All for His Glory - lessons from my bathroom floor

Aloha!

I was humbled, challenged, and encouraged by a post on facebook by a sweet young bride who was delighting in being able to be home in time to get the house clean and make dinner for her new husband.

More often than not, I find myself moaning or grumbling while scrubbing the bathroom. This bride's simple devotion and delight reminded me of the days when I delighted in making my first home sparkle. Not because I loved cleaning...I don't think that has ever been my first love...but because of my love for my husband, and my delight in bring him pleasure. I would scurry around the house literally singing and smiling, preparing for his homecoming.

Over the course of almost 20 years of cleaning house and cooking, those tasks have become mundane. The task of cleaning is more a chore than a delight due in no small part to the fact that no sooner do I "finish" cleaning or doing dishes, the mess begins to multiply. It is a never ending cycle.

But today as I was cleaning the bathroom, pondering the freshness of the attitude of my newly married friend, I was reminded of the passage in Revelation that Jesus speaks to the church in Ephesus who work, toil, patiently endure, and hold to truth, yet have abandoned the love they had at first. Christ exhorts them to remember from where they have fallen, repent and do the works they did at first.

I've never stopped cleaning the house, preparing meals for my family. Nor have I stopped loving my husband...however I have abandoned the love I had at first in some ways. I don't clean the house out of pure devotion to my husband, or to my Lord. I am to do all things as unto the Lord, and to glorify God. This includes cleaning and cooking, doesn't it. Is my grumbling spirit a glory to Christ? Is it out of devotion to Him. Does it bless my husband? No.

My dear Christian sister reminded me how far I fall short. I am so thankful for this heart check and for the mercy of Christ. I can repent and do the works I did at first, out of love for my dear husband, and simple devotion to my precious Savior. May my heart be ever filled with cheerful delighting in doing ALL things for God's glory.

Today my bathroom cleaned with a joyful heart! Praise the Lord!

I Cor 10:31 - "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."



[Even housework :) ]

In Awe of God's STEADFAST Love

God is so gracious and merciful! I am humbled at His tenderness, His compassion, and His unceasing wooing. I am thankful He draws me closer everytime my heart wanders. He is worthy of all praise.

This weekend was very full for us! Full of fun. Full of activity. Full of sun and sand. Full of opportunities to meet new people. May God ever bring more opportunities for us to share His love with those who need Him.

Friday night was K-Mart's emplyee Christmas party. Norm and I went and brought a lady he works with. She was invited to go bar hopping after the party, but wanted to come home instead, so was glad we were able to be her "excuse". We had a great time getting to know her better in the car on the way there and back. We hope to have more opportunities to minister to her in the future. The party was fun. We won a gift basket filled with sun products and beach gear! We got to watch some Samoan dancers do traditional dances. We are really enjoying the culture here. We are always pleasantly surprised by how much we feel like we live in a "foreign" country right here in one of the United States!

Saturday morning we were up long before the sun, packing and leaving for a long day on the beach. We left the house at about 4:45 to be on the beach to get a good spot at the "Sunset on the Beach" red-carpet premiere of LOST: The Final Season. We were among the first of 15,000 fans to arrive, so we got a great spot for viewing the premiere (the first row behind the vip section!) and a perfect spot for meeting the cast as they arrived! We were able to talk to, shake hands, take pictures with, and get autographs from most of the cast! It was a really fun day, and memories the kids won't soon forget. We got to meet some of the fans around us as well, and pray for opportunities for continued outreach to them. One of the women who was "camped" near us gave me her email address and asked me to send her pictures. We are hoping she'll come check out our church.

Sunday was another blessed time of fellowship, sweet worship, and refreshment in the Word of God. Truely the highlight of the weekend, no matter how memorable and fun the rest of it was! I was reflecting on the pleasure we received from meeting the cast of our favorite TV show, with all the fans screaming their names, and I was struck again by wonder and awe that God - creator and sustainer of the universe - whose fame and glory is spread throughout the earth - has called us into a relationship with Himself. And we, together with all the saints, cry Holy, Holy, Holy is He.

Finally, huh?

Aloha!

Okay...so it has been a really long time since I have blogged life stuff. I guess life stuff has just taken over and I've let busyness take it's toll on my communication. Well, it is a new year...and so I'm going to give it a new try.

Obviously, so much has happened in our lives and ministry since I last wrote. Our holidays, though completely different, were joyful and precious because of Jesus Christ and what they really mean! It was hard to be far away from dear family and friends, but God has richly blessed us with new family here which made it so much easier.

I got to host a Thanksgiving tea for a few ladies I work with. Several women were unable to attend, but even so it was a blessed time. Our church plant family (minus me...I was sick) spent Thanksgiving together. The women of the church each made 5 dozen cookies and got together to make cookie plates for our neighbors. I made gift tags which introduced us as the women of Island Grace Church, and included a scripture verse about the reason for Christ's birth. It opened the door for a little bit more interaction with a couple of our neighbors.

We spent Christmas morning home together as a family, Norm worked in the afternoon, and then went to a big gathering of our Church family in the evening. We exchanged gifts, sang, played games...a real family holiday. Another great joy.

All the kids at Christmas!

The day after Christmas we had a visitor arrive from Washington for a 10 day visit. What a whirlwind of fun and activity...remember our apartment is one bedroom, one bath...an adventure indeed. But really, it was such a fun time to get to explore more of the island. We got to see a couple of beaches we hadn't seen yet. We were planning on hiking Diamond Head one day, but our van broke down on arriving at the crater, so we left the kids to hike with a friend who had followed us there while we went back with the tow truck to get the van home and pick up the little car and go back to pick everyone up after their hike. They took some great pictures, so at least we got to see the view...sort of. Anyway, it is still on our list of places to visit in the future.

The View From Diamond Head

The day after we took our visitor back to the airport, we went back to work, where I have been given a bit more responsibility...and my own desk! Wow!

My Desk

The Women's Bible Study has just begun! We are going through a book called Shopping for Time. It is a small book, but has some really good practical insights from God's Word on priorities, and being intentional about the way we use the time God grants us and being fruitful for His purposes.

Norm and I have taken over the coordination and leadership of the Children's Ministry at IGC. We are really excited to be doing this together. I have started putting together curriculum, music, activities, etc. for the Sunday morning Children's Church. I am hoping to put together a monthly Kid's Club outreach also, for kids to bring friends and neighbors. I am thinking about doing it like a once a month VBS day. I really pray that it will encourage the parents in the church, as well as providing a neat opportunity for them to invite their neighbor kids for fun, friendships, and most important, a chance to hear the gospel.

Please keep us in prayer as we pursue God's glory here in Hawaii...that we would bear much fruit.

We love you! Thanks for reading.

Getting to Know the Island

Aloha!

Psalm 13:6 "I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me."

Today my heart is overflowing with praise and thanksgiving...His bounty toward us is overwhelming. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 16:6, "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places..." our hearts echo.

Until our schedules settle into routines with work and regular Bible Study meetings, we have been taking the chance to explore a little bit of our surroundings. Norm and I took a little trip to Kailua last Friday. We found a wonderful beach park with beautiful aqua colored water and powdery white sand. Today we went to a North Shore town called Haleiwa (where we went to a farmers market recently...see pics below) and to a nearby beach called Mokuleia...this is where the TV show LOST was filmed. As we drive around and see the island and interact with some of the locals, we are falling more and more in love with the place we've been called to serve.

Shave Ice and Dragon Fruit at the Haleiwa Farmer's Market "Mango Mania Festival"

Norm at Kailua Beach Park

Norm and I were talking about the cultural differences here when we were on our way home from our outing, and one of the things we have both been struck by is the "ohana" (family) atmosphere. People generally are more relational...whether at the store, at the bank, or on a bench in the town center...people like to "talk story". We feel this will be a huge help in establishing relationships which are meaningful and will lead to ministry opportunities.

Ronald and Amel, the two men who will be arriving in November to complete the team will be here this weekend on their house hunting trip. We are so eager to be with them...we are looking forward to another Bible Study, some planning and prayer, and for more bonding time with them. Please lift them up in prayer during this weekend as they have a lot to accomplish in a short time...sound familiar? We feel so settled here already it doesn't seem possible we were encountering the exact same things less than two months ago. We know they are feeling the urgency to be here and get things going.

Family wise, the boys are feeling more and more at home everyday. Collin is spending more time with the "cousins" and Kyle invited a friend from school over to work on a Chemistry project together. This opened a neat opportunity to minister to an unbeliever...he made several comments about how happy he was to have a new friend, and how warm and homey he felt with our family. We are so excited for the boys to catch more and more of the picture that God has a really neat ministry for them here, right alongside us. What a joy to serve together.

Please pray for us this weekend...our house is scheduled to close on Monday. We just got the last of the paperwork signed and sent today! Pray that the paperwork is in order and will clear as it should. What a relief to have this settled so quickly. We'll let you know when it is final.

We have visited a few churches since we came, and this makes us all the more grateful for our dear church family at Keyport Bible Church. We were delighted to receive our first "Missionary of the Week" card in the mail yesterday! It brought tears to my eyes to see all the signatures and sentiments from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for your love and your faithfulness in prayer and giving. We pray for you often, and always with great thankfulness.

For Christ's glory,

the deGuzman family

We're Finally Online!

Aloha!


We are getting all settled into our new life here in Hawaii. (We can hardly believe we are here!) The boys are settling into their routines at school...schedules, homework, friends. Norm and Christy are just finishing up the logistical aspects of the move...address change, new phone #'s, drivers licenses, cars, and so forth.


Our home is small but we are loving it! It is bright and cheerful with big windows on 3 sides. They let in lots of sunshine and a delightful breeze almost all the time! Christy surprised Norm by having the house completely unpacked and set-up...boxes recycled and all...by the time he arrived.

We both start new jobs within the week. Norm will be working at K-Mart, and Christy will be working at one of the elementary schools in town. All around us, on the news and in papers we hear reports that unemployment rates continue to skyrocket, furloughs, and the search times for employment lengthen. But in the midst of this, God has seen fit to bless us both with employment within a month of arriving here...may He receive the glory. We praise Him for His gracious provision.


Last Sunday we held our first official Bible study at Ko'Olina Beach, whose name means "place of joy". It was a joy indeed to gather together (20 of us in all) to sing praises to the Lord, feast on His Word, share tesitmonies of His greatness and His working in our lives, to pray together, and to share fellowship and a meal together. Psalm 84:1 was the theme of the study. "How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!" What a joy to be reminded that because of our dear Savior Jesus' work on our behalf, we may worship God wherever we are, and that there is nothing on earth that can compare to being in the presence of God. His dwelling place is lovely beyond description. Please keep us in prayer as we decide on a regular time and location for our Bible study so that we may effectively minister to our neighbors and co-workers, and that we would be bold to invite people.



We will be sending monthly newsletters out in the mail, and we'll be using this blog to keep you updated in between newsletters. We love and miss you!

For His glory,
the deGuzman family