Can't think of a Creative Title so this is it

Things have been going well here. I know for at least me I am keeping my eyes open for some kind of attack from the one who does not want us to be successful in ministry. We are so thankful for all of ways that God has blessed us and taken care of us. We have had a great time at the Bagoyos as they have opened their house to us while we were in search for a place to stay. We are going to miss them when we move into our apartment. 

Oh yeah! We found a little apartment for us to rent under the price we had budgeted for and in the area that we were hoping to be. It is a small one bedroom with no storage, but Pinterest has been a great friend :). This was a hard feat because prices are really high on realty and many places are not pet friendly. It's amazing the paths He takes you on to be prepared for what will be available for you. We are so thankful for our little one bedroom with no storage!

The college ministry seems to be on a really good start. We have paired with some current college students to restart a club on campus to reach students on campus. They have some great ideas and passion for reaching students around them. The club name is Club 127 based on Psalm 127. There was a club day at the school last Wednesday (sept 2) and there were many who showed interest in the club and gave their information. Continue to pray for an openness and a fire to burn and consume the campus in Jesus' Name.

I think the biggest struggle we have had personally, is the heat. With the hurricanes that have surrounded Hawaii over the past month it has sucked up or blocked all of the trade winds.  Many would say "well why would that be a big deal?" Well because here the schools don't have a/c, and many homes and businesses do not have a/c.  This has been a major adjustment for us. Please don't hear this as complaining. God has definitely brought us through (and made us more thankful for the window unit in our one bedroom). 

Please continue to pray for us as we are still in the beginning stages of working with the college students. Pray that we make meaningful connections and have powerful conversations. 

Be Encouraged and Follow Him
We are just everyday people used by a great and mighty God.
Listen closely to what He wants you to do.

Thankful

Well the last 2.5 weeks have really been a crazy whirlwind for me on the island. Brandon on the other hand has been pretty bored on the mainland. God has really been letting me learn patience and His timing and provisions. (It's not easy but I'm thankful for it.)

I was frustrated that I could not do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. I was frustrated because I felt stuck at home (because I didn't want to ask for rides). I was frustrated because I was told my stuff was on the island, but could not be delivered yet (which wasn't true it was still in transit). I was frustrated because the teacher who was in my classroom last year still didn't have her stuff out of my classroom (only to find out she was in the same situation with someone else).

My car showed up two days before work started. I now had the ability to get to work easily. When I got into my classroom, on Thursday, the other teacher was there to help clean everything up. She helped go through cabinets of stuff that she hadn't dealt with from a retired teacher. She could have just taken her stuff and abandoned me. This started a great relationship and she was able to help get me acquainted with many others and the school.  Once my room was clean, though, I was still frustrated because my stuff was not here. I was not able to set up my classroom the way I wanted to yet. We had two day of meetings, Friday and Monday. During these days and over the weekend I had really become at peace with the fact that I was not going to have my stuff for at least the first week of school. It was going to be ok. I mean really what did I really need the first of school anyways? Monday afternoon, Brandon sends me a text to let me know that I am to be on call on Tuesday to receive our stuff. Tuesday was a classroom work day. This meant I had a little more freedom to be able to receive our stuff when the call came. This also gave me a good day and a half before school started for me to get my things pretty settled. I'm so thankful He made it all work out! He knows me and knows my personality, but I must grow and know He is perfect in everything. So, on Thursday, I was able to start the school year with my stuff and be pretty much settled. There is only one to thank for that. 

A couple of other side God stories. Sabrina and I were out looking for storage units. While we were out Brandon asked the assist. pastor from our church here if he knew of anywhere we could store our stuff. The assist. pastor did have a place that was free, safe, and easily accessible for us. Such a blessing not to have to pay for a storage unit. 

Also, I did not have a printer in my room and was on a long list to receive one. It's not the end of the world to not have one, but is helpful to have one. While loading my stuff into storage, the pastor's wife approaches me, out of the blue, without knowing I just talked to the tech person at school about not having one, saying they have a printer I could have if I needed it for my classroom! He really does take care of us!

Be Encouraged and Follow Him
We are just everyday people used by a great and mighty God.
Listen closely to what He wants you to do.

Arrived (well one has)

I have made it. Last night I boarded the plane to Hawaii with a one way ticket. Still so crazy. 

Made it in safely (and early) and had a great nights sleep. Today, I had a new teacher orientation. It was good. I got some information that I did not know I needed and met some new people. I also had my name picked for a bag of  classroom goodies.

It was a nice treat for sure. The rest of the day is looking pretty chill. I will probably just spend the time unpacking and settling in just a little bit. I'm so thankful for friends around me to let me stay at their house and cart me around to where I need to be.  

I'm having a hard time being ok with God's timing on our stuff. It is hard knowing that what I need is on the other side of town but I cannot get it yet. This just really grinds hard against my control issues. I just have to trust that He called us here and is going to take care of everything because we have come. This is kind of the same situation with the house. We still don't have any bites on it yet. Nonetheless everything else is good. Brandon is still in Cali with the dog (at Melissa and Brandons) and will be here in 18 days :/. That's still kinda a long way away. In the grand scheme of things though it's not too bad. We are thankful for everything God has done in our lives and can't wait to see what all He has in store. 

Be Encouraged and Follow Him
We are just everyday people used by a great and mighty God.
Listen closely to what He wants you to do.

Beginning to say Goodbyes

Well, we began to say our goodbyes today and will be saying some more over the next couple of days. This morning Kristen and Ryan headed north to get back home for their responsibilities at church tomorrow. It was great having them here for most of the week. Tomorrow Mom and Dad head out to Florida with two of the nephews to go to our annual family reunion at the beach. Monday, Tiffy and her kiddos back to Florida, and Tuesday evening, I will leave to Maui. I'm so glad we got to see everyone before we headed over to Maui. We have also said goodbye to our car. It is officially on the boat in transit. I'm really hoping it will make it to the island sooner than they are saying, but if not we will get everything worked out. 

Be Encouraged and Follow Him
We are just everyday people used by a great and mighty God.
Listen closely to what He wants you to do.

Surprise

Well we had a surprise visitor drop in last night. Brandon and I are staying in a camper outside of Melissa and Brandon's house. Last night I had to come in to use the restroom. When I came out, I noticed a car in the driveway and, in the house, some people sleeping in the living room. I just assumed one of Mel and B's friends were passing through and needed a place to crash for the night. Well was I ever incorrect. To my surprise this morning, my other sister, Tiffany, came in to wake me up. She and her two kids came to see us before we left. So now everyone, except for Matt because of his responsibilities at church, is here. So thankful for a loving family that makes sacrifices to come see us off. 

Be Encouraged and Follow Him
We are just everyday people used by a great and mighty God.
Listen closely to what He wants you to do.

Made it to Cali

Well we pulled in to Brandon and Melissa's house yesterday evening to a warm welcome from everyone. We were very thankful to get out of the car and walk around (as was Sadie). We are so thankful for completely safe travels and even very minimal traffic. Though the drive was long, it was a beautiful drive. We saw so many different types of landscape. We saw mountains, sand dunes, deserts, massive cacti, piled up boulders, and a beautiful sunset. Well, and Mexico in the distance. We had to stop a few times to prove we were US citizens. That was fun. Today we are running around to get our car ready to send off. If we get it in today, it will ship this weekend and get on island within the next week. This is kind of needed because I will be flying out Tuesday and will need a vehicle to get stuff done for school. (I have to report the 22nd of July). We don't think there will be any problems, but they have some strict regulations about getting it ready. Other than that we are just enjoying some time with family. Thank you for the continued prayers and the willingness to help while we are continuing this transition. 

Be Encouraged and Follow Him
We are just everyday people used by a great and mighty God.
Listen closely to what He wants you to do.

Half Way Point

Well we have made it safely to our half way point. We got here about 730, were able to get some Mexican, and are now relaxing comfortably. The day went pretty good. Brandon was very sacrificial and drove for most of the day. I was able to catch some extra z's this morning. We have been having fun passing the time doing crossword puzzlesz Sadie has been a trooper. We have not had the first problem with her today. One quick story. While driving in West Tx (literally nowhere land) I had looked at the miles on the gas tank and we had plenty to get to our destination. It then started get hilly. Wasn't paying attention until I noticed we only had 1/8 a tank and we were still about 35 miles out. Frantic for a minute, I looked on google maps and found a gas station pretty close. About a mile out, the gas light came on. We are so thankful to have the One who goes before us to make sure everything is taken care of. Please continue to pray for us as we have one more long day of travel tomorrow.

Be Encouraged and Follow Him
We are just everyday people used by a great and mighty God.
Listen closely to what He wants you to do.