ALOHA...again!

Aloha! Okay, thank you for letting me confess my weakness and desires in the previous post...I will now get to the 'fun' stuff and explain more about what's up in the Islands! I have managed to have a little bit of fun and adventure in my first couple of weeks in Hawaii. I have been on the "Islands" for two weeks officially this night!

My dear friend and brother Brady rode with me to San Diego from Abilene a couple weeks ago so that I could bring my dear car over with me. He survived long miles through long deserts and proved AGAIN his incredible faithfulness as a friend. Cheers to him! I flew out of San Diego on the 6th of August and was greeted with amazing aloha spirit by the dear Hanson family who arrived just prior to me. They brought a beautiful lai for me...and I don't ever remember flowers smelling so good! (this was a blessing for all, by the way...remember, no air conditioner in the desert!) I had more fun than I could have dreamed during the next few days touring the island with them, snorkeling, fellowshiping, and admiring the beauty of the Lord. Their encouragment and Love filled me up and readied me for the next step over onto the Big Island.

I arrived on "My Island" on the 9th and I am convinced I have found the best! :) Not that I've been to all the others, but this place is fabulous! It's twice the size of all the other islands combined, and offers a great amount of diversity that suits me just fine. From volcanoes and lava fields, to rainforests, blue coastlines, and snowy peaks the Big Island truly has a beauty all its own to unveil. It is the least populated per square mile of all the Islands leaving vast amounts of beautiful, diverse land just begging to be explored. I'm only slowed by my bum leg at the moment, but that is healing fast...I hope!

I have started work and it is going well. It's quite a different job from any I have had before, or had imagined getting, but different can be a good thing. I'm working at Dolphin Quest which is part of the Hilton Waikoloa Villiage in Hawaii. (http://www.dolphinquest.org) My official position is to be a "Lead" in Guest Services which I have found out since arriving means that I must understand EVERYTHING that goes on with this company. So, I'm learning fast, and hoping to learn faster. The program is truly fantastic, and it is so fun to be a part of watching people have the time of their lives playing with dolphins and learning about all kinds of oceanology. I am confident that the job will only get better and more enjoyable as 1) my leg and wrist heal allowing me to work easier and 2) I understand what's going on better! i like to KNOW, but my patience sometimes lacks when I'm in the Learning stage....grrrr. I will have it all figured out someday...maybe. :)

I will post more pictures soon, but for now I have spent way too much time fighting a bad internet connection and I have to be at work early! I love the vast open spaces and lack of development here...but it does mean longer commutes to work! So, mahalo (thank you) for taking the time to check this out...I'll try to get more interesting in the future!

BLESS YOU ALL, Love you much, Aloha.

ALOHA!!!

Aloha! Greetings in Jesus Name to all those I love, miss, and cherish forever! I'll be using this blogspot to keep regular (hopefully) updates about my times and adventures here on the Big Island, Hawaii.

Before I get into anything else I want to explain the meaning of this site name, confess to you my weakness and hopes, and beg for your prayers.

I chose the name, "Unplowed Ground," after reading through Hosea, especially verse 10:12. This verse has been whispered continually to me over the last few years and reads, "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fuit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness upon you." This verse communicates a calling that I long to respond to. I long to devote my entire being to His Way, yet I have failed many times to do this.

I am thankful for this verse as it calls me higher, reminding me of the focus, purpose, and goal for my time. I want to follow this verse! Yet I am weak and there is much of my heart, mind, and soul that are still not devoted to His Service and so clings to fleshly desires of this earth! Yet I am reminded of the truth that the Lord is in control and that I cannot gain righteousness on my own, as I have selfishly sought to do so many times in my life. No, nothing righteous can come from me, and therefore I must "break up my unplowed ground." All of me that is not working for the Lord must become devoted to His service. I must seek out what only He can provide, and then He will be the one to come and shower HIS Righteousness upon me. My heart is given much peace to remember that all things come from Him, though I am astounded daily at how easily I forget this. His righteousness, His power, His Grace, and His Love overcome my weakness. Yet He asks for my devotion, and asks me to sow what He has given me...and this is my aim, and my prayer for my time on this island...and on this earth.

Please remember me in your prayers as I long to be freed from the chains that bind me, keeping me from reaching Higher for Him. I long with all my heart to be transformed more into the likeness of He who has created me, and have struggled much to grow as I desire. My heart has been touched by His Love and Grace, but there is still so much to be softened for Him. Many aspects of my life have not been devoted to His Service, and I long to continue walking in His Way by seeking to dig deeper into every area of my life. My focus has drifted and I have failed many tests in the last several months. However, I have learned more of my Lord's Grace than I imagined possible, and I now cling to that Grace as I continue pursuing His Righteousness with ever renewed determination. My prayers are also with you...