A delayed flight out of Kona provides the perfect window for reflecting on the past month here in our blog. We’re in the middle of a seven-week trip, which kicked off in Oakland, CA, on March 28 and will end May 20 with a marriage conference in Phoenix, AZ.
We were delighted to celebrate Easter with New City Church Oakland for the third year in a row, made extra special by being with our Oakland kids as well as Lisa, who makes Oakland, CA, her second home (and Fairfax, VA, her third.)
The joyful service was led in worship by Saya Taimani and his team, and Gabe Garcia, our son-in-law, preached powerfully on the evidence of the resurrection. A crowd of almost 300 gathered for the service and were joined by another 100 for a bbq lunch, egg hunts, and games on the field. It was such a true joy to join this thriving church, which faithfully brings the hope of the gospel to the city of Oakland.
Saya Taimani and his team led heartfelt worship . . .
And Gabe preached a powerful, hope-giving message.
Gabe and Kari are loving team-leading New City Church Oakland.
Off to Easter service we go, joining Gabe, Kari, and Brandon, who went early to set up.
We caught up with Brandon before the service started. Yes, he’s only 13.
We got to do one of our favorite things . . . serving in the bbq line.
A late afternoon Easter dinner was a wonderful way to end this very special day.
I must also introduce the newest family member: Snickers, a Sheepadoodle, joined the Garcia family in mid-January and she has stolen everyone’s hearts.
Snickers Garcia, our newest grand-dog.
Though everyone loves Snickers, she and Ana are besties.
After Easter, the Garcias headed south for a much-needed family vacation, so we took the opportunity to visit with Rosemary Dougan before we flew to Kauai. What a sweet time that was! In three weeks, she will be a centenarian and she is truly “green with sap.” How thankful we are to have such sages in our lives.
Dear Rosemary Dougan . . . a most remarkable centenarian!!
Wednesday, April 3, we winged our way to Kauai to partner with Global Algae Innovation’s ninth annual marriage and parenting conferences, held at the Kalaheo Missionary Church. This was an extra special year as GAI celebrated its 10th anniversary. As part of GAI’s mission statement from its inception ten years ago, they’re committed to investing in the community in which their company settles, which is Kauai. They have faithfully fulfilled this commitment by underwriting and hosting this annual conference to positively impact and encourage families and marriages and we’ve been honored to partner with them every year.
The founder and director of GAI is Dr. Dave Hazlebeck, who along with his wife Debbie and their four children (and now four in-law spouses and almost five grandchildren), were longtime family campers. Our relationship with them spans a quarter of a century and we are so thankful they’re in our lives.
The “arbor way” entrance to Poipu is the best welcome.
Lunching together with most of the Hazlebecks launched our 11 days together.
While in Kauai, we were honored to fill the pulpit at the Kalaheo Missionary Church on April 7 and it was such a joy to reconnect with our “Ohana” here. We are blessed to have many deep friendships there which have developed through the years. Kahu John Zimmerman (and his wife, Paula) are so gracious to invite us to speak into their beloved congregation and we don’t take that for granted.
Our leaf leis were made for us by our dear friend Rachel.
Worship was vibrant and soulful in the packed house of God.
Bryan and Tiffany with Taiko lead the youth ministry for KMC and have become dear friends.
The GAI-sponsored Marriage and Family Conference was held Friday night and Saturday morning, the 12th and 13th, and took the format of Q & A. Questions were texted in prior to the sessions and we were impressed by the thoughtfulness reflected in the formation of the questions. Both sessions were lively and hopefully fruitful. We really like that format which allows us to “scratch where there’s an itch."
David “the son” Hazlebeck, president of GAI, welcomes attendees to the conference.
Most of the Hazlebecks (only missing daughter Mary and her family in this photo) stayed ’til the end of the parenting session on Saturday.
Sweden (who made my white floral lei), Camille, and Rachel (who made the leaf lei the week before) have all become so dear to us.
We loved spending a morning with the GAI team as part of their 10-year anniversary celebration. We spoke on the power of team and each person’s unique contribution to the success of their company. It was a privilege to rub shoulders with this group which is leading the way in algae innovations which are changing the world.
GAI’s team . . . all working together to make a difference.
Our work was interspersed with hanging with the Hazlebeck crew (we were all housed together in a fabulous VRBO)—playing games, eating meals, and fellowshipping with one another. They are chosen family. We met up with other friends as well, celebrating precious friendships developed through our nine years coming here. We also did great 5-mile walks daily during which we encountered monk seals and turtles and watched sunrises and sunsets. Towards the end of our time, our dear friends Bill and Christi Bachman joined us from Texas and we had a great time enjoying the island with them.
Bill and Susan Gates have become very special friends and we always enjoy any time we have with them.
The Booye clan are also some of our favorites. Time with them is always full of energy and laughter.
Bill and Christi Bachman fit right in to the Hazlebeck family fun with late-night game playing and many shared values and interests.
We never get tired of watching the turtles turn in for the day at Poipu Beach.
This was our view of the eclipse on April 6. Very partial and very cloudy but we saw what we could at 6:46 am.
Monk seals hung out everyday at Poipu Beach. It was such a treat to see these endangered mammals.
We love watching for turtles surfing the waves!
Kauai is beautiful in every way, from the azure seas to the flora and fauna which provide both feasts for the eyes as well as for the nose, so even though the weather was dicey throughout our stay, it didn’t not diminish the loveliness of this garden isle. Our time did end with a bang with 14” of rain falling in the last 2.5 days we were there, causing lots of flooding and floating debris.
Flood waters fill the green in front of this hotel.
Even still, we enjoyed plenty of skyscape beauty when clouds gave way to sunsets and a few sunrises, and nothing can diminish the fragrance of flowering trees.
On Sunday the 14th, we flew with the Bachmans to the Big Island, where we eased in our time there with two days of touring with Bill and Christi. We celebrated their 24th anniversary with a tour of Kona Village by our incredibly talented artist friend Mike Field (who was the artistic designer/director for the rebuild of Kona Village) followed by lunch at Merrimans in Waimea. We continued driving up to Hawi, the northern most tip of the island and finished by driving down the coast and having dinner at A’Bay’s Lava Lava. The following day we did a bit of snorkeling and touristing and sent them off early morning the 17th. It was such a treat to spend those days with these dear friends.
Mike Field graciously toured us around the recently reopened Kona Village and it is stunning.
Bill and Christi are celebrated at Merrimans on their 24th anniversary.
While on the Big Island, we are partnering with Living Stones Church, led by Pastor Bill Barley, who has contracted with us to come twice a year for two-three weeks to provide counseling and teaching on marriage and family for their congregation. We’re in our 4th year of this agreement and the continuity it provides is proving to be very effective. We feel very much at home with these folks who have made it very easy to love them.
In addition to doing 4 full days of counseling (9 am to 8 pm with a lunch break!), we taught at the Living Stones Saturday night service on April 20th, we did two Friday night Q&A evenings, we did a marriage seminar at Mokuaikaua Church on Saturday the 27th, and we preached at Mokuaikaua Church on Sunday, the 28th. Pastor Bill generously “loans” us to Mokuaikaua Church as they join forces to impact Kona.
Worship preceding our sermon on Saturday night, April 20th.
After the Saturday night service, we joined the Burns family in the bleachers to watch their son play ball. We love this family!
Our most gracious AirB&B hosts, Bob and Debi Cary, are such a gift to us!
Spending time with Bill and Pine Barley is truly one of the highlights of our time in Kona.
Right in the middle of our time on Kona, our 48th anniversary happened. Though it was a workday, we celebrated the following day with a great hike and some beautiful snorkeling.
Pictured here with some of those who attended the marriage seminar at Mokuaikaua Church, and the church’s pastor, Kahu David.
Kahu David and his wife, Kim, have faithfully served at Mokuaikaua Church for decades. We’re so enjoying getting to know them.
The outdoor service is vibrant and full.
We were delighted to have longtime friends from family camp, Rob Kitzman and Chris Skiff, attend the service at Mokuaikaua Church!
Liz and Wayne Kukita took us out to lunch after church. They are part of our Ohana in Kona.
A great hike to the “End of the World" with Pine and Bill wrapped up our time on this beautiful island on Tuesday and we now head to Granite Bay, CA, to present four workshops at the Thrive Leadership Conference at Bayside Church.
Our hiking buddies, Pine and Bill.
So thankful for healthy bodies and beautiful hiking areas.
We have three more weeks on the road before we land back at our home in Fairfax (briefly). We are so blessed to be able to continue this varied ministry life on the road and are so blessed by the incredible people we meet and develop relationships with along the way. “Ohana”…the Body of Christ…is such a gift. We’re amazed by the instant bond we have with so many as we travel from place to place and do life, even temporarily, with people who enrich our lives. What a gift!!
