Christmas Letter 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

It is with a full heart and great hope for the New Year that we write you. We have seen Jesus moving mightily both in our midst and in our world giving us faith for what He will continue to do.

Early this year, we had the privilege of ministering to the people of Karnataka, India. Traveling to the more

remote places in the southern part of India, we prayed and watched the Lord heal the deaf, give health to the sick, and give hope and joy to prostitutes, homeless, and the destitute. Our faith was greatly increased as we met orphanage directors and heard the jubilant stories from the mouths of their orphans of how the Lord had directly provided food, shelter, and clothing for them.

In the spring, Jonathan felt the Lord leading him to continue missionary work in computer technology in a group called Christ Revealed on World Networks (CROWN), and Jennifer to work at The Learning Center, a school for missionary children in Kona, Hawaii. We both jumped into the new world of full-time unpaid missions work believing that the Lord would speak to our friends and family to give to support us in ministry. We have been surprised at how the Lord has provided and cared for us, and seen the fruit this sifting process has borne in our own lives.

As a new school year drew near, it became clear that Jennifer was to take a position at a local elementary school as a kindergarten teacher, and so began her first full year as a teacher. Almost simultaneously, we discovered the exciting news of our first child's entrance onto the scene of our lives!

This November, Jonathan took a trip to Seoul, Korea for an IT Missions conference with CROWN. There

they cast the vision for computer missionaries and the need for more work (and workers) in this area to claim territory for the Kingdom of God in technology. As Korea has such a strong Christian base, they met with leaders in Christian technology using TV, radio,

As we look forward to the next year, we see many wonderful changes coming with our new roles as parents with the Baby’s arrival in April. Jonathan is currently seeking paid work as Jennifer will not be working full time in the next school year as to take on the role as mother. We are excited to be moving into our own apartment this January as we have been praying for the Lord’s provision in this for many months! His timing is perfect!

Please continue to pray for us as we follow the Holy Spirit's guidance. We pray that He will reveal Himself in a new way to you this year and that you would find His blessings bountiful.

With much love,

Jonathan & Jennifer

Writing with Fresh Eyes

My favorite time to blog is when I've just heard the Lord speak to me about things for which I've been praying. I love the enthusiasm that I feel in my heart and through my fingers as I type, and I hope that what the Lord has shared with me might encourage someone else.

I look at wedding pictures of myself, and see so clearly how everything up to that point in my life was a result of how I had planned my life. I see my smile and think  you thought you had everything figured out... but I really had no idea. In middle school, I set the goal for myself to become a teacher. In moving to Florida for my education, I told my mom that I would find my husband there. And I did both of those things exactly. My life had been predetermined in my mind, and there had been few surprises. But then I graduated and got married...

In taking the step of faith back in August of 2012 to move here, we did so with absolutely no plans of our own; only vague ideas of things that could potentially happen. Being the woman with a plan, It was probably the most irrational mega-decision I've ever eagerly made. It was also the best thing I've done since marrying my Mr. Wonderful. I stand here today a woman that has seen the hand of God do things on my behalf that defy logic or what nature usually dictates. I have felt the love of Jesus change my heart and perspective so gently and beautifully. I have received peace about unresolved "things" that normally I would stew for weeks about. I have been greatly encouraged through the most discouraging situations because of the Holy Spirit's constant witness to the glory of God in my life. Was it worth the jump off the edge of "safety?"

Absolutely.

Since the day we boarded that plane for the Jewel of the Pacific, I still have no plan of my own. And (I can't believe I'm typing this, but...) I hope I never do again. When I have no plan, I see the need to run to my Father and get His Plan for my life. He promises his beloved that if I will delight in Him that He will grant me the desires of my heart (Ps. 37:4), and I can look back and see the seeds of desire that He planted in my heart.

Scribbles from Chitradurga to remember His Character

On February 26 of this year in the final weeks of living in India, I wrote in my journal , "Never do I want to live in a way that is explainable because of my own work--while I word as hard as I can with what He gives me."

This bold proclamation was a desire that the Lord planted in my heart because of the delight I found in Him. I have tasted the reward of the difficult seeking out of His will and plan, and it is far sweeter and longer lasting than any goal I have attained of my own crafting. Somehow He has given me this beautiful perspective while I'm still so young! I know I have so much more to learn and room to trust Him, but this morning He has given me fresh eyes for what He is doing around me.

As I Corinthians 2:5 says, I am so thankful that my faith does not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. I also have seen that the miracles I see in my life are an indicator of the level of faith I have in the power of God. Do I want to see impossible things happen? Or do I want to be able to rationally reason everything out because of what I have done for myself? The real question is: how much room am I giving God to move in my life?

Recently, well actually, all year--I've been praying about something that is a huge part of my daily life that I feel I have had no control over. It's not something weird or abnormal, but just something that I've been waiting to see how the Lord was going work out. It has definitely been a source of anxiety, frustration, and cause for feeling helpless for myself. Last night, as I was praying and journaling it became apparent why I felt all those things. I saw clearly that those things are feelings. BUT my faith is NOT dictated by the way I feel. My faith is dictated by who my God is. I was refreshed with the glorious picture of who my God is.

• He is my loving Father
• He is all knowing of my past, present, and future
• He is all present 
• He is all powerful
• He has plans for me to prosper
• He has a much greater desire for me to know Him and see Him move, than I could ever have for myself

It was in that picture that suddenly I had peace. Peace that this scenario would work out to prove more of His incredible love for me.

So I pray for you, dear reader, that you would receive fresh eyes to view your circumstances with Faith because of Who God is, rather than the feelings of the moment.

Cultural Treats

Life can never be called boring around here, that's for sure! In the past few months my parents have been renting out the 3rd room in the condo to a Brazilian missionary named Ricky. He has been working with a fascinating ministry on the missions base called "Uniscript," translating Hebrew into the Uniscript code while he has been here the last year or so.

To roughly sum up what that means, Uniscript, in conjunction with the University of Hawaii, has cracked the

code on the sounds every language makes and put it into written form so that anyone of any language can become literate in their language within a few weeks. For example: based on the symbol you see printed, you make a certain sound with your mouth. When the sounds are combined they make up words. They have even tested dyslexic school children in California schools and have found this to be an effective way to teach them how to read.

Ricky is a very well traveled missionary and his background is anthropological studies . He has spent time in Germany, and now after his time here in Hawaii, he is going back home to Brazil to prepare for a year in Taiwan.

As he is leaving in the next few weeks, we celebrated his culture last night by feasting on Brazilian fair. He made a creamy shrimp dish, seasoned rice with shredded carrots, pureed sweet potato (normally it would be pumpkin, but sweet potatoes were a good substitute), and garlic potato chips. He proved to be quite the "professional" cook, as he would say. 

It was absolutely delish and so fun to taste food from another culture right here at home! This is for sure something that I would try making again on my own.

Thank you, Ricky!

Man of Courage

I would like to honor the most important human in my life in this blog post. This individual just recently celebrated his 30th birthday (even though you'd never guess looking at him :). It might get a little bit sentimental and mushy, but you've been warned now, so no complaining! :-P

When someone in your life repeatedly makes decisions that show remarkable faith and trust in an unseen person while maintaining peace and confidence in life despite obvious uncertainty, it makes you stop and think about the attitudes harbored and choices you yourself make.

I've had the unique privilege and joy of living with and being married to a man just as I've described.

The man I call my husband is unparalleled in integrity and character in every part of his life. He is a true gentleman and the guardian of my heart.

Considering how blind and naive I was (or anyone else is for that matter) when I agreed to marry this man, I can clearly see how the Holy Spirit lead us directly and surely towards each other knowing how rich our lives would become when our worlds combined and took off in a new direction.

So now this boy-crush turned husband of mine now prepares to be a father. Honestly, I married him largely because of my confidence in his ability to be a good father figure (and his dashing good looks*smirk*). Somehow, he has continued to bolster my confidence in his God given ability, and I won't deny my daydreams involving him and our sweet babies.

 He is truly sublime.

Early morning birthday cards and gifts

Such a good sport wearing my makeshift paper-lei
turned crown haha

Reese's Cups Ice Cream blizzard cake
at the request of the birthday-man ;)

Preparing for Parenthood| Vol. #1: My Training in Kinder-land

I find it so interesting that God gave me a kindergarten class the year he's giving me our first child. Getting a chance to peak into the minds of 23 five and six-year olds has been the most exhilarating, frustrating, and enlightening call to beg the Lord to fill me with more of the Holy Spirit and open my eyes to His presence everywhere I go.

I've been humbled time and time again and I hit the limits of my own patience and knowledge and mentally begin pounding on the door Christ asks us to knock on when we need Him. I realized that the raw frustration I feel with my students lack of good judgement is simply a sinful anger that wells up in me because of the lack of patience I have on my own. If patience (and love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, perseverance, and self-control) is a fruit of the spirit  then shouldn't I have 24/7 access to copious amounts of this wonderful thing if the Spirit is with me always? So I pray for patience. Every. Day. And let me tell you, I feel him literally douse me with a bucket of peace and patience at the most unlikely times in our little classroom (ie: children break-dancing on the classroom rug, or one love-bug single-handedly displaying his temper by upsetting each and every chair in the room) giving me the ability to sing out directions cheerfully or quietly discuss better alternatives for behavior instead of screaming in rage and doing something really stupid..

I've been humbled when I reflect on my classroom management/discipline plans (over and over and over and over again) and realize that what these babies need is a display of unusual grace and love coming from the only adult in the room to understand why it's important to respect their neighbor. It's in those moments that I get just a glimpse of the love and grace God shows me when he lets me start afresh with each and every decision I get to make without holding my past mistakes and grievances against me.

My prayer and desire of my heart as I prepare to raise a little person of my own flesh and blood is that I would show patience, love, grace, and trust as they grow in their personal knowledge and intimacy with Jesus. I am so blessed to see how the Holy Spirit always supplies what I ask for and what I need, and blessed to have this beautiful first hand experience as I walk into motherhood.

Reflection with thanksgiving is paramount to success

Maybe it's a deafening silence you've heard, or maybe the obnoxious cricket that found it's way into my classroom a few weeks ago, as I have taken an unusually long leave of absence from posting on the dear blog (but who am I kidding but myself that anyone noticed.. ha).

But... I'm definitely playing the role of the pregnant 1st year teacher this year. It's been so amusing to see my kids' reactions when they boldly ask me if I "have a baby in my tummy, because it's growing and growing and growing!"

Wow...

I am so blessed to have the privilege of teaching some beautiful babies and training them in the ways of elementary-hood.

I am so blessed to work with some of the most passionate and loving (don't forget patient!) kindergarten teachers I've ever met.

I am so blessed to have incredibly supportive administration as I go through my many learning curves.

I am so blessed to have eternity's perspective as I battle through the hard times and knot-holes of misunderstanding and conflict resolution.

I am so blessed to have classroom parents that love to volunteer and actively take part of their children's learning.

I am so blessed to have a job that causes me to work so hard that I have yet to taste "pregnancy insomnia."

I am so blessed to be in the classroom that the Holy Spirit secretly promised to me back in April and told me to claim in prayer.

I am so blessed to have fellow believers at the school I teach, who bathe that place in blessings and prayers daily.

I am so blessed to be a teacher.

Making way for Our Little Miracle!

I've been thinking about what I would say when I finally sat down to write the story of the most life changing event that has ever happen to me and the love of my life. When it's the most important thing that's ever happened, there are so many things you could say or should say, so I'll narrow it down to just a few...

2011, my love and I were wed. The moment we said "I do," we were launched into a journey of faith and leaning into our Heavenly Father, coming to know His endless love like never before. We had hopes, dreams and plans  I can clearly see that He had planted in our hearts so He could work those things out for His ultimate glory. Part of that journey included us saying farewell to the way things normally are handled financially so He could lead us into full time missions, where my husband has committed to until 2015. In that process, about a year and a half ago, The Lord asked us to put something so precious and delicate into His hands, because He revealed that His timing is absolutely perfect and that He would fully bless something that we completely surrendered to Him. With perfect peace and trust in The Lord that could only come from Him, we put our "control" of when we would "start a family" in his hands.

As you know from my summer of waiting on a teaching position, He is so faithful and gives us the very best gifts in the very best timing. You can imagine the utter joy and surprise and absolute awe in my Heavenly Father when the day after being offered a position as a teacher Jonathan and I discovered that we had just been given the most amazing gift a person can physically receive in their live, fulfilling a life long dream both of us have had. 

The gift of new life.

Inside my womb, my loving and creative Heavenly Father is knitting together the most precious bundle of life, who will be apart of our lives forever.

It has been incredible to embark on this journey of pregnancy to prepare for motherhood, and see my husband begin already to fulfill his role of father as he daily blesses and prays for the child growing inside of me.

Today we are just over one quarter of the way through this precious stage of our child's life, and we are so excited to announce that in April 2014 a new little Freeman will join us on the wonder-filled journey we stepped into 2 years ago.

We are overjoyed, and know we are absolutely blessed.

Much love to you all and much appreciation for all of your coveted prayers.

Little Brother Becomes a Husband

In a whirlwind trip to the Northwest, Jonathan and I left our big rock in the ocean to support my brother and fabulous bride as they said their vows at the rustic and romantic Willow's Lodge in Woodinville, Washington.

Our trip was filled with family, as we stayed with my Aunt Michelle and Uncle Steve, relaxation, excitement, cooking, dressing up and good ol' Seattle traffic. :)

 My heart was so happy I got to sneak a visit in with my amazing nurse friend, Audrey, and check out the adorable place she now calls home. Audrey, I so look up to the way you have pursued the will and things of the Lord. You are such a woman of FAITH!

 Dinner at my sweet cousin's home, Anjilee, and her husband Chris with my uncle, cousin Nick, and Grandma and Grandpa. I love to see the mommy see has become in the past year! What an excellent wife and homemaker!

 Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with the Bride and Groom. I was so blessed they could find time in their busy week to meet with us. Kaelin is one of the most organized and well planned woman I know, and I'm sure that the week went so smoothly because of her good foresight.

We got to indulge in some of Seattle's goodness with my brother later on that afternoon.

 She certainly didn't hold out on us!

Finally, the long awaited and much anticipated wedding day arrived. It was absolutely perfect. Kaelin was a stunning bride totally calm and collected, and Christopher was the most excited and happy I've ever seen him.

To my brother and brand new sister, I wish you every happiness and blessing in your married bliss. You are so loved and surrounded by your biggest cheerleaders and supporters as you enter the BEST days of your lives.

Good Things Come

If you would have asked me 2 years ago what we'd be doing today, I think I'd probably have given you a completely different picture from the one Jonathan and I are looking at today. This is a continuation of the story of God's faithfulness in our lives, and planting desires in our hearts that we might find our inheritance in the land to which the Lord has lead us.

A little over 4 months ago, we arrived back in the States from our outreach in India. A little over 4 months ago, I hit the ground running with the full intention of being plugged into the local school system so I could get a job as a teacher. A little less than 4 months ago, I realized that God might have other plans, so I put my dreams (that He had given me) back in His hands so I could go where He wanted me to be.

The past 2 months, since school has ended at the Learning Center, have turned out to be a crucible for me. No, I wasn't put through rigorous schooling, or crazy academic hurtles, but the Lord did ask me to wait... for something I couldn't put a name to.

If faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, then I can honestly look back at the past 2 months and tell you that the Lord has held my hand and given me strength as I've walked the invisible tightrope of faith.

Pointless applications, voice mail boxes, dead ends and a messy school system have been the demons I've fought, wondering if I'm even supposed to be a teacher here. Does my degree count? What an absolutely terrifying question to find yourself asking, a question that sourced a few meltdowns that Jesus dried my tears through letting me know that He had called me to such a time, and such a purpose and had deliberately lead me on the path I have taken that happened to include a little Bible college in Florida.

I can't lie and tell you I've been stress free as I've walked this path, but I can tell you that the Joy of the Lord has been my STRENGTH, and he surrounded me with amazing people to encourage me and boost my faith, and give me courage I could not have found on my own.

Any Ed. Grads or future grads from Hobe Sound Bible College that happen to be reading this, know this: Mrs. (almost Dr.) Black is the most excellent Education Dept. chairperson and teacher IN THE WORLD and will champion your dreams to become a teacher even if she's on the other side of the world from her office. My respect and appreciation for her have swelled incredibly more so in the past few months. I can't show enough appreciation and thankfulness for her. 

So to quickly share the wonderful things that the Lord has done, in spite of this painful waiting process, I want give thanks for the way He weaves things together so perfectly, and gave me little decisions to make all the way through this process to position my heart in the place it needed to be in order for me to receive HIS BEST (because our Heavenly Father only gives His absolute best to his children :).

My version of what the future could or should look like has changed many times..

1. I'm going to just work as teacher's aide!
2. I'm going to sub for the first year here!
3. Fine, I'll work at a coffee shop...
4. Ok, I'll volunteer teach again.
5. An opportunity to teach P.E.? Who's resume were they looking at?!
6. They're offering me a half-time position as math enrichment teacher to me! Sure I'll write the curriculum!
7. Holy Moly, I just got a call for an interview at my first choice of school for a 3rd grade class.
8. So am I teaching math or am I a General teacher for some unknown grade??

Lucky for you, you just got to read that in like 30 seconds while it took the past 2 months for all that to unfurl for me.

But I have some very happy news to share with you...

God is giving me my dream back. He polished it up a bit while He was keeping it, and made a few changes as he's molded my heart to better reflect His. It hardly seems true...

I get to be a full time Kindergarten Teacher starting on Tuesday at the school on the mountain surrounded by coffee plantations. Just yesterday  God put this opportunity in my hands. Just yesterday, He proved that you can go crazy and leave all reality behind to chase the unknown and move to the nowhere and come up a year later doing the impossible. Teaching beautiful Hawaiian babies.

I am truly humbled by His abundant extravagant love. My desire for you is that you too would encounter the overwhelming love He FREELY offers you. Come and feast on what He sets on the table for you. 

It. Is. Delicious.

Summer Jubilee

Just in time for Independence Day, my Aunt Michelle and Uncle Steve came to visit us here on the big Island. We had so much fun spending time with him and catching up on life while they were visiting with us. 


Something I've always appreciated about my aunt is her passion for education. She is a principal at an elementary school in Washington, and I have always valued her insight into the current events in the education sphere and her encouragement to me as an educator. More than that though, I have always loved my aunt Michelle for her zest for life and spirit of adventure. She is truly an inspiration to me.

My uncle is such a wonderful and godly man. He has been a prayer warrior and cheerleader for Jonathan and I as we've jumped off the deep end into missions. We are so blessed to have his influence in our lives.

We each had our fair share of scratches stings and other miscellaneous boo-boos while tromping about. For some reason the island turned it's rougher side against us. On a outing to Kua Bay in an idyllic setting where the water was pristine blue and glass  clear a friendly man-of-war jellyfish wrapped his tentacles around my neck leaving quite the mark for the next week.

Of course we saw a rainbow!

This was their first time to the big Island. Last year they had a chance to visit Maui, and they noticed the more rustic feel of this island. They were able to see you so much of this island as there is an incredible amount of diversity in climate and environment based on what part of the island you are on. The Fourth of July was so much fun. We attended the local Kailua-Kona parade downtown right on the waterfront. 

What a happy summer jubilee it was. Thank you Michelle and Steve for your love and prayers! It was an absolutely wonderful week with you. Come back soon!!

Hau`oli la Ho'omana'o to Us!

What a wonderful 2nd Anniversary we celebrated, and there were so many things to celebrate!

Something we absolutely didn't expect to do, was spend a night in one of the local resorts. Literally a quarter mile from where we've been staying (with mom and dad at their condo), it was so fun to sneak away and enjoy the island atmosphere and soak up the relaxing tide of the ocean for a day.

 

As we looked back to reflect on everything that God has done in the past 2 years, we were blown away by His faithfulness and how He has continued to weld our hearts together through all of the crazy ventures of late.

We are so blessed to be able to serve Him in His Kingdom. Honestly, we feel His goodness rain on our each and every day. Taking a trip down memory lane... we saw God's hand writing on our hearts in magnificent ways.

Last July, God taught us how to trust us with our STUFF. He showed us that material things do indeed come and go, but GOD is always there!

In August, as were were moving, He protected us and gave us unmerited favor as we stepped out of our comfort zone to persue HIM!

In September, he gave us the blessing of being with my extended family. This was something I really missed while being in Florida, and somehow God has brought many family members over to this Big Island and filled my heart to overflowing every time!

October was the month God fulfilled a promise He had given me clear back in 2001, when I was in 8th grade.

November brought amazing heart change, as both Jonathan and I encountered the intimate love of the Father and realized that Jesus has done everything inhumanly possible to bridge our gap of communion and relationship.

December, January, and February crushed our view of the world, as we entered into the strange and unfamiliar land of India. It was beautiful, disgusting, delicious, nauseating, busy, lazy, hilarious, maddening, and absolutely wonderful all at the same time. We learned more about each other, and about how we could lean into Jesus harder all the way through our 3 month stay in the glorious land of Karnataka working with the inspiring local pastors there.

March gave us a chance to reflect on the past 6 months and what God had done, and a chance to look forward and see what He had next for us.

April had Jonathan busy beginning in CROWN and me busy at the Learning Center. Life had definitely changed in a major way one more time!

Finally, June has brought us full circle to the miracles God can work in our lives, but only if we had let Him.

I told Jonathan that this anniversary made me so excited to celebrate our 10th anniversary so we'd have even more things be thankful for and evidence of God's goodness. Wow! There was so much  beautiful evidence in just TWO years, it blows my mind to think of what it will be like in 8 years!

There's no better place to be in life than walking hand in hand with my Savior with butterflies in my tummy and my heart bubbling over with love for the handsome, talented, hard working, God-fearing and honoring man that is MY husband.

We are blessed.

Strangers in the Air, Angels Unaware

After a whirlwind trip to Seattle to celebrate the goodness of life I have been struck by the way the Lord provided for my every need. He held absolutely nothing back from me and spared no expense. 

Since the day I heard about people that would go on wild trips around the world without a dollar to their name and see God provide for them miraculously, I wanted to go on a faith trip and see those kinds of things happen to me. Little did I know what He was planning for me...

This whole business of me flying back to the mainland started in a rather odd way. After Jonathan and I returned from India, we found out that my brother was graduating from school a year early. I hadn't planned on being in Seattle until September. I had no idea how this trip would even be possible. There wasn't any way I could see to make it happen. But then I checked how many miles we had on our credit card.. and found out I could get a $10 flight to Seattle. Woo hoo! That kind of thing NEVER happens to me! Crazy!

The week before I left, I told God that I really needed some cash for the week I'd be gone as I didn't have any to spare for this family trip. To be honest though, He and I had been having quite a few conversations about the needs in my life recently, and how I was (once 100x's again) telling him that I did indeed trust Him, in spite of the doubt that kept creeping into my mind. The day before I was leaving (my last day teaching 2nd grade), a student handed me a sweet thank you card. Inside the adorably decorated card, a check slid out. $50! Thank you, Jesus! Spending cash for the trip! WHOA! Later on that day, another parent came in a handed me another card. Inside was more than enough to pay our phone bill that was due THAT DAY. No way! Our needs were met, in such a beautiful way, highlighting the blessings that we have in Christian community. At the end of the day, another student handed me a card, and a gift card for Starbucks popped out at me, like they knew I was just about to fly over to the land of Starbucks! Turns out I was able to use that for airport food, breakfast, and a coffee date. Let me tell you folks, about the goodness of the God I serve...

So the trip began, and everything, from our flights, to travel arrangements with 3 people sharing 1 vehicle, to traffic jams, sleeping arrangements, and crazy jam packed schedules went so incredibly smooth. There is just no way that our planning made any of that as smooth as it went. We experienced such joy and peace at every turn of our trip.

The last part of this story I'd like to recount is my flight back to Kona. 

I was blurry eyed and dizzy tired from everything that had happened in the past week. I just wanted to sleep and be home as soon as possible. Honestly, I'm not really one for talking with strangers on airplanes. However, if they start a conversation with me, I'll engage them. On my first flight back home I sat next to a local Hawaiian who had been visiting family for a graduation. He just wanted to be back home eating Hawaiian food and got really excited when I mentioned "loco moco." On my last flight from Honolulu to Kona I sat next to a guy that had an Australian accent and was on his way to visit his mom who had recently been injured and was in the intensive care unit in the Kona hospital. This man started sharing with me details of his work and where his travels have brought him around the world working with impoverished people. I was able to share with him my experiences in India. I had told God early in our conversation that I didn't want to share my story with him, just because I was getting tired of repeating the story over again. But of course when I mentioned that I had been in India, this man wanted to know what had brought me there. So I figured God wanted me to share about what Jonathan and I do. That naturally led into all the supernatural provision and answers to prayer we've seen. He then shared with me that he too works with Christian organizations around the world and was familiar with YWAM. Before we landed I asked him if I could pray for him and his mom. He said yes and we bowed our heads and prayed. When we landed we wished each other well and parted ways.

Jonathan called me when we were in the terminal to meet us with the vehicle. I found my dad and briefly mentioned my conversation with the gentleman on the plane. Suddenly I heard a man's voice trying to get my attention. I turned around and saw that it was the same guy that I had sat next to on the plane. He walked over to me and said "I want you to do me a favor." "What's that?" I replied. He reached out to shake my hand and said "Keep the faith." When I opened my hand, I couldn't believe it. I said "Bless you, sir!" and he turned to go. In my hand was a $100 bill.

This family trip was not just about celebration and reunion--it was about seeing the real life faithfulness of God at work in my life. I watched God take my worry and turn it into contentment and generosity, while giving me the desires of my heart. I felt him give me such love for my family, I never knew I could possess.

It's amazing to see how God is providing for our needs, even as we are currently living on less than $400 a month. I suppose I would be a bit more shy with disclosing that information, but that is $400 that God is giving to us through generous donors and He deserves the praise for this provision. Our hearts are full, and we eagerly await the next miracle that He will do in our lives. There's nothing like living on the edge of your seat seeing God move mountains right in front of your face. It's nothing short of an adventure, that's for sure!

Much love to you all!

Miracles, Accomplishments, New Life, and Celebration!

Back at home now, it's been incredible to reflect on the whirlwind week Mom, Dad, and I shared together. I can't believe we did as much, saw as much, or enjoyed so much in the past week. So let's recount the journey together...

The 1st day we were in town we spent the day cleaning up 5 months of home remodeling construction at my Aunt and Uncle's house to prepare for my cousin's engagement party scheduled two days later. I'm pretty sure I've never worked that hard in my life, and we cleaned house! It pretty much sparkled by the time we sleepily slunked out the door. Their remodeling job looked absolutely fabulous, and it was so sweet to be a part of their hard work.

The 2nd day, was loaded with activities for the 2 grads (my brother and His fiance)  in our expanding family.

The Ivy Cutting Ceremony is an Seattle Pacific University (SPU) tradition in which each graduate is given a piece of ivy to serve as a symbol of them leaving the school and going on to greater things remembering where they have been. 

 From there, we went onto brunch at Kaelin's parent's home. Her mom makes a killer breakfast casserole...I'll be craving that for months! The view we got to enjoy on Lake Washington was spectacular.

Following brunch was Kaelin's Nursing Pinning ceremony. It was such a fitting ceremony to reflect on the nursing graduate's journey through nursing school. Kaelin has such a big heart for especially those in the hospital from alcohol and drug abuse, and will be working in the trauma center of a prestigious hospital nearby where she will be able to care for many of those that need her attentive and capable care. I'm so proud of this girl!

Later that evening, I was able to meet up with my dear friend, Audrey from Florida, as we celebrated in town. She's just moved to the Northwest, following God's call on her life and will be working in nursing as well. It has been so amazing to watch Him provide for all of her needs, and even the timing of her job placement was so awesome. She continues to boost my faith and encourage me as we keep in touch. It was definitely an added bonus that she got to join in the festivities!

Top: Future Bride in the middle surrounded by bridesmaids
B. Right: Kaelin and me
B. Right: The groom and bride-to-be and me

My wonderful cousin's (Tianna) engagement party came with great excitement, as I finally got to meet her sweet Groom-to-be. Jordan is a top-notch gentleman that has valiantly won the heart of Tianna. He is in his final year of Chiropractic school and will be graduating before their big day. I am so pleased that I get to be be the Matron of Honor in their wedding and look forward to June 28, 2014 when the wedding bells will ring. She and I have always been close since childhood; and even through distance has kept us separate, our hearts have remained close.  I love her to pieces, and greatly value her insight into education as she is a fellow teacher. Tianna was invaluable to me as a bridesmaid in our wedding, working into the wee hours of the morning making jam and finishing other tasks. What great things await us in the future!

Lil' Bro and Big Sis.
Let's just talk about the money lei Mom and I made by hand folding dollar bills ;)

 Graduation Day arrived with much pomp and circumstance. Christopher and Kaelin earned every bit of honor they received on this day. It was remarkable to see my little brother walk to receive his diploma for his B.S. in Biology. He will go on to study to receive his degree as a Physician's Assistant in a few years. Don't tell him I said this *wink wink*, but my little brother knows waaayy more than I do, and it's so cool to see him stretch himself like this.  I have so much respect and admiration for him and I know he is going to make a  wonderful doctor!

Our families join to celebrate the graduates' accomplishments!

The graduation party was held at a local gourmet pizza shop. Wow! We had such a fun time together!

Gourmet Salads, Pizza, and Cake was served. Yummo!

A typical rainy day in Washington.. >_o

 The last day of our trip was spent with two other cousins. We got to visit Nick at his home overlooking the Puget Sound. Such a peaceful location that I could spend hours just soaking up the view of the sound and wildlife. Nick is a real life miracle in our family, as we watched his broken body recover from a horrible fall from scaffolding. Now he is walking about, and ready to start a new job after years of being on disability. His dream is to be a "rock star" and his guitar skills are amazing. I would say (with an untrained ear) that he plays tunes sounding a bit of classical guitar mixed with blues and rock. He is definitely gifted with impressive talent.

Family!

We drove over to Anjilee's home to help prepare meals for her and her hubby, Chris. You may remember them from this post when they visited us here on the Big Island. Ashton is just under two weeks old, and the timing of my trip was so perfect that I was able to meet him so soon. Hopefully, she and Chris will be well fed for the next couple weeks from our labor of love in the kitchen. Anj's job was to rest, and it was such an absolute pleasure to give her this time to rest. But, Ashton...what a perfect little boy! There are no words to describe this bliss!

The last evening finally came, and the Whitcomb tribe headed to our favorite haunts in Seattle's Chinatown. First, Kau Kau (cow-cow) a BBQ pork hideaway my family has frequented for years and years, where we always eat too much while listening to the restaurant's favorite Michael Buble CD. Then we headed to Oasis for bubble tea. Yum!

This trip was everything a girl could hope for in a visit with family and even more. I was so blessed to be with the ones that God has put in my life for good, and give and receive love so freely. This, I know is such a special season of everyone's lives as we see new things on the horizon and reach farther above to pull from the fruitful tree of hope. My heart is so full, and I am so blessed.