This week was not only Thanksgiving, but also marked our 6 month anniversary of moving to Hawaii!
Looking back on all the uncertainty, and risks we took we are very thankful for God's guidance through it all. During the holiday season, its important to not let it pass us by. We shouldn't be "down" about not being able to go home for Thanksgiving/Christmas, rather we should appreciate this time and make up some new holiday traditions with friends. Does it make it easy to be gone from our family and friends, NO! But we can see how God has placed some amazing people in our lives over the past 6 months to spend the holidays with.
We were able to spend Thanksgiving with some of our small group friends and met some new ones. we ate some amazing Turkey with all the trimmings and played some Apples to Apples.
It didn't feel like thanksgiving normally feels. We didn't see our immediate and extended families, didn't feel the brisk air and the need for scarves wrapped tightly around our necks. But we felt thankful. Maybe even more thankful than we have in the past. Thankful for loving families and holiday traditions to miss.
BUT
How can we do anything but praise and thank you God for all you have done for us and blessed us with?
We had a great thanksgiving sermon last week that I have thought about a lot lately.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for YOU."
Here are some good reminders that Pastor Dan brought up on Sunday:
1) One must CHOOSE to be thankful.
2) How thankful we are determines the amount of joy and fulless we will have in life.
3) We are called to be Thankful in all things and not for all things.
4) We tend to think we deserve it all. If we don't get it all we are unthankful or view God as mean and unloving. If we think all opportunities/things should be ours, then we think God is not giving us what we need. But was it really a need in the first place? Or just a want?
So in all circumstance we are called to be thankful. Thankful whether we are far away from family or close during the holidays. Thankful for the opportunities and jobs we have been given, even if we had a bad day at work. Thankful for having a house to clean, dishes to wash, and bills to pay. For all these things point to the many blessings in our lives.
God is using all these things to mold us into who HE wants us to be. It may not be easy and it may not be the way we want things to be done, but HE know what's best.
Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving~
Janell
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
HI Update
So what's new in Oahu?
Life has been good here. (big surprise, huh?) We have been busy working and hanging out with Ben's grandparents. They were here last week for a week long get away. We had a great time showing them around the island. It is so much fun taking them to all these familiar places. We are so thankful they came to visit us. Thanks again for coming Grandpa and Grandma De Wit!
We look forward to the upcoming months and anticipate our next visitors: Dad, Mom, and Chris in January. The holiday season will definitely be different for us being so far away from home and family, but are blessed to have support here too. We are looking forward to getting together with our small group and maybe even "getting away" and going to a resort for a few nights during Christmas.
The past few weeks we have been able to get more involved with our church and small group. Two weeks ago we were able to go out with our group and take a pontoon boat to the sand bar in the bay. The tide was a bit high but we had a great time driving around and swimming. We saw a lot of huge sea turtles and other fish. Later that evening we went to a UH (Univ. of Hawaii) football game. It was fun to see some football and enjoy more time with friends.
I also met up with my good friend Sheena at our Church Bazaar this past Saturday. We were able to purchase some local jellies and other goodies. I even found some great books for $5 total! The best find was a Toaster Oven Cookbook from the 1980s. I had previously looked at Barnes and Nobel for one and was highly unsuccessful. I may become the next Rachael Ray of Toaster Ovens with this tool...but don't get your hopes up :) Here is my good find:
Ben has been able to become a part of the Youth Group as a leader. They have a great group of kids and leaders who meet on Wednesday/Friday nights, and Sunday mornings. Ben's work and life schedule allowed for him to make all three sessions this week. He loves getting to know people outside of work, and is even warming up his rusty guitar skills for the praise band. It has been such a blessing for him to become a part of this group.
Ben also recently signed up for a Kaplan class this coming Jan-April on Tues/Thurs nights that will help him prepare for his MCAT test. He plans to take this test after he is done with the class. He looks forward to continue "working toward" his ultimate goal of medical school.
That's our life update! I won't even tell you what the weather has been like here. I will admit that I am going to miss the white Christmas. Just won't feel the same without the snow.
Happy Sunday!
Janell
Life has been good here. (big surprise, huh?) We have been busy working and hanging out with Ben's grandparents. They were here last week for a week long get away. We had a great time showing them around the island. It is so much fun taking them to all these familiar places. We are so thankful they came to visit us. Thanks again for coming Grandpa and Grandma De Wit!
We look forward to the upcoming months and anticipate our next visitors: Dad, Mom, and Chris in January. The holiday season will definitely be different for us being so far away from home and family, but are blessed to have support here too. We are looking forward to getting together with our small group and maybe even "getting away" and going to a resort for a few nights during Christmas.
The past few weeks we have been able to get more involved with our church and small group. Two weeks ago we were able to go out with our group and take a pontoon boat to the sand bar in the bay. The tide was a bit high but we had a great time driving around and swimming. We saw a lot of huge sea turtles and other fish. Later that evening we went to a UH (Univ. of Hawaii) football game. It was fun to see some football and enjoy more time with friends.
I also met up with my good friend Sheena at our Church Bazaar this past Saturday. We were able to purchase some local jellies and other goodies. I even found some great books for $5 total! The best find was a Toaster Oven Cookbook from the 1980s. I had previously looked at Barnes and Nobel for one and was highly unsuccessful. I may become the next Rachael Ray of Toaster Ovens with this tool...but don't get your hopes up :) Here is my good find:
Ben has been able to become a part of the Youth Group as a leader. They have a great group of kids and leaders who meet on Wednesday/Friday nights, and Sunday mornings. Ben's work and life schedule allowed for him to make all three sessions this week. He loves getting to know people outside of work, and is even warming up his rusty guitar skills for the praise band. It has been such a blessing for him to become a part of this group.
Ben also recently signed up for a Kaplan class this coming Jan-April on Tues/Thurs nights that will help him prepare for his MCAT test. He plans to take this test after he is done with the class. He looks forward to continue "working toward" his ultimate goal of medical school.
That's our life update! I won't even tell you what the weather has been like here. I will admit that I am going to miss the white Christmas. Just won't feel the same without the snow.
Happy Sunday!
Janell
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Life Slump?
Ever feel like you are in a slump, can't get going, or have difficulty getting or staying motivated? That seemed to be my problem lately.
Today, I FINALLY got out of that slump. I think it was a combination of different things, keeping me in this slump. Trying to get back into a routine again after vacation, trying to figure out ultimately what God wants for you in certain situations, and attempting to make big life decisions.
I think ultimately, life slumps come when God isn't where he needs to be in your life. He isn't at the top of the priority list. He is somewhere in between work and relationships, paying bills and making supper, doing chores and getting groceries. That is where I went wrong. Placing Him amongst all these worldly issues instead of in above of them. But who am I kidding. It seems so much easier most days to push God aside. It takes work (hard work) some days to keep Him at the top. I am a work in progress. But progress is good. God continues to mold me each day into more of the person He wants me to be.
So I am happy to say, that for the first time in about a month, I am finally back in my groove. Got my priorities realigned and it FEELS GREAT! So take a deep cleansing breath today and thank God for always being there for you, even when you are "too busy" for Him.
God is Good!
Janell
P.S. More to come on the big life decisions topic...
Today, I FINALLY got out of that slump. I think it was a combination of different things, keeping me in this slump. Trying to get back into a routine again after vacation, trying to figure out ultimately what God wants for you in certain situations, and attempting to make big life decisions.
I think ultimately, life slumps come when God isn't where he needs to be in your life. He isn't at the top of the priority list. He is somewhere in between work and relationships, paying bills and making supper, doing chores and getting groceries. That is where I went wrong. Placing Him amongst all these worldly issues instead of in above of them. But who am I kidding. It seems so much easier most days to push God aside. It takes work (hard work) some days to keep Him at the top. I am a work in progress. But progress is good. God continues to mold me each day into more of the person He wants me to be.
So I am happy to say, that for the first time in about a month, I am finally back in my groove. Got my priorities realigned and it FEELS GREAT! So take a deep cleansing breath today and thank God for always being there for you, even when you are "too busy" for Him.
God is Good!
Janell
P.S. More to come on the big life decisions topic...
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