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!