Lori working part-time at Pac Rim

Well after giving "stay @ home mom & wife" a try, I am back to work part-time. I missed working ... can you believe I said that? I realize I am the type that enjoys working. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE our grandkids so when Sherri asked to not work so that she could concentrate on her school it was a perfect opportunity for me to work part-time. On the days Sherri doesn't have school she watches the kids and on days she is at school I am with the kids. It's a blessings to have both worlds.

The only thing is my husband is my boss at work and at home. Only kidding - I enjoy working with him and helping him to accomplish what God has called him to do.

Lori & Women's Ministry

Tonight is the last of a 6 week lesson on "Bad Girls of the Bible". I've been attending the Women's Bible Study @ our church. It hosts around 250 women every Thursday. The good thing is you stay with your group (table) of 10-12 women every week throughout the year. That's helps to get to know those in your group. It's been a good experience transitioning back into a Bible study. We are still praying though which New Hope location will be our home church. There's something in me that misses a smaller group gathering.

Pohai is growing bigger & bigger

Pohai is such a precious little girl. She is growing bigger everyday. We actually caught a picture of her smiling.

Josh playing flag football

Josh started his flag football season with a scrimmage last night. Can you see in the picture that he's just as tall as the refs (Josh is wearing a grey tshirt). Unfortunately since his team is much smaller (in size height) they lost 14-0.

Update: The very next night Josh's team had another scrimmage. It was a close game with Josh's team down by 2 pts. Then they won 18-14. Josh made the winning touchdown with the last minute invention of the "Higashi special". Josh ran into the touchdown zone, made a little leap in the air with his hand up high and caught the pass --- TOUCHDOWN!

ATV @ Kualoa Ranch

We ventured to Kualoa Ranch with friends Derek & Sonia. The ranch is just a couple of miles from where we live in Kaneohe. We made reservations for the ATV (quad bikes) expedition. It was awesome as we rode into the mountain valley to see the sights. Kualoa Ranch is the famous site for many movies including LOST, Pearl Harbor, 50 First Dates, Godzilla, Jurassic Park, etc. We had a great time!

On Top of the Ridge

Here we are enjoying evening with good old friends from church. We're on top of the mountain ridge and the view is just spectacular with the city lights. It was just wonderful to hang out with this bunch who are so full of wisdom and grace. We were treated to a delicious dinner with salmon and steaks. Yum-O. Then after dinner Dave (in the center of the picture with Guy on his left) showed Guy his guitar collection. Guy gave the guitars a play and a few of us sang songs. We were reminiscing with the "family" song that we used to sing a lot when the church first started. Derek & Sonia, friends who are visiting from Cali enjoyed the evening with us. Dave & Yumi, the couple who hosted this dinner are true and faithful supporter of Guy & I. We love them dearly.

Guy's Sunday Message @ Church

Weeks leading up to the Sunday sermon was filled with anxiety - excitement yet butterflies in the stomach. It had been 4 years since Guy did a church message. Added to that was the thousands of people who attend New Hope. Added to that was the satellite churches and the online download.

The weekend of Aug 2nd & 3rd was a nerve wacker. Guy spoke at 2 Saturday night and 3 Sunday services. Anticipation was high and sleep was little but Guy survived and received very positive feedback. Many were glad to see him back - yes, the title Pastor Guy hasn't escaped him. We were reunited with many old friends who knew us back in the day - 13 years ago when the church started. The picture to the right are with friends whom the husband and Guy worked closely with the Hawaii prison system and the ex-inmates. This was taken after the 5th service. By the way, Guy is wearing his favorite lei - Puakinikini. Say that 5 times. The picture on the left is Guy at his desk at Pac Rim.

You can check out the message at www.enewhope.org. The title is "Make Us Learners". The praise .... since Guy spoke as part of the Pac Rim campaign, the church collected over $40,000 in just that weekend. Such a huge blessing!