Celebrating Statehood Day

Hawaii has been a full-fledged U.S. state for 50 years. I asked one of the parents in my class if that was a day of mourning, since it was forced upon the Hawaiian nation by the U.S. and she said, "No, we just celebrate everything here." Interestingly, the Hawaiian flag looks like a combination of the U.S. and British flag. Both nations have occupied Hawaii and left their mark. How sad, though, that there is nothing Hawiian about the state flag. We think it should have turtles on it and be the color of the ocean...like Lydia's shirt in this picture. The three munchkins belong to our friends, the Woods.

What's For Lunch?

Everyday is classroom lunch day at Trinity. My students enjoy a Jim Weiss story on CD while munching on their lunches. It amused me to look around the room yesterday and compare the typical mainland lunch to a typical Hawaiian lunch.

Mainland Mainstay- Peanut butter and jelly

Hawaiian equivalent - Mana Pua

Mainland Mainstay - Chicken Noodle Soup

Hawaiian equivalent - Miso Soup

Mainland Mainstay - Turkey Sandwich

Hawaiian equivalent - Sushi Handroll

Mainland Snackfare - Potato Chips

Hawaiian equivalent - Norikake (dried seaweed)

I can't tell you how cute my little students are as they eat these Asian treats. The staff are equally Asian in their food selections. It's not at all unusual to see a staff member eating their lunch with chopsticks in the staff lounge.

Weather Alert

I hadn't realized that we'd still get the excitement of snow days here...only in hurricane form. Everyone was in a flurry on Sunday because there was a hurricane coming. We were encouraged to get ready with water, canned goods and a flashlight in case the electricity was shut off. After all, they said, when Obama was here, there was such a surge that the electricity shut off. They were really fast getting it back on then...it only took 12-15 hours. So, off we went to buy a gas grill with a burner. Several hundred dollars later, we were ready for the weather. The possibility of school closing on the first day was strong and we had contingency plans in place. Very exciting stuff, only not white and fluffy, just lots and lots of warm rain and humidity. Our kids were quite excited about the storm. They had heard the waves were at their peak right before a hurricane so Laura made dinner, allowing us to have a picnic at the beach. The surf WAS great. I've never seen so many surfers. And each one we passed on our way to the beach as they were leaving had a huge grin on their face as if to say "you are gonna have a blast, man!" We did. Only problem was she forgot to pack plates and utensils. So we showed up at the door of our co-workers who live by the beach and bummed plates and utensils from them. Guess we're beach bums now.

Over the rainbow

Hawaii is known as the "Rainbow State." The precurser to rainbows is, of course, rain. Someone once had a clothes line on the side of our house. They went to a lot of trouble to erect it with sturdy poles (now used for climbing) and cemented it into the hard volcanic ground. Only trouble; it rains everyday. No one uses that clothes line anymore. In fact, clothes lines are rarely out in the open. Clothes are typically hung under protection from the rain. Now why didn't some nice neighbor stop them before they did that?
This beautiful place is full of beautiful people, too. They are gentle and kind; road rage seems to be foreign to the island. But they are hurting, too. Pain, sin, trouble and sorrow are part of everyone's story, regardless of the geographical backdrop. It rains. But after rain, comes sun...and rainbows. The Gospel is the only answer for hurting families. The Gospel, not our own efforts to improve. The rainbow is Trinity Christian School, helping families to encounter the Gospel through the Trivium. May the rainbow last for a thousand generations.

Comin' Round the Mountain

Our living room...plus a few boxes...

We were at the house for about 10 minutes when we heard a loud engine and wondered where we'd heard that before. Then we saw it...our shipping container! We emptied it in a few hours. It's amazing how much easier it is to move into a house with no stairs! Opening each box is like Christmas in July. We are having such fun making our Kaneohe Kottage our home sweet home. We're very blessed, very blessed indeed. We have two bedrooms and one "Quiet Room" which will also be a guest room. In a family of six, there needs to be a refuge from the chaos. We are also blessed with a large car port that will be used as a lanai (outdoor room) and the view of the mountains and valleys and trees from there is my favorite. Our neighborhood is quite safe we're told. Yesterday, as we were getting hungry and tired, our next-door neighbors came to meet us and they brought home made banana bread and fresh cut pineapple. Everyone assumes that newbies at this time of year are military folks. (We are...just with a different army.) It's nice to work for a place like Trinity Christian School because everyone knows who you are and what you're about when you tell them what you do. Upon hearing that we work for TCS, our neighbor said, "Oh, that means you must love the Lord." They've been praying for a Christian family to move in; someone who could play with their 4 kids, ages 17 to 9...sound familiar? They homeschool using a...get this...classical and Christian curriculum. God scares me sometimes. The details that He has been so careful to work out are a testament to His love and care. We forget that so easily. Someone commented today this must be hard on the kids. By God's grace, they all disagree. It was hard to say good-bye, but this blog and Facebook and other internet goodies make that easier. It was hard to trust God for all the details and trust that we were following Him and not some middle-age crisis. But it hasn't been hard on them. They, like us, feel like we're walking through a movie without a script. The Director's presence and direction is very clear. The supporting cast is always right on cue. The props, the scenery keep changing, but the plot is thickening. And we can't wait to see how it unfolds.

The kids lugged these volcanic rocks out from under the house and lined them up along the edge of the garden. Much nicer than the previous plastic landscaping edge.

First things first

My kids have their priorities straight alright. First thing they did after swimming in the warm water of Kailua Bay was build a castle. Ever wonder why kids do that? Give them blocks, cups, sand or rocks and they'll build. I believe that's because they were meant to build. As creatures made in His likeness, we share God's desire to build a Kingdom. Usually, we confuse that desire with an attachment for things, a hoarding of resources, a huddling of comforts. We think these building projects will make us content. We make mini-kingdoms in our homes, our hearts, our comfort zones. But we're never satisfied. We always want more. Not until we build something that lasts do we feel fulfilled. No money that we make, save, trade or invest will bring us the satisfaction of building God's Kingdom. Sure, there are really happy rich young people out there building their kingdoms, investing in themselves...but like my kids castle, those kingdoms will be washed away by the tides of life. If we build the Kingdom of God through relationships and sacrifice, and giving, we find that we are satisfied beyond our wildest imaginations. And we come to learn that He will provide those needs that we were grasping to fill on our own. "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."

Kaneohe Kottage
Today we saw our Kaneohe Kottage. To me, this Kottage is a miracle. Affordable housing just doesn't happen in Hawaii, and when it does, it doesn't come with panoramic views of mountains and three bedrooms (not that it isn't a great place to live). Pictures are to come. The yard is in need of a good gardener... I was wondering how I would afford getting new plants and herbs. Nancy, my new boss and current hostess, has asked me to take all the cuttings and herbs I can use from her overflowing gardens. She said that she has a gardener who is very territorial (how appropriate for a gardener) so she has asked me to let the gardener do all the digging up, just tell her what I want...no problem! God amazes me. He has provided so much and in addition to that He arranged for Nancy and her husband to visit her father-in-law at just the same time that we arrived and are getting moved in. We are staying in a lovely home overlooking the Kailua Bay and mountains all around. Explain to me...why do I doubt? Oh me of little faith.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Leaving On A Jet Plane

With 13 bags, 4 neck pillows, and 3 laptops, we are ready to board. I mentioned to Mary last night that it feels a little scarey to be leaving the safety of home and church, school, friends and family to start a new life in a new place. She gently reminded me that regardless of our income, location or employment status, we are dependant on the Lord for all our needs. Good words. We think that we are providing for ourselves in all of our self sufficiency but it is God who puts us where we are and holds us in His hand. It is He who will somehow stretch our dollars to afford the most expensive place to live in America. It is He who will give us new friends and He who will use us. I confess I have been a little anxious as this day has drawn nearer. His Word reminds me to "be anxious for nothing but with thanksgiving make my requests known to God." So, I'll start with being thankful for His very clear direction in getting us this far, His provision for our needs, including mechanics, His hospitality through friends along the way...when I start with thanksgiving, it drives away the anxiety...funny how that works.