Rope

A rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength (i.e. it can be used for pulling, but not pushing). Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly constructed cord, line, string, and twine. (wikipdedia)


Reading that definition relate it to your relationships.  Beautiful.  God has intertwined us together.  We TOGETHER are rope, not made for pushing but pulling each other through and through.  We are thicker and stronger together.  God revealed this to me before Phil and I were married : )  Due to recent events it has reappeared in my mind.  Recent events, hm.  Well, let's see where do I begin....


What a month it has been for us Leitners.  Have I told you today that God is faithful? : ) Because He is.  It has been a month of visitors!  Our first visitors this month were Liz, Blake, and Kai (and Kamalani in Lizzie's tummy) Mokiao. Our second visitor, a tsunami.  Boy howdy, if Liz and Blake only knew the adventure we had before us!  Liz and I have always had a friendship full of adventure.  You see, life with Liz is so lovely.  She can make the simplest things so special.  I have learned so much through our friendship especially the numerous times we have lived with each other.  She is my sister in Christ and to me we are related.  I love her so dearly.  When she married Blake the first Hawaiian adventure began.  I should say when she started dating Blake, poor guy didn't know what he was in for, haha.  I'll never forget driving to Colorado Springs from Kansas City to Mole and Kristen's wedding with Blake in the back seat.  We sang the whole way.  Liz and I, not Blake.  Somewhere along the state line the keys got locked in the car, 11pm.  Anyways, always an adventure with us.  


They flew in and Iggy man and I drove to town to pick them up.  SO EXCITED!  It was quite relaxing b/c we could just hang out and catch up.  They've been here so many times together.  This is Blake's home, of course.  We decided to call it a night after a great day of catching up.  We were in bed maybe an hour when the sirens went off and police came (with a bull horn mind you) and evacuated us out of our house.  We live right on the water so we are a direct tsunami target...eek.  Now, tornadoes we are used to but common tsunami?  To make a long story short...not in my nature, sorry Phil...we stayed inland at a friends house.  We went to bed around 2 and woke about 7.  Oahu was fine.  Our house is fine. The kids were all fine.  Iggy slept the entire time, ha.  We all went home and got showered, visited with Aubrey (Clair) for a bit then it was time to head back to town.  The Mokiao's hopped a plane for the Big Island to see Blake's fam.  At least I got my Spruill for a little bit : )  Much needed time with my wonderful friends.  Did I mention Kai is a little stud???!!!!  He was great the whole time.


A few days after our tsunami scare my parents and Noah flew in.  YAY!  They were able to spend six glorious days with us.  There's just something about your family being near.  What a carefree fun week.  We took them to the North Shore and saw 15-20 foot waves!  We drove along the coastline down to Diamond Head and to Honolulu.  We spent a day at Waikiki.  We also had some very much appreciated trips to Wal Mart and Target : )  Iggy definitely got some grandparent spoiling.  Noah had some surfing lessons from Phil.  Daddy, also, took a turn surfing in Hawaii both short and long boards.  Our final day we hiked to a waterfall where they shot LOST.  Just as we didn't think we could go any further we started to hear the water rushing down the mountainside and the brisk cool air.  We ALL made it up.  Iggy strapped to me for most of the time then Daddy took over.  What a workout carrying an extra twenty pounds!  Makes me remember what pregnancy was like : )  Needless to say I cannot come up with the words of how great it was to have my family here with us.  My dad also hooked us up with wireless internet and Macgyver'd our tv to actually pick up around 20 channels for free!  So now we can update more often b/c we have internet!


As soon as my parents left Iggy started crawling, is cutting two teeth on the bottom row, and started saying Mama!  Thanks to facetime on our phones they've got to witness it : )  I also started training at a job, just 4-8 hours per week to help bring in some money for rent.  It's a very small jewelry/home decor local stuff called Sand People.  My parents also blessed Phil with a planer so he is working on some pieces of furniture to sell.  Please pray for our finances, family, and outreach here in Hawaii whenever you think of us.  We are doing well but still miss home so much.  What amazing friends and family we have, thank you God.  Keep you guys updated, lots of love!

Captivated

We've almost hit the two month mark since Phil first arrived here in Hawaii. Forgive me for my infrequent updating skills. We do not have Internet at the house yet. Sure I could take the laptop to Starbucks...I could even walk there from our house...but that is not much of an option with a six month old unless he's sleeping! This update is coming from my iPhone so please have grace on any typos.

We are entering March with so much hope. Our first praise is that we made rent! To be honest with you we barely made rent. We paid rent, bought formula and diapers and prayed. We tried to not become discouraged as the funds started to get smaller than we are ever used to. Phil, Iggy, and I went to this cheap Asian bakery place we love for breakfast one day when Phil decided to go talk to this woodshop owner behind the bakery. Phil met him through Craigslist. He's holding a planer for Phil. He told Phil of another local woodshop looking for another worker so he ran to that shop while Iggy man and I walked around the shopping center. Think Town Center Plaza but mini with all local beachy shops. Ig and I found a mini beachy Standard and the owner and I got to talking shop right away. She asked if I'd be looking for work. YES! Praise the Lord! Also, she's a Christian and hosts a home group and asked Phil to come lead worship sometime!

Phil got back from the other woodshop and got offered a job, too!!! So it looks like we will be both working part time alternating schedules to make sure we can watch Iggy of course. Our friends Tiff and Tati both offered to help, too. So it looks like we are going to make it ha! And not be working all the time so we can still focus on ministry. But hey, ministry is wherever not just our home church. The guys Phil works with are not Christians. So praise God for income. We've been pretty homesick this week. Liz, Blake, and Kai will be here with us the 10&11 and then my parents and Noah will be here the 14-21. Please pray for safe travels! We are so excited to show them around (&off). Love our friends and family coming to visit. We also LOVE mail, message me for our address :)

Please continue to pray for us showing Gods love and grace in Hawaii. Please pray for good health. This week I've been thanking God for an adventurous heart and my wonderful family. Please pray for my Uncle Gerald. He is riding a Harley from South America to Oklahoma! Check it out at www.mileswithamission.com. Supporting some really great causes like Heart to heart international and the Gresham scholarship (I received this during college!). Please pray for his teams safety and influence. Also, for my aunt Dianna and cousins, Gentry, Avery, Grayson, and Gerald Wayne as they are totally missing him and counting down the days until they're all together again. We are so blessed by such an amazing extended family. I'm glad we are all so close. Makes being out here that much harder. Miss you guys! Thank God for technology.

Also in the news, hooray for my sister-in-law,Leslie, who is now employed by Dave Ramsey living in Nashville. Micah follows in April. They desperately need to sell their house in Gardner, KS (for cheap!). Please continue to pray for our funds...scary being in the middle of the ocean on an island saying ok God we trust you! But worth it :-). I'll keep everyone posted on the jobs and the visits! Ill post pics, too, or just check my fbook page!

Blessings!

We are in Kaua'i and have internet again!  We've had such a blessed past week.  After a month of trials we finally are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Thank you for all of your prayers!

Thank God we finally have a place to call home.  We live in Kaneohe, Hi right on Kaneohe Bay.  Our home backs up to the bay!  There's a beautiful reef with tons of ocean life.  The perfect place for my husband the explorer.  He's been on the bay more than he's been in the house!  I'll be sure to take pics/video and post as soon as possible.  Hopefully we'll be getting internet very soon.  Please pray we can make the rent each month : )

Also in the praise category...our good friend Kyle Henne got engaged this past week!!!  Please pray for blessings for his future marriage!

We had dinner this Sunday night in Honolulu with my parents best friends, Red and DeWanna Tarver.  It was so nice to catch up and see someone familiar.  They rewarded some employees with a trip to Oahu and Kaua'i for reaching their goals.  They called us on Monday asking if we'd like to join.  SO we are here in Kaua'i!!  It's so beautiful.  It's nice to have this time of relaxation after the month we've had.  All three of us being pampered in "paradise", ha.  We also walked into the hotel as John Travolta was walking out.  Yes, John Travolta.  Go greased lightening, go go greased lightening John Travolta.

What amazing people God has brought into our lives (Tarvers not John Travolta, ha).  It's amazing to see how God has sewn us all together.  The Tarvers are amazing people.  They are all about letting others know they are "worth it" and to pay it forward.  Just extraordinary people.  Please pray for their lives and safe travels back to Louisiana.

Last but not least, we are on our third car in a month.  The first, Jeep Wagoneer Woody, Phil had for just a week re-sold it and made $700 on it.  Second, a Range Rover we still have and hope to sell soon that is a great car but a little too expensive tune-ups for our lifestyle right now.  Third, we've had a huge blessing of a '96 Toyota Camry.  The family is military and counselors at a local church.  They are getting re-assigned to Texas and needed to sell their third car.  They were selling it for $1500 then $1000, then said they'd love to give it to us for $500, when we got to their home they said $300.  It's in immaculate condition.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  The Lord has completely taken care of us at every angle.  Please pray for Him to continue to use us here in Hawaii and take care of us.  More updates to come!  Love you all dearly.

Timing is Everything

Hey guys!  Please keep us in your prayers!  It looks like we have found a home.  It's a six bedroom estate right on the water.  We are planning on going into it with another family that is from Hawaii.  We are also planning on hosting a "home" church on the estate.  There's a private studio perfect for guests passing through.  The estate is large enough for day camps, home church, fishing, gardening, or even hosting pastors or missionaries coming through Oahu.  There are so many uses for the home.  If you feel lead, we are taking offerings and donations to get this up and running.  Finally, we are not only finding a home but so many doors are opening for God's plan and perfect timing for our time in Hawaii.

Please email me if you need a receipt for taxes and of course Thank You in advance!!!  We love and appreciate all your prayers and support.  I'll keep everyone updated as soon as we find out : )

3900 miles from home...

"Home, let me come home
Home is whenever I'm with you
Oh home, yes, I am home
Home is when I'm alone with you"

Iggy and I have made it!  We have officially been in Kaneohe, HI for two nights.  Iggy did awesome on the flights.  Our first flight was from KC to Seattle.  He basically slept the entire way and Frontier graciously gave me the seat next to me for Iggy.  Unfortunately, the woman across the aisle from me was detoxing from heroin and had to be escorted off the plane.  So sad, started the trip off in a weird place.  Nonetheless, we spent 5 1/2 hours in Seattle International Airport.  Everything goes faster when you are under complete anticipation of what's ahead of you.  The flight from Seattle to Honolulu (6 hours) was a full flight which meant I had to hold Ig the entire time.  I sat next to the sweetest high school girls.  It's an understatement to say they were helpful.

It was one of the sweetest sights in the world when Iggy saw Phil for the first time in two weeks.  Just precious.  As we drove away from the airport it became very real we were actually in Hawaii...not on vacation.  I truly have felt an overwhelming abundance of excitement being here.  It is so gorgeous and everyone is so nice.  Now we just continue the search for a home.  We are very blessed to house our friends Aubrey and Amanda.  I think this is going to be a blessing in disguise for sure.  They recently have encountered a very unfortunate rental agreement that sour.  I'm praying the woman that has taken advantage of them will feel it in her heart to make things right.

We have looked for the past two days and have had some great leads.  We could choose any of them really.  However, we have reservations in our hearts feeling as if we are missing peace on it.  We have wrestled with the possibility that this is short term and it's just a place to live, we won't feel that peace.  But at the same time we completely believe that God has us here for a purpose and that purpose involves our home.  It involves our neighborhood, our community.  God has a place for us here in Hawaii.  I hope we find it soon.  Maybe I should re-phrase that...I HAVE hope we will find it very soon.

Please pray for our home search and the community we will live in.  Please pray for our daily needs.  Please pray for our jobs and those we encounter through them.  Please pray for our sweet friends Aubrey and Amanda.  Please pray for our friends the Brooks (the family we are staying with).  Please pray for my Uncle Gerald during his two month travels from South America to home (on a Harley Davidson for charity).

Giving God praise today for my parents finally selling their home!!  Please pray the inspection passes on Monday.  Shouting praise for my sister-in-law, Leslie, whom will be hopefully working for Dave Ramsey here very soon.  Please pray for her and my brother, Micah's transition to Nashville.  They, too, have a home to sell in Gardner, KS.  Praising God for having friends in Hawaii while missing KC.

Thank you for being in our lives and keeping us in your prayers.  We are so blessed.

Holy Toledo...I mean Hawaii!

"What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

Phil, Iggy, and I drove away from our house earlier this week to start our new journey in Hawaii.  It was snowing with six inches already on the ground.  Phil made the comment of how symbolic it was for us to be leaving and everything to be covered in white.  The last week has felt that way.  As if God has covered our lives in white, just full of pure blessings that could only come from Him.  Phil got into Hawaii on 1-11-11.  The following day he purchased our new 1987 Jeep Wagoneer with only 30k miles on it, haha!  Hopefully soon he will find somewhere for us to live.  

We are trusting God will lead us on this new terrain.  We had original plans for Hawaii but we should have known better.  You can't always "plan" when it comes to God's will for you.  So we are heading out there on faith.  Iggy and I will be in Kansas City for another week and a half.  Hopefully I can get everything wrapped up before leaving.  I sold my car this week so it's quite a challenge trying to get everything finished when I don't have the independence of my car.  The family that bought our Jeep Liberty blessed us with an additional $500 to help with our move to Hawaii.  Proof there are good...no, GREAT, people in this world.

Please pray for God's provision for our family as we start this new mission in our lives.  We are taking a huge leap over the pacific in total faith.  

Areas that we would appreciate prayer:  

• A home in Hawaii
• Health (a new doctor for Iggy in Hawaii that we love as much as our doctor here)
• Our sweet dog Hampton (that we are leaving in the care of our good friend Drew)
• Safe travel (Iggy's first plane rides)
• Finances (rent/food)
• God's plan (whether he has leading worship at a church or praying for strangers, whatever is before us)

Thanks for supporting us.  We love you and will miss you.  Please come visit ; )