Alima Joy - (ah-LEE-mah); Hebrew & Arabic origin, means "powerful, strong, cultured, wise, knows dance & music."Used in Arabic & Hebrew speaking countries. (When we first chose this name 10 years ago it was because we found it meant "a heart that sings and dances" and Peter felt we were going to have a dancing daughter.)
Alyma Joy - (changing the i to y to match the y in Joy); same meanings as Alima.
Ilima Joy- (ee-LEE-mah); Hebrew & Hawaiian origin, means "flower." This refers to the flower of the o'ahu plant, which is related to the hibiscus. The blossoms are small and golden and woven into garlands. Used in Hawaiian speaking countries.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A Speck of Reality & the Kohala Cocoon
We have been residents of this beautiful Hawaiian island for 3 weeks as of today. Wow, it feels like so much longer in many ways! I love that I am sitting here in my capris and always-dirty bare feet comfortably listening to the crickets play their tunes outside...and I'm WARM! It's like a Redding summer night I loved as a kid, except that it gets darker much earlier here. :) I do love it here. Did I mention how much I love seeing my boys play outside everyday, in WINTER??? And to hear little knocks at the door followed by the sweet request, "Can Alex play?" Then, out the door goes Alex, with Aaron following close behind, to play with the neighbor boy.
Last night we went out for a fabulous sushi dinner at a well-hidden local restaurant. I heard the waiter say, "All the ingredients were grown here on the island..." to a table nearby and I was surprised by the moment of panic I felt! I can only liken it to hearing the pilot of the airplane interrupt my sleep by announcing how many thousands of feet up in the air we were. I had to stop and catch my breath! An island. I live on an island. Yes, that little speck in the big, big ocean. Not just on it, but on the very edge of it. If someone sneezes we might fall off that cliff we see just across the street and down the dirt road a bit.
It's so easy to forget in our daily life here that we're surrounded by the ocean on all sides. Sure, so I can see the ocean from just about anywhere in town. And if I drive an hour south, it's still there. Two hours east, it's still there. I realized I have already become so focused on our semi-glamorous life here along a 4-mile stretch of country highway that I forgot how small we really are on this big planet. For all I know, I'm a Who on a speck on a flower easily blown to pieces by the wind.
Aw, and now the rain begins pitter-pattering on our metal roof. I love, love, love it.
And then there's my husband who finds himself in what he calls the Kohala cocoon. Detached, disconnected, shut down, turned off. No, this isn't a new condition. He came here this way. Only now the distractions are gone and the cocoon has made it's presence clear. No longer is he a Worship Pastor, an Administrative Pastor, a business teacher AND owner, an entrepreneur, a dad and a husband requiring more hours in a week than he has. Gone is the office outside of the home and the church calling him away at night. The friends and family who hoped for bits of his time here and there are now held back by an ocean.
I am ecstatic to have my husband back and for the kids to have their dad back. We're together nearly all day, even if he's in the other room engrossed in his work on the computer. It's nice just having him around. But, as I've felt for quite some time, he's not the "him" I used to know. The light has burned out. Now is his time to recharge. (Wow, the rain is REALLY pounding down now!) I know, after some time to rest, my husband will break out of this Kohala cocoon and discover a whole new version of his old self. I'm excited to watch that happen. A little time in the waves here and tinkering on the guitar there is just what he needs. I have no idea how long this hibernation period of his will last, but I am very thankful we came to Hawaii when we did. This is just what our family needed.
Last night we went out for a fabulous sushi dinner at a well-hidden local restaurant. I heard the waiter say, "All the ingredients were grown here on the island..." to a table nearby and I was surprised by the moment of panic I felt! I can only liken it to hearing the pilot of the airplane interrupt my sleep by announcing how many thousands of feet up in the air we were. I had to stop and catch my breath! An island. I live on an island. Yes, that little speck in the big, big ocean. Not just on it, but on the very edge of it. If someone sneezes we might fall off that cliff we see just across the street and down the dirt road a bit.
It's so easy to forget in our daily life here that we're surrounded by the ocean on all sides. Sure, so I can see the ocean from just about anywhere in town. And if I drive an hour south, it's still there. Two hours east, it's still there. I realized I have already become so focused on our semi-glamorous life here along a 4-mile stretch of country highway that I forgot how small we really are on this big planet. For all I know, I'm a Who on a speck on a flower easily blown to pieces by the wind.
Aw, and now the rain begins pitter-pattering on our metal roof. I love, love, love it.
And then there's my husband who finds himself in what he calls the Kohala cocoon. Detached, disconnected, shut down, turned off. No, this isn't a new condition. He came here this way. Only now the distractions are gone and the cocoon has made it's presence clear. No longer is he a Worship Pastor, an Administrative Pastor, a business teacher AND owner, an entrepreneur, a dad and a husband requiring more hours in a week than he has. Gone is the office outside of the home and the church calling him away at night. The friends and family who hoped for bits of his time here and there are now held back by an ocean.
I am ecstatic to have my husband back and for the kids to have their dad back. We're together nearly all day, even if he's in the other room engrossed in his work on the computer. It's nice just having him around. But, as I've felt for quite some time, he's not the "him" I used to know. The light has burned out. Now is his time to recharge. (Wow, the rain is REALLY pounding down now!) I know, after some time to rest, my husband will break out of this Kohala cocoon and discover a whole new version of his old self. I'm excited to watch that happen. A little time in the waves here and tinkering on the guitar there is just what he needs. I have no idea how long this hibernation period of his will last, but I am very thankful we came to Hawaii when we did. This is just what our family needed.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Aloha from Hawaii!
Alright, so it's been quite a while since I last posted on this blog and this is the first time since we set foot on the island! For the first several days we didn't have Internet, so that was my first excuse. Then, after w
e finally got it hooked up, I had so much catching up to do I didn't have time to blog. Second excuse. My other two excuses are 1) tiredness and 2) allergies. For some reason we have been going to bed closer to 9 p.m. since we've been here than our usually 11ish p.m. The two-hour time difference would be the obvious explanation, but even some locals we've talked to say they just get tired here earlier and get up earlier. Maybe it has something to do with being more in tune with nature? Lastly, I have had pretty bad allergies since we arrived and they really seem to hit a peak in the evenings. So, if it's one of those evenings, the last thing I want to do with my itchy, tired eyes is look at the computer screen.
So, excuses aside, here we are! I realize we are still in what could be considered the "honeymoon phase" of our transition to the island, but so far we just love it! I take such delight in seeing my little boys get to play
like little boys out in our yard, it's wonderful! I now understand why many Hawaiian children I've seen in the past were either dirty or barely clothed. It really is a futile effort to get them dressed in any kind of outfit I would have put on them on the mainland on a normal day. In five minutes they'll walk back in the house covered in mud or having sat in chicken poop or worse. Aaron often runs around in only a onesie, a diaper, or nothing at all! Alex goes for swim trunks and his slippers (aka flip-flops). Seeing as how we hang-dry our laundry here, I don't mind keeping the clothing more on the simple side!
Alex i
s doing great at his new school. He is the only haole (white boy) in his class, but doesn't seem to mind. We take him to school in the morning and he rides the bus home. We have our first parent-teacher conference next week, so it will be nice to hear more about how he's doing. And of course Alex LOVES going to the beach. The last time we went it was just he and I, and he got out there in the waves in his floating swimsuit and was really getting into it! He was so excited and loud it was almost embarrassing, ha ha! He was learning how to get out in the water a ways and then let a wave carry him back in to shore. Of course I can't just relax with a book on the beach, I have my eyes on him every moment, but I enjoy watching him love life so much!
Aaron really seems to miss Alex when he's at school, but looks forward to the time of day when we walk out to the street and watching for the bus to bring Alex home. I am so glad they have each other, they play so well together now. They are sharing a room and usually wake up at the same early hour. We can hear them lay in there giggling from across the hall until Alex gets Aaron out of his pack 'n play. Next we hear the pitter-patter of their feet on the wood floor and soon I see a little face next to mine at the side of the bed and hear, "Hi Mommy!" And in our bed they climb and snuggle in between us. Thank goodness we have the king-sized bed!
When we take Aaron to the beach we really have to be on our toes. That child continues to demonstrate a
determination to take on life without fear. I wish you could hear how hard he laughs when the waves toss him off his feet. He was not afraid of those waves for one second before he charged straight into the water! He loves life and he loves to make us laugh any way he can. We are amazed at his humorous facial expressions and acts he does purely for our entertainment. He has a LOT of personality to go along with his extra strong will!
Mark has begun his 2nd semester at Mammoth High and says he's glad he decided to stay, but is eager to get over here too! I can tell he's bored with Mammoth and ready for a change. We have skyped with him a couple of times now and the boys got to see him last night for the first time. It's odd not having him around, but we know he'll be here soon. We're thinking about registering him at the public school here now, which we didn't think we would consider. After being in the area and meeting some families with boys Mark's age, it is an option we are talking about with Mark. We'll see what we decide over the summer.
So we have applied to rent a larger home on Union Mill Road, which is just up the street from Jenny & Sully's land. The house seems very out of place in that it is the only two-story house on the street. We thought our two-story days were over when we left Mammoth! Jenny commented that this house seems like it was transplanted from Mammoth to Hawaii because it's just not your typical Hawaiian home. It's very open and spacious inside, which we like. It will have plenty of room for our 4 children, business office and also visitors. We hesitate to move so quickly as we are enjoying our month-to-month rental. It is perfect for our current family of 4. The yard is great and so are the neighbors, so we hate to leave it. We just know that by the time the new baby arrives and Mark and visiting family, this place will get small real fast!
Well, there is much more I could say about our new life here, but this is enough for now. I'm fading fast as it's actually 11:05 p.m. and way past my bedtime! I went to a women's Bible study tonight and got home a little later than usual. But I will write more soon and try to keep up on this blog as time allows. I hope all is well with you mainlanders!
e finally got it hooked up, I had so much catching up to do I didn't have time to blog. Second excuse. My other two excuses are 1) tiredness and 2) allergies. For some reason we have been going to bed closer to 9 p.m. since we've been here than our usually 11ish p.m. The two-hour time difference would be the obvious explanation, but even some locals we've talked to say they just get tired here earlier and get up earlier. Maybe it has something to do with being more in tune with nature? Lastly, I have had pretty bad allergies since we arrived and they really seem to hit a peak in the evenings. So, if it's one of those evenings, the last thing I want to do with my itchy, tired eyes is look at the computer screen.So, excuses aside, here we are! I realize we are still in what could be considered the "honeymoon phase" of our transition to the island, but so far we just love it! I take such delight in seeing my little boys get to play
like little boys out in our yard, it's wonderful! I now understand why many Hawaiian children I've seen in the past were either dirty or barely clothed. It really is a futile effort to get them dressed in any kind of outfit I would have put on them on the mainland on a normal day. In five minutes they'll walk back in the house covered in mud or having sat in chicken poop or worse. Aaron often runs around in only a onesie, a diaper, or nothing at all! Alex goes for swim trunks and his slippers (aka flip-flops). Seeing as how we hang-dry our laundry here, I don't mind keeping the clothing more on the simple side!Alex i
s doing great at his new school. He is the only haole (white boy) in his class, but doesn't seem to mind. We take him to school in the morning and he rides the bus home. We have our first parent-teacher conference next week, so it will be nice to hear more about how he's doing. And of course Alex LOVES going to the beach. The last time we went it was just he and I, and he got out there in the waves in his floating swimsuit and was really getting into it! He was so excited and loud it was almost embarrassing, ha ha! He was learning how to get out in the water a ways and then let a wave carry him back in to shore. Of course I can't just relax with a book on the beach, I have my eyes on him every moment, but I enjoy watching him love life so much!Aaron really seems to miss Alex when he's at school, but looks forward to the time of day when we walk out to the street and watching for the bus to bring Alex home. I am so glad they have each other, they play so well together now. They are sharing a room and usually wake up at the same early hour. We can hear them lay in there giggling from across the hall until Alex gets Aaron out of his pack 'n play. Next we hear the pitter-patter of their feet on the wood floor and soon I see a little face next to mine at the side of the bed and hear, "Hi Mommy!" And in our bed they climb and snuggle in between us. Thank goodness we have the king-sized bed!
When we take Aaron to the beach we really have to be on our toes. That child continues to demonstrate a
determination to take on life without fear. I wish you could hear how hard he laughs when the waves toss him off his feet. He was not afraid of those waves for one second before he charged straight into the water! He loves life and he loves to make us laugh any way he can. We are amazed at his humorous facial expressions and acts he does purely for our entertainment. He has a LOT of personality to go along with his extra strong will!Mark has begun his 2nd semester at Mammoth High and says he's glad he decided to stay, but is eager to get over here too! I can tell he's bored with Mammoth and ready for a change. We have skyped with him a couple of times now and the boys got to see him last night for the first time. It's odd not having him around, but we know he'll be here soon. We're thinking about registering him at the public school here now, which we didn't think we would consider. After being in the area and meeting some families with boys Mark's age, it is an option we are talking about with Mark. We'll see what we decide over the summer.
So we have applied to rent a larger home on Union Mill Road, which is just up the street from Jenny & Sully's land. The house seems very out of place in that it is the only two-story house on the street. We thought our two-story days were over when we left Mammoth! Jenny commented that this house seems like it was transplanted from Mammoth to Hawaii because it's just not your typical Hawaiian home. It's very open and spacious inside, which we like. It will have plenty of room for our 4 children, business office and also visitors. We hesitate to move so quickly as we are enjoying our month-to-month rental. It is perfect for our current family of 4. The yard is great and so are the neighbors, so we hate to leave it. We just know that by the time the new baby arrives and Mark and visiting family, this place will get small real fast!
Well, there is much more I could say about our new life here, but this is enough for now. I'm fading fast as it's actually 11:05 p.m. and way past my bedtime! I went to a women's Bible study tonight and got home a little later than usual. But I will write more soon and try to keep up on this blog as time allows. I hope all is well with you mainlanders!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
I'm Ready!!!
As I had suspected, a little taste of a Mammoth winter, below freezing temps and a couple of months living with relatives has succeeded in giving me the boost I needed to feel REALLY READY to get on that plane! Nothing against our family at all! They have generously put up with our brood for a good month now. It doesn't matter who we stay with, two months of hopping around without a home to call our own has made me very eager to land at our new Hawaiian abode.I cried my tears off and on for weeks, if not months, and haven't really cried since the day Peter drove away with the UHaul full of our things ready for shipment to Hawaii. Not to say that I won't shed a tear or two when the big day arrives, which will be here a week from tomorrow!!! I know this last week is going to FLY by at lightning speed. Today our dear friends the Helblings arrive from Sonora. We haven't seen them or their 3 kiddos for a year as they have been caring for orphans in Tanzania. Tomorrow our friend Josh Farmer arrives from Kansas City. I think it may have been 4 1/2 year ago that we last saw him! His wife, Amy, will arrive on the 1st with their little man and youngest of 4 little ones, Sam. I believe our friends Andy & Jaimee Langeland will arrive on the 30th. They are missionaries in the Ukraine and friends from our Orange County days, although I have known Andy since he was a wee lad in Redding. :) Finally, the Dells fly in on a red eye flight from Guam (with 3 boys in tow) on the 31st and will drive from SFO to Mammoth in time for the Watchmen concert on New Years Eve!
My parents and sister will also arrive on the 31st and stay until the 3rd. And did I mention that Peter's sister, Heather, and her family of 5 are also staying in the same house with us for 2 weeks??? They leave on the 3rd or 4th. It has been so great having them around and broke up our 5 weeks living here with Peter's parents nicely. Our boys have thoroughly enjoyed having their cousins around 24/7 while they are on Christmas vacation. Never a dull moment!
The last of our company leaves on Sunday the 4th and we have our going-away party at church that night. On Monday morning we will get up one last time in this house, pack up for good and get ready for our 4 pm flight from Mammoth to L.A.! I feel giddy at the very thought!!! We have flown to Hawaii with Aaron before, but he is a little older now and will be more aware of what's going on. I haven't flown with Alex since he was 4 months old, so I think the whole experience will be exciting for him. I look forward to the moments when I get to watch my firstborn experience Hawaii for the first time in his life!
Speaking of Alex, he is doing pretty good. He has been just a little more defiant, choosing to not listen to us, whining and getting emotional quickly, etc. In the car yesterday he was upset about something more than he normally would be and I asked him, "Hey Alex, I'm wondering if something else could be bothering you?" Without hesitation he said, "Yeah, I don't want to go to a new school!!! " Well, there we have it! At least he knew what was eating at him. He is anxious about starting out at a new school when he was so content at his school here in Mammoth. At least we know he's normal. :)
As for me, I am again employed by our business as the Inquiry Coordinator, handling all e-mail inquiries and helping people with reservations and rate info for our properties. In return I am not being paid, but Peter bought me a new MacBook and I am working in trade for that. I love my new computer and it will make it possible for me to easily Skype with friends and family after our move!
Friday, December 19, 2008
New Developments
Today was Alex's last day at Mammoth Elementary School. He came home happy about it being the last day and excited to not have anymore homework! I was relieved that he wasn't upset about it. He felt very special at his "aloha party" at school yesterday and said that all the kids were telling him good-bye today. He seemed to like that.Another development from our day today is that we had an ultrasound and were unable to find out the gender of our baby. It was actually pretty cute--every time the technician tried to take a peek between the legs, the baby's knees would come together in an act of modesty. Ha ha! I had a feeling we weren't going to be able to find out, so I wasn't really disappointed. We still feel pretty sure this is our girl, but may have to wait another 22 weeks or so to find out for sure!
As far as our "stuff" goes, the shipping container should arrive in Kapa'au on Monday. We will then arrange to have a truck transport it to Jenny & Sully's property and put it on the ground (hopefully very carefully!). Our Landcruiser sets sail tomorrow, from what I understand, and will be waiting for us in Kawaihae (20 minutes from our new home) when we arrive. We are renting a car for the first couple of days so we have a way to get from the airport to our car and have a day or so to return the rental to Kona (an hour drive from Kapa'au).
One logistic we had yet to work out until today was how we would get our family to L.A. when it's time to catch our one-way flight. We have a hotel room booked for the 5th in L.A. so we can stay the night and be ready to go for our early morning departure on Tuesday the 6th. We had hoped to find someone to drive us to L.A., but then they would have to turn around and drive the 5 hours back again. We hadn't been able to work out a good solution for this issue.
Today we had our first guest (for our vacational rental business) fly from LAX to Mammoth, a new service our airport is offering. We reazlied (duh) that we could fly from Mammoth to LAX and save ourselves the 5 hours of driving with the kids. We also wouldn't have to find someone to drive us down south AND we'd be able to check in our bags at a nice, small airport instead of at LAX. So we did it; we forked out the $325.00 to take the 1-hour flight from Mammoth to L.A. I think this is going to make a nice start to our trip as it will be so easy to get to the airport here and we won't be worn out from the extra driving time.
So that's pretty much the udpate for now. We are looking forward to enjoying the kids' Christmas vacation. The San Diego cousins will arrive on Sunday and, I'm sure, provide plenty of entertainment for all!
Friday, December 12, 2008
No Turning Back
I can't even begin to say how exhausted I am. I was up the entire night last night. Okay, I MAYBE got 1-2 hours of sleep sometime between 2-4. Peter left at 5 a.m. with his dad and our friend Sean to drive the UHaul and our Landcruiser down to Long Beach, plus a 3rd vehicle to drive the other two guys home in (since the UHaul and the Landcruiser stayed down there). After arriving down in Long Beach around 11ish today, they spent 2 hours packing up our 2o' shipping container which waited on the trailer of a flatbed truck. I guess after they were done that container was taken and lifted onto the ship it will travel to Hawaii on. Our Landcruiser was then processed somewhere else and taken in for shipping. Which, of all things, that makes me the most sad right now. I miss my car. I got parts of it repainted and the whole thing buffed out a day before it left town, and I want to drive around in my shiny car! Instead it's sitting down at some dingy port waiting to begin it's ocean voyage all alone. Ha!
Anyway, today was a long day since Peter wasn't here to help with the boys and I was beyond tired. It really wasn't terrible, just long. Peter's mom and I ordered take-out from 3 different places for dinner tonight, ha ha! Neither of us felt like going to the store OR cooking for the clan, so we all ordered what we felt like eating and I ran around and picked it up. Good thing we live in a small town!
I should be asleep right now, but probably in 30-45 minutes Peter and his dad will arrive. I don't think I could fall asleep if I wanted to. The winds are crazy right now and I can't help but be a bit worried about them, especially knowing how exhausted they are and that they're at the tail end of a 19-hour traveling/moving day. None of those guys do well driving at night when they're tired. Hopefully they'll keep each other awake.
So yeah, our stuff is gone. I'll see it on the other side soon, as in about 25 days. I cried a bit after I heard Peter drive off in the UHaul early this morning and Peter's mom was crying today. The fact that our things and our car has gone on ahead of us means wow, we are really doing this and we have officially committed to the point of no turning back. This is the real deal.
I continue to grieve with Alex. I just so badly want to get that kid to Hawaii and show him how amazing it is and how much he's going to love it and all the new friends he's going to make. I want him to see that it really is going to be okay. Yesterday he was saying he wouldn't move there, he'd only visit. That's all I can ask of him right now. :) Geez, we moved here the day he turned 4 months old, this is the only way of life he knows. And he's very attached to that life and the people in it! He's such a sweetie. I hope the excitement over going on the airplane supersedes his sadness over leaving when the big day arrives. I just can't bear to see his little heart broken!
Well, as I always try to end on a lighter more positive note, I must say I am relieved to be done packing and having to figure out what is going to Hawaii and what isn't. I'm done. Oh, and we also don't have to think about all the shipping details either. Now we just follow the tracking info and watch for when it lands. I have a few things to sell on Ebay and everything else is going in our suitcases and going with us. So, work-wise, the hard part really is over. Now we have a little over three weeks of holidays and good-byes. I fear these last days may be the most difficult of all, even after months of planning and packing. No way around that.
I do have to say I am thankful for how the timing of everything has come together. We have been able to do this whole moving deal without having to work around snow and freezing temps. Now tonight, as the guys arrive back home having completed the moving mission, a storm is blowing in with REALLY COLD weather and, prayerfully, lots of snow!
Yeah, they're here!!!!
Anyway, today was a long day since Peter wasn't here to help with the boys and I was beyond tired. It really wasn't terrible, just long. Peter's mom and I ordered take-out from 3 different places for dinner tonight, ha ha! Neither of us felt like going to the store OR cooking for the clan, so we all ordered what we felt like eating and I ran around and picked it up. Good thing we live in a small town!
I should be asleep right now, but probably in 30-45 minutes Peter and his dad will arrive. I don't think I could fall asleep if I wanted to. The winds are crazy right now and I can't help but be a bit worried about them, especially knowing how exhausted they are and that they're at the tail end of a 19-hour traveling/moving day. None of those guys do well driving at night when they're tired. Hopefully they'll keep each other awake.
So yeah, our stuff is gone. I'll see it on the other side soon, as in about 25 days. I cried a bit after I heard Peter drive off in the UHaul early this morning and Peter's mom was crying today. The fact that our things and our car has gone on ahead of us means wow, we are really doing this and we have officially committed to the point of no turning back. This is the real deal.
I continue to grieve with Alex. I just so badly want to get that kid to Hawaii and show him how amazing it is and how much he's going to love it and all the new friends he's going to make. I want him to see that it really is going to be okay. Yesterday he was saying he wouldn't move there, he'd only visit. That's all I can ask of him right now. :) Geez, we moved here the day he turned 4 months old, this is the only way of life he knows. And he's very attached to that life and the people in it! He's such a sweetie. I hope the excitement over going on the airplane supersedes his sadness over leaving when the big day arrives. I just can't bear to see his little heart broken!
Well, as I always try to end on a lighter more positive note, I must say I am relieved to be done packing and having to figure out what is going to Hawaii and what isn't. I'm done. Oh, and we also don't have to think about all the shipping details either. Now we just follow the tracking info and watch for when it lands. I have a few things to sell on Ebay and everything else is going in our suitcases and going with us. So, work-wise, the hard part really is over. Now we have a little over three weeks of holidays and good-byes. I fear these last days may be the most difficult of all, even after months of planning and packing. No way around that.
I do have to say I am thankful for how the timing of everything has come together. We have been able to do this whole moving deal without having to work around snow and freezing temps. Now tonight, as the guys arrive back home having completed the moving mission, a storm is blowing in with REALLY COLD weather and, prayerfully, lots of snow!
Yeah, they're here!!!!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
A Bittersweet Night
Tonight Peter & I attended our final Lighthouse leadership meeting, which took the form of a white elephant gift exchange. Following the exchange, Pastor Dave shared that the church's offer on a new building in town was accepted and we were all headed there to have cake and take a tour. He also talked about some events and guests who will be coming to the church in the next few months. The more I heard, the more my heart sunk deeper and deeper into my chest. Not that I wasn't excited for the church and the growth and all the new changes, but the reality of us not being there to enjoy it all and see it with our own eyes was setting in with a piercing finality.I began to go down the "poor me, this isn't fair" road but had to quickly flip the page on that thought process. You know, this is just our life. Like it or not, the Lord seems to have called us to be forerunners in whatever we do and that means laboring to establish a new work and then passing the baton when it's going strong. When I think back over our last 11 years together, this is the 3rd time we have passed the baton. We started out in ministry at Safe Harbor Church and Peter launched the worship ministry literally the day after he graduated from college. He really built that part of the church from the ground up and it was hopping when our 3 years there came to an end and we were called on to our next project in the desert. But we made our closest, life-long friends during that season and a foundation was layed in our lives that we continue to be grateful for.
Our season at Father's Heart Ranch was grueling, a desert experience in more ways than one. I must say that we learned more and grew more during those 3 1/2 years than we ever have in any season, all through the school of hard knocks. And when it got so hard that our Board even gave us the freedom to walk away from the project, we knew we were supposed to stay and keep on keepin' on. God told me He was building up our "faith muscles" and that He did. Sometimes I still wonder how we came through a year of working without being paid, especially considering we adopted Mark during that time. I'll tell you how, day by day and miracle by miracle!
I remember Mark realizing our financial situation and praying before bed, "Dear God, please let there be $1,000.00 in our mailbox in the morning." Oh my. Ha! Oh how He loves the prayers of the little ones! Mark sat and waited for the mailman to drive up our dirt road the next day, fully expecting God to answer His prayer for provision. And He did. As a true testimony to God's amazing faithfulness to us, there was an envelope with $1,000.00 in it. No joke. I don't know why I was surprised, but I was definitely thankful that God answered Mark's prayer that day!
Oh, but that is all a bunny trail. Long story short, when that children's home was finally launched and we received our first children, we were allowed to remain there and enjoy the fruit of it for only a few short months before we knew our mission was complete. We passed the baton to a family who had the credentials to take the care facility further than we could, and they are still there doing just that. While they still call on Peter for consulting from time to time, we have little to do with that project anymore and take joy in the fruit of those children's lives only from a distance.
Thankfully, the doors flew open to us in Mammoth and there was no doubt this was our next stop. That was 5 years and 5 days ago. And now we have 30 days left. Not only has Peter once again built an amazing worship ministry at a church, but he has built a highly successful business! Just this past week he was talking to his former boss at the Town Finance Dept. and he told Peter that our business is the only one of it's kind that is GROWING right now! THAT is something to thank God for! Even in a time of economic recession, our business continues to be blessed. Wow.But it's been hard here. For a long time I was the only mother with young children at the church and I often felt excluded as a result. There was no Sunday School or special program for my kids like there was when I was growing up. Not only that, but the only church service was (and is) at a time when my kids should have been at home in bed for the night. We tried many different solutions to this problem, none of which lasted for long. So to sit there tonight and hear about how a nursery is going to be built in the new building that will allow the mothers to attend with their children and still see and hear the service, I couldn't help but cry out of both frustration and relief. Finally a working solution seems to be on the horizon, a glimpse of long-awaited hope. The numerous young mothers who now attend the church will be able to benefit from that while we're off in Hawaii starting a whole new project from scratch. Yep, starting all over again. This time we won't even have a church, just a few like-spirited friends!
I do believe we have a lot to look forward to in Hawaii. Jenny & Sully have already been there for several years paving the way for what we are going to do together. Essentially we are going over there and starting 3 new businesses with very limited resources. This is when I am VERY thankful for the husband I have because I don't know many people who could take on a challenge like that and actually complete it well! I hope to be as much a part of everything he does there as possible, while I know the reality is that I will be pretty busy keeping our home and family going so that Peter can do what he is so good at doing. Ultimately, though, we have and will only accomplish that which God has blessed! The credit is all due to HIM, not us! We only have that which He has given us.
To tell the truth, what we feel called to do in Hawaii is beyond what either of us or the Sullivans can accomplish. Which is great because that means God HAS to show up! One thing I have learned through all we have done is that I don't want to live a life that is humanly possible. I don't want to live life protecting whatever it is we have been given over the years, although there is a responsibility to do that to an extent (obviously we have a family to care for and protect). I keep hearing stories about people who have lost their entire life savings or their retirement funds in the recent stock market dive. We just never know how long we will have the "stuff" we've come to find comfort in on this earth. Our lives are but a breath and each day is a gift. When our days are up on this earth, the "stuff" of this life won't matter anymore. Good thing, because we just exchanged most of our stuff for one-way plane tickets and a shipping container! Ha ha! Oh well...so we travel a little lighter now.
Well, anyway, this was a long one. But I make no apologies because this was what I needed tonight. I just needed to process, process, process. It's not my fault if you read it all. Ha ha! Our 30 days left here suddenly feel more like 30 seconds and the clock is ticking all too fast. It took all my strength to not have an emotional breakdown right there in the midst of our holiday party tonight. I knew if I let the tears start flowing, I wouldn't be able to turn them off again. But I let them out a little almost every night when I go to bed. Hopefully, by the time we set foot on the island, I will have cried my tears and will have nothing left to do but take pleasure in our new life there. I hope. :)By the way, the photos I have included were all taken tonight. The first one was taken of our store-front window from outside. The second is Peter inside the new building. And the last is our leadership team just thanking God for the new place. We've come a LONG way in 5 years and I couldn't help but take a few photos so we don't forget it!
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