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 piñata. 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, August 7, 2005
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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