another week in the jungle <---

Breaking news::  We're seen our first decent sized waves!!  Up until last night, we were starting to think there weren't waves on this island and our hopes for becoming professional surfers was quickly dwindling!  [Alright, so I don't know if professional is in the works for me, but Derek's got a shot at it and I did want to brush up on my skills!]  We didn't realize that there really aren't that many beaches on this island, because it's so new [and still developing] you find mostly lava rock along the coast and the majority of sandy beaches are packed with tourists.  But we do have a few favorite spots, and we're loving the snorkeling and kayaking.  Derek is quite the accomplished spear fisherman these days... just yesterday he caught not one, but TWO fish that we fried up on the spot for dinner :)  He also speared (and I quote) 'the biggest fish I've ever caught' but the spear went through the stomach and the fish managed to rip through 2-3 inches of flesh and escape!  Needless to say, that just made Derek even more determined! I've seen my fair share of underwater wildlife, too.  I almost sacrificed my ear drums in pursuit of a sea turtle, but don't worry.. common sense kicked in and I finally surfaced for air!

We continue to make progress on the fields.  Sometimes we can cruise through 10 rows before lunch time, and other days we might spend the whole morning on one little section!  They say patience is a virtue and I don't doubt it; I'm just wondering if 'they' ever had to fight their way through weeds like this!  

I've learned that one prayer can make a HUGE difference.  I realize that this shouldn't be a new concept for me..  I guess I've just never felt the difference this powerfully!  We were gone all morning on Monday- went to worship at the YWAM base and then a trip to Costco and $200 later! we wound up back at the 'plantation'.  It was only noon and we knew we could still get in a decent amount of work, so we headed to the fields.  It only took maybe a minute and a half and I was mad!  I didn't have any great reason.. I was just ticked off!  A little rock whipped up and hit me in the cheek and I wanted to sit down and cry!  My weed wacker shut off for no reason and I seriously debated taking it off and throwing it, but it seemed like too much work!  See what I mean... slightly ridiculous!  I know that working in the heat of the day didn't help my mental state, but I'm convinced that the main problem was me thinking I could do it on my own.  I talked to Derek about it later and he said he had been dealing with the same kind of ridiculous anger, too!  Tuesday was a different story.  I was convinced to have a better go at things and as soon as I strapped on my weed wacker I started praying.  I surrendered the day to God.  I asked for His peace and strength.  No, it wasn't all cherries and whipped cream... we tackled a lot of weeds that day and there were definitely some difficult spots, BUT we were laughing and cracking jokes!  I felt... lighter!  We sang this song at worship the day before and I couldn't help but think of the chorus 'Nothing's gonna stop us!  Nothing's gonna hold us back!'  I felt invincible!  Sure, we were still dog tired at the end of the day, and covered head to toe in weeds, but on the inside I felt free!  

Nothing can really hold a candle to THAT feeling.... but second place for the week goes to the feeling I had as we ate home made bananas foster last night!!  It was slightly modified; we didn't have all the ingredients and our rum was coconut flavor so it didn't light on fire... oh, and we had it over cookie dough ice cream!  BUT it was probably the best I've ever tasted!!  

Tomorrow we're having dinner with a couple from our church and then on Saturday I'm going to a women's gathering!!  It feels good to get involved!!  We just keep praying for open doors, and for the courage to walk through those doors... to put ourselves out there in whatever way God directs. 

I don't have much more to report for now.  We're settling into a bit of a routine, and we're definitely adopting to the laid-back Hawaiian style of life... a.k.a we're not afraid to call it a half day and head to the beach early if the sun feels especially fierce!  We're struggling to contain the mice population but Derek just ordered a dart gun off of E-bay and we're pretty sure that will put a stop to the issue!  

Until next time I have an unlimited supply of wifi.. keep laughing and don't underestimate the power of a prayer!!

-B