da kine resort life, yeah?!

I'd like to extend a personal invitation to all of you:: start planning your trip to the Big Island!!  This would be THEE perfect time to visit!!  Here's the first motivator:: in the past two weeks gas has dropped from an astronomical $4.91 (yes, per gallon!) to a more manageable $3.74, and continues to drop!  My second reasoning may seem a bit selfish, but Derek and I have reached the bottom of our to-do list!  We're in desperate need of new challenges and time-consuming activities until harvest rolls around.  Which means we'll be happy to play tour guide- absolutely free of charge!  Last, but NOT least, McDonald's is selling their limited edition Haupia (coconut) pie for $1!   How you can possibly refuse such enticing incentive?!?  Book the tickets!  

[Kai's growing up FAST!]

This last week we had the privilege of 'going on vacation' with some family friends from Westcliffe and one of Derek's cousins!  They were staying at a resort about an hour from where we're living and, after checking our schedules and realizing we were... oh, completely free, we joined the party!  They weren't very impressed with our sun tans, or lack thereof, and we had some explaining to do!  Long sleeve shirts protect us from the live fungus we spray and help with the "zingers", stray rocks and sticks that the weed wackers whip at us.  But those sleeves also do a thorough job of blocking any and all rays of sunshine!  Pair that with our time at the beach, where you'll find us underwater, swimming with the fish or suited up in wetsuits so we can (attempt) surfing and not come away with massive rash burn, and you realize our struggle in achieving that golden brown color!  They were quick to remedy that issue, however, with several lazy afternoons beach/pool-side and their SPF-4 tanning oil!  It's safe to say that I'm sportin' the most impressive tan lines I've had since moving over here!  They also took us to our first LUAU!!  Can you say hula dancing and unlimited 'Bird of Paradise' drinks?!  It was such a fun time! They had all the ladies come up on stage for a quick hula lesson, so yes, I've expanded my list of killer dance moves!  Too bad we forgot the camera....!  It was truly accidental, though, and I do wish we had captured some pictures of the amazing fire dancing!  The 'Bird of Paradise' is a fruity concoction that I thoroughly enjoyed showing off my brand new Hawaiian ID for :)

[frolicking in the ocean!]

It was an awesome week full of laughter, chocolate covered coffee beans and card playing!  Derek said it was high time he had some real competition!  Cheeky husband :)  They also ventured to 'our part of the island' for the grand, greenhouse tour and a trip to our favorite beach and coffee shop!  We're so thankful for our time spent with them, and all the ways God richly blessed us through them!  It was weird sleeping INSIDE for the first time in four months!  We warned them that they might find us out on the deck in the morning; walls and windows and a flushing toilet just might push us right over the edge!  The good news is that our adjustment to civilization was quick and painless!  Even better news is that after a luxurious week of resort life, we were able to come right back to jungle life without any regret.  We know that God has us right here, right now for a purpose and we can see Him working out the details one step at a time!  We are learning to trust God through each moment and to be content with what He has given us and where He has us.  We can come away from this whole Hawaiian journey with nothing more than that knowledge and our lives will have been forever changed!
I mentioned my new Hawaiian ID earlier, but I must elaborate!  After turning 21 I realized I had only twenty days until my Colorado license expired and so began an extensive and slightly painful process!  Talking to the computerized recording on the DMV phone line was just the tip of the iceberg; Derek's Dad (who needs to be awarded a whole bag of twizzlers!) had to search high and low and end up in the crawl space under their house, finding my social security card and birth certificate!  Then came the horrifying realization that I would need to pass a written test, and after failing a practice test online I wasn't feeling extremely positive!  All this to say that my relief after passing the test was IMMENSE!  Derek says I'm not allowed to say I 'aced it' because I did miss two out of thirty questions, but if you know my history with DMV and driving tests, you know this is a big deal!  Plus, now I can check 'having my very own, beautiful Hawaii driver's license' off the bucket list!!
I continue to clean our church each week and it's nice to actually be putting some money INTO the bank account!  Yesterday I was offered another cleaning job, during the month of July, and I'm excited about that opportunity!  Jesus is truly meeting each need as it arises and so many times it's in ways we would've never dreamed possible!  I believe there's no better way to truly learn to trust and surrender than being taken out of your comfort zone.  You won't have to rely on Jesus if you've got a fall back plan!

[Derek's about to catch a wave!!]

We're learning a bit of Pidgin, which makes for much more entertaining conversations!!  Our favorite phrase is definitely 'da kine', Hawaiians use it as a filler and it can really mean anything you want!  Among the locals you hear phrases like "'Ey, wheah da kine?!" or "Bring da kine ovah heah!", you just have to hope you know what they mean!!  On that note, I'll let you get on with this brand new week!!  As long as you start planning your Hawaiian vacation and promise not to forget da kine!!