Canned Meat Product

If you ever read a menu and see the description, "Local Style", it probably means that item is loaded with Spam, a local favorite. We took this picture at McDonald's recently... these are their "Local Style" menu items.

I Can Hear You Pee

I know, I know, that's not very ladylike. Sorry. But over here, that's true in every bathroom you are in. There are very few closed in windows as we know them in California and in many places, there is just open air near the roof of the building. I just walked by the student bathrooms at Jeni's school and saw those windows and realized that its not one of my favorite things about Hawaii. Just thought you might like to know :).

In other news.... Jeni and I are both in our third week of school. We are in that frantic, "I'm never going to catch up phase," but things are getting more organized every day. We are trying to write more on this blog, but we don't have internet at home anymore and when we're at school, we have been working 'til we drop (oh, I know you feel so bad for us :>).

So stay tuned for more recent news and for pictures of the inside of our place.... it recently got an Extreme Makeover!

Relief for Hurricane Victims

Here are just a few organizations you can donate money to to help the hurricane victims.
- American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
-Samaritans Purse (Franklin Graham)
www.samaritanspurse.org
-Salvation Army
Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY


Also, please visit my friend Doug's Blog to hear how to help someone we know whose home was destroyed in the flood. Herbie graduated with me at Saint Mary's and needs our help. The information is on the Sept. 3 entry at this site: http://griffinmorocco.blogspot.com


Please keep our friend Cassie and her mission team of 75 people in prayer as they are heading to Batton Rouge to do relief work and grief counseling this week.

Coming to an End

It has been awesome having Nate, Linds, and Nolan here in Hawaii. They crashed with us Friday and Saturday night. And then they went to stay at Turtle Bay Sunday night. I think I might have mentioned it in an earlier log but I keep thinking about it. It's so awesome to see and to get to know your friends' children. He has a part of both of them. He has Nate's kicked back personality with Lindsey's curiousity and focus.

It's been awesome having them here. I wish that they could consider moving here but I know that that is out of the question with where they are at in their lives.

It Is Well

This past week has been a terrible and confusing time in our country. Because Jeni and I have no TV, we have been spared seeing the mass of images being played over and over again in the media. I have heard of so many heart wrenching tales in New Orleans and know we are all shocked and deeply saddened by such a devastating tragedy.

Yesterday, I had a discussion with my junior English class about this. After class, one of my students came up to my desk and told me to be grateful I don't have a TV. She said she can't stop watching the news reports and it makes her so sad. I am sure you all feel the same way. We are all probably wondering what can we do from our remote locations. If it would help, I know many of us would fly across the country to be there and do anything we could- but no one really knows how to help right now.

In the midst of this, I know so many people are feeling despair. I read an article that was saying that we call natural disasters like this an "Act of God." It certainly doesn't portray our God in a very loving light that we attribute such a terrible thing to Him. But, yes, it is an act of God. There are many beautiful, wonderful, miraculous works of God that occur every day also, but this flood is what is happening right now.

As I was driving just now, my favorite hymn came on. It is called, "It Is Well" written by Horatio Spafford. It is a song with extremely powerful lyrics- the basic point of the song is that no matter what comes our way, our soul can be at peace because of Jesus. This kind of song is very easy to sing in times of blessing. When the sky is blue and shining and everything is just right, I know I can belt it out with the best of 'em- but in times of trials, it becomes something totally different. The story behind the writing of the song is an amazing one. Horatio lived in the 1800's in Chicago. He was very prosperous for a time and had five beautiful children. But when his son was four, he died of scarlet fever. Some years later, Horatio's wife and four daughters were sailing to England when the ship sunk. Horatio received a telegram from his wife the next day which read, "Saved alone." Only his wife survived, his four daughters drowned. Of five children, they now had none.

It is in the midst of this great tragedy that he wrote the song, "It Is Well." The lyrics read like this:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh the joy, of this glorious thought
My sin, not the part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross
And I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord
Oh my soul

And Lord haste the day
When my faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back like as a scroll
The trump shall resound and the
Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul.


No matter the sorrow Horatio was facing (and I would venture it was great), he was still able to find hope. As Christians, we know our only hope is in the Lord- we know it is well with our souls. We know that no matter what we face on this earth- we know it is a short time. And we know we will be spending an eternity with our loving heavenly Father in perfection. In a place so wonderful we cannot even imagine it. This is what caused Horatio to declare "it was well with his soul." Like Romans 8:18 says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" in heaven.

As Christians, we need to live with this heavenly perspective. Let us not be the ones who are despairing here on earth. We have hope in Christ Jesus. We should not be the ones who are glued to CNN, speaking ONLY of the tragedy. We need to be speaking to people of HOPE. SO many people know nothing about hope. Think about how grieved we are, but we know this life is not all we have. Imagine those around us whose only hope is in this world. What a frightful place to be. I pray we are the ones spreading messages of hope.

Can we offer answers to the questions of "Why?" Probably not. Should we not be sad? Absolutely not. We should be sad, it is beyond a terrible thing. But we should not be hopeless. These are two different things. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but notforsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." Friends, we are not destroyed- we have hope because Jesus Christ died on the cross to spare us eternal damnation. We will be spending eternity with Him in heaven, where no natural disasters invade and destroy. We have an inheritance that cannot be taken away. Our hope should not be in our earthly "things". That means our big houses, our fancy cars, our looks, our money, our prestigious jobs, our standing in the community.... none of these things are eternal. Yes, your eighty or so years here might seem "comfortable", but in the light of eternity, what is the value of any of this? We know our lives are but a vapor and pass so quickly. And, unfortunately, we can see how quickly these things can disappear. Our eyes need to be on Jesus in heaven: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:1-2

It is in times of terrible tragedy that we need to be sharing our hope boldy with those who have none. It is because of God's love that we ourselves are free. It is because of God's love we should seek out the hurting and offer a shoulder to cry on.

If you are reading this and you are not a child of God, I want you to know how much He loves you. The maker of this entire universe created you. He knows you by name. He knows every hair on your head and He is waiting for you to come to Him. When I am speaking of peace, He is it. Being a Christian doesn't mean your life ends, it means your life will begin in an amazing way and it begins with and ends with God's love. I believe He appoints a time and place and He might be calling you right now to respond to His message of love. How do you become a believer? You simply tell God you know you are far from Him. Although you feel far from Him, He has always been and will always be right there next to you. A prayer that leads you to God doesn't need to go through man- its you and God. It can go something like this, "I come to you God in the name of your Son Jesus Christ. I now confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and was raised from the . I confess I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I put my eternal soul into your hands. Jesus, please save me." Being a part of God's kingdom doesn't mean all your problems with disappear, but you can experience a peace in the midst of those problems like you've never known.

If you are coming to Jesus right now, there is an entire host of angels rejoicing over you right now. Welcome to the family!

For all of us (me included) I want to leave off on this note: Where is your life right now with the Lord? Can you say, as Horatio did, "Whatver my lot.... even so, it is well with my soul." If not, go to Jesus. Start with the truth that it is well with your soul and ask for God to show you His peace. He longs to work in and through you to spread His love to this hurting world.
May God bless you all, no matter the worldly circustance you are facing this day.

God's Faithfulness

Wow, I've just been writing away... Jaime's second day of school.

It's just that God is so good to us. As many of you know, Jaime's back went out the day before school started (she spent the whole day in bed- the WHOLE day). We got a chair for her to sit in the next day but she was still in a lot of pain and could barely stand and walk.

Here it is a week later and her back is almost completly better (almost).

The Lynotts Have Arrived

Nate, Linds, and the cutest little baby flew into Honolulu Saturday night. Jaime and I were able to meet up with them in Waikiki the next night for dinner. Whoooo-ee is their little one cute. It was super cool to get to hangout with them and get to know Nolan. He is a Sweetheart.
We also got to hang out with them yesterday at Turtle Bay. (for those of you who don't know, Turtle Bay is a fancy resort close inbetween where we live and work). Jaime treated me with a day at the spa for my birthday. It was SOOOOO nice. We sat outside and had our legs and feet massaged. It was cool because we got to hang with the Lynotts for a little bit. I haven't mentioned anything to them yet, but I can tell that they should live on the North Shore. It's just in them.
Right now they're staying in a dump in Waikiki. Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday night they're going to stay with us and the rest of the nights at Turtle Bay. I'm a little nervous that they will think our place is a dump too. It's not that I think it is a dump, it's just that seems to be the general opinion of people who have visited. We'll keep you posted.

Better is One Day in Your Courts

We went to church Saturday night and something pretty significant hit me. There's this worship song that says, "Better is one day in Your courts, better is one day in Your house, better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere..." When we sang that song when I was at Bible College I would always think about college. I loved Boise State. I loved my friends. I loved the carefree living. I loved everything about it. I had a really hard time leaving Boise. While singing that song months later at Bible College, I would think, "Yeah, being close to You is better than when I was in college." My walk with God has struggled a little since living in Hawaii. For one reason or another I haven't felt like I'm in His presence. Not to say that I'm not in His presence, I just haven't felt as close to Him as I have in the past.


We sang that song Saturday and it hit me, the most precious place to be is in God's presence. People always say, "You're so lucky that you get to live in Hawaii." Which we are, it's beautiful and I love it. But honestly, the best place to be is in God's presence, dwelling with Him. Trusting Him for everything, loving Him, feeling like you're alone with Him... nothing comes close to it.

Just a thought.

" Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1Peter2:1-3

We're Baaaaacccckkkk

Well, school started and we’ve been so incredibly busy. Jeni’s kids came on Monday, mine came on Wednesday (I finally got to take revenge and take a picture of her first day. That is my boring classroom). On Sunday night, my back went completely out and I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to make it on the first day. On Tuesday, I couldn’t even go into work because I was in so much pain. NOT very good timing for my back to go out! Jeni and my mom kept saying, God’s going to heal you, just watch. I was certainly praying for it, but my back was so bad, I wasn’t too sure if it was going to happen. But, God is faithful even when our faith is lacking! I couldn’t stand straight up on Wednesday, but I was able to sit in a chair and teach all day. Jeni went out and bought me a high bar stool (with a back and arms) and then just propped me up in it. When I did have to get out of the chair, I was so hunched over and I know the kids were wondering what planet I came from! :)
I still have to come straight home and lie down, but by Monday, I am hoping I’ll be 100% by then.
I have all ninth graders and one junior class. They kids are sweet and I’m having a blast with them. I’ll let Jeni tell you about her lil’ munchkins. It’s amazing to me how small everything in her classroom is. Here are some pictures of the final result of her room. It’s so cute, I just want to hang out in there!

We'll update more later. Jeni has some super cute stories. And some funny ones too..... one of her kid's name has 26 letters......

Oink....oink

A wild boar we saw on our way home from work... don't mind the grafitti. Jeni was so brave to go out and take a picture. But everytime the thing turned toward us, she ran back to the car. Bok....bok.....

(Updated) Bok.....bok....

Well, it finally hit me today. I live in Hawaii! What a beautiful land God created! I had my first day of work today (just an in-service, the kids will come next Wednesday). Since my car hasn’t arrived yet, Jeni and I are sharing her car. I was walking across the football field that separates our two schools after work and was looking and the blue sky and lush land, listening to the birds and the ocean (which is across the street from our schools)…. and it hit me. What an amazing blessing!
And another blessing… I got an apartment! Jeni’s complex is hard to get into because of it’s location and lower prices than other places (and because most people want to live in a tin can shack at some point in their lives), but Jeni, being the sweet little darling she is has made friends with the landlords. She got my name on the list months ago. So, an apartment came open and I got it! I took some pictures of the outside. There’s still someone living in there so we’ll all have to wait (including me!) to see what the inside looks like! But I wanted to show you how close it is to my sister’s place. That’s my sister’s apartment window on the right hand side of the picture. My new apartment is on the left hand side in the back. There’s a front porch on the other side. We’re close enough to be in yelling distance so if the chicken gets out, we can let each other know.

UPDATE!!!! Ok, so the girl in that other apartment decided to keep her apartment and I don't get to move in. Hmph... well, the good news is God knows best and something good will come out of it! And Jeni, the chicken and I have a good 300 square feet of prime living space here... so who needs to move anyway! :)

Paintarama

It's Jeni.
Yesterday was my first official day back in the classroom. I now have 5 days till the little ones come. Not that I'm counting the days or nervous by any means.
I worked in my classroom till 2 and then made the mistake of walking into another kindergarten teacher's classroom. She had painted her whole room. I loved it so I called Jaime and asked her to pick up a can of baby blue, blue-blue, and grass green. I wanted to paint one wall an outdoors theme. She showed up an hour later and we went to town painting my wall (we just painted it blue, we didn't do the mural).
Probably not the best way to spend my time, considering that I still have ALL of my boxes to unpack. But it turned out so stinken cute. I'll put a picture when the area is done (we're making it a "garden" area, we put down that fake grass on the ground and I have a "stadium" where my kids sit. ). But we didn't leave my classroom till 7:30 which makes for a looooong first day back. And Jaime was a trooper, I can't believe she helped me so much. I think I'll take her with me where ever I go from now on.



Here's a picture of Jaime standing on one of my 1970's cubby box on wheels. It was not the most stable piece of furniture but it was all we had. I have to be honest, there were a few times where we thought we weren't going to make it through this little painting adventure alive.

FAQ's

Yea! It was so great to hear back from all of you!!! Here are some frequently asked questions I thought I'd answer.....

"JUST WHO ARE JERRY AND JIM?"
Jerry and Jim are our neighbors. Jim is in the Army. I can't tell you exactly what he does because I'd have to kill you.... ok, actually I'm not sure exactly what he does, but I do know he is a pilot and he served a year in Afghanistan.
Jerry lives one bungalo over and is the best cook ever. He makes incredible sauces, but he's a granny when it comes to sharing his recipes, so don't ask! :)

"WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL YOUR HAIR?"
Oh yeah... that. Well, the week before we left I really needed to get my hair TRIMMED, but my lady couldn't get me in. So...... I had to go to someone new. I distinctly remember saying, "I want to grow my hair out ....." and "I'd just like a little trim".... five inches later, here I am!!! I am not digging it at all, but it's just hair. It will grow out in a few years....sniffle....sniffle....

"DO YOU TWO WORK?"
Yes, yes, yes. As much as we wish we were independently wealthy, we're actually pretty independently poor... so off to work we go! Jeni starts today and I start work on Monday (Praise the Lord!). I got a job teaching 9th grade at Kahuku High School- Jeni teaches kindergarten at Kahuku Elementary School, so we'll be on the same grounds! Woo hoo! I was so scared because the interview did NOT seem like it went well.... but, you never know what God has planned. I am excited to get back in the classroom!

"IS YOUR FOOT OK? IT LOOKS NASTY!"
Yeah, it's fine. I'm sorry about that disgusting picture.... I told Jeni not to put it up!!! :) And her description of cleaning it was a little exaggerated (actually, it was only a little exaggerated). But, the good news (Tracey, this is for you!), I have health insurance now! So, back to the rocky reefy waters I go! :)

"WHY WEREN'T THERE ANY PICTURES OF YOU TWO IN YOUR BIKINIS?"
Ha! Just kidding! No one asked us that... you know better! :)


Have a wonderful day and God bless!!!

Here's a picture of Jeni surfing some huge waves!

"Hi, haole to you too!"- Rick from North Shore

I thought I would jump on the old blogger and give a little history of how the two sissies ended up in Hawaii (also pronounced Havaii).


It all happened close to a year ago from now. I came to visit one of my best friends from college, Brooke, for a week. I felt like God was calling me to move here (everyone says, "yeah right" to that... but for reals bra. At the time I didn't like Hawaii at all). Anyway, I miraculously found a job and stayed. That's the short version. Ben, Brooke's husband, was deployed to Iraq during that time, so I stayed with her for 6 months till he came home.


VISITORS
Then in February, I moved to the North Shore (holler). During that time I had many a visitors including my moms and pops, Nicole from Cali (what what), my favorite bro and sista-in-law, Josh and Amy, my sissy, J-Law (who wasn't really visiting me but was gracious enough to hangout with Jaime and I during "couple's night" and long enough to half-paint my kitchen "mellow" yellow. OK, not so mellow), Hil, Meish, Lisa, Hil again, and my parents again. Gotta love visitors especially when they bring one roll of toilet paper.


THE BEGINNING OF FOREVER
Jaime came out during my Easter Break. We had SUCH an awesome time. We went swimming in the ocean, walked to Foodland, and most importantly- took surf lessons together (holler). She kept saying, "Why do I live in Stockton and you live in Hawaii?" over and over again. For those of you who don't know much about Stockton... it was just rated the #1 City for Crime per capita in California (that means more crime than Oakland and South Central LA). Our week together was the beginning of what would end up being the rest of our lives. Hopefully. Although, I don't know if she would agree with me.


THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED (for good reason)
Getting Jaime to Hawaii was a task. Probably because we overbooked our summer vacation. The week before we came back we (and when I say we, I pretty much always mean "Jaime and I"), moved her out of her apartment, unpacked all her stuff into my dad's garage, helped the fam throw a suprise party for my dad, drove her car to Oakland to get it shipped, and then packed for Hawaii the day before leaving. In retrospect, our busy schedule was a Godsend. I don't think Jaime would have made the move otherwise. In fact, on the plane with both hands on the armrests, body tense, she looked over at me and asked, "Am I moving to Hawaii?" And I said, "No, you ALREADY moved to Hawaii. We're on our way!"


UP TO DATE, NOT UP TOO LATE -channel 6 news Lodi, CA
It's been a week since we've been back. And it's been great. I would want to say that it's been the best week of my life but that would probably make my life seem pretty lame.

8/2
Flew in. Went to dinner with some friends.

8/3 OOPS
Got up WAY too early and went for a hike up in Pupukea .
Lost my car keys, apartment keys, and PO Box keys on the hike.
**It's not the first thing you want to happen after you've dragged your "used to a comfortable living sissy" across an ocean to live with you in your beat up bungalo (as Jaime likes to call it. Others prefer the word "shack." The latest name I've heard was "little beach shack can house"). But check out the view! This picture is taken in front of the apartment looking towards the ocean.
Anywho... losing your keys on that particular hike means that you have an additional 3-4 mile walk back to your bungalo (if you happen to live in my bungalo), on top of the 3 mile hike that you've just completed. But like the rest of my life, God was watching my back. My passenger side door was unlocked (which is highly unlikely seeing how I have a beep-beep car opener and locker). So we were able to use my cell phone to call a neighbor.

8/4 FIRST SURFING WOUND
We had the itching to buy surf boards so we went to Surf and Sea. Originally we wanted to buy Softtop long boards. They're super easy to get up on. But you also outgrow them fairly quick so we decided to buy the real deal. We decided to rent the boards first to make sure we liked them and felt comfortable on them.
It wasn't a good time or day to surf. It was low tide and super windy which makes the waves choppy and makes it harder to keep your balance.
Before jumping right in, I decided to talk to one of the local surfers to get the low down on the ocean, waves, reef of this particular area. He gave me lots of helpful advice.
One of the crucial points of the advice was "stay to the side, out of the way of the other (experienced) surfers." So, while we were out there, we stayed to the side where there weren't any waves. I cut into the middle but Jaime decided to paddle in. This is where it gets good.
As Jaime was paddling in, Sunset Suzy (our original surf instructor from Spring Break- she happened to be out there) caught a wave behind her and started waving her hand at Jaime. At first Jaime thought S. Suzy was telling her to get out of her way. But then she realized that she was telling Jaime to catch the wave. So Jaime freaked out, tried to catch it, and ended up falling off her board. The reef took a nasty chunk out of her foot, and scratched her up pretty bad.
We went home took a nap, played on the internet, went shopping... and before we knew it, Jaime's foot hurt super bad. We took a look and it was all red and swollen. We spent the next 3 hours scraping it with a brillo pad, soaking it in vinegar, digging at it with scissors... Her foot is still infected, but we're remaining hopeful since Jaime is unemployed with no health insurance.

8/5 JAIME GETS BRAVE
Despite her nearly life ending injury, Jaime and I went and bought our very own surfboards today! Holler at yo surf instructa!!! We took some pictures that make us really look like we're local... and that we surf.... but we're not and we don't.

8/6 TIMBER AND FAREWELL TO OUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT
We went to Waimea Bay with Jerry and jumped off the rocks. It was scary but fun. ***Note from Jaime: Jeni has a bad habit of screaming from the minute she jumps off the cliffs til the moment she lands. Not the kind of chick you want around when you are standing on the top of a cliff with your bikini on, hoping no one sees you.****

We also had a special visitor in town. Well, she was visiting our neighbor, Jim but we snuck her away every now and then. It was fun hanging out with Regan but she had to go back to start up her volleyball season. Can you believe she's a college coach? She looks so young... The MaryKay* products have done wonders for her.
*Talk to your local representative about the products Regan uses. Or, if you don't have a local representative, I happen to know one on the North Shore.

8/7 POOPED OUT
A neighbor invited me to paddle around Three Tables Beach to Waimaea Bay with him but then pooped out last minute. I went by myself and almost pooped too. It was scary! I thought a shark was going to get me and there's a section where there's no beach so no one can see when you've been attacked. So, I pooped out too. ***Another note from Jaime: Jeni made me walk with her to one beach so I could CARRY HER FLIP FLOPS from the first beach to the second. THEN she decided not to make the swim all the way around and left me worrying my head off on the other beach while she enjoyed the sunset on beach #1 for 15 minutes and leisurely made her way back to the bungalo shack. Hmmmm....***

8/8 SURF'S DOWN DUDE
Went surfing. No waves, choppy water, no fun. Love my board though. ***(Me again) She looks SO cool carrying it though! Too bad I have three holes in my foot or I could look cool too. But hobbling just isn't as cool as it used to be.***

8/9 JOB SEARCH CONTINUES
Jaime interviewed for a job today. It sucked. More information to follow.



Jaime thinks this picture is goofy and didn't want me to post it BUT... it's an old Elson family tradition, I couldn't help it. Our mom always made us stand on the front porch on the first day of school and she would take a picture of us. Besides, it's too cute not to post. Hey gurl!

"Does every dinner have to have a theme?" Jerry Cheng

Dinner in our little Compound (we're not a cult, its just a name we call our little set of apartments, don't worry) is usually a little mix of everything when Jeni and I are cooking. Last night it was "Mango-Ka-Bob Night". Neighbors Jerry and Jim joined Jaime and Jeni (sorry, I had to say it) in a feast of shish-ka-bobs, the famous Elson garlic bread, Jerry's shrimp and crabs in secret, secret sauce, corn, potatoes..... all cooked on our HUGE bar-b-que which we just learned how to use on Sunday.
Jerry and Jim's favorite part of dinner are the games Jeni always makes us play. Last night's game was, "Who would you rather marry?" Jim would rather marry a girl that never shaves her armpits as opposed to a woman with a full beard. That's just gross Jim.
We all wish we had chairs for our table.