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.