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Counting Down!

I guess now it's a countdown as to when we come back. About 6 1/2 weeks. Time is going so quickly! We are all well and have been enjoying doing some "touristy" things. So far we have visited the Waikiki Aquarium and the Honolulu Zoo. It was a lot of fun seeing God's creativity in person! I think my favorite things at the aquarium are the jelly fish & the sea dragons. I'm not sure what my favorite animal at the zoo is. Kaleia's favorite is the zebra (because it's like a horse), Kalani's favorite is the cheetah, lions, tigers (anything that is like a cat), Kekoa liked the reptile exhibit (because he's all boy!) and Keanu liked the komodo dragon. We have plans to visit the Dole Plantation, Sea Life Park and a beach luau. If only life could stay like this and Eli could stay home forever! I might be getting a little spoiled and have to readjust to him going back to work.....I'm thinking that taking care of me is a full-time job! If only it paid better :) We still feel like God lead us here for a reason & tried to step out in faith to see what He had in store for us, but maybe sometimes just the believing & acting is the purpose for the calling. I'm always looking for a logical reason that makes sense to me but Hebrews tells us about the "Hall of Faith" and Heb. 11:13 sais "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did NOT receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance." I guess that's the kind of faith that pleases God because in verse 16 it sais, "Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God..." Sometimes our acts of faith are rewarded in our children or grandchildren's lifetimes, not our own. Talk about a test! I'm not sure if I could have that strong of faith but what a goal to have. My favorite passage is Philippians 3:8-4:1, to gain Christ & have a righteousness that comes from God & is by faith. Nothing encourages me more than reading what Christ has already done & is going to do for us. This reminds me that it's what Christ has done, not what I do that makes me righteous in His eyes. (It's a good thing too because of how short I fall & how discouraged I get when I or anyone else doesn't meet my expectations of perfection!) So please keep my husband in your prayers as he deals with my ever-changing emotions & unrealistic expectations!

It's hard to believe that we are halfway through our time here. Things haven't worked out exactly how we planned, (or anything close to what we planned), but we came here trusting that God had a reason & would work everything out. We have our new baby but no house. I think we are learning to put up with each other in a small space & trying to treat each other nice even when we get on each other's nerves! It's definitely easier to "preach" than live it sometimes. I'm learning that being an example of something you're trying to teach your children is very difficult sometimes. Hopefully now that we are starting to get back to a little routine we can start getting some stuff done. The older boys have been at the church camp & are enjoying getting to know some more people. It's a nice break from getting out of the "house" for them too. Now I need to find something to get out of the house for! Three weeks is more than long enough for me to rest & not do anything. I think I'm getting a little restless so the next couple of months might be more difficult for me. We really miss our family & friends and I really miss getting to see everyone's babies & seeing how everyone is doing. Kamalia is growing fast and getting spoiled wanting me to hold her when she's awake, & when she's asleep. ( Of course I do it so I can get some sleep too!) I don't miss all the fires & heat that Redding has had, but our air conditioner went out last week & when it's 85 with a lot of humidity....it makes things a little more difficult. Eli & I did get to go to dinner last Sunday night & we ran into the Youth Pastor & his wife so we ended up going to dinner with them & his parents who were here visiting. It was nice to get to know them & have some adult conversation. We're still praying for a house, at least to get some things done on the condo, but I really want it more for some space, privacy & a little "normalcy". I was complaining about how we didn't have enough room in our 3 bedroom house before we left, God has changed my perspective, (funny how He does that sometimes) & my house now seems like more than enough room! We miss everyone & can't wait to see you soon!