Is it June yet?

So I think May has been one of the most challenging months of my life, in every way possible.

To those of you who read my blog, I’m asking for prayer.

I teach 2 Peter and Jude in less than 2 weeks. Amidst all the distractions, things I’m trying to process, decisions I’m trying to make, I’m feeling more than a little crazy.

Please pray for my clarity of mind, that I will be able to hear God above all the other voices in my life.

Please pray that I can focus and present these books in a way that would honor God, and also that God will be speaking to me through them.

I am encouraged today by Peter as I study..

2 Peter 3:8,9- “ do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you…”

I’m so thankful that God is in charge of time, and His timing in my life is perfect, whether or not it feels good or is hard.

Leaving Kona in 1 month....I guess I'll have to change the title of this blog!

Don't want even a minute to go to waste.

Holding onto His promises!

Thank you for your prayers, I think they’ve been keeping me going.

Life...

So I’ve been informed by various family members that I’m lame because I hardly update my blog anymore… to the point where you don’t even bother checking it! J (Neil) This IS a crisis. So here’s my attempt to try harder…

Hmmm lately…well I just got back from a trip home to Manitoba, I got super blessed by my family and they flew me home for a visit/recovery from life. These last few months have included many highs and lows, but I’m so thankful to know that my God is still bigger than any problem in my life.  So, at home, I spent a ton of time with my family, which I feel I never get to do when I’m home because there’s always so much going on. But this time I kind of hid out, so I could just hang out and play with my nieces and nephews…Nothing heals the soul like the laughter of a child, that I will say. Just wanted to make a shout out to my amazing family, who allowed me to come home, who constantly support me in every decision I make, and never think I’m crazy. You guys are the best family in the world and I really have no words for how thankful I am for you.

I arrived back in Kona 2 nights ago…it was surprisingly really good to be back. I missed my friends and class SO much…and actually am so excited to be back to work, with my students and staff who I’ve come to love so much. Lots of hugs today, apparently they missed me a lot too J

Yesterday we had an outreach meeting, planning our trip to Samoa/Fiji to Bible teach. We leave in under 7 weeks!! It’s too crazy! I am getting so excited as we plan. It involves  a lot of hard work to plan but I’m so excited for this adventure to begin. It’s bittersweet to end this season in Kona, yet I know it’s time to go for now.

In other news, I start my teaching prep this weekend for my teaching on 2 Peter and Jude.  Please pray for me, teaching prep is such an intense  time and can be so all consuming. I don’t want to lose focus on why I’m here, which is mainly I feel, to serve and bless my students, in whatever form that looks like each day.

Thanks so much for your prayers….I have felt them. So thankful to serve a God who gives me a reason to still find joy in the midst of hard times.

Easter weekend gettaway...so fun.

Easter breakfast celebration

love this crazy child

time to watch Tangled!

Ciara

beautiful nephews

Much love and aloha

Spring Break

Spring break is here. It's been an amazing semester, so hard so many times but so good. Learning so much. Had my last small group with my 3 girls today...as of next quarter we will no longer have small group but outreach planning groups. It was sad, I've been so blessed by our times together. And it just marks the beginning of the end of such an amazing season of life. How good God is and how blessed I've been.  We are planning outreach full force now and I'm getting so excited. I'll be leaving for Fiji on July 5 (because that's when my U.S Visa expires :) I'm taking a team of 3 and am so excited for what God has for us there.
My mom and dad were here for a month and it was so great to have them around, being able to be part of my world here. Sad to see them go.
Ben and I leave tomorrow for Seattle...looking forward to getting to know his family.
Here are a few random photos of life lately

sunset with the parents

:)

my friend Jo and me

family

Kauaii

my love

beautiful scenery

loved these baby chickens everywhere!

Ben invited me to the beautiful island of Kauaii for his good friends wedding on the weekend. So we took the short flight over there and arrived on Thursday.  His good friend Scott was kind enough to take us in, and this was the beginning of a very random, yet awesome weekend…. We did a bunch of wedding errands, saw a bit of scenery, I somehow ended up attending the Bachelor party, like I said…it was random. But I was so blessed by Ben’s amazing group of friends there, with the kindness they showed me and also just the testimonies of their own lives. The wedding was on the beach, and the half hour ceremony was the only time it stopped raining the whole weekend! Such a gift from the Lord, and such a beautiful wedding. All in all, we had a great time. I got home last night, and he stayed in Kauaii for a few extra days with friends.

Looking forward to a new week, studying the book of Zechariah

Also, its been so fun to have my parents here, and now, the Irwins as well! Can’t wait to play tour guide…

Lots of love and aloha, thanks for reading

Snow in Hawaii??!

So Ben and I were driving a few weeks back and came across an actual snow man on the highway! It snows up on the mountain every now and then, and I guess someone must've brought some down in coolers or something and built a snowman on the highway....we must've got to see it right before it melted. Anyways, random, but I put this up for Seth and Ciara, as they didn't believe me when I told them it snowed in Hawaii sometimes....

re entering the world...

sorry for my absense this last month. I've been preparing my first big teaching on the books of Habakkuk and Obadiah.....ahhh its been a crazy, busy time but so relieved its over! I taught this morning and actually had so much fun with it. God opened my eyes to so many things through these books. The biggest thing through Habakkuk was having faith even when things aren't going well in our lives....trusting that God knows best and holds our future in His hands. So good!!!
Here are a few pictures for you of the teaching this morning.

Janice brought me this starbucks the morning of my teaching....she is the best roomate in the world

here's some teaching photos..

study study study

Hi all!

im sorry I have been so slack in my updating...I am prepping for my first teaching which is in 3 weeks on the books of Obadiah and Habakkuk, so things have been a little crazy.  I'd really appreciate prayer for clarity of mind, ability to sit still and study (I'm a bit ADD sometimes, i think I get this from my dad?!), that God would teach me through these books, and most importantly that I would be able to present my teachings in a way that would impact the students lives.



oops forgot to turn this picture but this is for Alissa. In loving memory of 'welcome to the cantelope Toby, by Cactus' :)

Thanks for your prayers..
lots of love and aloha