Because He gets 'it'!

You know you're living a legitimate jungle life when:: the 'candlelight' for a romantic, spaghetti dinner is provided by the mosquito-repeller candle!  When a mongoose kill, thanks to Derek's dart gun expertise, is a monumental victory!  When a fresh cucumber from our garden is the best thing you've tasted all week!!  When you have the chance to take a real shower but spend the first three minutes figuring out which way to turn the nozzle for hot water :)
We don't feel as though our life, strange as it may be, is in any way 'lacking'.  We may not have all the conveniences that people deem 'necessary'.  We may be considered just a wee bit uncivilized!  But we LOVE life!  We're beginning to grasp what is truly necessary; what to value and what defines us in this life.  Not to mention, our 'rugged' lifestyle would still be deemed 'luxurious' to the majority of the world's population.  We have so much.  We are blessed- extravagantly!

[just a little bit windy @ South Point!]

The boredom issue has, thankfully, been nipped in the bud.  Time is, once again, flying by and we can't believe we ever doubted God's provision!  We had nothing to do and the next two months were looming in front of us; we were overwhelmed.  So, we prayed.  And prayed some more.  Then God reminded us that we have a whole church full of resources and connections!  We hadn't thought to tell anyone that we were teetering on the edge of insanity!!  [Alright, insanity IS quite a bit drastic, but the amount of coffee we drink makes staying busy a necessity!]  I mentioned our lack-of-work issue to a friend or two, as did Derek, and next thing we know- our week is slam packed!  Yard work, projects, house cleaning, and did I mention that I've been recruited to the worship team?!  Thank you, God, for opening doors!
Highlights of the week:: BIG waves for Derek to surf (and some not-so-hardcore ones for yours truly!) French toast with fresh papaya and bananas on top!  Oh, and Derek spotted his first shark since being on the Island, a 6-7ft. White Tip!  I really should clarify- the shark was the one that spotted Derek.. twice!  He said it was a rush, and I'm perfectly content to take his word for it!  I'll hang out with the dolphins, thank you :)  I did make a discovery of my own, however...iced coffee with COFFEE ice cubes- talk about a caffeine rush!  Thankfully I wasn't the only jittery one; I'm extremely thankful for the sweet friends we have met in Hawaii and for great times together!
As seems to be our preference, we decided to work on the holiday this week!  I suppose that's how we justify the occasional extra-long weekend :)  With the go-ahead from a neighbor to clean out underneath his neglected macadamia nut trees, we were definitely on a mission!  The perk to taking on this job is all the mac-nuts we can pick up now!  (Too bad it takes more than a $3 WalMart nut cracker to get them open!)  We might try selling them, though!  And we were thankful for another way to stay occupied!  Plus, the land is right outside our 'front window' and we prefer an organized jungle view over feral jungle view- any day!  Who would've thought we'd be GLAD for a chance to weed wack?!?  We did enjoy some delicious cheeseburgers with friends that night and went down town to watch fireworks over the water!  

[Kai find the Mac-nuts quite entertaining!]

[Happy 4th!!]

One of the books I dug into this week was Mark.  Although an obvious truth, sometimes I just need to be reminded that Jesus lived LIFE, just like me!  He's felt what I feel and experienced joy, pain, frustration and excitement- just like I do!  He's 'been there, done that!' and can, therefore, sympathize!  He laughs with me, cries with me AND supplies my every need to live this life to full potential!  I LOVE that about my God...  He gets 'it', all of it!  And that makes all the difference!