Homesick

I must say that although Hawai'i is beautiful I am finding that I miss Washington very much! You would think that being on a warm island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean I would have nothing to complain about - right? I shouldn't complain - I really shouldn't - but I am in a complaining mood right now!
It's relatively early, on a Friday night, and what am I doing? Blogging! And why, you ask, am I blogging? Because there is nothing else to do! That's the way it is here. If there is nothing going on, you're stuck because there's nowhere else to go to find something that is going on! I'm on an island for heaven's sake!
It's not all bad though.
It's the end of October and I am sitting on the lanai in my shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops blogging! IN OCTOBER!!!!!!! When in most places people are wearing jackets, sweaters, and even gloves! So I guess I should count my blessings!
Speaking of blessings - this is what I get to look at every night from my lanai.

Laptop Computers Are Wonderful!

So, I finally got my laptop and I am loving it!
This means that I no longer have to stay at school to do my computer work. I can do it all here at home or in a coffee shop or at someone else's home or . . . you get the idea! I am so excited that I have not done any school work on it - yet! You know, all work and no play makes Abbey a dull girl!
I'll probably post some pictures on my facebook page of Hawai'i and the interesting things that I have seen so far.
One thing that I saw this morning when I went into the bathroom to take a shower was a Cane Spider. It was pretty early so I didn't have the presence of mind to get my camera. This thing was huge! It was about half the size of my hand and it was hanging out right where I wanted to go. Now, I don't touch spiders that big, if I can help it, so I scared it into a corner and kept one eye on it to make sure it didn't move before I got into the shower. When I was finished, I checked to make sure that it hadn't moved somewhere else before I got out!
My motto is: Live and let live! As long as the bugs don't bother me I am fine. Besides, Cane Spiders eat other bugs so we're not supposed to kill them!
This week at school is GIG week (GIG stands for Getting into God). Seeing as how I have never been through one before, I sometimes feel like a spectator rather than a participator. Though, I have been reminded once again that God never works like I expect Him to or like I think He will. God is so good to remind me that I do not have a corner on the market of predicting what God is going to do! Over the past couple of years that is the one thing that He has continued to bring to the forefront in my life. I am learning to appreciate each surprise He brings into my life.
Get to know your surprising God!

Teaching in Hawai'i

Well, so far I have been teaching for four weeks and in some subjects I still feel like I am floundering around. I am not sure if my expectations are too high or if I really don't know what I am doing! I hope it's the expectations-too-high problem.
The weather has been beautiful. I think it was the warmest that it has been on Friday. I think my students thought they were going to die of heat stroke! It was really warm.
I am trying some new ideas to see if I can motivate one of my classes to actually want to learn what they are supposed to. I hope they work.
One thing that is easy for me to forget in all my busyness is that I need to be seeking out the Lord in all that I do. I need to remind myself daily that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. I guess sometimes I feel as though I am laboring in vain.

PS. The word Howlie in one of my previous posts, I just found out, is actually spelled Haole!!!

I Hate Millipedes . . .

. . . and any other creepy-crawly that wants to climb into my bed!
True story. You know how when you get that "bugs-are-crawling-on-me" feeling and you reach down/up to scratch the spot and that usually takes care of it? Well, the other night I was happily sleeping away in my bed when something woke me up. I had that "bugs-are-crawling-on-me" feeling on my leg and shifted position to see if the itch would go away. It did not. So I reached down to scratch it when my hand closed over a millipede crawling up my leg - under my pajama pants! I don't think I went to sleep for the rest of the night! That is why I hate millipedes.
I guess in a place like Hawai'i there would have to be a downside. Bugs is definitely one of them!
Other than bugs though, my time here has been exciting and a blessing from the Lord. He is continually teaching me things that I thought I had already learned! Do you ever find yourself thinking that you've learned a particular lesson pretty well only to find out that you have only made a few scratches on the surface. That is me, here! I suppose that is one of the reasons for my exhaustion. I not only am teaching for the first time but God is teaching me new and deeper lessons on how He wants me to live my life.
I am so thankful for His faithfulness to me.

Teaching and Flexibility

I have now finished the first "week" of teaching on my own (it really was only two days!). I am having fun even though it is hard work to keep up with everything and I am learning all over again how to be flexible. I knew this from my other teaching experiences but I am having to learn it again! Especially when my plans don't fit the time slot! Actually that has not really proved to be a problem as of yet but I am sure I will have to face it sometime!
Where I am facing the flexibility issue the most is in a new class that I am teaching. Not only is it new for me - it is new for the school and I feel like I am finding my way in the dark. Everytime I think there might be light ahead it turns out that it is just another bend in the tunnel. I think that God is helping me to stay humble, that I might be a blessing to the nine kids in that class and that they might be a blessing to me. I have to remember that I am not the authority on the subject of praise and worship but I also want to challenge them to step out of their comfort zones, to explore new areas of worship. That means that I have to do the same.

Beautiful

Wow! Every day that I walk out the door I am amazed at how beautiful it is here. I know, I know - a picture is worth a thousand words! I will put pictures up eventually but I don't have anyway to download them right now. Hopefully I will be able to get a computer before too long.
Back to how beautiful it is here - when I look out across the cul de sac I see the ocean - blue as far as you can see - meeting the sky - also blue as far as you can see. And when it's cloudy it still is beautiful because there are multitudes of brilliant flowers all around. God sure is amazing to create all of this for me!
It reminds me of a song that I listen to on occasion - Beautiful One by Tim Hughes. The second verse and chorus describe what God's beautiful creation does to my heart.

"Powerful, so powerful
Your glory fills the skies
Your mighty works diplayed for all to see
The beauty of Your majesty
Awakes my heart to sing
How arvelous how wonderful You are

Beautiful One I love You
Beautiful One I adore You
Beautiful One my soul must sing."

He truly is Beautiful!

Howlie?...

I have been told that's what I am here in Hawai'i! A Howlie is a person whose ethnicity is caucasian. Hmmmm-I'm not sure what I think about that. The word can apparently be used as a descriptor or as an insult - it all depends on the tone of voice in which it is said!
I have been trying a lot of new foods since I have been here. I have had Kalimari, Seaweed Soup, Spam Mouselbi (spelling? - its a slice of fried spam sandwiched between two rice patties and wrapped in seaweed), a dried plum with some type of oriental seasoning on it that turns your tongue orange (I don't remember the name of it!), and a few other things. Everything that I have tried has been pretty good and some of it has been downright delicious!
I am adjusting to the time difference slowly but surely and I have been trying to make myself wake-up a little earlier each day. The first couple of days it didn't work too well because I had accidently set my alarm for pm instead of am! I thought my phone wasn't working until I remembered to check that setting!
I am gearing up for school to start - making lesson plans and decorating my room (classroom, that is). It's fun - I never expected to have my own classroom to decorate! I just have to be careful that I don't spend too much money - I don't get my first paycheck until September 15th - I have to make what I have stretch until then.
I am still looking for a car that I can afford. I am really praying that the Lord will provide one that is ten years old or less and under $4800. I would personally prefer a small SUV but I am willing to take whatever the Lord provides.
He has always taken care of me in the past, so I will continue to trust in Him.

Now I am an Island Girl!

So...this is my first of (hopefully) many posts. I have always wanted to start a blog and let people know what I am doing and now I finally have the time and energy! Granted - it is 3:05 am but I couldn't sleep! I just moved to Hawai'i last Wednesday so my sense of time is still off a little.
It is beautiful down here and I think I am getting a bit of a tan! (Yaayyy!) I haven't been in the ocean yet but that will happen before very long. I am looking forward to my new teaching job and meeting all my students, although I think I will probably have met most of them before school actually starts! It's a small community atmosphere here.
Right now I am staying in the home of one of the school board members and three of their boys will be in some of my classes.
Classes? Oh right...you want to know what I'm teaching! No? Well I'm going to tell you anyway! I am teaching two eighth grade english classes, a lit and comp class, a ninth grade drama class, and a praise & worship class this semester. Sounds fun doesn't it? Actually I am very excited about it all!
Of course I will miss all the people I have left behind on The Mainland (that's what the people here call the lower 48) but I know that God is faithful and He will provide opportunities for friendships here.
So I am trusting in Him.