other and between the three of us we make a pretty great team!
I've been reading through Deuteronomy this week and realizing how much God wants His people to come to a realization of Him!  To accept that He IS the one, true God.  He is our Deliverer, He will fight the battle for us, He is our victory!  Everything He does is in order that we might know Him.  And as I reflect on each week I see so much evidence of Him in my life, it's truly incredible!  But I realize that so often I just assume He knows how much I love Him.  Yes, He is all-knowing but that doesn't let me off the hook for expressing my praise, gratitude and LOVE to Him!  Imagine my reaction to Derek saying "You already know I love you and would do anything for you, so it doesn't matter if I actually tell you on a regular basis.'  Or, 'You know you're my favorite so I shouldn't have to do nice things for you to prove it!'  Yeah, that wouldn't fly..  So, I'm going into this new week with that as my mission.  To truly know my God and appreciate Him and LOVE Him!  To put as much effort into my relationship with Him as I do into my marriage!   The parts of my heart that crave quality time and sweet words from my lover are a reflection of the One in who's image I was made!!  God may not need my love... but He absolutely DESIRES it!
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite verses, about the amazing plans our Father has for us.  But reading on, I find the Lord saying "you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me WHEN you seek me with all your heart... I will be found by you and bring you back from captivity."  This is a call to His children to talk to Him and to need Him.  A lover asking to be sought after wholeheartedly!  And then a promise that we WILL find Him and He WILL rescue us from the things holding us captive!  

beautiful, crazy life.

An ocean of people press in around me; every tribe, every nation.  Hands lifted, faces aglow, our voices joining together in exuberant praise of our King!  I am one among the multitude and yet, I am also the only one.  It's just Jesus and me.  He's holding my hand, pulling me forward through a field.  The wheat stocks are golden, swaying with the wind, and we are laughing!  He has something amazing to show me and I can't wait!  The song is building and I am in the crowd again, I don't know these people and yet I DO!  Sweet tears are falling, children dance and we worship the Savior with every fiber of our being.  

This is what God has been showing me lately, when I close my eyes in worship.  It's breathtaking.  It's magnificent.  It's intimate.  And the more I experience, the more I crave it!  Just a glimpse of eternity with Him and I can't wipe the smile off my face!  But there's a flip side to this; eternity without God!  That is a sobering thought, one that should have me telling any and every one the good news!!  

Lately my prayer has been for God to mold me and that I might be more sensitive to His Spirit.  I'm realizing that request might be just as 'dangerous' as praying for patience!  I asked for it and He's coming through, I just didn't realize what all His follow through would entail!  I'll be in the coffee fields and get hit with this wildly, crazy thought that I need to get ahold of a certain person.  I might not have seen this individual in years and yet I'm supposed to strike up a conversation?!  Or this weekend at the beach, I was engrossed in a book, toes dug into the sand and it happened again!  An urge from within and all of a sudden I can't stop studying the couple next to me.  I'm not just wondering where they're from; it has become vital that I figure out whether they know Jesus!  My book lost all interest, I couldn't stay focused long enough to read a single paragraph.  I knew what I was supposed to do, but I spent so much time brainstorming how I would begin this dialogue and, ultimately, figure out what they believed, that I lost my chance.  And I can not stop thinking about them, now.

~beautiful coffee cherries~

Granted, I have a LOT of time for thinking these days.  We were in the fields Monday- Thursday and picked 1,000 pounds of coffee cherries!  I love being able to listen to music or audio books.  However, when I've been avoiding a direct order from GOD, it doesn't matter how loud I turn up the tunes!  So, I'm growing.  I'm getting in touch with the people He puts on my heart AND, hopefully, I'll be obedient the next time He tells me to act.

In other news, after four days of picking, my muscles went on strike and, thankfully, Derek realized I needed a break.  But I'm getting ahead of myself, he actually offered me a day off on Thursday, knowing that I was exhausted, he said he could finish up the field on his own.  The voice in my head was whooping "Hallelujah!!" but I heard a different, lunatic voice answering "No, no.. don't be crazy, love!  We're in this together!"  Say WHAT?!  I, or rather SHE, had just turned down the chance to stay home, catch up on my to-do-list, have time for a run and cook something for dinner besides spaghetti!  I must have lost my mind!   

[Kai's cooling off!]

But, alas, I AM glad I went and my muscles held up just fine.  We had more left than we realized and even with both of us picking it still took all day to finish that section.  Then Derek declared Friday 'painting day', finishing up that job at our church added another fine-tuned skill to our resume!  More importantly, it was an extra day of recovery for my shoulders.  And did I mention that Derek got Thai food for dinner after one of those extra-long picking days?  I am blessed!  See, getting home so late means it's too dark to go running and we're too hungry for me to take longer than 10-15 minutes to make dinner.  It leaves little time for cleaning or grocery shopping and definitely no time for a good book, my geography quizzes or experimental baking.  Weekends do us a world of good, though, and don't let me fool you- our life is certainly not all work and no play!  But this schedule does wear on a girl and Derek knows that the 'little things' can make an extraordinary difference.  In the end, I know this is just a season, and one that I AM extremely grateful for.  'I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!' Philippians 4:13

my picking basket ^^

With that, I begin a brand new, beautiful week!  I'm filled with the hope of eternity and the grace of my Savior!  The joy within me goes hand in hand with a responsibility to share it, and I am ready to step out and be bold.  I pray that you readers may know the all-surpassing goodness of our God and glimpse eternity throughout your days.  

-B

-coffee-cherry-invasion-

I've been putting off this entry for several reasons.  First of all, I haven't had an enormous amount of time or energy upon returning from the fields each night.  Second, coffee picking has taken over a massive chunk of life as we know it, and that leaves little time for any other adventures to speak of.  I'm not complaining; I'm simply justifying my tardiness in writing this post!
Time spent picking in the fields actually flies by; to my complete surprise!  And the work isn't difficult, just slightly tedious.  We pick through the heat and through the rain.  Some trees will only have a few cherries to pick, other times I'll fill my entire picking basket (about 15 lbs.) from just one or two trees!  Some trees have to be de-tangled from vines and weeds before they can be picked.  Other trees are so tall (because we chose not to prune them earlier) that they start to break as we pull them down to our level.  Not only do we find coffee cherries in the truck, the washing machine and all over the apartment, but I've also started dreaming about harvesting!  See why I say they have taken over!  But I do find the cherries absolutely beautiful and can't resist taking pictures of their ripe, plumpness..

When we're not picking, we're mowing and weed wacking.  Unfortunately, the weeds don't stop growing just because it's harvest.  It's a nice reprieve, though, which also comes as a bit of a surprise.   Plowing through a thick spot of weeds or cruising down the rows on the mower is extremely gratifying and my sore muscles don't mind the change of pace, either!  Beyond life in the coffee fields, we've been tackling some projects around the church- painting, cleaning, and weed removal.  

Needless to say, taking Sunday off was essential.  Plus, Derek was losing his mind from lack of time on his surfboard!  The man's got skills, and I'm proud to be his photographer!  Although I did catch a slightly, smaller wave myself, before drying off and grabbing the camera.  I simply enjoy the water, whether it's cannon-balling into it from the rocks, snorkeling with the turtles or cooling off after a nap in the sun.  Derek is developing a slight obsession with surfing and although I lack any desire to catch the really huge waves, I am an easily contented beach bum.  Basically, I'm saying we work really well together and I'm extremely grateful for that :)

my surfer boy!

Harvest can bring out the best and the worst in a person, okay.. in me!  Sometimes I get home from eight hours in the field and still find the energy to go for a run, make dinner, do the laundry and vacuum!  Other times I come home, change into comfy clothes and immediately crash.  Hours in the field can leave me feeling exhausted and sore and/or filled with a sense of wonder at God's creation and His providence.  

Derek knows that I'm not accustomed to long days of manual labor.  He rubs my shoulders, picks me flowers and doesn't even make fun of me for falling asleep as early as 7:30!  Working 'full time' doesn't leave a lot of time for being a house wife.  I try to stay on top of things, but I will admit to leaving the sink full of dishes once or twice and resorting to pb&j's on several occasions.  The good news is, I make up for those moments with spontaneous bursts of motivation and the delectable, 'death by oreo' cupcakes :)  Thankfully, my husband never complains about 'leftover night'.  He also knows when I need to snap out of a funk or when I just need to be held really tight. 

It's not always an earth shattering revelation that reminds me of God's presence in my life, but rather His consistency throughout each day.  Jesus is my peace and my joy, regardless of the other factors in life or how many hundreds (or thousands?) of pounds of coffee have yet to be picked.  We're so thankful for this opportunity, all that we are discovering and this gorgeous island we get to live on!   We're thankful for the amazing church family He's led us to and all the ways He is blessing us through them.  God's faithfulness through every single moment makes all the difference.  Exhausted, inspired, sopping wet or covered in paint..  He is with us and He is our strength!  

discovering reservoir life>>

Money may not buy happiness but a new pair of picking gloves goes a LONG way in making this girl's day!  We're in full-swing, harvest mode and I have mixed emotions about the change of pace.  As much as we love 'vacation mode', touring the island and beach days with visiting family and friends; the return to hard-work is both refreshing and rewarding!  It's also exhausting.  As soon as we've finished picking one section, it's time to start again!  No exaggeration here.  It's quite incredible to witness: green cherries one day, red the next!  And I truly believe God is behind it all!
We did our best to refrain from conjuring up grand expectations for this harvest.  Not that we weren't praying and hoping for abundant crops, but we were up against our fair share of obstacles, weeds and beetles.  Without any idea of what to expect, we simply 'did the possible' and left the rest in the hands of the Creator.  And now we're surprised to find fields bursting with cherries to be picked!?  Oh, He is SO good!

I will admit, I lose sight of the goodness at times; simply seeing row after row and cherries as far as I can see.  Yet, God gives me the strength I need for each and every moment.  He also reminds me of His love in amazing ways; a heart shaped leaf, an amazing Bible verse to accompany me through the day.  Between Derek, Kai and my lack of multi tasking skills, there's no shortage of laughter in our fields!  Apparently, the simultaneous picking of coffee cherries and cracking of sunflower seeds is significantly more difficult for me than it is for my husband!?
Some coffee picking benefits are obvious; we're beginning to earn money from the past seven months of work!  Hooray!!  But there's some less apparent pluses as well, the feeling of every tense muscle relaxing into a mattress that suddenly resembles a bed of clouds!  Or the fact that dinner just tastes better after eight hours in the field!  Finding the energy to make said dinner can be a feat all its own.  But, Derek does offer his assistance on occasion and even ventured out with friends for night diving, making for an amazing midnight date of lobster and brownies :)  And our weekends have become decidedly sweeter!  I'm acquiring a new appreciation for taking a nap, going for a run or meeting up with friends.  Derek's surfing skills are improving dramatically!  Being worn out makes us truly enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon with our favorite TV show, guava cheesecake and a slightly competitive game of Gin Rummy.  (Let's just say we'll be having a rematch at our earliest convenience!)

My devotion a few days ago compared a reservoir and a canal, leaving quite the impression on me.  Water running through a canal will be quickly dispersed, leaving the canal dry.  A reservoir, however, is deep and has to fill all the way up before overflowing.  I must be a reservoir, allowing God to fill me completely and THEN overflowing to those around me and the tasks at hand.  It seems simple enough, but I so often forget that I need to be fueled in order to properly function.  Running on empty won't get me very far and will, eventually, backfire!
This theme seemed to be weaved throughout the whole week, consistent reminders of my need to be filled by Jesus before I can successfully accomplish ANYTHING!  That's the way He designed me!  I love it!!  I have quite a ways to go in implementing this into daily life.  But I am coming to realize that when I take time to talk to my Lover, read His letter to me, be still and appreciate all that He's doing in my life..  everything else seems to fall into place.  Life doesn't, necessarily, become easier but having the grace to deal with each obstacle makes all the difference.  Being grounded in the love of my Savior is vital to all the other relationships in my life.  The strength and peace I find in my quiet times with Him are my reason for embracing each new day!  I am discovering reservoir life!

'And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.'  Ephesians 3:17-19