Settling In. . .

Day one was a doozy of a whopper. Andy picked me up at the airport before noon, local time. I jumped right into island life and doing ministry. It wasn't long until Andy and I had our first board meeting. I wasn't expecting it so soon, but I knew it would happen before long. So I crammed all my luggage into the SUV and we headed to the beach. Like I said, we had our first board meeting. Surf's up!

Later on in the night I had my first real contact with kids in the area. . .the Lahainaluna football squad. Andy is a coach for the JV team, so I got to follow him around. The sense of family and camaraderie amongst the kids and coaches is quite remarkable. This team plays not just to represent the school, but the entire community of Lahaina. People show up for this team - they have a solid following. It was exciting just to be a part of practice and have a presence. Later in the night, the entire football program had a bye week sleep-over on the home football field, which included a feast, entertainment and a movie. The fun part. . .Andy was put in charge of facilitating the entertainment. So naturally, Andy and I put on a Young Life club with 52 teenage boys! It was awesome! I didn't stay the night though, I was way too tired. Three hours worth of time change wore me out!

After settling in here with the Claydon family, we paused to realize how blessed we are to live and serve the Lord in such a beautiful place. From the kitchen window you can see the ocean, as well as the sunset each day. So this evening, Saturday, we played a game of wiffle ball in the street and onto the front lawn. A few of the neighborhood boys were hanging out. Such a blast!

The sun was setting on the front lawn. Instinct, I grabbed the camera. Witnessing the fading fire ball bouncing off the clouds reminded me of a passage from Ecclesiastes chapter 3. Enjoy!

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.