if you suffer from 'thick-skulled' tendencies:: read on!

I'm reading through the Old Testament right now and it is truly astounding!  I love how God opens my eyes to knew things each and every time I read His Word, so that it's almost as if I'm reading it for the first time!  I've known about Gideon since before I could walk...but as I was reading his story in Judges this last week- I was in shock!  I kept saying "Derek, you are not going to believe this!!"  [And then I would, quite promptly, relay what I'd just read plus a little of my own analysis!]  Let me tell you, Gideon had a very, thick skull!  He repeatedly questioned God; His presence, His game plan and the fact that God had chosen him to deliver Israel!  He asked for reassuring sign after sign...after sign!  I'm thinking 'Come on, man!  What more do you need!  You know God is with you, just get on with the battle!!'  But the more I read and the more flabbergasted I became, the more this story started resonating within me.  Yikes!!  It was almost a little bit like deja vu!?  No, I've never been asked to lead an army into battle, but I have been given specific instructions from the Maker of the universe and even after multiple signs/reassurances that it is, indeed, Him calling me... I still doubt!!  I ask for 'just one more sign'.  And all of a sudden, I realize Gideon's not the only one with a thick skull!  Which makes the next part of the story so sweet; because it's not Gideon's journey anymore... it's mine!  God doesn't give up!  I'm not condemned because of my fear or lack of faith.  God works through me; continually guiding and teaching him, and He will use me to do great things!  I may not understand His ways... I'm guessing Gideon was just a little bit confused when God took his army from 32,000 down to 300 and then said 'Okay, NOW you're ready!!'  But it's all part of His plan!

Day after day I wake up, strap on my weed wacker and tackle more weeds.  Not gonna lie; it's losing a little bit of the thrill!  But those weeds are the 'battle' God has brought me to right now, and I'm learning to trust Him even when it seems impossible!  I had a hard day this last week; I was feeling pretty discouraged and full of doubts.  I couldn't shake the feeling and decided to go for a walk before calling it a day.  I found myself sitting in one of the fields, surrounded by coffee trees, staring up at the sky saying 'God, I NEED you!' I couldn't put words to what I was feeling, I couldn't describe the heaviness in my spirit, but over and over and over I cried out to God, just simply saying 'I need You!!' and finally it started sinking in.  I DO need Him!  I have GOT to stop trying to tackle this on my own!  I have to surrender my need for answers and a game plan (and a back-up plan in case that game plan falls through!!)  and learn to rest in Him!  

We ARE seeing progress, and thankfully my case of the 'doubties' was short-lived.  We finished weed wacking through the third section of trees yesterday and we only have about one acre left!  Overall, morale is very high!  We've learned that banjo music is surprisingly motivational, as well as brownies- which we can successfully bake in our toaster oven!!  We continue to learn more names and faces at church.  Last weekend we had dinner with an awesome couple from church, and then I went to a women's gathering on Saturday.  It was great to learn more about some of the ladies, and just hear their stories!  

Award for nastiest work clothes goes to:: yours truly!!  Only because my idea of 'work pants' is different than Derek's and he has three different pairs that he's been rotating through, but after realizing what I was sentencing my pants to I decided I'd rather just ruin one pair!  I kept this up for the first few weeks, but then Derek caught on to my scheme and told me that wasn't really okay!  So, I started wearing a pair of old cut off's but that just led to the massacre of my socks!  It's a vicious cycle, I tell you, trying to be stylish in the jungle!

Award for best housekeeper goes to:: Derek!!  He's found that using the leaf blower to 'sweep' is very rewarding!  He's also started a garden and we already have lettuce sprouting!

Our new favorite pass time is target practice with the new blow gun!  Derek's prepared to take out the next mouse or mongoose that comes to visit and although my aim isn't quite to the 'lethal' level I could definitely hit that feral pig :]  There's no shortage of laughter at our greenhouse, and our pronunciation of Hawaiian words is significantly better!  God is awesome and we're still loving the jungle life!

P.S. THANK YOU to all of you that leave comments, they are SO encouraging!!  For unknown reasons, I'm not able to comment on the comments? but just know that I AM reading them and they are such a blessing!!