Sacrifice

Our projects are underway. The boom arrived late because the delivery person thought it was for something on the military base. The guards refused to let him on base so he found the church about an hour late.  With two men working on the boom, three sides of the church are stripped and are ready for primer.

front of church                                                      back of church                    

 
 

 

Three of us worked in Carla's kitchen prepping the cupboards for paint. Beth learned to take down the cupboard doors but please don’t tell her husband she has that skill.

The other members of the team painted the sanctuary a light cream.  It is beautiful.

We are here on this trip to offer ourselves as a pleasing sacrifice to God.  Pray that God gives us wisdom, skills, and strength to accomplish His tasks here.  Pray that the community sees Jesus in us.

Hebrews 13:16 Don't forget to do good things for others and to share what you have with them. These are the kinds of sacrifices that please God.

Written by Bonnie Young

Preparation

Today was another day of preparation.  Eddie, Hunter, and I went grocery shopping.  Unlike last year, we had the Miller’s van and our groceries did not fill it up.  However, as I finished putting the groceries away I was asked to go back for some of the things still we needed.  After another shopping trip of $78.00, we had what we needed for tonight’s meal.

This morning we found out that the refrigerator we bought yesterday off Craig’s List was not cooling the food.  Carla took it apart and found a fan that would not move.  She took the fan apart, fixed it and now we have a working refrigerator. 

The team arrived from Colorado around 5:00pm.  They met church members, visited, then enjoyed the Hawaii Luau Eddie and several women from the congregation prepared.  As you can see from the picture batman came.  Isn’t he cute? Pastor John wore a grass skirt.  Jordon, from Eastborough church and Mike from Wahiawa church played and sang together.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:13 (ESV)

Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.

 

Written by Bonnie Young

 

Worship

Saturday was another busy day of preparation.  Carla, Pastor John’s wife, found a refrigerator and made arrangement for it to be picked up.  Most of the tile was picked up and is waiting at the church for the work to start next week.  The remainder of the tile will be delivered Monday.  The Crossing Church sent money for a grill.  Both the church here in Hawaii and the work and witness cooks appreciate their generosity.

 

Sunday morning we had a wonderful time of worship and fellowship.  Pastor John spoke about our need for a personal relationship with God that encompasses our whole life.

The team members that are here met this evening to lay out the plans for the two weeks of work. During their meeting, I rushed to the grocery store to buy food for the evening meal.  On the way back from the store, God had a surprise for me.  Stretching across the sky was an amazing rainbow.  Seeing God’s promise made me sing,

“Bless the Lord, O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I’ll worship your holy name”

 God’s promises are unending.

 

Urgently Pray for an eight-year-old child whose mother is in the last stages of stomach cancer.  She is spending every night at the hospital with her mother and the days at Pastor John and Carla’s house.

 

written by Bonnie Young

Anxious

This is our second work and witness trip to Wahiawa, Hawaii to help in the Wahiawa Church of the Nazarene.  Last year we put a new roof on the church.  This year we are scheduled to paint the exterior and interior of the church, lay tile in the basement, and paint the public living area in the patronage.  We have a huge task and fewer people than last summer.  Sometimes we are tempted to be anxious but the Bible tells us not to be anxious.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Matthew 6:25-34

Today we planned the menu for the next two weeks, searched for a boom lift, and bought tile.  It might have been easy to be anxious about everything.  There were questions, about time, money, and materials.  Worry could have immobilized us all, but we stepped out in faith.  The boom lift is scheduled to be delivered on Monday, and costs as much for the week as we were told it would cost per day.  The order for the tile was canceled by some unknown person for an unknown reason but did not sell.  We bought it today, and God supplied a vehicle to pick up all 45 boxes tomorrow.  Many calls were made to find a refrigerator off Craig’s list.  Either we did not hear back or there was something wrong with the refrigerator so we still need a refrigerator to store the food for the team.  Pray that God provides that in His time.

Our Father, God, shows us that we are loved not because of what we do but because we are His children.  We can rest in His mercy.  If we do not have the courage to trust Him with our future, God shows us that fears only hold us back.  We are valuable to Him.  He planned for our lives here on earth and for eternity and His grace and mercy is not just for us, but also for us to share with everyone we meet.

Do not be anxious.  God has a plan for the people of Wahiawa and He will carry it out. He is our loving heavenly Father.

Written by Bonnie Young

 

Up Dates on Hawaii

God Cares

 

Pastor John called to report several exciting things:

1.    He just returned from attending the first session at Point Loma in his Master's program.

2.    The church meant their budget requirements for the third month in a row.  In the prior year and a half this had never happened.

 

3.    Someone from the church bought floor tile and installed it in one of the basement rooms of the church.  The church flooded before we were there last July ,and this is the first of many rooms to complete.

 

4.    One of the members of last summer's work and witness team members gave money for living room furniture for Pastor John and Carla's home. They chose patio furniture because it is more maintainable with their son Peter's use.  The cushions are washable and replaceable. 

 

In our church, we have been in a study of Nehemiah.  Through the study of Nehemiah, we see that God cares about and watches over everything.  God had plans for Nehemiah and He provided.  Jesus told His disciples in

Luke 12:2-7  There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Pray for Carla.  She goes in for kidney stone surgery the 21^st of November.

Praises to the LORD

The long process of the roof and gutter replacement is finally finished.  Pastor John sent pictures of the new gutters last weekend.



                   

He also reported that Rachel, the volunteer youth worker was granted a local preacher’s license.  Her ministry is growing.  Another military lady has started attending church, and she started a women’s ministry that meets once a week. Praise the LORD for His blessings.

 

Bonnie Young