Whirlwind

Today was a whirlwind. We quickly became a team of about 10 to a team of 17 almost overnight. Our role instantly changed from the group of students doing volunteer work at the Christian school to counselors at Maui Christian Youth Camp. We've been told that next week we're gonna be so tired and we will have -3 hours to ourselves once camp starts. I've come to love seeing the teachers and students at school and now I might never see them again. Since I'm flying out next Monday, the day our second camp ends, I am packing tonight...most of my stuff for good. Wow, times flies (Colossians 4:5 has become so real).

because we work hard, we PLAY hard. 

(my heart already hurts to think of how much i will miss this...)

Tonight our team had the privilege of going to Craig and Valerie Lewis's home on the ocean for dinner. After taking hundreds of pictures combined on about 7 cameras we settled in for some grilled hamburgers then apple pie with ice cream. YUM! [Big thanks to them and their willingness to serve us! What a blessing it was!] Ben eventually found the piano and most of us settled in for some worship songs. Have you ever had a moment you wanted to last forever? In the whirlwind of this day just sitting there and being was enough to make me want to never leave the moment. Just the people you're with, the things you're doing, the way you feel, the truth you've come to know...all that combined became a moment I don't ever want to forget. I loved where we were. I loved that we were singing praises to Him as our response to the way He loves us. I loved the people I was with in that room. I just wanted it to last longer. 

At the same time though, I was so excited for the future. Some of us were talking tonight about how 'the best things in life are unexpected.' The first day we went running we didn't expect it to grow us closer to each other, or to make friends with the people we pass each morning, or to see God work out the prayers throughout the day that we had prayed that morning. When we all sat in the lounge a couple nights ago we didn't plan for everyone to share how Christ is working through them. When Monica mentioned in class that she wanted students to go to Hawaii with her I didn't expect to actually be here. When Maggie stayed with me at Liberty for CFAW last fall we never expected we would need to lean on each other half way across the world. So all this to say: I'm so excited for the unexpectedness of my future. I love the things that are not planned. That's probably the case because after the fact I realize that He had it planned all along. He always has things planned for my good and His glory, and that amazes me. What a loving and faithful God. 

So as camp approaches I am excited for all of the things that are not on the schedule...my quiet time, the talks I have with my girls, the prayers I pray with my team members and the way God answers them. Then even as I leave this island I am still excited for what I have not planned, those things He has so carefully sculpted before time even began...

our weakness = His power

"So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of His sacrifice, acting as our Priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is His body. So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His Word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do, but spurring each other on..." Hebrews 10:19-25 (The Message)

After being together for almost 2 full weeks, our team of 7 sat around last night and many shared their testimonies for the first time. I sat and listened for the most part, taking it all in. I love hearing their stories and how God has woven Himself into each of them. We're all so different- some in high school, some in college. Our accents, where we grew up, what our parents are like, what we enjoy doing, what we look like...it's just all so different. And none of us are perfect; we are very far from it. We all still struggle with things. Paul didn't write about the armor of God in Ephesians 6 because this Christian life is easy. It's a battle! We've said that so many times over the last few days. To follow and listen to our flesh is so easy, especially when those around us are doing the wrong things. But here, among each other, we're stronger. We're able to talk about our scars without being judged. We can lay our hearts on the table and not have to worry about people breaking or stepping on it. Together we are powerful. Many of us become different people in a way. We come face to face with the reality that we actually can be the people we want to be.
Today has been such a fun day! Dayne, Ben, Maggie and I started it early by waking up at 6am and running to the beach. Once we got there we kinda spread out and did our own thing. We sat there: some praying, some doing devotions, some singing. Just sitting there in the presence of the Almighty as the sun rose...there's nothing like it. Then before we left we all took turns praying, glorifying the Holy One and thanking Him for each other and for this opportunity we have to change lives for Him. After running back we had our theology lesson, breakfast, then started the work day up at Haiku. Yesterday was our first work day there and it was DISGUSTING. I made a comment to Maggie saying that I fully understand why God does not dwell in church buildings, they can be so gross! [But can't our hearts sometimes be that way too?? He keeps teaching us the biggest lessons in the smallest things!] After getting rid of our bad attitudes about how utterly disgusting the place was we did some serious work and we have heard Mrs. B say multiple times that she has never seen the church that clean. It's amazing what God will do when you let Him! We were able to go to the beach today while the sun was still out and it was a blast! Then we had our first meeting about camp, assigning jobs and discussing what next week will look like. Everyone is so excited for camp to start and to be able to spend time with the kids!
I don't think I enjoyed today just because of the things we accomplished or talked about though. I think I enjoyed it most because I felt like everyone was so transparent. Wasn't it in 2 Corinthians that Paul talks about his weaknesses? Jesus told him that His power is perfected in weakness. Jesus didn't come to save the righteous or the perfect people. He came to the dirty, weak, and sinful; those are the ones who need a Savior. When we share our weakness with each other, we show Christ's power. So today, when I looked at each of the team member's faces, I saw a little bit more of His strength and His power. And what a beautiful thing that is!


Here's a great song that that explains how others can see Christ in our weaknesses. The lyrics are so powerful...

STARS

Tonight I am afraid that I do not possess a vocabulary worthy of telling you about what I saw today. Words truly cannot express. But I will do my very best to describe to you the beauty I caught a glimpse of tonight. 
It's like if you would go outside and sit Indian style and put your arms out straight, pointing to your right with your right arm and to your left with your left arm, until they're shoulder height. Then imagine a blackish/grayish/midnight blueish sheet of paper laid out perfectly in a half sphere from one of your hands to the other. The distance from you straight up to the edge of the sphere is trillions of miles. Someone on the other side of this sheet of paper has taken a needle and poked holes, some big and some little, but there are millions of these holes. The light on the other side of the paper is so bright that it shines through these holes and sometimes they twinkle! We commonly call these holes 'stars' but tonight they seemed like so much more. No other sky of stars I've ever seen even compares to the night sky I saw tonight. The Big Dipper was shining so bright; it was the first time I had seen it vividly in a real night sky. Then we saw the Milky Way- an entire galaxy of stars! I was so overwhelmed by what I could see. Maui may be known for her beaches and trees and wildlife, but I will always remember and love her for her stars!

where we spent Saturday ^

the biggest banyan tree...

As we rode back from Lahaina  tonight in the back of the truck I couldn't help but be amazed at my God. I literally could not stop looking up at the night sky. Did He have to give us stars? No, but He did. And tonight it was like He was saying, "I love Maui. I want her people to see Me!" I kept thinking about Philippians 2:15 and how Paul says to stand out in your generation and shine like stars in the universe. Do you think that if the body of Christ came together, living as we should, that we could be as awe-inspiring as the stars I saw tonight? I think so. 

Friday (my favorite day here so far), we all finished up our work projects and as the rest of the team went into town for our free night to shop and eat dinner, Maggie, Dayne, Ben, and I went with a teacher here at the school and her husband up to Seabury, a local high school, to scrimmage against some of their basketball players. The teacher and her husband we went with are in their first year of a program called Basketball Maui. They choose players from all over the island and go to the mainland for 10 days to play in tournaments and take part in camps. It is a great opportunity for these high school students to see what basketball is like on the west coast and to get exposure to other competition and opportunities. We had a great time playing with these kids; it was so much fun! After we got back to where we're staying the four of us walked into Paia where we ate dinner and gelato then made our way to the beach. We talked about theology, life, God, the future, college, Calvinism, Sun Stand Still, and lots of other random things that have nothing to do with anything. One of the things Dayne mentioned that has been on my mind is what would happen if a revival broke out on this island. From where we are on the north shore to the south shore is only 50 miles- this is a small island. What if Christians came here with a passion to unleash the Holy Spirit on a place such as this? Can you imagine the impact it would have? We talked about holding a camp where we expected hundreds of kids instead of hoping for 30. We talked about Christians coming here and spreading the Word of God like their lives depended on. Because there are thousands of people on this island whose lives DO depend on it. I went to bed last night praying that Dayne will be a part of this revival and that I will see it in my lifetime. I believe God can do it. I believe that my God is bigger than this island, bigger than our timid hearts, bigger than rules and legalities, and bigger than the limited futures we've created for ourselves. I am confident that if the right group of crazy, Bible-believing, Jesus-imitating people come to this island with His plan in mind, we could shine like the stars.

GBCS

God story:
I walk into breakfast this morning wearing an old t-shirt that says GBCS on it. The principal of the school looks at me and asks what that stands for. Passively I reply that it stands for Greater Beckley Christian School, the place I went to high school (and elementary and middle school). She looks at me and says, "In West Virginia?" Unbelievable. She knew the Parvins and another teacher who had taught here at Doris Todd then moved to West Virginia and taught at Greater Beckley. 
I couldn't help but think back to the day I made that t-shirt, I remember it vividly. Kristyn Wilson (Ash) and I were sitting on her couch in her living room and we wanted to make t-shirts to wear to the basketball game for two boys we liked. We were rushed and the t-shirts almost didn't dry before the game. Then we wrote the wrong Bible verse on the front, thankfully the one we accidentally wrote on the shirt still made sense! But making that shirt 4 or 5 years ago I never thought the impact it would have. It would link my journey to Hawaii to the school I grew up in. God never ceases to amaze me.  




Today was such an encouraging day. I received many emails and messages from the body of Christ and today the enemy is defeated, not me. I was able to focus on the small, meaningless tasks we were assigned (thank you Joey for reminding me about Matthew 25:21) and today was a lot more fun! God continually showed Himself throughout the day and I am so in awe of Him. We saw a beautiful full rainbow as we were leaving the beach this evening and we were also able to see a moonbow tonight! Don't know what that is? Check it out here:   http://www.atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/moonbow.htm.

the bright moon...perfect for a moonbow!

moonbows are really faint and hard to get a picture of. 

so here are some of us in awe of it. 

the white dots you see are rain.

Defeated

Today was my hardest day, mentally and emotionally. It was hard for me to focus on the task at hand from our morning theology lesson all the way to dinner. I was checked out. I can't exactly say why but today was definitely rough from a mental perspective. These are a few of the things that occupied my thoughts today:


Home. I'm not one to get homesick but I can't help but miss my parents and really good friends that I was hanging out with before I left like Kara, Clayton, KC, Brandon, Craig, etc. I also really miss Blue Ridge, my church back home. I love this place and the opportunity I've been given. If I had the choice to go back home I would definitely pass it up and stay here. But being at home, playing volleyball, going to the pool, running every evening, laughing with friends...it's all predictable and fun. I miss that. And most of all I miss those people who understand me. 


Uselessness. Maggie and I were assigned to paint a little overhang today. I spent the morning and afternoon on a ladder painting the tops of rafters...places no one will ever see. I felt useless, to say the least. I was dripping paint on the ground and the ladder was blowing with the wind. All I could think was why in the world am I doing this? No one would ever know if I painted that stuff up there or not. And all I have to show for it is paint in my hair that I still can't get out. It was extremely frustrating, but Maggie graciously reminded me that we had to remember that we came to do work for the Lord, not for man. After explaining (complaining) to Dayne the situation of painting stuff that no one will see a little later on he straight up asked me, "Who are you doing this for anyways, Jill?" I was (and still am) incredibly thankful for these two and their encouragement in that moment. If not for them, today would have felt completely useless.


Relationships. Two of our team members are dating, two others are dating people back home. It just seems like everyone around me has someone to brighten their day. I would love to have someone to call to gain strength from, someone who can tell me they care and they're praying for me. I know a lot of people are praying for me, and it means the world. I usually don't struggle with not having a someone but it's just another way the enemy has tried to defeat me today. 


Guatemala. A little over a year ago I went to Guatemala with my brother and 8 other people. It was physically challenging and I thought I'd never go on another missions trip after I got bit by 439085427498 bugs and had to take Benadryl around the clock. Even though it was hard physically, I was surrounded by encouragers and people who I knew extremely well. Here it seems opposite- it's easy physically but mentally it's tough. So throughout the day my mind often wanders to the Waddell family and the rest of the team members from last year. It's true that you really don't know what you've got til it's gone...

As much as I hate feeling defeated, it is freeing. I can truly do nothing on my own. I've been praying for ways for God to show Himself powerful and how could He do that with me in the way?
I'm too weak, emotionally, to even get out of bed in the morning. So if you hear anything from me tomorrow please know this...the joy of the Lord truly is my strength, my only strength.

POSTCARDS!

Send me your addresses and I'll send you a postcard! They have really pretty ones here (see below) and I love writing little notes on them! Plus, they're from Maui...how cool is that?!?! You can send it to me in a facebook message or by leaving a comment on here! DO IT!!! :)

A day in Hawaii: photos

we picked up our last two team members up at the airport. 

and while we waited....what better to do than take pictures??

this picture and the ones following were all at the Needle. I loved this place! So many beautiful mountains and a flowing river, reminded me of the Wild and Wonderful. But as always, there's no place like home. 

the founder of the Republic of China

unicorn-lions from Korea

Monica- she's beautiful right?!

this is where i want to have my wedding reception!

the Needle!

silly bandz

Yesterday was a blast! We are so excited that all of our team is finally here and today is work day #1, WOOHOO! Keep praying that we'll be productive and that lots of kids will be at our first youth night tomorrow. 

My God is so BIG, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do...

Listening and Living

I wish I could look each of you in the eyes and tell you what this place is really like. I'm glad that I can write about it and you guys can read this...it's a lot better than nothing. But I would love to hear your responses and watch your faces as I tell you the beauty here and how much these people need to realize that they are in need of a Savior. And even more than telling you about this with my mouth, I would love it if you guys could be here. How much better would it be if you could experience this firsthand with me?! 


As I was having my quiet time this morning I kept thinking about how God must feel that way about us. He has given us His written Word, it tells us of a life we could live. It is full of examples and advice to help us live a life saturated by Him and His Spirit, a life that is truly satisfying. But how much more would He love for us to sit there and listen to Him tell us firsthand? His Word is very important...but what good is the Word if we are not willing to sit down and listen to the very Writer of it?! He longs to whisper in our ears the goodness of the life He offers, and He loves to see how we respond. And not only does He want to tell us about this life Himself, He wants us to step into it and live it out. It's not something unattainable or something we can hope for later on. It's for today, for now. You can experience the life you read about and the life He tells you about! In doing so, you will be able to "take hold of life that is real" (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

I'm not sure if I ever talked about where we're staying. So here's a little info: we're on the island of Maui. We flew into Kahului and we are staying in the town of Paia. We are sleeping in classrooms at the Doris Todd Memorial Christian School and this is where we will be doing projects and youth nights for the next week or so. Yesterday was our free day so we drove to Makena beach, passing lots of resorts and seeing 'typical' Hawaii, as you can see in the picture I took above. It was full of beautiful trees, flowers, and birds! And the beach was amazing! A couple people in our group went snorkeling around those rocks you see in the picture and followed a sea turtle around the reef. We ended the day by doing some shopping and eating dinner at a pizza place.

This morning we're getting ready for church. Then we're having lunch, picking up the last two members of our team at the airport then going to the Needle. We've been canvasing some streets and handing out flyers, preparing for our first youth night on Tuesday. And as much as our team has loved going to the beach and seeing this beautiful island, we are all very ready to start work on Monday!

today: living with eternity in mind

I wasn't planning on writing anything today. Our team members are starting to come in and we've just been hanging out and cleaning. I'm falling more in love with this island and the everlasting God each day. But the Lord has really given me a new perspective and I can't help but share it. 


I've been re-reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan over the last couple of days and God has really been working in my heart about how my response to His crazy love for me should look like. As the Lord is pointing out things like pride and selfishness in my heart, I can't help but notice that it's a problem for all of us. I occasionally get on my phone and read through facebook status's and twitter updates and all we talk about is ourselves. We go to work every day, or take classes, or we do whatever we want, then we tell people about it. It's always about us. It's what we've done today and how we feel about it. I do this all the time! But all of these things are so temporary. Good for you if you go to work every day and get everything done that you need to, when you die...that won't matter one bit. I'm glad you're enjoying your summer by hanging out with friends, going to the beach, eating lots of ice cream (oh wait, that's me)...all of that matters only for the moment. I imagine God is begging us to do something that will outlive us, yet we are too busy with our own lives to hear His voice. He asks that we do something, anything, that will actually matter. What have you done today for someone else...someone who doesn't have as much as you or someone who needs His love? Did you know that the world will know we're His disciples simply by the way we love one another (John 13:35)?? Who are you intentionally loving today in a way for someone else to say, "Wow, i want that kind of love"? 


And this is no easy task. I'm just writing about this because God has laid it heavily upon my heart for ME to learn. I am spending this morning asking myself these very questions, not having sufficient answers. There are times when I think that if I didn't believe in Christ my life would look no different. People would think I was just a nice college girl who doesn't drink or chew, or run with the guys who do (gotta throw in some west virginia goodness there!). But really, if I am living a comfortable life that I can tell others about without mentioning the Holy Spirit then something is wrong. I want every day to have to live by faith. From God's perspective, I can't imagine He would want it any other way. He loves when we depend on Him. By ourselves we cannot accomplish anything; we are mere mortals. But He takes what we are willing to give, small moments of faithfulness, and He transfers them through His power into something that is way bigger than ourselves and able to withstand all of time. 
this song by Lecrae has been running through my head since I woke up (hello 4:45am). good thing it's an awesome song!

Monica and Me

[our humble abode]

If I were writing a book this chapter would be entitled "Monica and Me." We've been two peas in a pod the last couple of days. I feel that if I left Hawaii today I would still have learned so much and come back wiser because of the time I have spent with this special person. We've been the only two staying at the day school, waiting for the rest of the team to come in tonight. We fixed pancakes yesterday morning, organized the kitchen, blew up 10 air mattresses, got the "lounge" ready for the team, then helped Mrs. B put away some groceries. We then went to John's house, where the Bonheim's and their daughter Julie are staying. We had such a good time, watching tv and eating dinner with everyone. Then Monica and I made a stop at Savers (think Hawaiian TJ Maxx) on our way back to the school for the night. Now we're both up at 5am, wondering when we'll get used to the time change!

Mr. Bonheim, our trip leader, had a stroke at the end of last week while already in Hawaii and yesterday was the first time we saw him since he was in the hospital. I was amazed at how well he is doing. We had been told that his speech was still slurred and he was very weak. But as I sat there on the couch watching tv and eating ice cream with him I couldn't help but be amazed at the work of our Healer. I can't imagine how this trip would happen without his leadership and guidance and the Lord knows how much we need him. Continue to pray for his strength and for Mrs. B and Julie as they have been doing a wonderful job caring for him!

Today the rest of the team comes and we will be moving into different classrooms and getting started on our work projects. Pray that these team members will quickly gain strength from the time change and that we will be productive in all the work He has given us.

You started a fire!

The encouragement I have received from you all has been amazing. It has literally blown me away and it has made the last couple of days so much easier! I can't help but compare it to when we were grilling some hot dogs a couple days ago. I feel like I was the charcoal we used. I'm the one doing the job but I didn't have much of a fire going. As you know, charcoal by itself isn't gonna cook any hot dogs. You guys have been my lighter fluid. And with each text, tweet, phone call, and facebook post or message my fire has grown and grown. And let me tell you what, I came to Hawaii blazin!! So THANK YOU. I can't do this without you all and you will never know how much each of you mean to me. 


As far as the trip goes, yesterday was rough. It was the longest day of my life, literally! I woke up at 6am, had 20 hours of bright sunlight going strong, and it was still only 8pm. This time change thing is crazy!! The first flight to Charlotte was real short, 39 minutes, and Dr. P and I actually got to sit by one another. Once we got to Charlotte we grabbed something to eat and as I was sitting there at our gate my brother, Robert, and one of my good friends from high school, Angela Lopez, walked around the corner. I think I screamed! They are both going to Israel with Fellowship of Christian Athletes but I had no idea we would all be in the Charlotte airport together (thanks mom for figuring that out!). God knows just what we need and that small incident made my heart just a little stronger. The flight to Phoenix was about 3 hours and when I started to see the terrain of Arizona though I thought we were on another planet! It was so brown and rocky and wow! It was so unique and different from what I'm used to, yet it was a quick reminder of why I love the east coast. We boarded our plane to Maui after being in Phoenix only about 45 minutes. This plane had lots of people on it and it was a looooooong 6 hours! I hadn't mentally prepared myself to be seated in a plane that long so I was itching to get out of there about half way through. But the whole trip was worth it when I started to see the waves of the Pacific Ocean and the coast of Hawaii. I spent the first couple of hours here just trying to think of how I could explain it to you guys. There is always a breeze and there are all kinds of trees everywhere. It's so much like the mainland and so different at the same time. We ate at Panda Express in an outdoor mall and stopped at Walmart to get butter. But this is a magical place!
Dr. P and I slept in a tile classroom last night, each of us on a mattress on the floor. We left the doors open with screens over them and it felt so good. Sleep was on and off but it felt good to sleep and I didn't mind waking up because it would hit me all over again that I'M IN HAWAII!!!! We're finally waking up and getting a start to our day (it's 10am here). We're going to do some cleaning and organizing around here to prepare for the rest of the team coming tomorrow. 


I wish each of you could be here with me. I am so excited for these next four weeks!

Expectations

If you haven’t read Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick I highly recommend it. I will warn you though, it’s life changing. It will make you feel uncomfortable at times but in the end, you’ll be dreaming God-size dreams and seeing Him work in ways you never thought possible. READ IT. Today’s post is based off of it.

"If the size of your vision for your life isn’t intimidating to you, there’s a good chance it’s insulting to God."

Do you have a vision for your life? Are you making deliberate steps toward who you want to be or something you want to accomplish? Going into my last year of college, I’ve realized just how important it is to ask these questions. It’s tempting to want to do the safe thing: go somewhere I know I’ll have a job, stay close to home (where is that again?) to make sure I’m taken of, settle for a relationship that’s comfortable so I don’t have to be alone, etc. On a short term basis, it’s easy to go on this trip thinking that nothing big will happen. I’ve realized my expectations for the next four weeks are slim to none. I’ve taken an apathetic approach thinking that I’ll just go with the flow. No vision. No expectations.

That kind of thinking is for people who aren’t connected to the God of the universe though. I have access to the One who holds tomorrow, and the thousands of tomorrows after that. He is powerful and wants to show Himself powerful, yet I sit here and expect Him to do nothing. Steven Furtick addresses this…

"The God of the Bible can do whatever He pleases. And what pleases Him is to show off His power for His glory and renown. So give Him the opportunity. Dream God-worthy dreams. Pray faith-fueled prayers. Live a life that can be explained only by the existence of a God who is infinitely great."

So…I’m expecting people to be saved during our evening outreach, kids to leave our camp knowing they are children of the King, and that those of us going on this trip will know Him like we never have before. Are those things possible? Yes. Can He still do so much more than this? Yes. So I’m going to start praying He will. I’m praying that He will do the impossible. I want to fill this blog with stories you have trouble believing. I am praying He will show Himself and receive all the glory and honor that is due Him. Will you pray this with me?

"Boast: to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride"

When I tell people I’m going to Hawaii for a month the typical reaction is something like this: “Wow, I’m so jealous!” or “You’re so lucky to be going to Hawaii…I’ve always wanted to go there.” I would probably say the same thing if someone I knew had this same opportunity. It is tempting to be prideful and think I’m lucky because while other people are going on missions trips to third world countries and places with no power or running water I’m going to sleep on beautiful beaches and learn to surf in rolling waves. Granted, this is not the typical missions trip. I’ve been on those…to the mountains of Jamaica where kids had AIDS, to the coast of Costa Rica where they had never heard the Gospel, to persecuted Christians in Honduras, and up to the high mountains of Guatemala where it was so hot this 90+ degree weather in Lynchburg is nothing in comparison. I’ve been to those places and I have enjoyed those experiences. God used me and stretched me and I am so different because of those trips. But Hawaii? People vacation there, the natives have heard the Gospel. It’s hard to raise support and get people to join your cause when you’re going to such a place. But I think it’s because I’ve been going about it all wrong. I’ve been boasting about Hawaii instead of the One who is sending me there.

Jeremiah 9:23&24

“This is what the LORD says: The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me- that I am the LORD, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the LORD’s declaration.”

So here I am, sharing with you that I have been sinful in boasting that I am going to Hawaii. There is only one thing I am ever entitled to boast about, and that is my God. I am boasting in the fact that I know Him! He is LORD and He shows His faithful love to me every day- wow. Even as I type this I am amazed at how true this is. Maybe you didn’t read that right…the God of the universe, He shows Himself to me. I hope that is true for you too. Are you looking for Him? He is there! I have seen His justice and His righteousness: that is worth boasting about!! May I cease to boast about the opportunities He gives me and boast in Him alone.

A line in one of my favorite songs (How Deep the Father’s Love For Us) goes like this: "I will not boast in anything; no gifts, no power, no wisdom. But I will boast in Jesus Christ; His death and resurrection." May this be so true of me as I continue to take on this task He has prepared for me…