[a lesson from the birds]

This week has been unlike any other week.  With harvest rapidly approaching, our learning curve is about to explode, once again.  We got a little taste of it when a couple from church asked if we could come work on their acre of coffee.  They're a bit lower in elevation than us and already have a significant number of cherries turning red.  So, we officially became coffee pickers and got a glimpse of our life for the next four months!  It's definitely different, and aside from sore shoulders after toting around the tub of cherries all day, I liked it!  We picked 75 pounds of cherry, and that is 'round one' for that farm.  In a few weeks there will be a whole new round to be picked.  I'm thankful that it's in sections; giving us time to keep up with other things on our list, like weed wacking and spraying!  AND time for having wild adventures with visiting family!!

[red cherries ready to be picked!]

Derek's parents flew in on Wednesday evening and we've had a fantastic week with them!!  We've explored Kona; showed them all our favorites spots and stops.  We trekked down South to visit the amazing Green Sands beach and then on to the Volcano!  It's fun playing tour guide, and some things are new to us, too.  During a morning of 'restaurant hopping' we discovered a great sushi place.  It actually has a conveyor belt that they're constantly loading with fresh rolls and you grab off whichever ones suit your fancy!!  We were like little kids in a candy shop :)  Derek and I have been in Hawaii for almost six months and don't always remember to smell the flowers or appreciate the beauty of the ocean.  Having visitors and hearing them exclaim about the smells and sights reminds us to appreciate this paradise we are living in!!

[at Green Sands!!]

The best adventures this week have definitely happened at the greenhouse.  We have had friends over the past few months and we give the tour of our 'home' and show off a few coffee trees.  But it's been different with Derek's parents.  They want to see everything.  They want to walk everywhere we've walked and picture the battle that we faced from day one.  They want to know every detail!  They were up for touring all six acres- multiple times!  And we've taught them almost all we know about being coffee farmers!  They've seen Derek in action, machete in hand, and decided this truly is the perfect place for our adventuring selves.  We've supplied them with as many avocados and bananas as they could possibly eat and we sat cross legged in the 'yard' smashing open macadamia nuts to our heart's content!  For the full effect, they even traded a night at their hotel for a night at our greenhouse and LOVED it!  It was basically a week of show-and-tell for us and realizing just how far we've come and how amazing this jungle life is!  Plus, they can go back home and reassure all of our Colorado family that we are not only surviving, but thriving!

[Aloha!!]

Speaking of greenhouses, there is an exciting new development in our housing situation!  We've been offered the apartment above our church building and the role of 'church care takers' for as long as it's available.  We are completely blown away by this and haven't really even had time to process it all!  A shower, a flushing toilet, a sink to wash dishes in... these things just became a very, real possibility and we are giddy about it!  We were never unhappy in the greenhouses and we know we'll even start missing the jungle lifestyle after awhile.  But this opportunity is a massive blessing and even more proof of God's providence.  The wonderful people at our church are continually going above and beyond for Derek and I.  We are humbled by their kindness and love.  It was so exciting to be able to introduce our church family to Derek's parents this last Sunday!

[shaved ice on a toasty day!]

A few mornings ago I was out on the porch of the hotel where we're staying with Derek's parents.  I'd been praying and just really seeking God's will for our lives.  There I was, surrendering once again and attempting to quiet myself and listen, when I saw the birds.  Just your average birds, but they were hopping around on the wires above the hotel, very animated and entertaining.  I kept trying to ignore them and get back to 'being still' but they were so stinkin' distracting!!  Finally I gave up and just watched them, hop and chirp and bump each other down the wire.  That's when I realized that God WAS speaking to me!  In Matthew 6 Jesus talks about worrying and how overrated it is!  He says 'Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not MUCH more valuable than they?  Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?'  We still have several months of harvesting before we can even begin to think about 'what's next'.  And even then, if we don't have our entire life mapped out, it's okay!  If the past few months of relying on God and watching His plan for us unfold hasn't been enough to convince me that He is in control, I don't know if I'll ever figure it out!  I have to let go!  Turns out, worrying is not even 'for the birds'!