I must say, working at Paco’s studio (FJA Recording) has been so encouraging.  His love for Jesus and fear of the Lord has created a safe place for worshippers to record the precious gems of our hearts, our songs.  He is a faithful friend and has served us humbly.  Tim Cone, has an ear for tones and a happy spirit.  These guys are jewels!  I thoroughly recommend them to anyone looking to record a project.

So yes, WE ARE DONE!!  We will start posting about release dates and performances.  Aloha!

Aloha Friends and Family!

Yes, I am back on-line.  The past 3 months have brought much change… namely the release of the Little Songbirds EP.

But just that one event has brought so much pleasant change to our lives.  Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life!  And our little world is full of life, and fruit everywhere :o)

It has been a life long dream to release my own music, but I never dreamed that I would have so much fun creating kids music.  It has been an a joy to hear so many great stories about how God has used our music to impact other families.

I am in the process of moving my blog over from blogger to wordpress.  I am getting used to the new platform.  Please have patience with me :o)

We are also in the studio recording the full length album.   It has been a blast!  We get to work with some of the coolest musicians in the world.   They are super skilled and they have HUGE hearts… thanks guys (and gals).

Stay tuned.  Keep your eyes peeled for more fun video and pic’s as we document the process of the making of Little Songbirds!

Aloha,

Rachel

It was a beautiful blue sky day here in Kansas City and I decided that I was going to head to the store to run an errand. I was planning on being quick and not being out of the house too long. Before heading into Wal-Mart, I figured it would be a good time to go through the car wash since my almost one year old son, Elisha, was sleeping so cozy in the back seat. Perfect time to get the truck cleaned and vacuumed out. I turn into the car wash, pay my 7 bucks, and head on through to get the truck the long over due bath time she so desperately needed. I figured I go the extra mile and vacuum the interior as well. All this and not a peep from Elisha mind you.There I am. Done and headed for Wal-mart, yes? Not a chance.

Keys are in the ignition, turned, and click-click. Nada. No juice left in the battery. Ugh! This is the second time in one week. I may have actually cussed in my head. I called my husband, Efrain, and didn’t even say hello when he answered. “I’m at the car wash and the car isn’t starting,” I said (or something to that effect). He called Uelese, for the second time this week, and asked for a jump.I felt horrible! I know how tight their schedule is already and here we are calling on them to come and help. But praise the Lamb, they are family. We love them so much. I remember when I called Uelese a few days ago to tell him that Efrain needed a jump and there was no hesitation from him to go and help. I love this family. While Uelese was doing his thing under the hood, I hopped in the car with Rachel and chatted and then listened to some of the songs from the cd they’re working on.

First, I have to say that I was super excited when I found out that they were working on this. As a mom, I am trying to find ways to get the Word into my boys in a way that is fun, but not corny. Now I’m not saying that all kids worship music is corny, but some of it is. Kids get more than we give them credit for. I definitely want music that is going to engage them but not lack the depth that is the Word of God. I mean, this cd has a lull-a-bye that is written from the perspective of Revelation 5 after Jesus opens the 7th seal and there is a 30 minute silence in heaven. Really? Who writes that for a kids cd? And it is beautiful.

I mean, I sat there in that car listening, and all three little Faagutus were in the back seat singing along–singing deep truths that most adults don’t even know exist in the Bible. This is something special people.I was sitting there listening to it and I seriously cannot wait for this to be played in my home. Not only is it chalked full of Truth, but it’s completely Rachel and Uelese–they brought themselves to this. It is kissed with Island groove and this mama is going to really appreciate that on those days where I wish I could be whisked away to an ocean getaway. Any remnant of the islands helps in those days so this will certainly do the trick:o)So all of this to say, it was a little kink in our day, but a a wonderful reminder that our Father is raising up musicians that love Him and are faithful to lay down their agendas and follow Him. This mama is so grateful.

For those of who do have time :o)  This morning we went to Paco’s studio this morning and tracked the kids vocals for the EP.  EP means a 4 to 5 song snapshot of the full length album (8 or more songs).  It was three hours of recording mixed with mandatory play time on the swing set outside :o)  How else do you keep six year old’s focused for that long?  I wanna say thanks to Kahi, Bella, Lei, Noah, Kristine, Kala’i, Alyssa, Zoe, Mana, Francis, Kamealoha, and Keala.  You guys did such an awesome job today!

Devotional

After finishing at the studio, we ran over to the House of Prayer and got ready for the devo.  A little inside scoop… usually devo’s are 2 hours long.  That’s a long time to play the guitar by yourself!  But today it was only 1 hour, which is completely doable.  I think I was so excited from recording that all I wanted to do was praise praise praise! So as soon as my ears could get adjusted to the sound on the stage, I started in on declaring God’s goodness.

For those of you who are going to go back and watch it, make sure you watch till about minute 43. Side-Note – This is the fun part about our devo’s… everything is spontaneous. We never have a song list. We go on stage with a bunch of songs we could do, but we let Holy Spirit steer us into whatever melodies, rhythms or phrases. At 43 minutes in, my husband motioned to our children and our friends (that had just spent the morning singing for the album, another Hawaiian family here in KC), up onto the stage!! The kids sang with us and it was SO sweet. The prayer room felt like a giant living room for the family of God to rejoice in our Father’s love.

Click Here to Watch the Video

For our friends in KC, this is a screamin’ deal.  Steve is a local and world renown photographer.  He did the photography for the Nefarious Project and has worked on a number of weddings here and overseas.  He does great work and he is a dear friend of our family.  As you can see, we had a blast during our session :o) and I don’t like being in front of camera’s.  Make sure you call ahead of time to make an appointment. Don’t wait until last minute or else you might not get in.  ($150 for 5 images, and if you wanna pay $50 more, you get all 25 images)  See, I told you it was a deal!

Click Here for More Info

I have exciting news.  For about fourteen years I have had a dream to record my music.  At last, my dream is coming true :o)

I have never had the opportunity or funding to get into the studio and do the professional job that I have always dreamed of doing.  I have had a lot of practice in studios on various different projects, but never a straight shot at a full length project of my own.  When we moved to Kansas City almost 4 years ago, I hit the most sobering season of my life.  I suddenly shifted out of a season of full-time ministry to the body of Christ and into ministry to my husband and children ONLY.  You wanna talk shock!  That’s what I was in.  Ministry career woman gone Betty homemaker, with almost no transition time.

To make matters more intense, we landed at IHOP-KC.  In my mind I thought living here, around the prayer room atmosphere, would be like living on clouds and flinging glory dust all around.  After all, we pray day and night here!  It was the complete opposite.  I spent my first year being rudely awakened out of my slumber as preacher, teacher, singer, worship leader, Sunday school teacher, you name it, told me the unadulterated TRUTH!  The truth about God’s character, His second coming and my identity…from the BIBLE.

I wish I could say that I was happy about all this stinging information, but I wasn’t.  I got angry.  I felt duped.  And I thought, “My kids are not going to have this problem!”  So I would go to weekend services and listen intently, like a deaf person trying to make out words by reading lips.  I remember how disoriented I was, but I kept on praying, “Lord, help me get this!”

It was at the exact time that I was being forced to learn how to be a stay at home mom and homemaker.  I didn’t have long hours alone to pine over concordances and notes.  I had a 1, 3 and 4 year old who all were overdue for much needed mommy time.  The first lesson: make a consistent time schedule for each day.  So we started each day with worship.  And right there, in that basement living room, my kids and I would write songs and little ditty’s that would help them (and me) remember the TRUTH about who God is, His second coming, and their identity.

Although I was not the happiest clam in the sea, the melodies and rhythms that came were very uplifting.  Many of the songs were started by something my kids were humming.  Between nap times and meal times, while my children were being potty trained and learning to obey, we sang and danced, and I wrote all of the songs down.  Those songs got us through some rough times.

During the year in that basement, I wrote 80 songs.  Not all of them were kids songs.  Our lives changed and we emerged from the basement leaning on Jesus more than ever :o)  He started to transition my husband and I back into public ministry.  As people heard us sing, the big question everyone asked was, “I love your music.  Do you have a cd?”  And every time the answer was a disappointed no.  As the Lord honed us in to our calling as missionaries, and we joined a team at IHOP, I thought, “How is this ever going to happen?”.  We went from living on my husband’s earned wages to trusting God to provide every single cent through people who heard God tell them to give to us.  That’s crazy!!!

But it worked, because we finally found what our whole family was made for.  Fast forwarding to this year, 2011, the long winter of fruitlessness began to pass.  We could feel our hearts thawing and a small hope start to live again.  I would hear the Lord whisper to me, “Do this kids album first.”  I would be in discussions trying to strategize how to make the wisest move with the songs God had given us and I would hear Him whisper again, “Do the kids album first.”

I finally laid all of my dreams down, and said yes.  Soon after, the least expected thing happened… my husband and I got offered studio time with a trusted worship team member, Paco Arteaga,  for free.

So for the next few weeks, I am going to blog the process.  I am going to try my best to share what is happening with you daily, because it is SO exciting.  Please stay tuned in.  You might not believe some of the God stories as I post them, that’s how awesome they are.  As of now, the plan is for:

My husband posted this on Facebook, and people loved it so much that I thought I would post it on my blog.  You know when you are in the car, the music is blasting, the windows are down, and the wind is blowing in your hair, and you forget that you’re NOT a rock star!  This was one of those days.  We decided to go hard core, as a family!  We all started rapping some lyrics from a spontaneous IHOP chorus during an intercession set for Israel.  Just in case you can’t understand what we are saying, here are the lyrics… (my kids love this song!  Way to go, Aaron Leatherdale!)

The rain is coming
The drought can’t stand
I see a cloud the size of a man’s hand

‘Twas the night before Christmas… October 1st.

Well my wonderful sister Lika (and her daughter) stayed with us this summer.  As I have mentioned, she is a missionary in Africa with her family.  This means that we’ve never had the chance to spend a Christmas with her.  So this year, after her time in Missouri drew to an end (October 2nd), we decided to have Christmas!  We figured that if she couldn’t be here for Christmas, then we would move the whole holiday, gifts and all, to the time when we could all enjoy it together… the first weekend in October.  Now you really think I am loony, don’t you?

On the evening of the 1st, my hubby and I set up the tree, and I cooked a Christmas turkey.  Our Christmas dinner the next day was complete with turkey and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry jelly, chocolate peppermint mini-cakes and gifts to go around.  Our kids thoroughly enjoyed it!  We made a memory.  It’s something you gotta learn how to do when your kids are young… make little changes SUPER special.  Little things like a can of whipped cream and a bag of peppermint sprinkles can help kids always remember that year when the had TWO Christmases.

So here are some pic’s.  Enjoy!  And by the way, NO, I am NOT taking the tree down until January!

My son got a Halloween costume/pajama set :o) So creative, aren’t I?

Merry Christmas!!

On this first one, I remember a tremendous healing anointing being poured out during worship and tons of HOPE came at the end.
Healing Devo at IHOP (2pm, Sat, Dec 18th)

This second one, we invited our friend Victor (who just recently got married, CONGRATS Victor) to play the djembe.  It added such a great feel :o)  It was so fun.  Just an hour of sheer happy praise on Christmas Eve. Throw this devo on to take the holiday blues away.
Happy Devo at IHOP (2pm, Fri, Dec. 24th)

So after a 5 week trip to the west coast and back, we landed in KC very tired, but grateful that God has placed us here.  The trip made us appreciative of the work that we do here in the house of prayer.  We realized that the focus on worship and intercession for the last 4 years of our lives has really changed us.  We are different people now.  It it is a change for the WAY better :o)

We also came home to the opportunity of a lifetime.  My sister and her husband are missionaries in Africa, and they extended an invitation for my hubby to go there.  He would help with the work there and in exchange get some much needed dental work done.  An added bonus was that my mother, also a missionary in Beira, was there at the same time.  My husband just happens to be her #1 SON-IN-LAW!  It made for a very enjoyable trip.  Every time I called, they were laughing and enjoying one anothers’ company.

So within one week, we decided that he was going… and he did!  It was a life changing trip in many ways.  If you ever feel stuck, you might need a change in perspective.  A scene from the movie Soul Surfer comes to mind.  In the movie, the youth group leader, Carrie Underwood, is showing the youth group a photo.  She asks what they think it is, and the majority thinks it is a flower or fruit or something.  But when she zooms out, it is actually the eyeball of a fly!  Ewwww gross.  Point made.  She goes on to explain that sometimes you can be so “zoomed in” to a situation that you can lose perspective on what actually is going on.  The discouragement that comes from that can be rinsed away by a fresh new view of the situation.

Africa was his zoom out.  In America, we are being told how much we CANNOT do because of the economic situation in our nation.  But he saw a people who have way less than we have in Africa, and they are still making it.  They have roofs over their heads and food on their tables.  Even in the most desperate of situations in Africa, business can thrive and God-plans can be made manifest.  If God can do it for them, then what is limiting us from using all of the many resources set before us to surge forward into the things God has given us to do?

He came home with fresh fire and fresh hope… and a fresh new smile that is beautiful. :oD

Here are some pics from The Apartheid Museum in South, the orphanage he helped in, the market and  churches where he and the team ministered.

Markets in Moz

Most structures in Moz are made of concrete

Kids from the Orphanage

They played baseball for 3 hours one day!  Batter’s up!

The small fellowship that my Mom leads

Here is my mom praying :o)

Pastor Mario’s Rockin’ Church!

Nelson Mandela Apartheid Museum Pics

WATCH THE DEVOTIONAL

I thought I would take a little time to explain what goes into doing a devotional set at IHOP.  Well, I have never experienced anything like it in public ministry (except for one other setting, which I might explain later).  Who would give a person a stage for 2 hours, and say, “sing whatever you want to the Lord, we’ll just sit and listen, pray, study the bible, and maybe join in.”  Well that is exactly what a devotional set is.

The set, which we were not scheduled for, started at 2pm. On that morning, we got a call from our friend Joanna asking if we would cover for her since she was sick.  We were on a date, but since the sitter was already covered, we agreed to fill in.  We didn’t have too much prep time, but I had some things on my heart I wanted to tell the Lord.

Over the past 6 months, I have had the most confusing “testing” of the direction we are walking in life.  Let me explain.

I have always loved to sing.  I grew up singing all of the time.  It might be impossible to be a Hawaiian and NOT sing.  And you might as well make me a name tag that says, “Family Minstrel”, because I was that girl who sang at every family function, whether it be birthday party, wedding or funeral and many other occasions which I choose not to mention,  LOL!

As a matter of fact, when I went to college, I got a Bachelor of Science because I believed that musicians don’t make money (which might be true in many cases :o).  I got a practical degree, so I could get a practical job, and music remained a hobby, something that I was “good” at.  In my mind, there was no “practical” platform for a singer.  You either make it big, or you don’t.  And if you don’t make it big, you’d better know how to do something “practical” to pay the bills.

My theory was working until one VERY important and life-changing thing happened.  I FELL IN LOVE.

Ahhhhh!  Just when I was trying to be practical and safe.  I fell in love.  My heart slipped away into a relationship that started to change me.  It started at the end of high school, and then got really strong in college. I can remember in my sophomore summer of college, learning how to play the guitar.  I knew 3 chords, G, C and D.  My goal for that summer was to read through the bible.  Starting in the new testament, I would read for a couple hours in my empty apartment, and then I would “practice” the guitar… so I thought.  I would start by singing worship songs that I already knew, and then before you know it, I was singing off the beaten path.  My heart would get tenderized and I would cry when I thought about the man that I was just reading about in the bible.  It felt like I was singing right to Jesus.  I would pour out my heart before Him, and I knew that He heard me.  Hours slipped away so quickly.

By the grace of God, I never did get that “practical” job.  He has kept me singing to Him, my whole life.  There have been times when I was hired to be more than a singer, and I did practical things like organize and schedule, make copies, and lead people.  But this is the first season in my life where it feels like the Lord has picked me up like a father would do to his daughter, sat me down on a chair (in KC), put the guitar in my hand and said, “Ok, you sit here and sing.  Just sing.  Sing from your heart. Sing straight to me.”

You would think that I could relax and just do that!!!  But no, my “practical” wheels still turn.  I am always calculating a way to provide for myself, make a name for myself, make my mark on the world, etc. How does singing do anything practical for me?

Well, the answer I am finding, I sing in this devotional.  When I stress out about life, my heart gets hard.  So I started the set by asking the Lord for rain on my heart…we sang spontaneously the whole time…and this chorus came:

Soften my heart with your water
Soften my will to obey

Toward the middle of the set I started singing a Hawaiian song that was written by my great uncle, Johnny Kameaaloha Almeida,  a famous singer in Hawaii almost 100 years ago.  I have never sung this song this way: from my heart, to my God.  Here is the English translation:

Let me walk through paradise with You, Lord
Take my hand and lead me there
All my earthly treasures, I gladly give
Teach me how to love and how to share

Greed and lust and vanity were mine, Lord
Until I found your love divine
And now I’m on my knees
I pray I’ll find a way
Let me walk through paradise with you

A light went on inside of my heart.  This is what I am dealing with; greed, lust, and vanity.  I am so consumed with myself and my ideas of what safety, success and provision are, that I have allowed it to distract me from doing the very thing that brings me into the presence of God… SINGING, more specifically, singing from a heart that is alive to Jesus, who is really listening.

So, no kidding, for the umpteenth million time, I told the Lord again, “I will sing!  I will sit here, where you have placed me, and I will sing from my heart.  I will sing straight to You.”  I finished the set with the familiar fragrance flowing from my heart.  It was the same song I sang in college.  The song of devotion that flows from a heart that has been forever changed by divine Love.  I guess that’s why the call it a DEVOTIONAL ;o)

Hey guys!  Well, I wanted to share a video with you :o)  We got the awesome privilege to lead an intercession set at IHOP.  It was completely unexpected, but an absolute blast!!  Thanks to some of our friends on staff that we play with outside of the prayer room, we were able to come together and “keep the fire burning” with a little island flavor.  For a Sunday 6am, and this being my first time leading a team in the intercession format, we had so much fun.  If you’ve got a little time to listen, please do!  And enjoy :o)  CLICK HERE:
Intercession on Sunday, 6am, Sep. 18th

Can you see the deer at the top of the road?  On the right…

These cakes were decorated by teams, with candy…..

that means they are sugars with sugar on top of sugar and sugar on top of it all!

Since those times, not so long ago, I got married and had children of my own, so the game has changed quite a bit.  In KC, we sing with state of the art sound equipment, so we work with an in-ear monitor system that has got us spoiled! And for anyone who has been to summer camps, you know that sound is NOT a priority in most.  So worship ends up being the time to bang away on instruments, in a small room, with acoustics that make everything sound 10 times louder than it is.  But as LOUD as that might sound,  none of it matters when the Spirit of God shows up… and He did come!  There is nothing like a room filled with 4th, 5th and 6th graders singing their hearts out to God with their hands lifted high.  It was so sweet to watch Holy Spirit melt hearts and change lives.  Little pockets of kids start crying, and they don’t even know why.  Hearing the God stories after these worship times was awesome.  God really does come when we praise Him, and He knows exactly what each child needs to experience so that they can know Him better.

Our family had a bunch of firsts –  it was the first time that our children ministered with us.  The two younger ones prayed for people.  Our oldest one helped teach the words and motions to a couple songs.

Our kids got to shoot bows and arrows, go put-put golfing, make awesome friends, play goofy camp games, enter the cake decorating contest, eat camp food and worship with other kids who loved God.

Here is some video of LEI TEACHING MOTIONS to a new song

Below is video of the two younger ones PRAYING FOR A TEENAGER

And finally, the CHILDREN WORSHIPING… so sweet!

The set was HILARIOUS!  Have you ever had one of those days when you were so tired that you started mixing up words in a sentence.  Like instead of saying, “I’d like a piece of gum please”, you say, “I’d like a geese of plum please.”  Well I was tired from driving 10 hours and…….

The briefing room at The Wall

The kids and their friend Zion waiting for us to finish

So me and Mr. Island Wonder (stage name for my husband :o)… have this one chorus that we love to sing from Song of Solomon.  The words are -

Let me see your face
Let me hear your voice
For your voice is sweet
And your face is lovely

Well we started the set, and the room absolutely emptied!… which is not uncommon for ministry in prayer rooms.  There was an important meeting during our set time, so it was convenient for us to do the set in the prayer room so that all the regulars could go get encouraged by their leaders.  Needless to say, but I will anyway,
               AN EMPTY ROOM IS THE GREATEST TEST OF A SINGER’S EGO
 Your mind starts racing through all of these questions like, “what am I doing here?”  and statements like, “we could’ve done this at home in our living room”.  All the while, the songs keep flowing out of your mouth as you are trying to keep your heart right because you are mindful of the fact that the Lord is listening mostly to what is going on in your heart!  So as I am wading through all of this emotional muck and trying to sing a true song to the Lord, with a tired body and worn out mind… these lyrics come out -

Let me hear your face
Let me see your voice
For your voice is sweet
And your face is lovely

I didn’t even notice what I had said until my husband burst out in laughter!  It kind of shook me awake :o)  And as I am playing the guitar, he starts repeating what I sang and giggling through it until neither of us could sing because we were laughing so hard.  So for about 5 minutes we tried to pull ourselves together as we laughed until we cried over the soothing rhythms of the guitar.

We were there for the Lord that day.  He enjoyed it!  And we did too.  There was no pressure to perform from the Lord, or the empty room, LOL!!!

While we were with them, we went to the zoo.  Our kids enjoyed it thoroughly. Our children consider one another cousins :o)   We had good quality time watching these poor animals, imported from all around the world, learn how to adapt to tiny zoo quarters in the middle of the North American continent.  Hey!  Wait a minute, that’s how we feel!!!  LOL!  You might ask yourself, “what’s a polar bear doing in the desert?”  I did!!  But then again, what is a Samoan doing in Kansas City?  ;o)

These poor guys paced all day long!

Meditative Contemplation :o)

Pastor Craig and the gang took us out on the water.  We got a chance to be right in the middle of a scene from “Finding Nemo”.  We were boating underneath a bunch of pelicans that were dive bombing into the water and pushing fish up for the dolphin to eat.  For almost the whole time we were out on the water, there were schools of dolphins swimming alongside the boat.  They were so close that we could reach out into the water and touch them!  It was amazing.  Now I am not the tree-huggin’, dolphin-pettin’ type, but it felt like we were right in the middle of a God ordained moment.  Don’t tell anyone, but I actually started to cry during the experience.  I remember thinking, “Why am I crying?”  This is the only conclusion I could come to…  of all of the places we could have experienced God’s presence during a ministry trip, who would’ve thought it would be on a boat in the water out among all of those creatures God created and on the sea that God formed and told where it’s edges would be.  Pastor Craig said that what happened that day has only happened to him twice in his life.  I think we all realized that God wanted to make the day special for all of us.  You can hear everyone on the boat, even the adults, totally hooting and shouting in awe and excitement.  Enjoy the video :o)  

Per the wonderful Pastor Craig’s hospitality, we went on two expeditions that we will never forget!  One thing that is true about the New Life crew is that they PRAY hard and they PLAY hard.  A FUN bunch of folks to be around. 

Our trip to Cali was amazing!!!  We’re not moving to Cali :o)  but you remember that song from the 90′s? 

Anyways, I will be posting some total God stories.  We had a blast.  Keep your eyes peeled for details about Hayward, Pomona, Pasadena, and Hunnington Beach.

Oh yeah!

Recently,  mom and dad adopted a new daughter and son, Ewa and her husband Henry, and their whole family.  Adoption is very normal to Hawaiians and even more central to Christians.  We were all adopted into the family of God and became sisters and brothers in Christ.  I can honestly say that the size of our family has doubled!  We had such a blast camping and swimming and cooking and eating and singing and laughing and telling good kine stories :o)  Man, did we make memories!

About to drive to da beach!

Like father, like daughter :o)

My dad was invited to preach at the catholic church that he grew up at.  His parents grew up there too, and maybe his grandparents as well!  His new mission in life is to evangelize.  He invited me to help lead worship for the meeting.  After worship he shared the story of how Jesus set him free.  He presented Jesus as the only way to be saved.  At the end, he lead the room in a salvation prayer and invited anyone forward who would like to go further and receive prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  The whole room emptied into the altar!  I ran to the guitar and started singing over the people.  They were so hungry for the life of God.  Many faces sparkled with tears as their hearts were tenderized and filled. God is awesome!

Did I mention how nervous I was?

Dad’s retirement party was the next of colorful events during our visit home.  As long as I can remember, my father has been hard at work.  But after February, he is done!  Well as far as his job working for the ROTC program.  He officially retired and we were there to celebrate his life of dedication and discipline.  My sisters and I gave little mini-speeches telling our stories about how dad has impacted our lives.  My youngest sister even YouTube’d a video in from Mozambique!  The evening turned out to be a beautiful collage of God’s mercy displayed to our family.

Uelese and I honoring dad with an original song

My father has recently had a dramatic salvation experience.  Being back this time was like being with a whole new dad.  My dad chose to honor two people.  First, he praised my mother, his faithful wife of 40 years.  He openly testified that it was her love and prayers that kept our family together.  And finally, in the closing minutes of the gathering, my dad gave a clear and concise salvation message.  He urged everyone in attendance to cry out to Jesus for help because He’s the only way to eternal life.  It was powerful!

Although my dad is finished with U.S. military life, his next career as a servant in the Lord’s army is just beginning.  He has heard God’s call to “go” into all the world and preach the gospel.  He will be joining my mom and sister in Africa to continue missions work there in the fall.  God is so faithful!

My father was on cloud nine… but we took mom to bed right after because she wasn’t feeling well…

SStraightaway, my sister Pua and her husband, invited us to teach the choir about intimacy with Jesus. We taught on David and how the Lord’s eyes are always looking for hearts that would return love to Him. The teaching bloomed into an invitation to lead the whole congregation in a new song with the choir. So over the next two weeks, we returned and taught them “Jesus You’re Beautiful” by Jon Thurlow. 

Anyhow, now the story begins.  At the end of January and beginning of February of this year, 3 major snow storms SLAMMED into KC with freezing temperatures, bitter wind, ice and snow.  But did we have to deal with that????  NO!  Because we were in Hawaii!  LOL!  I just giggle thinking about it.

Yes, our family flew us home, to the beautiful and superior island of MAUI!  (That was a friendly jab at all you others from different islands) And boy did we have a blast.  Everything from shave ice, to Ma’alaea beach, dinner at Kimo’s, my dad’s retirement party and my mom’s emergency surgery (yes, weird, those last two events happened in the same 24 hour period).

Where would you rather be?

Hey everyone… you amazing people who follow this blog.  I am excited to get you guys caught up to speed on what’s been going on.  So much to say, but we will take it one step month at a time.  Meanwhile, hang loose and keep the fun comments coming :o)

Sorry it’s been a while since I posted anything.

I am trying to figure out a way that I can post my newsletters straight from Pages right on to my blog. Can anyone out there help me? It would save me lots of time.

I’ve really got exciting pic’s and news from February and March. For all of you who got the newsletter, you got to see the great report.

More exciting news about April and May are soon to come!

Uelese’s Competition

And check it out!…Palm Trees In Kansas! Can you believe it?

#10. It feels like we are going to a restaurant, but everyone can get something and we can spend less than $10 and still have a sit down experience (without having to pay gratuity).

#9. I think the smell of coffee helps me relax and calm down. Great music in the coffee in the the coffee shop can help with this one.

#8. Enjoying a cup of tea or coffee by myself, even if just for 20 minutes, provides a great break in a hectic day.

#7. We have great conversation when we go out as a family. The kids get to practice their restaurant manners, like keeping their bums in the chair, drinking nicely, wiping their face with the napkin (instead of their sleeves), and keeping their voices low.

#6. The kids also get to practice their conversation skills. You know, social skills are really important. My girls like this one. I ask, “So how are you doing today?” and then I wait for their response. It can be quite amusing to watch them try to communicate like grown up’s.

#5. I don’t have to prepare anything!

#4. It’s a cheap date. We went to Starbucks to celebrate our 6th anniversary. I’m just trying to say! When you only have $8 to celebrate with, a free babysitter and 2 hours together can make quite the date!

#3. SUGAR! (enough said)

#2. It’s s great way to warm up in the dead of winter. It warms you up from the inside out. Even just holding the cup warms up my hands. I love that!

#1. It’s another fitting place, other than home, that we can enjoy one another and friends.

It is even cold indoors! I am going have to start taking an electrical blanket to keep me warm wherever I go. I think I might even have to wear multiple layers under my clothes. All the Missourian say, “Yup yup!”

Missouri has this crazy moist wind that cuts right through you. I don’t remember Colorado feeling this cold until the temperatures were super duper low.

Oh Maui, how I miss your temperatures :). Ok, that’s enough ranting for now. I’ll just have to suck it up and stay close to the fire. BTW, tomorrow we have a high of 22 degrees and a low of 10. Oh the joy ;)

JON THURLOW’S TEAM at IHOP-KC

It has been so fun to worship with a team again.  It is one thing to sing at home with the guitar, or even perform our own music, but there is NOTHING in the world like praising Jesus with like-minded believers.  Jon is a very humble, yet strong leader and we count it a privilege to be on his team. Here’s a little clip where the team challenged me to step out on a limb, and by the spirit of prophecy, and totally impromptu, share my testimony about Jesus.  I only heard the Lord say one phrase before I started.  He said, “Sing about Sam”.  I had about 1 minute to think and then this is what came out!  If you’ve lost a loved one recently, I pray that you would be encouraged.

First, I would like to praise the Lamb for making this trip happen!  God provided the gas money through the ministry we were invited by (Thanks Jon and Gina).  He provided an awesome Ford truck to travel in through Ross and Mandy Johnston (thanks guys!).  He provided love-filled homes to stay in while we were there (yummy home-cooked meals included- we ate so much!).  He provided extra cash along the way from people who just handed us money!  The church we preached at took a generous and surprise offering for us.  He provided a whole new winter wardrobe for our kids, including shoes!
(Thanks Moore’s)AND after all of that… our supporters in Missouri and Africa sent their support in to the IHOP office and our rent was already covered when we got home from the trip!!  Now that is what I call supernatural provision! Living in faith never felt so fun.Originally, we went to Colorado to minister at 1 ministry, and when we got to the state, we got 3 more invitations!  We also got to meet up with a bunch of friends that we love in Colorado and enjoy them while we were there.  Here are more details…

BLAZING HOLY FIRE CHURCH HOSTS PASTOR YONG-DOO KIM
First stop, Pastor Christine’s Blazing Holy Fire Church where they were hosting a team from “The Lord’s Church”.  It was amazing!!!  Pastor Kim and his team are from Korea.  They began having all night prayer meetings a few years ago, and the Lord opened their spiritual eyes and took them on visits to heaven and hell.  They lived to tell about it and their lives were never the same!  We lead worship at one of his meetings at the Blazing Holy Fire church in Denver.  WE will NEVER be the same after listening to them testify about their experience with the Lord.  A funny story – The meetings went from 7pm to 5am!!!  I know, crazy!  We ended up falling asleep with our kids in the kids room at the church the first night around 1am.  We drove 12 hours from MO and then pulled right into the church at 7pm to be at the meeting.  We woke up the next morning so full of God’s joy.  We were laughing at how radical life in Jesus can be AND how crazy we must have looked to the people who saw us. LOL! We we baptized again with blazing fire and our eyes were opened more!  For reals! I just finished reading his book, “Baptize By Blazing Fire” and it rocked my world.  This the link to the website you can go to for more information. http://www.baptizingfire.com/baptizebyblazingfire.htm 

NORTH ROCK CHURCH LEADERSHIP RETREAT- DEFINE!

Our next stop was a leadership retreat for the young adult and youth ministry at North Rock Church in Thornton, Colorado.  We were hosted by the young adult and youth pastors, and hilarious friends Jon and Gina Horner.  The retreat was held in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at the Horner Country Inn just west of Ft. Collins.  Absolutely beautiful!  The perfect fall colors were in full display.  The group was so filled with joy!  They burst into the living room to worship with laughter.  After some time in unified worship, we sang our songs to them the first night and shared our testimony in between each song.  Jesus was there ministering peace and gentleness to the group the first night.  The next morning we taught on how powerful praying in the Holy Spirit is, and encouraged the team to do that daily.  We also shared a prayer tool on how to FELLOWSHIP with the Holy Spirit and how important it is to read the Word daily.  Finally we wrapped our part of the retreat up with a quick overview of the Song of Songs and we told the group how the Lord defines them.  The group loved it!  I think their favorite part was when we handed out a free copy of our cd as a gift to them!!  I wish you could’ve seen them jump out of their seats to have one! LOL!  Here’s some pics of the group and our good friends Jon and Gina.

PREPARE THE WAY CHURCH IN SOUTH DENVER

After leaving the retreat we went to a small church in Denver lead by Pastor Dan and Jenny Yeakly.  We lead worship for this fiery church of hungry and aggressive forerunners.  We felt right at home when we flowed in the prophetic.  God gave us timely word about being rooted, grounded and established in His love.  That was probably the most hilarious way we have ever preached the Song of Songs!!!  It ended up being real powerful at the end and the oil of God’s joy brought deep healing that night.

People really matter to God. Every single person matters. Every single relationship is a blessing and has purpose. We finished the trip with such gratitude in our hearts for connecting us to the people he has. The richness of our times together filled us up with so much joy! God works through relationship. The stronger our relationships are, the more God can do through our lives. You might wonder why we included so many names… it is to prove our point that life in God’s kingdom is impossible outside of relationship.  Each of the families mentioned above could have been casual acquaintances that faded in and our life, but they are not.  Without these people and many others that were not mentioned, this trip would not have happened and our life as a missionary family would not exist…FOR REAL!  Jesus is making this happen through all of us.  It’s not a one man show… it’s a community of believers, loving Jesus, loving each other and reaching out to those who need His love.

Uelese, Rachel, Lei, Mana and Aloha