a tool in His hands!

One of the amazing books I had the privilege of digging into this week was Hebrews.  It's incredible!  Chapter 11 really captured me this time around and I highly recommend you read it!  'Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.' [vs.1]  The writer can't list all the incredibly faithful role-models throughout history, but the ones he does mention are certainly inspirational.  Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, David.. the list could go on and on!  These people staked their lives on the promise of what they could not see!  They 'bet it all', with confidence, even when their actions resulted in them being labeled irresponsible and quite possibly insane!  Noah certainly made a statement by building the ark and loading it full of animals!  Abraham ventured into lands unknown.  He also became a daddy even though he was 'as good as dead' [vs. 12] and, when told to make an extreme sacrifice, acted with obedience and trust in the One who gave him that son.  Moses traded the treasures and pleasures of Egypt for disgrace and mistreatment, persevering for a reward that would surpass them all!  These stories blow my mind!!  Their courage and drive is commendable, but far beyond that is their expectation for what was to come.  They lived with the confidence of those who already know the end of the story and their actions shaped history!  Hebrews 11:13 tells us that they were still living by faith when they died, they didn't see all the promises come to pass but 'welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.'

I love seeing how God used these people.  They are heroes of the Bible but they're no different than you and I; people struggling with their fears and limitations.  Hebrews 11:34 says that their weaknesses were TURNED to strength!!  God gives us all opportunities to be involved in His story; to make a difference.  These people rose to the challenge, confident in the promises of God!  They stepped out in faith and embraced lifestyles that seemed unreasonable, risky or even impossible!!  Sacrifice, ridicule and hardship accompanied them, but they were among those who had 'counted the cost' of serving Jesus.  These people knew that the temporary satisfaction this world offers does not begin to compare to the riches of Jesus Christ!!

I suppose this knowledge is nothing new but, once again, God has allowed me to read it with 'new eyes' and the discovery is breathtaking!  I've been called to something great; my mission is to share the good news of God's grace!  It doesn't matter where I am or what my occupation is, as long as I am willing and surrendered, God WILL use me!  This knowledge gives new inspiration to every day tasks and new meaning to casual conversations.  Knowing that God used a shepherd boy, a prostitute, tax-collectors, and fishermen means that He can and most certainly IS using me!  I was unsure of what to blog about today because we had a fairly 'average' week.  Grabbing hold of the fact that I'm a tool in the hand of the Almighty God, however, makes me re-think whether anything is truly 'average'!  

[Derek & I at Green Sands!]

Having different options for what we'll do each day has been a pleasant change.  Our newest decision making method for what to tackle next is best out of five in rock-paper-scissors!  Only problem is that Derek takes this game to a whole new level, which really shouldn't surprise me, and I've only managed to beat him once!  This means we usually give him the better of the two working options, knowing that's most likely what we'll end up doing :)  We've really started praying for our fields and for an abundant harvest.  It seemed silly at first, but God is truly in charge of EVERYTHING and that includes whether plants grow or not; whether rain comes or not!  We're standing on His promises and know that He will make a way for us to stay here if that's His will, otherwise He has something even better for us!  It's amazing to see new growth on trees that our neighbors said would never grow back!  Turns out, we know the Creator and Sustainer of all LIFE!  

(coffee trees in bloom = Kona snow!)

Our first bonfire was a smashing success!  We've decided to make a habit of delicious s'mores (made with the jumbo marshmallows!), singing to the ukulele music and talking stories with friends!  The church family here continues to amaze us and getting to know people on a deeper level is wonderful!  This weekend the men had breakfast and Bible study together before a work day at the church.  The ladies also had a wonderful brunch and time of fellowship, but we didn't exactly take on any demolition projects :)  Speaking of ohana (family), we've added another member to ours!  His name is Kai and he's a three month old border collie, heeler, Australian kelpie, lab conglomeration :)  He's very smart and we're excited to have him around the farm as well as accompanying me on my jungle runs! 

(after his first swim in the ocean :)

Kai wasn't much help upon our discovery of a ginormous spider this weekend!  Good thing Derek keeps a long bamboo pole on hand and we didn't have to get within four feet of it!  Also, I had my second centipede run-in while picking green beans from our garden!  Thankfully, I've developed nerves of steel by now and didn't even feel the need to freak out!  (Derek doesn't appreciate gasping or screaming unless it's life or death... and he feels like my definition of 'life or death' is occasionally exaggerated!)  

What a journey we are on!!  Thank you for accompanying me through the struggles, victories and day-to-day happenings.  God is walking with us and it's only through Him that we are succeeding.  I've been greatly encouraged by Hebrews and would challenge you to let God live out His plan through you.  Step out in faith even when it seems absurd and, above all, hold fast to the hope founded in Jesus Christ and the promise of eternity with Him!! 

a week of [e.p.i.c] proportions

God's plans are so much MORE than mine, [Isaiah 55:9] and His ways are so beyond what I can even begin to comprehend!  We're learning to leave our days in His hands and trust that He will 'work all things together for good' [Romans 8:28]!  That knowledge was really put to the test this week after realizing that Derek's brand new diving fins were gone!  He had worn them three times; they had revolutionized his diving career and then after an afternoon in the water, they were gone.  We're pretty sure they were nabbed out of our truck when we popped into McDonald's for ice cream.  But, with high hopes of a fin-finding miracle, we also took the kayak out on the water the next day.  We searched high and low, but the only thing we discovered was the fun, little fact that Derek can flip me out of the kayak while remaining perfectly dry himself!  Nice.  On our way back in we noticed some pretty serious waves rolling in down the coast!  Of course, we didn't have the surf boards that day, but not wanting to miss out on a perfectly good opportunity we paddled over to check it out.  Before we could come to our senses we had decided to catch a wave IN our kayak!  It was epic!  'Just one wave' turned into several hours of our new favorite water sport, which we're calling 'kurfing'!  It took us awhile to find our groove, which made for some pretty serious wipe outs, but the adrenaline rush and hysterical laughter were well worth a few underwater summersaults!
On Monday we had a fantastic excuse to get all dolled up; a wedding!!  It was a gorgeous, little beach ceremony and we had such a great time!

The rest of the week was a mix of work and play. We are seeing a pretty significant sized light at the end of this tunnel; our mission of taming six and half acres of coffee land!  The work will never be completely done, but it's manageable now, and that is a grand accomplishment!  The land is split up into four different sections and we've successfully weed wacked through all four, pruned through three and a half and sprayed RoundUp and the fungus (to kill the borer beetle) on three of them.  We joke about needing to hold ourselves back because we 'don't want to get bored!'  Because of all the progress made we don't feel one bit guilty about working a half day and then heading to the beach, which is perfect because Derek's diving buddies call on a regular basis wanting to know when we're free!  We're getting better and better at cooking fish and living 'off of the land'!  Our chicken coop brainstormings will hopefully blossom into a reality this week, we're just debating whether we should buy chicks or just trap some of the wild ones!
God's teaching us a lot about His provision and meeting our needs in amazing ways!  Whether it's new friends to talk to, a squash from our neighbor, a random gallon of milk, or the fact that we prayed about finances and the next Sunday I was offered the job of cleaning the church!  This is definitely a faith building experience.  Although scary at times, it's truly incredible to let go and just let God BE God!
Our weekend was packed full of new sights, tastes and smells.  We talked to a man from church that fuels his diesel truck with vegetable oil!  We were able to visit a church family's 'Parrots in Paradise' bird sanctuary!  We bought our first fruit tree; a Loquat, which has a flavor kind of like peach, citrus and mango all together!  We splurged on gelato that was unbelievably delectable!  Oh, and we decided it was time for another ROADTRIP!!  Sunday after church we headed to South Point where we were, for the moment, farther south than anyone else in the nation!  We also visited an amazing little beach that actually has GREEN sand!  God is an incredible artist!!  That night we camped across from the volcano and hiked up to where we could see the steam pouring out of the caldera!  It lights up the whole sky and is a magnificent sight to behold.

We went into Volcano (the town) in search of a tarp to put over the truck (our fantastic, redneck version of a camper) and I got a little distracted in the general store... Derek didn't know about Dinty Moore stew and I felt like that needed to be remedied!  My lollygagging was not appreciated, however, when we found the hardware store three minutes AFTER it had closed!  God was, yet again, one step ahead of us and the man unlocked the door for us, allowing us to have a dry night!  The next day we explored as much of the volcano park as possible; some areas were blocked off because of dangerous gases, fumes, etc. and the sulfur definitely had a potent smell!  But we checked out a massive lava tube, wandered through a rainforest and drove down to the coast where the lava flow goes right over the road and into the ocean!  We didn't plan to have such an incredible week and see so many new sights; that's just how our Papa God works!  We saw the volcano up close and then drove up to 6600ft. and looked down on it all while we ate lunch!  Later that afternoon we stumbled across a random, FREE zoo and felt like little kids again, running from the white tiger, to the lemurs, to the monkeys!
Needless to say, it was a top notch week!!  Derek and I like to discuss our need for a vacation FROM Hawaii, while comparing 'battle wounds'; scrapes, blisters and sore muscles.  This past week, however, closely resembled a 'vacation' and the end result wasn't exactly what we had in mind.  We're exhausted!  But it's the fantastic kind of exhaustion, the kind that comes from a week of adventures, discovery and road trips!  There's no way we would trade that for a week of pool lounging, massages and chocolate covered strawberries!  (Although I must say; there is definitely a time and place for those things, too :)
Now we're already started on a new week and I can't wait to see what God has for us; the challenges, the victories and a thousand reasons to fall more in love with Him and each other and this life He has blessed us with!

for such a time as THIS <---

For two whole months I looked forward to the day that we would be DONE with that initial, treacherous round of weed wacking.  I knew it would be glorious!  And it was.  No more looking like this.... 

But the next day rolled around and there was still work to be done; and so began the deflating of my victory balloon.  Don't get me wrong- it WAS amazing to have completed our 'first mission', and a change of scenery was much appreciated.  But three days into pruning I felt like I was going to lose my mind.  I'm hesitant to even write this out, after complaining about it for so long, but I actually started missing the action behind the weed wacker!  There's no 'thrill' with pruning; no night and day difference, just blisters on my sawing hand.  But I know there is a season for everything, and I will learn to find joy in this task.  Until I find that joy, however, I'm on weed killing duty :)  The weeds in the first fields we wacked are already 2-3 feet tall... YIKES!  So, while Derek prunes, I strap on a four-gallon backpack full of water/Round-Up and walk up and down the rows, spraying all the weeds along the lines of trees.  It took me awhile to find my groove.  At first I couldn't even chew gum while spraying; God's idea of a little comic relief, maybe?!  Since then I have mastered the gum chewing and added singing to the mix, but that does require all my focus.. meaning I walk into spider webs on a regular basis.  Not cool.

Jesus gives us new strength each day!  He also helps us to see the hilarity in things, and I'm so grateful for that laughter :)  He has surrounded us with incredible people and an amazing church!!  This past week we went to the movies.. with FRIENDS!  Had dinner.. with FRIENDS!  Prayed, laughed and 'talked stories' with FRIENDS!  Derek's diving friends are multiplying, and the fact that he usually comes away with the biggest fish does NOT go unnoticed :)  Thank goodness for friends to hang out with while the men lose track of time under the water!

I think it's safe to say we are falling in love with this island!  'E komo mai' means welcome and I like to greet people at church like that!  Only problem is that they start mistaking me for a local!!  Juuuust kidding, I'm not THAT tan yet :)  Derek's 'Uhu' [parrotfish] from the picture above, is tasty when grilled, fried, baked or steamed!  Pair that up with wild sweet potatoes from the property or lettuce from our garden and we start feeling pretty self-sustainable!  Next on Derek's list of things to build is a chicken coop, because we eat an unbelievable amount of eggs... Costco can hardly keep up with us!!  

My latest Betty Crocker attempt was with the local Sweet Potato Haupia Pie.  It's all things delicious, purple and coconut goodness; making it famous around these parts and the local coffee shop charges $4.60 a SLICE!  So, I googled it and gave it a go!  

No wild boar episodes this week, but Derek finally got to use his dart gun on a mouse!!  And I took the spear gun out for a swim!  I didn't know just how much string was connected to the spear and Derek will vouch that if I had had 2-3 feet more I would have got one.. on my very first shot!!  (I'm thinking he was secretly glad I came up short; can't have the wife out-fish you on her first day!)  

We're coming out of the drought here... meaning we praise God for the daily/nightly downpours and we thank Him, quite literally, for the plastic over our heads!!  I love how much our priorities have shifted and how we are honestly content with the simplicity of our life right now.  We still have HUGE plans and desires, and I'll admit I don't dream of living in a greenhouse for EVER!  BUT, we are here for 'such a time as this!' [just read Esther; completely inspired!] and He has given us the grace to embrace where we're at!  New challenges are continually arising and it's through those things that we become stronger!  If we never step out of our comfort zone, we'll never be forced to rely completely on God, and we'll never grow!  

a week of adventuring and conquering

Accomplishment of the week:: learning how to add pictures!!  (Okay, Derek might have helped a little..) We decided to expand our horizons and see a bit more of the island, which brought us to this gorgeous slice of paradise last Monday.  God's creation is truly astounding!!  

[Waipi'o Valley!]

We didn't just observe from the top, however.  Bound and determined to get a close up of the Hi'ilawe Falls, we drove down into the valley and then ventured into unknown parts of the jungle on foot.  We followed a decent trail for the first half mile but then came to a deep stream, and of course the only logical decision at that point was to wade through and continue on the other side!  Only problem: the trail decided NOT to continue on the other side, forcing us to embark into the unknown with nothing but an innate sense of direction and our ever-faithful Chacos!  I felt like I was on one of those survivor shows; covered in mud, scaling a steep hill with only the support of a few trees or weeds.  It was epic!  (And definitely something to add to our resume when we apply for The Amazing Race!)  We found a game trail that led us to... the edge of a cliff!?  But back tracking just brought us to a different part of the stream.  So, we crossed again; chest high water actually looked appealing after the muddy slip-n-slide we'd just been on!  Unfortunately we never made it the base of the falls, the steep rock walls were quite the deterrent and our stomachs were desperate for the PB&J's awaiting us in the truck.  We were satisfied with how far we'd come, and look forward to going back.. possibly with a machete?! 

Our other accomplishment for the week was FINISHING WEED WACKING THROUGH THE LAST FIELD!!!  Best.Day.Ever! And we celebrated by... doing some more weed wacking!  haha!  No, just a little maintenance wacking, and then we truly did celebrate, complete with brownies and ice cream!!  Now we're finishing the pruning and spraying a fungus on the trees in attempt to eliminate the beetle.  It's a much needed change of pace and just knowing we're that much closer to 'being on top of things' is amazing! 
After two months of holding onto the hope that 'jungle life' in itself would be enough to keep me in shape, I finally unpacked my running shoes.  I'd missed running but just didn't have the energy or motivation after a full day of battling weeds.  It's never easy to start back up; I thought I was going to die on Day 2 and Day 3, but alas, that might have been a wee bit extreme!  I got into the habit of stopping at the bottom of a certain hill to catch my breath and let my heart rate catch up, but on Day 6 I decided I needed to kick that habit.  Hopes were high until I actually started up said hill; then I started reconsidering!  I was at a slow trot and on the verge of walking when I decided to ask Jesus for strength; telling Him that I could not possibly take another step unless He helped me.  RIGHT then my iPod shuffled to a new song and the first words were 'Take another step... Don't give up on me just yet!"  Unreal.  I cracked up and, although shaking my head in disbelief, picked up the pace and made it up that hill in no time!  Seriously, God!?  You're THAT in tune with what I'm facing!?  I love it!!
A few weeks ago I read about Elijah and the CRAZY things that God did through him.  Then last Sunday the message at church was about Elijah, and how he was a man JUST LIKE US!  That really inspired me and got me thinking about the potential power inside me; power in MY prayers, which James 5:16 says are powerful and effective!!  This last Friday we were out spraying the fungus (looking pretty cheesy in our hospital masks!) when the rain clouds started to roll in.  Now, this fungus is pretty finicky; it's most effective when sprayed in cloudy weather, but can't be sprayed when it's raining or going to be raining in the near future.  To top it off, it HAS to be sprayed the same day you mix it with the water, since it's a live fungus.  So, we were thankful for cloud cover but hoping they wouldn't drop any moisture on us!  Derek was spraying like a maniac and I was on hose duty (much more challenging than it actually sounds!)  We were about half way through the 30 gallon tank when it started spritzing.  I was hopeful for it to pass, but within a few minutes there was a decent amount of rain pouring down on us!  Not good.  Before shutting off the pump I decided to talk to God about the situation; after all, Elijah prayed and the rain stopped for three and a half years!  I was just asking for a few more minutes! And believe it or not, after I prayed... the rain STOPPED!  I'm grinning as I type this, because it still blows my mind!  (It did start raining later on and Derek said I should have been a little more specific with the time frame :)  But I was still elated about the fact that God heard my plea and stopped the rain!!  He is an incredible God! 
Derek's been blessed with some spear-fishing cohorts, and has had some pretty serious catches lately.  Fish makes for a tasty dinner, especially when it's free fish :)  He is also developing quite the green thumb; his latest addition is a plumeria tree clipping and I am oh-so-excited about THAT!!  Derek continues to amaze me in all the things he just knows how to do, or figures out if he doesn't!  There's not enough room to list all the reasons I am thankful for him; surprising me with my favorite chocolate bar is just the tip of the iceberg :) We're excited for a new week and all the adventures it will bring.  We're thriving in this jungle life and all the glory goes to Jesus!  He is our strength and joy and I pray that you will discover Him in a whole new way this week... let Him blow your mind!!