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!!