Flexibility

is key to pretty much any
aspect of life.
But in particular,
it seems to be most needed
on mission trips.
You know,
something that you had originally
planned on doing
gets cancelled,
and then you have to figure
something else out.
It happens all the time.
And I've learned
that it happens
more here
than other places.
Or maybe not.
I could just be making this up.
But I feel like
the Lord has been teaching me
more and more
what it is to be
patient and flexible here.
I'll explain in a few.

So,
last week
ended really well.
We had great turnouts
to our final days of VBS.
The Lord saved a kid
on Thursday night.
(We later found out that
he went home and
started preaching to
his cousins and the rest
of his family
because he was so excited
about what the Lord was
doing in his life.)
And the Lord saved
7 kids on Friday morning,
I think.
(Don't quote me on that.)
Most of them came from a
Mormon background,
and they had never heard
the Gospel before.
So when Brian,
the pastor at Tafuna Baptist,
told them the full message,
they wanted to know more.
So they talked about
the Gospel and
what it meant to be a Christian
for about an hour.
And the outcome was that
the Lord saved some.
God is so good.

The weekend was a blessing.
I tried to get some extra sleep.
But we ended up
going to a waterfall.
Oh.
My.
Goodness.
I wish I could fully describe
the beauty.
We had to take a bus to get to
the trail head.
Then we hiked
10-15 minutes up the mountain.
And when I saw the waterfall,
let me just tell you,
I was speechless.
It was so, so, so beautiful.
Pictures will be posted later.
But, anyway,
I just sat there in awe
of God.
I mean,
only the most creative,
most high God
could have created something
so beautiful.
Anyway,
I don't really remember
what we did the
remainder of Saturday.
But I'm sure it was good.
Because almost anything
we do here is good.
Sunday was another blessing.
We went to church at Tafuna.
And after church,
I GOT TO TALK TO MY DAD!!
It was my Father's Day
present to him.
And I think it was more
of a present to me
than to him.
You see,
I had not spoken to either
of my parents since
Hawaii.
That was a long time ago.
So I got to not only talk to them,
but I got to see them too!
So it was good.
And then,
I just spent the rest of the day
just chilling.
It was so good.
Seriously.

So, you remember the
first paragraph I wrote?
About how flexibility is
key to life?
Well, I'm going to circle back
around to it now.
So.
This week,
we were supposed to
have a VBS this week.
But with the cars breaking...
that just wasn't going to work.
So we tried to get one going in
a different location.
But that, too, never worked out.
So.
What are we actually doing this week?
1. We are painting the weight room
at Tafuna High School.
It's been fun. But a lot of work.
2. We are doing random things
around Samoa Baptist Academy.
This will help them get ready for next
school year.
3. Taking it easy.
Yesterday, Ms. Lucy
drove us to the other side of
the island.
Again, it was an
Oh.
My.
Goodness.
moment.
The tide pools out there were
just beautiful.
And it was just so great.
So, our original plans
were taken away.
But the Lord has something
greater planned out for us.
We've been able to help out
one of the public schools.
And it's just been great to
continue to bond
with the other missionaries
that are here serving.

The Lord is gracious
and abounding in love.

But anyway,
I'm so blessed to be here.
Keep praying that we finish
out our time here strong.
We desire to serve the Lord well
and make His name known.
Keep praying for encounters
where we can share the Gospel.
And keep praying for the hearts
of the people here on the Island.
God is working and moving.
And I want that to continue.

Only a week left here in
American Samoa.
I'm sad,
but excited.
Sad to leave.
But excited to see
what else the Lord
has in store for me in the future.
My flexibility in life
doesn't stop here.
Really,
this is just the beginning.

Blessings.