He's in the couch business!

My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19  He also goes above and beyond this meeting of needs, because of his great love!  He blesses us abundantly!  Our heavenly Father loves to give gifts- providing us with things we don't necessarily 'need'.  He is a wonderful God!  A generous God!  Since moving to Hawaii we've learned this countless times, yet we are still continually amazed as we see Him come through for us and do 'immeasurably MORE than all we ask or imagine.' [Ephesians 3:20]

The past year has required a significant re-defining of necessities and luxuries in our life.  We have a long way to go, but living without running water definitely helped put things in perspective.  Derek and I chose to live in the greenhouse, to 'rough it' for six months.  But we know that our primitive lifestyle would have still been considered extravagant by a majority of the world's population.  And that knowledge has changed the way we look at certain things.  For example: a couch!  There's certainly nothing wrong with having a couch, but it hasn't been high on our priority list this past year.  Of course, we looked into it several times.  But shopping for a used couch is tedious work.  Gaping rips and questionable stains are deal breakers.  Sacrificing the month's grocery and gas money on one isn't an option either.  So, we've 'made do' with chairs.  

Now, what if I told you that God had the perfect couch for us?!  Seems a little silly, huh?!  Is God in the couch business??  And what if I mentioned that it was without rips or stains, incredibly comfy and folds out into a bed!  Too good to be true, right?  AND (I know, I know.. this is getting ridiculous ) what if I said it was.. FREE!?  Okay, that's pushing it.  Or is it?  Because God totally did that this week!  Incredible, right?!  I think so!

Let's rewind a little bit.  Apparently, I worked my pregnant body a little too hard in the field this week..  Monday found us at the farm, weed whacking our way through an impressive amount of rows.  At lunch my back was achy and my stomach was protesting being strapped into the harness, but I was having WAY too much fun to call it a day.  Yes, there's a slight bit of exaggeration in that statement.  But the truth is, it's very empowering to accomplish so much out there and I love seeing such immediate progress.  In Derek's defence: he did tell me I could take a nap in the back of the truck, but that wasn't an option in my mind.  I spend my days telling people that I CAN still handle things and don't need to be babied.  My mind was made up: I wasn't clocking out till it was time to leave.

[A beautiful row of coffee!] 

That night we ate cheeseburgers outside and watched the sun sink behind the ocean.  It was the perfect end to a successful day and the next thing I knew, I was waking up!  Turns out I had exhausted myself to the point of barely finishing my dinner and I definitely didn't make it past the opening credits of our favorite show.  Needless to say, the next day I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a train.  Muscles were sore and stiff and my head was pounding.  I knew heading to the farm was out of the question for this prego.  Shuffling out from the bedroom proved to be about all I could handle that early in the day and I folded myself into a wicker chair in the living room and closed my eyes.

Derek said, later on, that seeing me like that had pushed him over the edge.  Finding me a couch had just been bumped up on his priority list!  In my pathetic and slightly dramatic state I was completely oblivious to his frenzied Craigslist search.  That is until he mentioned he had found one for free and then quickly squelched my assumption that it was a scam by showing me the email he's already received in response.  'Yes, this is for real and you can come pick it up right now!'  Something along those lines; that letter was the ONLY thing motivating me to get going that morning.  

It was a bit of a drive to the location but we deemed the trek 'worth it' and Derek knew that's about all I was capable of anyway.  I spent the trip with my chair reclined and sunglasses on- not knowing what a hangover feels like, but convinced I was experiencing the equivalent.  I googled 'headache while pregnant' and found it could be from over-exertion, dehydration, not enough rest, working in the heat, extra strain on muscles, etc.  Oh, sweet.. I hit it out of the ball park with a nice little combination of ALL OF THE ABOVE!  Note to self: listen to your pregnant body!

We arrived to find a sweet, little lady who manages rentals and simply ended up with an extra couch that the next renters don't need.  One cushion was a little worn, but it was clean, rip free and gloriously comfortable!  Right about then I started to count heads in the room and realized Derek's options for lifting buddy were a) pregnant wife or b) sweet, little lady!  But God was on top of this, too.  I'm not sure where this random man came from or how he ties into the story but he suddenly appeared and next thing I know- the couch is loaded up!

I LOVE our new couch.  I can not find the right words to express my utter delight every time I sit down on it!  Derek went back to the fields that afternoon and I, after washing all the cushion covers, curled up on that couch and let sleep, water and acetaminophen have their way with my bone weary body and splitting headache.  The next day I was good as new!  We headed to the land and started in another section of field.  I was significantly less hard core and, thankfully, didn't suffer any crippling side effects this time.  It's amazing that we used to be able to clear just a few rows in a day and now we can cruise through a few acres!  God is good and we love this jungle life.  How many people get to work outside all day?  

I'm not sure why, but having a couch motivated me to make our apartment a bit more 'homey' this week.  It's hard to decorate when most of our things are still packed away in boxes in Colorado, so we just haven't.  But with my 'nesting instinct' kicking in, I found a few frames on sale and had fun hanging pictures on the walls while Derek was away at landscaping jobs.

My favorite concoction from the kitchen this week: pancakes!  Neither Derek or I are really crazy about pancakes but I found a recipe that I had to try in my super-hero blender.  The ingredients: bananas, eggs, baking powder!  Simple as that!  I also threw in a scoop of peanut butter, because we add PB to almost everything in this house.  Then I added chocolate chips and strawberries while they were cooking and, let me tell you, they were awesome!  Derek said 'These are WAY better than regular pancakes!' and he couldn't believe they were just eggs and bananas.

I see lots of experimental baking in my future, though because I told Derek I wanted bananas and he delivered. Or, rather, God did- a massive bunch was sitting right in Derek's path as he forged through the jungle last week!  Usually you chop the whole tree down to get the bunch, but these had grown too heavy and took matters into their own hands.  I was certainly pleased.  Some wives want a man who brings home the bacon, but I'd rather have bananas :)  And now they're ALL ripe and begging to be used!
Moral of the story:: don't underestimate the Provider!!  Whether it's a couch or a bunch of bananas; He's on top of it!  Nothing is impossible for Him.  I see Jesus provide for us daily and yet I still have such a small idea of all the things my God is capable of.

[the bunch!  AFTER we'd eaten 10-15!]