Do I Delight?

I have been thinking a lot about the word delight lately.  A couple of months ago I was reading Psalm 40 and the word delight stood out to me as being something I desperately needed to work on.  In verse eight it says "I delight to do thy will..."  Wow, I am not just supposed to do God's will for my life, but I should delight in it!  Unfortunately I knew I was responsible for many "delight-less" days.  You see I felt like we had just been through the wringer so to speak.  I was almost able to convince myself that maybe just maybe we shouldn't be here.  It was at this very low time that God gave me this verse. I needed to understand that  it was not and never will be my job to tell God what His will for my life should be.  He knows and loves me more than anyone else ever could.  God's plan for my life is a beautiful one.  It is one that I need to accept and do with delight.  
Being content here in Fiji is however just one area of God's will for my life.  Do I show delight in doing things for my husband?  When he comes to me and asks if I could make him an apple crisp (side note: it is 9:00 p.m. and I have already been in the kitchen since the dawn of time) do I do it with delight or a begrudging attitude.  Thankfully on that particular occasion I chose to delight in my task and we were able to enjoy apple crisp together for a late night date.  I hate to think how many times I lost out on a special memory because of my bad attitude.
Our children is another area in my life where I want to choose to delight in God's will.  I am sure the average person thinks we are nuts to have five children so close together.  Does is get crazy sometimes? (ok a lot of the time)  YES!  Am I usually tired?  YES!  Have I lost my patience?  YES!  Do I love my kids more than life itself?  YES!  Would I do it all over again?  YES!  It is only with the Lords help that I can ever look past the mess and spills, and endless laundry and see those little faces that we have been given to raise for the glory of God.  It is easy to delight in them when they are being obedient (or even better when they are sleeping), but what about those "other" times?    By delighting in God's will I can put a smile on my face and love on our children, love my man, and joyfully serve wherever He leads.

Youth Camp!

Youth Camp was always a highlight of my summers growing up.  What a terrific opportunity to get away from all the distraction and busyness of life and for five days be saturated in God's Word.  I am so thankful for the sacrifices my parents made so I would have the opportunity to go to camp.  It has been a L     O      N     G time since I have been a youth camper.  Now I am blessed by being able to have a small part in making it happen for the youth of Fiji. 

 

    

Our theme this year was "Going for the Gold".  We heard powerful sermons and sang songs that challenged the youth and adults to make decisions to honor and serve God with our lives.  Everyone was still excited that the Fiji rugby team just won an Olympic gold medal (the first ever in the history of Fiji), but how does that compare with a life that is lived for Christ. In ten, twenty, or thirty years who is going to remember who won what, but how we choose to live now could make the difference for an eternity.  What a joy it was to be able to be a part of such a special week.      

Sweet Family Time

 At the beginning of August our family was able to sneak away for a few days to just simply be together.  We grabbed our snorkel gear and sand toys and headed out to a great little spot nestled right along Fiji's coral coast.  We had an AMAZING time together.  We spent hours just taking walks, playing in the water, building in the sand, and searching for the most beautiful shells.  The kids also caught a few hermit crabs.  

 These blue star fish are my favorite!  Their bright blue color made them easy to spot in the clear water.  

 Our Emmie Kate enjoyed supervising the others. 

 Benjamin insisted on being able to wear goggles like the other kids even though he did not put his face in the water. 

 Unlike Benjamin, I could not keep Scot Jeffrey out of the water.  He even managed to find a sea snake swimming by.  Thankfully it was not a poisonous one.  Scot told me that after he finished laughing at me for seeing it and screaming like I was being swallowed whole. 

 Jenna's favorite "treasures" too.