Aloha and Happy Easter!
It's been quite a while since I gave any updates on da kine (which means whatchamacallit in my oh-so Hawaiian Pidgin), so I figured tonight is as good as any to jot some thoughts down!
In short, MUCH has changed in the 2 months since I last wrote. The Lord has really come through on a blessing we have been hoping and praying for- COMMUNITY! It is simply amazing to compare our time in St. Louis to our time in Hawaii. This is the place we are supposed to be right now, and that has been made absolutely clear in the ways that He has been showing us recently! That does not mean we didn't love the 6 months we spent a little closer to family, and that certainly does not mean we don't miss our families even now! We really, really do.
Community is so important to both Pete and me. I think it's a natural desire to want to be surrounded by people and to be poured into as well as pour into others. I have longed to be back in an environment where I am being taught as well as teaching. That's why I'm so grateful that God recently made it possible for me to start working with youth again! On Tuesday nights, I hang out with the coolest Jr. Highers you've ever met. I get to be hyper with them on random Friday night game nights (see pictures below- a picture speaks a thousand words), and I get to be fun and also serious with them on Tuesday nights as well as Sunday mornings. They are all so dear to my heart already and it's only been 2 weeks! I'm still working with at-risk teens in Hale Kipa, as well as meeting new people through my Photography. Pete and I have been making so many friends in Hawaii, and building the relationships we've had into stronger, more meaningful ones. We LOVE our friends here. They are just so awesome! Some of them have babies, but don't worry- we don't have baby fever yet! Well, maybe Pete does... :) We're not ready for THAT kind of community just yet! But if it were to happen, we'd be super stoked. God's timing!
Anyway, we've spent much of the last 2 months building up new relationships and loving our current ones. A few weeks ago we got invited to a New Members Dinner for our church, and happily attended! We've decided to become members of Kailua Community Church, which is affiliated with the Christian & Missionary Alliance. It's the church we started going to right when we moved here, at the suggestion of our cousins. We LOVE it! We love our Pastor and the Church family, and we love taking away what we do when Sunday morning is over. Being a member never used to be all that important to me, but when you find a church that truly becomes your family, why not? I want to be as involved as I can with the youth and give back to those who have blessed me already. I know Pete feels the same way, and we are so excited to fully belong to yet another family in Hawaii. I'm starting to wonder how many families I can have...but I'm not about to put a limit on it!
One thing I'm remembering and re-learning from my time with the youth is that even though I am a mentor and leader, that doesn't stop me from being such an ugly person sometimes in my own head or to my husband. Being a mentor certainly doesn't require perfection- but, as I'm coming to remember, it does require growth and the Lord's GRACE and forgiveness. It's easy for the thought to get in my head that says, "You acted like a 4 year old today to Pete, practically stomping your foot and throwing a tantrum, and here you are going to lead 14 year olds! Whatever! You stink!" Somehow, working with these kids is helping my own humility and the way that I come to the Lord and ask forgiveness. Also, when I have someone I'm pouring my heart into, it's that much more crucial that I get into the Word! I want to be prepared to walk into a room full of kids and be able to answer their questions in a Christlike way, and know my way around the Book of Wisdom. It is definite motivation for getting into Him. Man...These rascals are bettering my spirit without even knowing it.
On a less serious but equally important note, I recently started doing ZUMBA with two friends and Ugh, I'm addicted already! The backs of my calves burn and I definitely lost 5 pounds within an hour, pretty much sweated it off! It is an amazing energy-releaser and it feels so good to let go and dance away anxiety and just DANCE with nothing else on my mind except for feeling Great. I basically laugh the whole time because those ZUMBA girls have MAD skills that I cannot hardly keep up with! It is so fun, and it's great to be dancing again, especially with friends. I'm making Pete go Wednesday night...I can't wait to see him shake his booty! He is going to walk away with some sweet moves- better than the ones he has now! :)
As far as updates go, I don't have much aside from the ways we're noticing the Lord working in our lives and blessing us in the ways we long for. It's pretty sweet to see prayers being answered- they're always answered of course, even if it's not the way we expect.
Hope that wherever you are, you're going to have an amazing Week of Passion and Easter! We miss you all. Enjoy the pics below!
We had a BLAST at the Jr. High Girls game night at the lovely Auntie Rose's house- can't remember the last time I giggled so much (or took so many crazy pictures!).
A few weeks back, some friends and I went paddle boarding at Ala Moana, and came away with a pretty sweet shot! Diamond Head and Waikiki behind me!
