Saturday, December 31, 2005

New Year's Eve

It is New Year's Eve!  We received about 3-4 inches of snow last night so we took the snow mobiles out this morning.  We rode up the mountain to the lookout which was pretty foggy.  It was a blast!  Took some really cute pictures.  After we went to the lookout we went down to the field and played.  I have really enjoyed my time with Uncle John, Aunt Kimberly and their exchange student Ana from Spain.  We had sandwiches for lunch and now are just relaxing.  John and Ana are playing Super Mario and Kimberly's reading. 

As 2006 starts tomorrow, I thought today would be a good day to set some goals for next year.

  1. Keep God first!
  2. Read the entire Bible
  3. Lose weight
  4. Travel to New Zealand
  5. Stay in touch with friends
  6. Keep a budget
  7. Journal regularly
An exciting part of this morning that I forgot to mention earlier, is we got to see a herd of elk in the field while were were snow mobiling.  There were 30+ of them then John and Kimberly chased them with their snow mobiles.

Another exciting part of the day- I was able to talk with Ana about spiritual matters.  She is an unbeliever that agreed that God's word is truth but that she didn't understand why she would want to accept the Lord and still stay here.  I was able to prayer with her that God would give her a clear understanding.

Friday, December 30, 2005

Playing in the snow!

Well it is almost 2006!  I have been in Washington since December 20th.  John, Kimberly, Ana, and I are up at the cabin for the weekend.  We are surrounded by white fluffy snow!  Kimberly and I built a snow family on the deck.  We used lemon juice containers for eyes and chocolate covered blueberries for a mouth.  They were super cute!  I sat by the fire place, had hot apple cider and watched the snow.  It has been years since I have played in the snow.  It has been sbsolutely amazing.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving

November 23, 2005
Aloha and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
This week in preschool, I have been teaching my little ones about the first thanksgiving and it made me realize how much we have to be thankful for.
First of all I have to say thank you for all of the encouragement, prayers, and support over the past couple of weeks. God has been faithful to provide and He has used many of you to do that!!! I am feeling much better. I am up to 11 children in preschool. God has been carrying me through each day by His grace. Still looking for a full time preschool assistant come January and now I am also looking for a secretary as our is moving to Hilo in December. AND after a week of open-hood surgery, my Jeep is back up and running very nicely with a new radiator. I am thrilled to have a mode of transportation!!!!
During this season when everyone is talking about what they are thankful for, I would like to ask, what are you thankful for???
I was humbled while I was talking to a friend who grew up outside of the US. She was blown away when she walked into a normal American kitchen and saw all of the cabinets full of packaged food and refrigerators filled with food ready to eat. Growing up her family had to work all day in order to have an evening meal. She was thankful to go to school where she was given breakfast and lunch. How many of us can truly say we are thankful for food when most of us don’t know what it is like to go an entire day without food because we don’t have any?
Have you ever read the book Jesus Freak by DC Talk??? It is a collection of stories by Christians who are persecuted for their faith. Do you realize the freedom we have to say that we are Christians? The most persecution we, as Americans, have to worry about is being laughed at. There are Christian brothers and sisters all over the world that will permanently live with the emotional, social, and physical scars they received for standing up for what they believe in. Check out http://www.persecution.com/ for more information on how to pray for these individuals.
So what am I most thankful for???

- Freedom from my sins!! Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life to give us eternal life. All we have to do is confess we are sinners, believe Jesus for what he did on the cross, and you are saved from the penalty of your sins, which is eternity away from Jesus (aka Hell).
Ultimately that is what thanksgiving is all about. Giving thanks to God for what He has done for us. That is why Abraham Lincoln set this day in November as a holiday every year for us to celebrate and give thanks.
For you history buffs- Here is the 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation…
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

Abraham Lincoln
So I wish for you a very Happy Thanksgiving!!! Enjoy the time with family and friends and know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela Calhoun

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Small Sacrifice

November 9, 2005
Aloha family and friends-
As I sit here tonight reflecting back over the past few weeks, my heart is overwhelmed by everything that has been going on. I have heard it said that you can’t appreciate the mountain tops without the valleys. Well I have to say, I have been in the valley for the past two weeks and the mountains are looming overhead. By God’s grace, the trek up the mountain has begun with my small sacrifice. I am humbled by the fact that God uses me even in my weakest moments!
I think back to the story of Abraham, when God told him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham had faith that God would live up to his promise (which was that Abraham would be the father of many nations and his descendants would be as numerous as the stars). And God did provide a ram to sacrifice rather than Isaac.
I desire to be a living sacrifice for God but the problem with a living sacrifice is that they crawl off of the altar!!!

Without going into a lot of detail about what has been going on in my life, I thought I would share the Song- “Lifesong” by Casting Crowns.

Empty hands held high,
Such small sacrifice,
Not joined with my life
I sing in vain tonight
May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my Lifesong sing
Bring a smile to you

Chorus:
Let my Lifesong sing to you
Let my Lifesong sing to you
I wanna sign your name to the end of this day knowing that my heart was true
Let my Lifesong sing to you
Lord I give my life
Living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be your hands and feet
So may the words I sing
And the things I do
Make my Lifesong sing
Bring a smile to you

Chorus

Bridge:
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Let my Lifesong sing to you
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Let my Lifesong sing to you

Chorus
Let my Lifesong sing to you ( Let my Lifesong sing)
Let my Lifesong sing to you (Jesus let my Lifesong sing)
I wanna sign (sign your name) your name to the end of this day (end of this day) knowing that my heart was true
Let my Lifesong sing to you.
Please let these words be an encouragement to you as they have been to me. It is not about us- it is all about God!!!

Prayer Request
School- This is both a praise and prayer request. The numbers of children in preschool are growing almost on a weekly basis (praise) but I am in dire need of help in preschool. At the moment I have a part time aide that works from 8:30 – 12:30. That leaves me by myself with children from 6:45 – 8:30 and 12:30 – 4. My preschool aide is moving back to Samoa in December and I am looking to hire a full time assistant as of January.
Strength and Health- Obviously with taking care of children from 6:45 – 4 everyday and all of the responsibilities of being director, my health has been affected. Please pray that the Lord will provide me some much needed rest, someone to sub if needed, and just overall health.
Friends- I can now kind of empathize with moms with small children. My conversations consist of “Do you have to go shi-shi? and “Use your words”. I need adult conversation after being with 3 and 4 year olds all day!!! The problem is most of the people that are my age have moved off island to other ministries. Please pray that God will provide.
As Thanksgiving and the holiday season are around the corner, I am thankful that the Lord has put you in my life and that He is faithful to provide when we put our faith and trust in Him!
Mahalo for your prayers!!! If there is anything that I can pray for, for you please email me or give me a call (808-553-8124).
Much love and God’s blessings,

Angela

Sunday, October 9, 2005

What if???

October 9, 2005


What if by Jadon Lavik

What if I climbed that mountain, what if I swam to that shore
What if every battle was victorious then would you love me more
Would you love me more
What if I were everyone’s first choice, what if I went farther than before
What if I stood high above the rest than would you love me more
Would you love me more
You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you I’m in awe of why you do
Why you do, why you do, I’m in awe of you, ooh
What if I ignored the hand that fed me, what if I forgot to confess
What if I stumbled down that mountain then would you love me less
Lord would you love me less
What if I were everyones last choice what if I mixed in with the rest
What if I failed what I passed before then would you love me less
Lord would you would you love me less, oh no oh no oh no
You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you I’m in awe of why you do
You do you do you do
What have I done to deserve your son sent to die for me
What can I give I want to live give me eyes to see
In a world that keeps changin’ there’s one thing that I know is true
Your love is stayin’ there’s nothing else I’ll hold onto
You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you I’m in awe of why you do
Why you do
You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you I’m in awe of why you do
I’m in awe of you I’m in awe of you
The way you love me, the way you do
The way you do , the way you love me, you love me , you love me
The way you do the way you do the way you love me,
the way you love you love you love
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aloha family and friends-
As I was driving home from church today, this song was playing on the radio. It is the exact words that I needed to hear to remind me that nothing I do affects God’s love for me. Whether I am on the mountaintop or in the valley, God loves me! Whether I am chosen first or chosen last in this world, God loves me! Whether I am married or single, God loves me! That is such a comforting thought in the whirlwind of emotions and everything that is going on. GOD LOVES ME!!! (and He loves you, too!!!) Christ’s blood paid the price for my freedom. I am victorious no matter what the enemy may throw at me.
Many of you have been praying for preschool. Keep praying!! The young lady that came out to help as my teaching assistant is headed back to Louisiana on Wednesday morning. The emotions of having her husband of a year stationed in South Korea and her family in Louisiana has been overwhelming and she feels she needs to go home. So as my heart empathizes with her, it also cries out in need of a helper for preschool. Please pray that God will bring whom He wants down in preschool and that everything will go smoothly this week as we return from a two-week break.

“Is anything to hard for the Lord???” Genesis 18:14
You are in my thoughts and prayers. If there is anything I can pray about for you please let me know.

Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Happily Single

Written Friday, August 19, 2005
Sent Saturday, August 20, 2005
Today has been a good day, not how I had planned it, but good none the less. Today is Admission’s day in Hawaii. We are the only state (to the best of my knowledge) that gets a day off for becoming a state- hence Admissions Day. Anyway, my plans for today were to take the 5:30am boat over to Maui, spend the day relaxing, and come back on the 6:00pm boat.

Things around here have been a bit crazy with keeping the Manley’s five children for the 10 days Randy and Louise were gone and teaching preschool from 7 to 4 everyday. I definitely give credit to all moms (and dads) especially those that work all day and have a family to care for. Back to my plans for the day- because of my tiredness, I didn’t listen to my 4:30 wake up alarm so consequently I didn’t make the 5:30 boat and ended up sleeping till 8 am. (And it felt wonderful to sleep in!!!) So the plans I had did not take place but the Lord had other plans. I enjoyed a relaxing morning at home- balanced my checkbook, started a load of laundry, cleaned out my refrigerator, unpacked from being up at the Manley’s, got dressed to go to town, had breakfast, mailed a couple of packages, went to the hardware store, went grocery shopping, came home, put together four casseroles for the next couple of weeks for dinners, hung up laundry and started another load, mounted several pictures on the walls of my house, watered my yard, reseeded my yard, fertilized my yard, came in, cleaned up, and worked on my scrapbook until now.
As I was getting ready for bed, the Lord laid on my heart the questions, “Are you satisfied being single?”. With all the books out there on this topic, I know it is on a lot of minds. After looking back on my day and even the past few weeks, I have to say, “Yes, Lord, I am satisfied being single.” The only reason I bring this up is because that is not always my answer. Most days my answer would be, “No, I am not satisfied being single, I desire to be married.” The Lord used the events of the day to show me the joys of being single- I can get up late if I want. I am more flexible if plans change. I can spend endless hours doing things I enjoy like spending time with God, cooking, or scrapbooking. Now please don’t get me wrong, I still desire to one day get married and have a family of my own but the Lord showed me today that I need to enjoy every day he has me single. So yes, until the Lord’s appointed time for me to get married, I am happily single and satisfied with what the Lord is doing in my life. Are you happily satisfied with where the Lord has you for right now? Or are you complaining because things aren’t going the way you want them to? Rejoice is the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!!! Choose joy!!! Ask the Lord to give you His joy in each situation you face. If you need prayer, call me or email me.
And for those of you that have heard from two little birdie friends of mine traveling around the U.S. that I am getting married, I will let you know when I find out!! Thanks Candace and Julie for keeping us all laughing!!
Have a great weekend!!!
Much love and God’s Blessings,
Angela Calhoun

Sunday, August 7, 2005

A Great Weekend

What a blessed day and weekend I have had!!! I flew into Oahu Friday afternoon and was picked up by Sarah Jordan and Adele Lieb (Sarah’s mom). We went to a women’s dinner at Waimea Bay called Sunset at the bay. Had a lovely time of fellowship and worship!!! Saw some old friends and made some new friends. At the end of the evening, we all picked a Bible verse out of a basket. My verse was Psalm 145:15-16- “The eyes of all look expectantly to You and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” At the time I read it, I didn’t see how it applied to my life.
Saturday morning as I was doing my devotions, I read all of Psalm 145. The Lord really opened my eyes and my heart to what He was saying in these verses. There have been several things in my life that I have been faithfully seeking the Lord on. The recurring answer I keep getting from God is “Trust me. I have everything worked out according to My plan.” After meditating on these verses and asking the Lord to show me the relevance it has in my life, I feel an overwhelming peace that these situations in my life will be worked out in due season and I need to keep looking expectantly at the Lord to satisfy the desires of my heart.
Later on Saturday, I was sitting on the beach across from Sarah’s house on North Shore, Oahu and I was reading the book “Captivating” by John and Staci Eldridge. As I was sitting there in the warm sun with the cool breeze rustling the palm trees behind me the Lord was using the gently crashing waves to calm me and tell me how much He loved me. He created the warm sun, the cool breeze, and the crashing waves to bring us pleasure. They are love notes from God. “I have loved you with an ever-lasting love”- God (Jeremiah 31:3). I just sat there and basked in His radiance. God is so awesome!!!
The reason I went to Oahu was to help celebrate the upcoming birth of Jim and Sarah’s baby. (Sarah was a roommate of mine for two years on Molokai.) Sarah’s baby shower was themed ‘a small kid kine party’. We celebrated with hot dogs, mac and cheese, jello, m&m’s, kool-aid, rice krispie treats, and tons of fun games- hop scotch, jump rope, water balloon toss, fingerpainting, play dough, sidewalk chalk, and a piƱata. It was so much fun and Sarah got some super cute baby gifts. This was a bitter sweet time- while I enjoyed spending the weekend with Sarah, this will be the last time I see her for a while as she and Jim are moving to Minnesota as of September 1st.
Today, we went to North Shore Christian Fellowship where Pastor Mike gave an awesome message out of the book of Revelation on how we have misplaced our first love which is Jesus Christ and the salvation that only He brings. If you have never found the redeeming love of Jesus Christ and want to know what this salvation from sin is all about, please email me or call me (808-553-8124) and I will be more that happy to talk with you and pray for you.
I am now back on Molokai feeling refreshed and renewed!! I am ready to head back into the classroom in the morning. Hope each of you have a great week!!! You are in my thoughts and prayer!
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Life lessons learned in preschool

July 31st, 2005
Well it is that time of the year again… a day filled with the joyful laughter of children playing!! Oh and I can’t forget to add the tears of saying goodbye to mommy and the numerous times this week I have heard “Aunty, I just made shi-shi in my pants”. The joys of being back in school!!
I told several of you that I would try to write more frequently, so here we go. I survived my first week back to school. Life gets very interesting when you have seven children between the ages of 2 years 10 months and 4 years 6 months. Each year the children and the class dynamics are so different. This group seems to be pretty relaxed. I have two boys from last year that are good leaders and role models for the other two boys. I have one girl that has to change activities every two minutes. Most of them have been trained very well at home to clean up after themselves, so clean up time in the classroom is a breeze. I am still praying that God will bring in several more children in the upcoming weeks.
I bought the book “All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum this summer. The first section is all about those precious life lessons that we learn as a child that we hopefully take with us for the rest of our lives. I thought I would take the time to share an excerpt from this book.
“All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:
- Share everything

- Play fair

- Don’t hit people

- Put things back where you found them

- Clean up your own mess

- Don’t take things that aren’t yours

- Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody

- Wash your hands before you eat

- Flush

- Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
- Live a balanced life- learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some
- Take a nap every afternoon

- Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
- Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup- they all die. So do we.
- And then remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you learned- the biggest word of all- LOOK!!! (pages 4 & 5 of “All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum)

Wouldn’t life be wonderful if we all followed these rules and understood them. Oh, the wonderful things you learn in preschool and kindergarten. I encourage you take heed of the “live a balanced life” and make sure that you take time to play. Open up a box of Crayola crayons and have fun!!

I truly have the best job in the world working with the generation of the future. Please continue to pray for the school and for the people of Molokai.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and love. Feel free to email me with any prayer requests you may have so that I can lift your need before the great Physician!!!
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela

Saturday, July 16, 2005

One last email

July 16, 2005


Aloha family & friends-

I decided I would send out one last email for the summer of 2005, as I head back to school in one week. I cannot believe how fast this summer has flown!!! School starts on July 25th (the day after my birthday)! So far I have 7 children enrolled in preschool and Aunty Shirley is going to be my assistant until October. After that Stephanie from Louisiana is coming out. We are still praying for a few more children to enroll.

I finished up tutoring yesterday (Friday) and have all next week to get ready for school. I have spent today working around the house, cleaning up for houseguests that I have for the next several weeks. My prayer has been that God would send people out here to visit, as a lot of people have left recently. It is not in ways I would have thought, but God has answered above and beyond!!! I am very thankful for His provision.
As I sit here at my computer, I can see the sunset outside of my living room window. It is such a great reminder of God’s magnificent hand painting yellows, blues, and purples across the sky. This afternoon I spent a couple of hours outside working in the yard mowing and cleaning up. It was in the mid 90’s, clear blue skies, and a gentle breeze blowing. The grass is turning much greener after some watering and tender loving care. The trees and shrubs I planted a couple of weeks ago are finally taking root. I am so thankful that God allows us to see His beauty through nature.
Thanks for your love, support, and prayers. I will try to be better about staying in touch this year. Feel free to email, write, or call (808-553-8124). You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Much love and God’s blessings,

Angela

Monday, July 4, 2005

Happy Independance Day

July 4th 2005




Aloha family and friends-
I thought I would take the opportunity to say hello and let you know what has been going on since the last time I wrote. I have been back on island two and a half weeks and have been kept very busy.
When I signed up to tutor this summer I thought I was going to be tutoring 1hour a day three days a week. It has turned into three hours a day five days a week. So I am up at school at 6:45 am, tutor until almost 10am, work in my classroom for a couple of hours and then go home and work on projects around the house. I have cleaned up my yard after being gone for five weeks. Planted a plumeria tree, a bird of paradise, eight bouganvilla (sp??), two hibiscus, and several other plants. Had a massive garage sale this past weekend so I have spent time getting everything priced and organized. Came home to a huge garbage bag full of box tops and Campbell's labels. I have cut a bundled over 11,000 labels and about 170$ worth of box tops. Mahalo nui to all who have sent those to support our school. Please keep them coming!
Wednesday afternoon Bible Study has been going again for the past two weeks. I had two high school girls the first week and then four different ones this week. These girls desire to be in the Word and learn more about what God has for them. Please keep praying that God will continue to grow these girls into His image.
This summer has also been a time of good byes. Between all of the trips to the airport to say goodbye to close friends and all of the going away parties, I am beginning to not like the airport. But God is faithful to provide all that is needed!!!

At the moment, five girls are here at the house eating pizza and watching movies. We spent the afternoon at the beach and now we are just hanging out. Two of the girls, Candace and Amber, leave for the mainland on Saturday so I am trying to spend time with them before they leave. Outside of my house, all of the neighborhood kids are setting off fireworks, so it is quite smokey and loud!!!
Well I will sign off for now. Hope everything is going well for you!!! I would love to talk with you and know what is going on in your life.
Much love and God's blessings,
Angela

Happy Independance Day!

I thought I would take the opportunity to say hello and let you know what has been going on since the last time I wrote. I have been back on island two and a half weeks and have been kept very busy.

When I signed up to tutor this summer I thought I was going to be tutoring 1hour a day three days a week. It has turned into three hours a day five days a week. So I am up at school at 6:45am, tutor until almost 10 am, work in my classroom for a couple of hours, and then go home and work on projects around the house. I have cleaned up my yard after being gone for five weeks. Planted a plumeria tree, a bird of paradise, eight boganvilla (sp??), two hibiscus and several other plants. Had a massive garage sale this past weekend so I have spent time getting everything priced and organized. Came home to a huge garbage bag full of box tops and Campbell's labels. I have cut and bundled over 11,000 labels and about 170$ worth of box tops. Mahalo nui loa to all who have sent these to support our school. Please keep them coming!

Wednesday afternoon Bible study has been going again for the past two weeks. I had two high school girls the first week and then four different ones this week. These girls desire to be in the Word and learn more about what God has for them. Please keep praying that God will continue to grow these girls into His image.

This summer has also been a time of good byes. Between all of the trips to the airport to say goodbye to close friends and all of the going away parties, I am beginning to not like the airport. But God is faithful to provide all that is needed!

At the moment, five girls are here at the house eating pizza and watching movies. We spent the afternoon at the beach and now we are just hanging out. Two of the girls, Candace and Amber, leave for the mainland on Saturday so I am trying to spend time with them before they leave. Outside of my house, all the neighborhood kids are setting off fireworks, so it is quite smokey and loud!!

Well I will sign off for now. Hope everything is going well for you! I would love to talk with you and know what is going on in your life.

Friday, June 17, 2005

I'm Back

After 5 weeks of being on the mainland with family and friends, I am back home on Molokai. While driving to my parent's house from town one day, the song "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns came on the radio. If you are not familiar with the words, they go:

Oh what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in on to the crashing waves. To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is and He's holding out His hand. But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me. reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The waves, they keep on telling me time and time again, "Boy, You'll never win!! You'll never win!!"

Chorus: But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story. The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!" And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory" Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.

Oh what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor wishing they'd have the strength to stand. But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me. Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The giant keeps on telling me time and time again, "Boy, You'll never win! You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size to put the giant on the ground and the waves aren't looking so high from on top of them lookin' down. I will soar with the wings of eagles when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus singing over me. I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth!

How many times do we feel the waves and giants in our lives laughing at us? One of the things that the Lord has been growing me in recently is trust. Do I truly trust what the Voice of Truth is saying or is my focus on the crashing waves and intimidating giants? Do I have the faith to climb out of the boat on to the crashing waves?

God has put several "giant" situations in my life over the past couple of months that if I were to listen to the giants, I would be hiding. But Christ is holding out His hand saying "Trust Me. I will not let you fall! Don't be afraid!" This is the Voice of Truth that I have to make the conscience effort to listen to. Jesus Christ's voice of truth is a quiet voice that can easily be drowned out by the noise of the waves and giants. There have been numerous times that like Peter, I take my eyes off of Jesus and I start sinking beneath the waves. Jesus is faithful to pull you up from beneath the crashing waves if you ask and trust in Him.

In several of the gigantic situations that I mentioned earlier, Jesus has me trusting that even though I don't know the outcome- He does and it will all work out for His honor and glory!!

So friend- will you choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth!!

I enjoyed spending time with those of you I saw while on the mainland. Jared and Laura's wedding went beautifully! I look forward to hearing from each of you. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Please be in prayer for the island of Molokai and All God's Children Preschool.

Friday, March 11, 2005

Adventures in Tahiti

March 11th, 2005
It is the day before we leave for Tahiti. God has not shown us any of the details as to what we are doing, where we are staying, etc... but He has given Jon and I His perfect peace concerning all of the details being worked out.

At school this morning, I was given a $500 support check for the team and $40 from a parent to spend on Candace and myself.  The student body had a commissioning service where they prayed for the health of the team (as 4 of the 5 seniors are sick), the details to be worked out and for us to minister to the people of Tahiti.

This evening I was getting uneasy about not knowing all the details and leaving in the morning.  I picked up the book "Secure in the Everlasting arms" by Elizabeth Elliott and read while I soaked.  One of the excerpts in the book made me hit my knees concerning the details.  I prayed for a fleece to be revealed (a sign).  As soon as I was pau praying the phone rang.  It was Nicci Pou saying they had finally gotten in touch with Michu and that she would work out the details.  Nicci called back a little later to let me know that a lady named Freda is picking us up and we are staying at the First Assembly Church in Papeete!  My how God answers prayer in the 11th hour!

"Thy shoes shall be iron and brass and as thy days, so shall thy strength be" Deuteronomy 33:25

 March 12th-  Day of departure

When I woke up this morning it was raining.  Lisa and I went to Stanley's for breakfast and then I headed to the airport.  When I arrived I was told that all Molokai Air Shuttle flights were cancelled due to the rain.  I went to the Island Air counter and they had 2 seats on the 10:55 flight but they were $110 a piece (one way).  The lady said that if I went to see Shirley Rawlins, I could get them for $90 a piece.  So I went to town and ended up getting them for $65 each.  My how God works it out.  Tirzah and I checked in and flew to Honolulu.  On the way I met two ladies from North Carolina- one from Charlotte and one from Asheville. 

Once in HNL, Tirzah's dad picked us up and we went to Costco and Walmart.  Went back to the airport to pick up the rest of the team and was told their flight was delayed until 4:45... which puts them being into HNL at 5:10.  As I just finished that last sentence Bill Umi pulled up with the rest of the team.  Praise the LORD!

Now we are sitting in HNL airport waiting for our plane to arrive.  I just called to check in with Dan.  We are now on the plane headed to Papeete.  I have just started reading when this passage stuck out to me.

"It is for His kingdom and His will, yet we ought not to ask it unless we ourselves are prepared to cooperate.  But how pitifully tiny our efforts seem, how ineffective, how absurd. (pg 34)

early March 13th- Arrival into Papeete

Our flight was a fairly smoth one that allowed me to take a 3 hour nap while the movie was playing.  I sat beside Tirzah and it was like flying with someone who has just flown for the first time.  She was so thrilled.

We arrived at 12:15am and had to go through customs.  People met us at the gate with gardenias or Tahiti's flower and singing with Ukulele's.

When we walked out a group from the church met us with fresh flower lei's.  I met a young man that worked at Molokai General Hospital.  He now owns a Christian tv station in Tahiti and asked if we would come to the station and talk about what we are doing.  He gave me his phone number so I plan to call him this week!

The universal langage is love!

I woke up at 6am this morning with the sounds of voices outside.  The youth singing group werer getting ready and practicing.  Even though we do not know much french, we can truly understand that they are worshiping our Lord.

Dieu est la source de my joie
Psalm 119:9-12

After sitting through a 30 minute prayer service, then onto worship through song and message.  The worship through song was awesome even though we could not understand.  The message was translated into 3 languages - French, Tahitian and English.  The service lasted for three hours.  Jon and I were proud of the kids for sitting through the service.  After the service we had lunch, talked story, learned Tahitian dance, had a meeting with the church board as to what we are doing here.  We are going to paint the inside of the church and lunch room.  They said they were thrilled with what we were going to do. 

John (black) came by and took us down to the river.  It was so beautiful and clear.  We all stayed there until the sun set.  We then came back... had leftovers for dinner.  After my shower I had a good conversation with Hetote, a 23 year old local guy that was raised in Miami.

March 14th

Today we all woke up with few mosquito bites due to the mosquito coils in our room.  We slept really well in our new rooms.  It is close quarters but livable.  Joelle was to come by at 9am to exchange $ and do some sightseeing.  I learned Tahiti time is the same as Molokai time.  He came at 9:45.  We all loaded in his truck and headed out.  We went to the bank and then headed to the overlook on Taiarapu Peninsula.  We were able to see Tahiti Nui (the big part).  Then we drove to Teahupoo, so Jon could see where the pro surfing tournament takes place.  By the time we got back we rested a while and then walked down to the black sand beach where we played for a long time.  I found 4 conch shells and brought 2 back with me. 

Every stop we have made today we have had the opportunity to talk with local people.  Thankfully Tia has been here to help translate.  It is really cool to be able to communicate with everyone.  We have been learning French from the local kids hanging around.  Most want to talk English as much as we want to learn French.  At the beach I met a 24 year old girl that had twins.  She asked how many kids I had.  I explained I teach school and have 10 children in my class at school.  Something got lost in the translation because she thought I had 10 children of my own.  oops!

March 15th

This morning I got all the girls up thinking the guys all went to town to get painting supplies.  We ate breakfast, had devotions, and then started on work projects.  Christian and Daniel came in and said they didn't go to town.  Oops!  After we cleaned the bathrooms, the kitchen, our rooms, and wiped down all the walls of the kitchen we had a group meeting.  I talked to the seniors about what they had been learning.  Most of them were thankful for the things they have on Molokai.  They ahve enjoyed the times of worship in French and the friendliness of the people.  I think it is really cool that we have only been here two days and the kids are already seeing that.

Right before lunch, I took the kids (5 seniors and 3 local kids) down to the river to play.  It has been so stinkin hot and the water is so nice and cool.  We played down there for an hour and then came back to lunch.  Shortly after lunch Joel came back with Jon and the painting supplies.  Joel then took the girls and I to "hyper Champion" to do grocery shopping.  I got 2 nights worth of food and spent $30.

March 16th

Today was paint day.  We all got up and ate breakfast then had a share time of devotions.  When we were through we got out the paint stuff and painted the fellowship hall.  The paint was oil based so it was difficult to get off of our skin but it looked really nice on the walls.  It took more paint than we were expecting but that's ok.  When we finished, they had prepared lunch for us so we ate.  All the kids except for Kanoe went to the river.  I stayed behind due to Kanoe being here.  So far I have done some reading, laundry, writing in my journal and I am about to head down to the store.  As I finished that last line Jean Marc came by and volunteered to take Kanoe and I to the store.  We went grocery shopping and to a clothing store.

Evening Bible study lasted for two hours.  Worship was awesome and all the kids understood the message.  I am amzed at the turn out of youth on a Wednesday night.  The music with all of the voices was absolutely amamzing.  After the service Naomi gave me a beautiful shell labeled with Tahiti.  We all sat out on the lanai and talked story and snag.  It was so great.  The mosquitos were really bad.

March 17th

Woke up bright and early at 7am.  Had breakfast with the team and then did a devotion on God's perfect peace.  We painted the sanctuary until we ran out of paint.  Tia and a couple of the other guys bought Chinese food for lunch.  You have to bring your own take away containers.  After lunch we rested and then went on a long hike to the waterfalls.  We walked for an hour until we came to a crystal clear pool of water flowing from the mountain.  It was beautiful.


March 18th

Today when I woke up my right leg had lots of little red blisters on it from the branch I ran into yesterday.  The team met in the kitchen for breakfast and devotions.  We all got ready and when John (black) came by we hopped in and caught a ride down to the Gauguin Museo.  We walked around there for an hour.  Great history of Paul Gauguin and the island of Tahiti.  Tiana's mom works there and she got us in for free instead of the 600 CFP's.  We started walking home after the museum and got picked up by Joel, taken back to the church, changed clothes, and headed to Paparo beach.  Jon wanted to surf but had no board so he body surfed.  Then we went to Vaima (the river) to rinse off and grab a snack.  We got back to the church, ate, showered and had a worship service.  There was dinner afterward but nobody told us about it.

One other exciting event is the mother dog here got torn into and Jon offered to stitch the dog up.

It was a struggle to get the kids to bed because they were so wound up!

March 19th

My alarm went off at 4am.  Paco had slept in our room so she also got up.  Joel came to pick us up at 5am.  We drove to Papeete, drove the trucks on the Arimonte ferry and we headed to Moorea.  The ride was 45 minutes and cost 650cfp per person per way.  The car was 3500 each way.  We got to Moorea about 7:30 and went to Joel's sisters house for breakfast.  We enjoyed a time of fellowship with them and then headed around the island.  We stopped at Usine de Jus de Fruits where they make fruit juice.  Then we drove to Baie de Cook then up to the old Temanoha Village and then to Le Belvedere Lookout.  Moorea is a beautiful island.  At lunch we went to Tamae beach where the water was crystal clear and white sand.  We played and rested there until we needed to head back to the boat dock.  We took the ferry back to Papeete and then drove back to Papeari just in time for service at 7pm.  Our seniors were tired and fussy.  They didn't want to go to the service so I gave them the choice.  You can go to the service or you can go to bed.  Kelly chose to lay down and the rest went to the service.  We had a great time of worship and then watched a dvd on YWAM-Pacific Quest.

March 20th

We have officially been here a week.  It feels like longer because we have done so much.  Tirzah woke up at 3am screaming... shortly after Paco saw Jon using the bathroom in the bushes.  We got up at 7am.  People were outside raking the yard and cleaning up everything.  Daniel's stomach was sick so he spent all of church in the bathroom.  We did a short performance at church.  Jon, Kelly, Kanoe, and Christian sang Shout to the Lord while Tirzah signed and I did a hula.  Church went from 9:30-12:30 and by the time church was pau I was feeling really sick.  I went and laid down.  Somebody came in and coearced me to eat lunch.  I ate and felt no better.  Sadley enough I have been in bed most of the day.  I got up to watch the Tahitian dance practice but the drumming was hurting my head so I laid back down and have stayed here except for a couple trips to the bathroom.

March 21st

Today is Monday morning.  We spent the day painting the rest of the church.  We repainted all of the trim red.  By the time we finished it was 4 o'clock.  The church looked very snazzy!  After painting Jon ran to the store to pick up ham and cheese for sandwiches.  Once he got back we cooked up dinner and I went to lay down as I was still feeling a little funny.  I had to give the kids a 10 o'clock curfew because I was getting tired of them waking me up at 1:30am and then not wanting to get up the next morning.  I did some reading before I went to bed.

March 22nd

We got up with the thought of Joel coming to pick us up and taking us around the back side of the island.  Jon went surfing with Teva's friend named Teva.  John ended up coming to take one of the other guys to the doctor.  He ended up taking us cruising with him.  We went to Taravao then came back picked up Tia and headed to Papeete.  The kids begged to eat at McDonalds so John stopped there for us to have lunch.  A kids meal was 560 francs and a "value" meal was 780 francs.  We then went to Le marche de Papeete and I bought pareo's and a couple of necklaces.  It was a fun day.  We ran into several people from the church in Papiera.  We came back and ate dinner with the guys here.  After dinner I went out to wash clothes and Kelly and Tirzah came in to talk to me.  Glad that these girls trust me and want to know my opinions on certain issues.

March 23rd

Jean Marc was supposed to come by and take us to Papeete shopping today but he never came by so I spent the day reading my Bible, praying and reading in the Elizabeth Elliott book.  It was a nice relaxing day.  Kanoe and I took mattressess under the tree and laid out there and read.

I actually had my first half warm shower today because I was the first person in and the water in the pipes was warm.  I made speghetti and green beans for dinner.  Jon ran down to the store and bought ice cream.  We had Wednesday evening service at 7:30.  The worship again was absolutely amazing.  We had a time of prayer and then Freida gave a message on Joshua and how each of us are called to be Joshua's.  She also added in how sometimes God calls people to be Joshua's from a long way away to bless others by painting their church.  I was blessed by the hospitality and kindness that has been shown to us in our time in Tahiti.

After service Naomi left a bag of pareos and black pearls for all of the girls and t-shirts for the boys.  She has been such a blessing to us!

March 24th

Today we all slept in and had devotions at 10am.  Joel came by at 11am to pick us up.  We were supposed to head around the island to the other side but Joel's wife was sick.  We ended up going to the bank to exchange $ but it closed right as we arrived at 11:45am and didn't reopen until 2pm so we went to Papara to swim then to the Fern Grotto.  It was so much cooler and beautiful.  We had lunch at the beach.  Hamburgers and french fries.  Yummy!  When we got back to the church, we rested, read, played cards, and talked story until dinner.  We had saimen and bread for dinner with ice cream for dessert.  Paco fell asleep in Kelly's bed and didn't leave until early this morning.

March 25th

Kelly woke up this morning saying how much body heat Paco radiated.  We got up and had devotions under the tree.  We talked about the significance of Good Friday.  As we were finishing up it started to rain.  Each person was given a job to do.  With 7 of us the tasks got done really quick.  Taimati was to take us on a hike but due to the inclement weather we were unable to go.  The weather during the rain was very cool.  I finished my book and rested.  Freida, her daughter, and Naomi all came.  Frieda cooked us a traditional Tahitian dinner.  Her daughter taught us a couple of Tahitian dances.

March 26th

Our last day in Tahiti!  A bitter sweet moment.  I have enjoyed my time here and have been extremely blessed.  Last night/this morning the girls raided the guys room.  Kelly painted Jon's finger and toe nails bright red.  The funny thing is that we had no fingernail polish remover and paint thinner didn't work.  We got up at 5:30 to catch the bus into Papeete.  We waited until 8:15 when the bus finally came.  We shopped for a few hours and then caught the bus back at 11:15.  The bus was super crowded but we made it back.  We packed our suitcases and cleaned up.  Frieda's daughter took Naomi, Kanoe, and myself to Champion to get a few treats to take back with us.  We had evening service where we were thanked for coming and serving.  They asked for Jon to share something.  He did and then I shared how 2 weeks ago we were strangers visiting a foreign land.  Today I feel like I am leaving family.  Each of the kids got up and told what the Lord had been doing in their lives while in Tahiti.  Then we had a time where the people there prayed over us.  We are so blessed to have met these wonderful people.  After service they gave us dinner and then we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport.


Monday, January 31, 2005

Happy New Year! 2006!

Aloha and Happy New Year!!!!
Boy, it has been a while since I have last sent out an email. Things have been busy. Several people have asked me recently what God has been teaching me… Oh, where to begin- 1) God’s grace is sufficient, 2) to trust Him in all circumstances, 3) to be patient, and 4) to spend each day focused on what God has put in my life.

So what has God put in my life at this moment in time:

Preschool- God has blessed me with 12 adorable preschoolers and a full time teaching assistant. I am with children from 6:45 am til 4 pm on a daily basis. May, my part time assistant, moved back to Samoa after Christmas. The day before I left for the mainland for Christmas I hired Aunty Sybil. I am still in the process of training her and taking care of all the administrator/director duties of preschool as well as teaching all day. Needless to say by the end of the day, I am worn out.

More sad good byes- Boy am I looking forward to heaven, where there will be no more sad good byes. I had to again say bye to two of my close friends. May left in December and Aisha just moved to Big Island this past week. No one told me that when I moved to Molokai, that I would have to say hello and good-bye to so many people. In the five years I have been here, I cannot begin to count how many sad airport departures I have been apart of.

An answered prayer- Well after losing two friends, God has blessed me with two new buddies- Jasmine and Marcus. They have come to Molokai for a few months to be student interns with Mission Molokai. Jasmine is my new roommate and Marcus is staying up at the church. God has been so gracious to allow Jasmine and I to become friends so quickly. They have only been out here a week and a half, and yet I feel like I have known them a lifetime. God is so awesome!!

Christmas and New Years- Going back in time, a month or so. I was able to spend Christmas in Washington State with my mom, dad, Gramma, and all of my aunts and uncles. It was the first time that I had ever spent Christmas with my dad’s side of the family. We had such a wonderful time. I even got to play in the snow and spend New Year’s Eve snow mobiling. It was a blast!!!

Upcoming plans- God has allowed me again to travel over spring break. I leave March 20th to head to New Zealand to visit with some missionary friends for 10 days. I am looking forward to this change of scenery and a time to grow with God. Please pray that His will, will be done.

Mahalo nui!!! – To all of you saving Campbell’s labels and box tops, I have to share a picture of some of the new equipment we were able to get. We were able to get a t-ball set, bat, bases, art materials, and a digital camera. If you have never watched a t-ball game with 3 and 4 year olds, it is the cutest thing imaginable. Keep the labels and box tops coming!!! We all appreciate them greatly!!!
Prayer Requests-

Future plans

Preschool Enrollment for next year

Safe travel and God’s provision for New Zealand Trip
If at anytime, you would like to come for a visit, I would love to see you!!! Email me back or call me (808-553-8124 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 808-553-8124 end_of_the_skype_highlighting) if I can pray for you or you just want to talk. I hope and pray all is going well for you.
Much love and God’s blessings,
Angela Calhoun

PS You know you have been on Molokai too long when you are trying to say “more adequate” and it comes out “Mo bettah!!!”