if you suffer from 'thick-skulled' tendencies:: read on!

I'm reading through the Old Testament right now and it is truly astounding!  I love how God opens my eyes to knew things each and every time I read His Word, so that it's almost as if I'm reading it for the first time!  I've known about Gideon since before I could walk...but as I was reading his story in Judges this last week- I was in shock!  I kept saying "Derek, you are not going to believe this!!"  [And then I would, quite promptly, relay what I'd just read plus a little of my own analysis!]  Let me tell you, Gideon had a very, thick skull!  He repeatedly questioned God; His presence, His game plan and the fact that God had chosen him to deliver Israel!  He asked for reassuring sign after sign...after sign!  I'm thinking 'Come on, man!  What more do you need!  You know God is with you, just get on with the battle!!'  But the more I read and the more flabbergasted I became, the more this story started resonating within me.  Yikes!!  It was almost a little bit like deja vu!?  No, I've never been asked to lead an army into battle, but I have been given specific instructions from the Maker of the universe and even after multiple signs/reassurances that it is, indeed, Him calling me... I still doubt!!  I ask for 'just one more sign'.  And all of a sudden, I realize Gideon's not the only one with a thick skull!  Which makes the next part of the story so sweet; because it's not Gideon's journey anymore... it's mine!  God doesn't give up!  I'm not condemned because of my fear or lack of faith.  God works through me; continually guiding and teaching him, and He will use me to do great things!  I may not understand His ways... I'm guessing Gideon was just a little bit confused when God took his army from 32,000 down to 300 and then said 'Okay, NOW you're ready!!'  But it's all part of His plan!

Day after day I wake up, strap on my weed wacker and tackle more weeds.  Not gonna lie; it's losing a little bit of the thrill!  But those weeds are the 'battle' God has brought me to right now, and I'm learning to trust Him even when it seems impossible!  I had a hard day this last week; I was feeling pretty discouraged and full of doubts.  I couldn't shake the feeling and decided to go for a walk before calling it a day.  I found myself sitting in one of the fields, surrounded by coffee trees, staring up at the sky saying 'God, I NEED you!' I couldn't put words to what I was feeling, I couldn't describe the heaviness in my spirit, but over and over and over I cried out to God, just simply saying 'I need You!!' and finally it started sinking in.  I DO need Him!  I have GOT to stop trying to tackle this on my own!  I have to surrender my need for answers and a game plan (and a back-up plan in case that game plan falls through!!)  and learn to rest in Him!  

We ARE seeing progress, and thankfully my case of the 'doubties' was short-lived.  We finished weed wacking through the third section of trees yesterday and we only have about one acre left!  Overall, morale is very high!  We've learned that banjo music is surprisingly motivational, as well as brownies- which we can successfully bake in our toaster oven!!  We continue to learn more names and faces at church.  Last weekend we had dinner with an awesome couple from church, and then I went to a women's gathering on Saturday.  It was great to learn more about some of the ladies, and just hear their stories!  

Award for nastiest work clothes goes to:: yours truly!!  Only because my idea of 'work pants' is different than Derek's and he has three different pairs that he's been rotating through, but after realizing what I was sentencing my pants to I decided I'd rather just ruin one pair!  I kept this up for the first few weeks, but then Derek caught on to my scheme and told me that wasn't really okay!  So, I started wearing a pair of old cut off's but that just led to the massacre of my socks!  It's a vicious cycle, I tell you, trying to be stylish in the jungle!

Award for best housekeeper goes to:: Derek!!  He's found that using the leaf blower to 'sweep' is very rewarding!  He's also started a garden and we already have lettuce sprouting!

Our new favorite pass time is target practice with the new blow gun!  Derek's prepared to take out the next mouse or mongoose that comes to visit and although my aim isn't quite to the 'lethal' level I could definitely hit that feral pig :]  There's no shortage of laughter at our greenhouse, and our pronunciation of Hawaiian words is significantly better!  God is awesome and we're still loving the jungle life!

P.S. THANK YOU to all of you that leave comments, they are SO encouraging!!  For unknown reasons, I'm not able to comment on the comments? but just know that I AM reading them and they are such a blessing!!  

another week in the jungle <---

Breaking news::  We're seen our first decent sized waves!!  Up until last night, we were starting to think there weren't waves on this island and our hopes for becoming professional surfers was quickly dwindling!  [Alright, so I don't know if professional is in the works for me, but Derek's got a shot at it and I did want to brush up on my skills!]  We didn't realize that there really aren't that many beaches on this island, because it's so new [and still developing] you find mostly lava rock along the coast and the majority of sandy beaches are packed with tourists.  But we do have a few favorite spots, and we're loving the snorkeling and kayaking.  Derek is quite the accomplished spear fisherman these days... just yesterday he caught not one, but TWO fish that we fried up on the spot for dinner :)  He also speared (and I quote) 'the biggest fish I've ever caught' but the spear went through the stomach and the fish managed to rip through 2-3 inches of flesh and escape!  Needless to say, that just made Derek even more determined! I've seen my fair share of underwater wildlife, too.  I almost sacrificed my ear drums in pursuit of a sea turtle, but don't worry.. common sense kicked in and I finally surfaced for air!

We continue to make progress on the fields.  Sometimes we can cruise through 10 rows before lunch time, and other days we might spend the whole morning on one little section!  They say patience is a virtue and I don't doubt it; I'm just wondering if 'they' ever had to fight their way through weeds like this!  

I've learned that one prayer can make a HUGE difference.  I realize that this shouldn't be a new concept for me..  I guess I've just never felt the difference this powerfully!  We were gone all morning on Monday- went to worship at the YWAM base and then a trip to Costco and $200 later! we wound up back at the 'plantation'.  It was only noon and we knew we could still get in a decent amount of work, so we headed to the fields.  It only took maybe a minute and a half and I was mad!  I didn't have any great reason.. I was just ticked off!  A little rock whipped up and hit me in the cheek and I wanted to sit down and cry!  My weed wacker shut off for no reason and I seriously debated taking it off and throwing it, but it seemed like too much work!  See what I mean... slightly ridiculous!  I know that working in the heat of the day didn't help my mental state, but I'm convinced that the main problem was me thinking I could do it on my own.  I talked to Derek about it later and he said he had been dealing with the same kind of ridiculous anger, too!  Tuesday was a different story.  I was convinced to have a better go at things and as soon as I strapped on my weed wacker I started praying.  I surrendered the day to God.  I asked for His peace and strength.  No, it wasn't all cherries and whipped cream... we tackled a lot of weeds that day and there were definitely some difficult spots, BUT we were laughing and cracking jokes!  I felt... lighter!  We sang this song at worship the day before and I couldn't help but think of the chorus 'Nothing's gonna stop us!  Nothing's gonna hold us back!'  I felt invincible!  Sure, we were still dog tired at the end of the day, and covered head to toe in weeds, but on the inside I felt free!  

Nothing can really hold a candle to THAT feeling.... but second place for the week goes to the feeling I had as we ate home made bananas foster last night!!  It was slightly modified; we didn't have all the ingredients and our rum was coconut flavor so it didn't light on fire... oh, and we had it over cookie dough ice cream!  BUT it was probably the best I've ever tasted!!  

Tomorrow we're having dinner with a couple from our church and then on Saturday I'm going to a women's gathering!!  It feels good to get involved!!  We just keep praying for open doors, and for the courage to walk through those doors... to put ourselves out there in whatever way God directs. 

I don't have much more to report for now.  We're settling into a bit of a routine, and we're definitely adopting to the laid-back Hawaiian style of life... a.k.a we're not afraid to call it a half day and head to the beach early if the sun feels especially fierce!  We're struggling to contain the mice population but Derek just ordered a dart gun off of E-bay and we're pretty sure that will put a stop to the issue!  

Until next time I have an unlimited supply of wifi.. keep laughing and don't underestimate the power of a prayer!!

-B

ginormous weeds & techno music <--

BREAKTHROUGH is a wonderful thing!  And Friday was, indeed, a day of breakthrough!  Our first day on the new section of land, and it was kicking our butts!  The ground is much richer on those four and a half acres - making the trees a lot bigger and the weeds GINORMOUS!  I'm known for my exaggeration, but Derek will vouch for me when I say that some of these suckers are 20 FEET tall!  And the tall ones aren't really even the problem- now we're battling vines... they're 2-3 inches thick and wrapped everywhere; around the trees, around each other... creating this impenetrable web!  Up until this point I had been feeling pretty tough behind that weed wacker of mine. [Okay, I'll admit... I had started referring to myself as Rambo on occasion!]  But these weeds popped my happy, little bubble in NO time!  The weed wacker was getting tangled up in the weeds almost immediately and I was spending most of my time untangling it!  We pressed on like this for about an hour, and then I hit a mental wall.  I was exhausted; covered in weeds [did I mention that these new ones are prickly?!  not prickly enough to hurt, but enough to stick to your clothes, your hair and each other... wrapping you up in a nice little sticky weed package!]  I put down my weed wacker and told God that I couldn't do it anymore!  I was going to quit then and there unless He gave me some serious strength!  And He did!!  It shouldn't be a shock to me that He came through [I guess I was hoping for a reason to head to the beach early!!] but He did in a BIG way!!  All of a sudden I felt renewed, from the inside out..  I picked up my weed wacker, turned up my techno music and blazed a trail through my row in less than 20 minutes!  I was rejuvenated!  I was laughing in the face of the weeds and then plowing through them or pulling them out if need be..  I downed a bottle of water and a granola bar and then headed back in and knocked out a second row!!  Derek was working on the outside layer of weeds... the part where you can't really tell jungle from coffee field!  But after we stopped for lunch [and we may or  may not have taken a quick power nap!] he jumped in the rows with me and before we knew it we were on our eighth row! Talk about a serious change of tune from that morning when we had said we'd be happy with one cleared row that day!  I believe in a God of miracles, and I believe that those miracles can come in any shape or size... and looking out at our progress at the end of the day, I KNEW that God had done a miracle and we had witnessed serious breakthrough!!

As if this wasn't the best day EVER, we trekked down to the beach and found that the water in the showers was still gloriously hot, even though it's usually cold by that time.  Thank you Jesus!!!!

We've had an awesome weekend; did the beach bum thing all day Saturday.. nothing but snorkeling and naps in the sand for us!  Oh and Derek speared his first FISH!  It wasn't exactly the Mahi Mahi he was hoping for, but definitely a step in the right direction :)  Today we were back out on the water as soon as we'd had our coffee.  We hadn't been down there in the morning yet, and wanted to check it out.  It was calm and peaceful and while Derek ventured down into the depths in search of fish, I was in the kayak- having a date with my Papa God!  Glorious!!  We barely got out of the water in time to rinse off, put on our nice clothes and head to church... and we are GLAD we did... it was an incredible day of fellowship!  I can't even begin to explain how blessed we've been by this body of believers.  They go above and beyond to make sure everyone feels welcome and a part of the family.  They find out what you need and they do what they can to meet that need; whether it's oranges and avocados or a listening ear or some tips on where to buy vegetables (we're sorely lacking in the green, leafy department).  They also find out what you have to offer and then get you plugged in where you can use your gifts and skills!  

I can't believe we've been here for almost three weeks!!  Time flies when you're having fun.... and battling a jungle of weeds :)  Fun facts::  When people ask us what brought us here we say 'Coffee... drinking it and growing it... but mostly drinking it!' Seriously, we drink it all day, every day!  It can be 90 degrees with 99% humidity and, without a doubt, Derek will turn to me and say 'I could really go for a coffee!' haha!  The most outrageous food price we've seen yet is $9.19 for a gallon of milk!  Most used word of the week:: feral!  'Whoa, check out the feral chickens!'  'Oh my word, that gecko MUST be feral!'  And the only thing that actually does classify as feral would be the wild pig that continues to evade us... sneaky bacon!  Sometimes we hunt it in the middle of the night, but when that includes long periods of crouching in the coffee fields waiting for it to pass, I usually fall asleep... DON'T tell Derek :)  

That's all I've got for now... or maybe it's the fish and chips calling my name!! 

-B

defining adventure::

Adventure is defined as a risk taken in hopes of a favorable outcome.  For Derek and I, that's a pretty good definition of life!  The only thing I know to be certain in this world is Jesus Christ.  Apart from Him life is a huge unknown and I'm figuring out that I have two options: spend my time sweating the details and stressing about concepts that continually elude me, OR step up to the edge, inhale a shaky breath, and JUMP!  Throwing caution to the wind is NOT always the right answer, but surrendering to the unknown and choosing to embrace life as it comes is absolutely terrifying and magnificent!  [disclaimer: I know the One who holds my future and I know that this life is temporary; therefore I can say these things with assurance!]  If there's any ONE thing I am learning on this journey it's that nothing is 'a given'; my next meal, the people I lean on daily, even my next breath.. everything is temporary in this world.  The only thing I can stake my life on is the hope that Jesus gives.  The only thing I can rely 100% on is His strength.

So, where am I going with this??  Let's jump back to that definition of adventure- taking risks hoping that it will turn out for the good.  I've already got eternity squared away with my Maker; there's no 'hoping for a good outcome' in that situation because I already KNOW the outcome of surrendering my life to Him and let me tell you, it is goooood!  So, with eternity figured out and all the strength, hope, grace and JOY I could ever need for THIS life, what could possibly keep me from living right here/right now to the absolute fullest?!  What's to keep me from living with reckless abandonment?  

I live in a jungle.  I fall asleep to a symphony of crickets, frogs, and occasionally the thrashing sounds of a wild boar!  Sometimes we have lights and a working refrigerator; sometimes we don't!  We have no source of income, and no promise of one in the near future.  We're meeting new people, trying new foods, swimming to new depths (literally- as we learn to equalize the pressure in our ears!) and meeting God in a whole new way!  Yes, we took a risk by selling everything and buying one way tickets to Hawaii.  Yes, it's a risk to invest our time, effort, and money into a crop that we might not be able to sell because of the ever increasing 'borer beetle'.  But it feels SO good!  We have truly taken on an epic 'adventure'; one of life changing proportions!  We don't have answers for all of our questions; we don't see light at the end of all the tunnels, but we have hope that goes BEYOND this world and we're choosing to live this adventure to the fullest.

It's been a week of ups and downs, which I think is the root of my delving a bit 'deeper' in this post.  Thanks for bearing with my ramblings :)  

We've become more 'civilized' in our greenhouse; a propane burner has expanded our menu and we're not surviving on hot pockets and cereal anymore!  We eat off of actual silverware now (but Derek is strangely attached and won't stop eating off the plastic spoons??), and I've finally unpacked most of my suitcase!  We finished clearing one of the sections of land, which equaled an ice cream party!  Then we started picking all the old coffee that wasn't harvested last year and found that beetle in almost all of it- not so much of a party, but we did have some more ice cream!  We met neighbors and hashed out various methods of trapping/containing this beetle.  We went back to the same church and were truly blessed by the people there.  They are unbelievably welcoming and we felt like family within 13 seconds!  They already have Derek brainstorming improvements to the sound system and there's talk of me starting a nursery?!  

I'm learning to take things as they come, whether that's the day in front of me or just the 15 ft. weeds in front of me!  I don't have to have all the answers.  All that is required of me is a surrendered will and a willing spirit, and the possibilities of adventure are mind-boggling!  God is stretching us and challenging us; uniting the Derek-Bethel team on a whole new level!  Until next time... embrace the adventure!  

-B

it's short but sweet::

I'm sure I've violated the blogging code of ethics by going this long without posting, but life has been just a little bit crazy!!  We have been in Hawaii for 10 days and there's not really words that will do our experience justice, but I'll give it my best shot.  We have experienced a plethora of emotions; from ecstatic joy to overwhelming fear.. we've been off the charts!!  I don't have time to delve too deep, so I'll give you the short and sweet version...
Saying goodbyes to all of our Colorado family, friends and dogs was NOT fun!  But we were able to spend our layover in Oakland, CA. with my Dad, Mom and 'little' brother, which was something I needed desperately!  We had to cram the last seven months into seven hours, and we did a pretty good job!  We arrived in Kona to find 73* weather, a slight sea-breeze and the smell of flowers!  Life was looking pretty great!!  Then we went to the land and life started looking a little...less great; picture weeds as far as the eye can see, covering what we're hoping is our coffee trees!  The weeds are at least as tall as the trees, and some are 10-12 feet tall!  Picture a greenhouse, chock full of weeds, ripped plastic on the roof, and a broken refrigerator.  We tried to put on our optimistic faces "Alright, well it could be worse..."  "Hey, at least there IS plastic on the roof..."  But we were both withering.  Add to this overwhelming site all the emotional goodbyes of the last 24 hours and the fact that we pulled an all nighter and we've got a pretty sad picture.  Fast forward a day (because we're supposed to be on the fast track here, and I've only covered a few hours!!)  We're back at the land with a good night sleep under our belts and we've both had a good long talk with God; we're checked in and we've stepped up to the challenge.  We've cleared out the weeds in a different greenhouse that has an intact roof, we've cleared out the storage container and found what we can use.  We've moved a bed into our new 'home' and found out that it's nicer than the one we left at home!!  The neighbor has brought us a bunch of bananas and some avocados!  Things are looking up.  Fast forward a few more days and we can actually see coffee trees apart from weeds;  we can walk down rows that we've cleared out with our weed wackers!  Derek's built some counters, we have more of a kitchen, we know where to take hot showers at the beach, where to get drinking water, where to haul our trash, and we're getting pretty, stinkin' excited about the adventure before us!!  Over the weekend we went snorkeling and ran into some dolphins!!  We also found a really friendly church, and a few favorite road-side stands!   This week we've made a lot more progress at the land; we've almost cleared the two acre section, and our greenhouse continues to feel more and more like 'home'!  We've met up with some YWAMers and we're really excited to get plugged in at the base here in Kona.
There's so much more to the last 10 days, but I just wanted to give a little glimpse into this journey we are on!  The ONLY way we're doing this is by the strength and joy of Jesus!!  It's been amazing to dig into our Bibles each morning and find what He has for us, as well as just praying constantly and giving things back to Him.  He is in charge and has a great plan, and we're just along for the ride!!  We're having a great time; we laugh a LOT, and we're just barely starting to discover what the ocean has to offer us.  [Derek bought a spear gun today, so that will make for some amazing stories, and hopefully some amazing dinners!!]  I'll do my best to get another post up soon, but until then... stay surrendered, God's ways are so beyond what we can imagine!
-B