Dad Would Be Proud

Dad would be proud. I can see him grinning right now through the clouds cupping his spectacular view from Heaven.

It might not be even too far fetched to say but I think I might be enjoying this. Well, that might be pushing it. If I don't get this done though....I doubt it will happen anytime soon.

I have never done so much outdoor physical labour since living on the farm. Can you guess what I might be doing? Along with some very helpful friends/Japanese 'gardeners'....we are turning this:

into this:







Sodding! We Canadians don't even know the half of it. Laying sheets of sod on the ground is peanuts...I tell you...its for wimps! Check out the piece of sod above....think of it like a huge slab of Costco cake... cut it up into 1" squares, dig yer hole and plop 'er in. That's how the Hawaiians do it. It's like playing while squatting on a yard-size checker board. It took me 6 hours to do almost 1 piece of sod alone. I was covered in red dirt from head to foot and exhausted by the end of the day. I could barely move the next day. FYI... it is funner and faster to do this with a friend or 3. And that's how the rest of the yard is being managed. Our friends Ray and Syl have come to the rescue! Let me tell you, Ray puts Tim the tool man to shame. This Japanese version of Tim Taylor has all the gadgets and all the know-how! He is a wealth of information coupled with humility and and a servant heart. He is amazing (so is the woman that walks beside him)!! And they are both committed, dedicated followers of Jesus Christ and that makes it all the more wonderful!

So we are working our little bunnies off in the backyard...landscaping, planting the seedlings I've been collecting, fertilizing, mowing, yada, yada yada....all that home ownership stuff. But I'm confident that soon we'll garnish results in the backyard. The red dirt will be masked by healthy green grass and hopefully it will stay out of the house and out of my carpets and white furniture. I can't wait!!

My soon to be rock/orchid garden!

My happy potted gerberas

And....as we speak Uncle Sonny, Ed and John are working hard at putting up a chain link fence so the "wee-er" members of the family don't catapult themselves the 100' ft cliff that we find ourselves living on.

Aah...and so it begins....home ownership!

RIMPAC

Amphibious Assault Vehicles

The Pacific Missile Range Facility Commanding Officer was there, Kauai Civil Defense, a representative from the U.S. Senator's office and the Governor's office, the mayor elect was there and so were the Bullers....all four of us. Guests of the Commanding Officer. I kid you not.....we got special seats under the striped V.I.P.

tent.

Yesterday, we were blessed enough to be invited to attend a "RIMPAC" operative. RIMPAC stands for the 2008 Rim of the Pacific and is a term used by the military to describe the largest worldwide training operations anywhere. It involves the comaraderie of 10 nations (including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Netherlands, Peru, Korea Singapore, the UK and the US) and 20,000 soldiers who have banned together to fight against the war on terror. A RIMPAC occurs once every 2 years and we were lucky enough to attend a partial operative....the amphibious assault vehicle landing exercise.

Meeting of the Minds

Truth be told, we expected a "bit" more action...you know a storming of the beach with soldiers firing rounds and everything, but what we saw was a very controlled operation. Taking off from a point farther down the beach, two tank-like amphibious vehicles puffing diesel fuel plowed through the ocean and rolled their way onto the beach...Major's Bay to be precise, and what a beautiful beach that is. "If you love close confines, the smell of diesel and the sea waves, you'd love a ride in these things," said the Captain.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the storming of the beach at Normandy demonstration. Oh well... but once they stopped, we were given the A-OK to get up close and personal. These babies are HUGE!! The kids (and Mom and Dad) wasted no time in jumping inside and heading up to the cockpit turret to get a birdseye view of what it would look like to be commandeering an assault. Ben thought it was tres cool. So did we.

Sentries guarding the beach (real guns)

It would be too hard to describe our investigation of the AAV's as the correct terminology is foreign to me and I would prefer to refrain from offending any local military personnel. Below are some cool shots.

We felt like gophers popping up out of our holes....tight space. Only for the skinny marine!

What an amazing opportunity for our family! We would have never experienced something like this in Canada!

See also http://www.transformerben.blogspot.com/

Our Exciting News......

Welcome to our new home...117 Okupu Street. After much frustration and grief, so much so that I actually gave up the hunt, knowing it was near impossible to buy a home on Kauai, this home literally fell into our laps. A brand spanking new ocean/harbour side in the new "affordable" housing development of Keala'ula. A half million dollar home, 3br, 2 bath with a backyard view overlooking the Hanapepe Valley. We get the keys Thursday. We come to Canada on Monday. Things are getting a little crazy.........

cozy @ 12oo sq ft

front view from the street (double car port)

rear view...backyard (we need to landscape)
(...for a 1/2 million they don't do that ya' know!)

View from the front window...brand new development

Backyard View...Hanapepe Valley...the black portion is an orchid farm
(...there are mountains in the background but they are shrouded in vog here)

A very short walk to the small boat harbour/pier and beach.

Aly and May Day

My May Day Girl

Real Pink Plumeria Lei and Ponytail

Waiting to dance "He Mele No Lilo"

(which if you heard it...you'd recognize from Lilo & Stitch...that is...if you have small children!)

Pink Plumeria Lei and Purple/White Crown Flower Lei (with Ti Leaf)

Hand-picked and Handmade by me, the mom

I apologize for the lack of quality and clarity in the following video but you get the idea.

Aly is, of course, generally dead center.

Vocal 1 (Overlapping):

Mahalo nui ia ke ali`i wahine

`O Lili`ulani `o ka wo hi ku

Ka pipio mai o ke anuenue na waiho'o lu'u a halikeole'e

E nana na maka i ke ao malama mai

Hawai`i akea i Kaua`i

Vocal 2 (Overlapping):

Ke Kuini o Hawai`i

Ku i ka moku i ke Kalaunu

Na hana a ke aloha Ma`alo

Ana i ka ua lana malie

I ka lani malama ho`ike

Mai ana la i ka nani

`O Kalakaua he inoa

`O ka pua mae`ole i ka la

Ka pua maila i ka mauna

I ke kuahiwi o Mauna Kea

Ke 'amaila i Kilauea

Malamalama i wahine kapu

A ka luna o Uweka huna

I ka pali kapu oKa`auea

Ea mai ke ali`i kia manu

Ua wehi ka hulu o kamamo

Ka pua nani a`o Hawai`i

'O Kalakaua he inoa

'O Kalakauai he inoa

`O ka pua mae`ole i ka la

Ka pua maila i ka mauna

I ke kuahiwi o Mauna Kea

Ke`a mai la i Kilauea

Malamalama i Wahinekapu

A ka luna o Uwekahuna

I ka pali kapu o Ka`auea

Vocal 1 (Overlapping):

Mahalo nui ia Ke Ali`i wahine

`O Lili`ulani wo ka `o hi ku

Vocal 2 (Overlapping):

Ke Kuini o Hawai`i

Ku i ka moku i ke Kalaunu

Ea mai ke ali`i kia manu

Ua wehi i ka hulu o ka mamo

Ka pua nani a`o Hawai`i

`O Kalakaua he inoa

He Inoa No Kalani Kalakaua — kulele!

May Day Lesson

Kalaheo May Day Court 2008

King Kalawaia and Queen Tobey, Ladies in Waiting and Kahili Bearers

Since its beginnings in 1927, May Day has become a huge occasion in Hawaii that there is even a pageant where a Lei Day queen is coroneted along with her court.

Representing Kaho'olawe...the Kindergarten class

The first of May, however, has a unique and very special significance to the people of Hawaii. "May Day is Lei Day" in Hawaii. Its sole purpose is to engage in random acts of kindness and sharing, and to celebrate the Aloha spirit.

Princesses and Kahili Bearers representing the islands of Moloka'i (green), Ni'ihau (white), Hawai'i (orange), and Maui (pink)

Representing Lana'i....Second Grade

A lei symbolizes, love, support, and friendship. Longstanding tradition in Hawaii has made May 1st a special day for the people of Hawaii. The Territory of Hawaii observed its first "May Day is Lei Day" celebration on May 1, 1928. There were many festivities and competitions that exhibited lei made of flowers from the different islands. In addition, many schools held elaborate programs throughout the islands.

This tradition has continued for many years in Hawaii. In 1929, Governor Farrington signed a Lei Day proclamation urging the citizens of Hawaii to "observe the day and honor the traditions of Hawaii-nei by wearing and displaying lei." Many schools celebrate this day by holding pageants where students honor the many cultures and traditions of Hawaii. Students commonly elect a May Day court, commemorating Hawaii's royal heritage, that consists of two representatives who wear flowers and colored Aloha attire representative and customary for each of the eight major islands of Hawaii.

King Kalawaia's Court

Mama Evie

Happy long weekend to all my Canadian family and friends. Enjoy the cottage if you have found yourself at it. Is there good clean water yet? Does Victoria Beach have a new water plant?

Just a short blurb to give you a peek at my paintings. For those of you who did not know that I enjoy painting...you've learned a new thing today. I first started oil painting through the Leisure Guide in Elmwood (before Ben was born) and though I 'enjoyed' painting the White Shell week after week after week(my instructor had a thing for rock, water and evergreens), I found it really didn't rock my boat. After a couple of years, I gave away my easel, threw out my dried out oils, and I switched to watercolors and attended classes in Transcona as well as in Charleswood, but found them so frustrating as it is such a chemically challenging art. I eventually gave it up as I am such a linear thinker and it just wasn't working out for me. The timing was just too tricky!

So then I moved to Kauai and I bumped into Evelyn Ritter, hereafter known as Mama Evie, (http://www.evelynritter.com/) ...a super talented oil painter in portraiture. She offered to teach me in oils. For months I didn't give it a second thought and then I realized that I really liked Evelyn. One day she was transforming the nursery with a full room mural and I offered to help with some of the easier painting. She looked at my work and with a sparkle in her eye, said "Go get a canvas, turpentine, these 6 or 7 brushes and these oil colors...WE are gonna paint!" I was so excited!! Evelyn has not only become a good friend but she and her husband, Harry, have also become our island parents. Not only do I have a great instructor but I have a new mom!!

I am thrilled to tell you that my camera is back and so far working much better than I anticipated. You are in for a treat!

Here are some of the very recent fruits of my labour after giving up oils some 13 years ago!

Tropical Heliconia

Red Anthurium

Red and Green Ti Leaf

Black & White Anthurium

I have a few more paintings (not shown) on the go and at present, the B&W Heliconia still needs a bit more work but it is coming along. Mama Evie if you read this...I need your input!

Love to you all and have a great restful weekend!

Finally............

Once again, the camera is in the repair center in Indiana and I am lost to provide you with exciting photos of everyday Kauai living. Things are going well on all aspects of personal and church life with the Bullers.

First things first, I hear there has been a rumour floating around in Winnipeg that Ben has had a relapse. Completely untrue, false, lies....all lies I tell you. Ben is doing just fine. Great in fact.
Ben continues to make steps in the right direction and is more verbal about his love for us. It is wonderful to hear several times a day, "Mom, I love you". That has been non-existent in the past. This morning, I crawled out of bed and onto the couch with a cozy blankie when Ben chirped "How are you, Mom?" I just about fell off the couch! We've been trying an Auditory Stimulus for the past 2 weeks to help him build up a toleration to background and unexpected noises. I've been waiting to see if there are drastic changes (I was hoping for immediate social interaction with peers...dreamily) but I'll take the sudden interest in my well-being!

Alyson is loving island life although we've seemingly been having problems getting our children to the beach. How can these be blood relatives of ours? Ed and I love the beach...and yet these sweet children turn into kicking and screaming monsters everytime we talk about going to the beach. Maybe this stage will too pass. Alyson just continues to do very well in school and recently placed 2nd in the Martin Luther King Peace Poem Contest. A representative flew in from Maui to recognize her and the other recipients.

And by the way she STILL sucks her thumb!! How do I cure this incurable and wretched habit?

Laurie is continuing to oil paint but greatly misses her island mom/art instructor, Mama Evie, who flew back to Illinois for the rest of the year. Mama Evie winters here in Kalaheo and summers in Illinois. We miss you Harry and Ev!! Hope the dentist in Mexico successfully fixed your teeth after your fall! While I am on the missing theme, we really miss our friends Mark and Megan who left Lawai, Kauai to return home to California. Our weekends are not the same without you!

Ed continues to be very busy with church offering a Keystone Discipling Seminar to a group of people at Kalaheo Missionary this weekend and next. We have 2 interns from Bethel College in Indiana for 3 months here to help the pastor and to help them discover their area of ministry. I am praying that they will be a great asset to the staff and to the church body while they are here.

I am hoping to have some exciting news for you in the near future. We have something in the works that's been brewing for awhile and i'm hoping to share some news in the next week or two. Nobody's pregnant so we'll just put that to rest right away.

Aloha

This has nothing to do with us (as Hawaii has no snakes) but i thought it was a

cool picture of a model's hand painted like the head of a snake.

I thought I should check in with everyone and let them know what we've been up to. We had a fabulous time in March with my sister, Betsy and husband Bruce who flew to Hawaii for 10 days. Lucky for us this time coincided with Ed taking 3 weeks off for a personal retreat in attempt to get refreshed and rejuvenated. We were able to spend a ton of time together as a family; something that's very precious to any family but especially to those in ministry.

Ed has since returned to work and busy with church and seminars. He is currently at a 3 day HIM (Hawaii Island Ministries) Conference in Honolulu and returns on Saturday evening.

Life is just short of humming along. Aly is in the middle of HSA or Hawaii State Assessment exams and is happy to come home every day with no homework except to rest and get a good night's sleep for her next day of exams. Ben is doing very well. We've made several adjustments to his medication and he is tolerating it very well with no side effects. These last several days I've just been amazed at how verbal he is about his love for me. Previously he had a hard time expressing his feelings. He seems to just be growing in that area.

After a 13 year hiatus, I have resumed oil painting under the instruction of my friend Evelyn who is a portrait artist. Portraits are clearly not my gift but I enjoy painting creative nature scenes. This is something that I have really come to enjoy and hope it shows through my work. I could get lost in this art for hours.

Honestly there's not much more to report. Things are going well. I could use some prayer for a Sunday School Appreciation Dinner that I am planning for the teachers/workers in CE. We are having a huge baseball themed dinner on April 11, 2007. Pray that it goes off without a hitch and that our amazing team of volunteers feels appreciated for all the hard and faithful work they do.

Hot Burnin' Lava

Oh...that's what happened to Uncle Herb's old Audi....

red hot molten lava
Some hot stuff....I think I singed the hairs off my arm

....did you bring the marshmallows?....

Craters and Petroglyphs

After a physically, emotionally, spiritually hard year...you know the whole Ben thing and just in general church ministry, Ed's doctors (and Conference leaders) recommended some much needed time off for Ed. So as of March 10, Ed has been on a leave for spiritual and physical refreshment.

During this time we took a break from Kauai and boarded a short puddle jumper flight to Kailua-Kona, Big Island. A 3 day weekend afforded a quick peek at another island in the loaf (they are called the sandwich islands, ya know) and a sort of kick off to our time as a family together. Lucky for us this visit coincided with the state opening of the current lava flow fields on the SE side of the island near Hilo. Oooooh...do you smell sulfuric excitement in the air? How many of YOU have ever seen... not only red hot molten lava but stood on soil younger than you? God is literally making land as we speak!!! Very cool!! We buckled up for our 2 1/2 hour drive and ended up at the Kilauea Volcano National Park. A short stop at the info center to get our bearings and then on to Crater Rim Drive past the steam vents (shown on rt...they were all over...on both sides of the road) to the Kilauea Caldera. The Caldera is a HUGE crater that actually houses a smaller crater called the Halema'uma'u Crater. Check out the picture below and you'll see the crater is filled with steam vents as well (all that white stuff). It was kind of eerie.

After a few photos we headed into the Jaggar Museum where we read about the life of a volcano and saw some burnt offerings in the form of Volcanic bombs (cooled chunks of spewing lava) and Pele's hair which is a collection of shreds of volcanic glass. In Hawaiian mythology, Pele, pronounced /pele/, (peh-leh, not pay-lay) is the goddess of fire, lightning, dance, volcanoes and violence. She is a daughter of Haumea and Kane Milohai, and her home is believed to be the fire pit Halema'uma'u at Kīlauea crater on Mauna Loa, earth's largest mountain; but her domain encompasses all volcanic activity on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Enough of the impromptu history lesson...we then headed down the Chain of Craters Road where we toured through the Thurston Lava Tubes and saw the charcoal remains of recent lava flows between 1969-1979. We lost the younger and smaller one who got sucked up in the crevices of the lava field. Joking mom........(hey....not nice, those clothes make me look fat!)Lots of hiking and a very patient and cooperative Ben and we saw all kinds of lava fields...in fact...they were everywhere with no end in sight. Acres and acres of complete and utter devastation with hope for a rebirth. Oddly enough, green things (I won't call them plants b/c they were probably just very hardy and resilient weeds) pushed up and through often 6 feet of hardened lava to greet the sunshine. We continued to hike 1 1/2 miles to the Pu'uloa Petroglyph Trail through scalding heat as you can imagine how those nice black rocks soak up the suns rays. It's like walking through the desert without the sand in your eyes.

Here is a sampling of one of the largest collections of petroglyphs on the big island of Hawaii

Now comes the exciting part...what we waited for all day....the active lava flow. We were on a mission to see the present offerings of the Pu'u Huluhulu Cinder Cone and Pu'u O'o Crater off Hwy 130. We were...for just one afternoon...the volcano chasers. Drive, drive, drive, drive... that's all we did all day but it was all for this moment. There was a crush of people getting in the gates...the hwy was lined with cars, trucks, jeeps, and any thing else you could fit your family of 14 in. We got sucked into the draft created by the flow of tourists and local islanders and floated (not really but we have to make this exciting) to the trail leading to the current flow. Aaaah.... the moment had arrived....

Little Black Raincloud

Road to Hana, Maui

I feel like we have a little black raincloud over our house. Initially, it really was just the rain...and now, well it seems to be more accurate metaphorically speaking. All we did was go into the town of Lihue yesterday for a short little jaunt of running errands and picking up Ben from school....

Heading back home we stopped at the red light at the Nuhou/Kaumuali'i intersection by Cheifess Middle School. We were second from the stop line; a black truck had the lead. We sat for several moments before we heard loud screeching, metal crunching, glass shattering and finally we felt the slam of our minivan into the black truck ahead of us. "What the...?" was all we could say. We leaped out of the car to find an amped up yellow Polihale road worthy "attitude truck" (the driver had an attitude to match) slammed into the little white rental behind us obliterating their back end. This guy was booking it. The impact, of course had a domino effect and one car slammed into the other....4 cars in total...8 people.

The couple in the white rental behind us had just landed on Kauai from India for a few days to celebrate their honeymoon. The woman seemed to complain of the most injuries involving lower back pain and neck pain. She was placed on a spinal board with a neck brace and whisked away to Wilcox hospital.

The black truck in front of us with a local couple sustained little to no injuries and were happy to emerge unscathed. The guy in the yellow truck disappeared under the front of his vehicle and seemed oblivious to the fact that he could have injured/killed 7 other people. He avoided talking to any of the people whose life he endangered. Interesting...was he hiding from embarrassment or was he more concerned of the damage to his truck? I have my suspicions.

Ben emerged from the van unscathed...just startled and scared. Ed and I both emerged with immediate neck and back pain accompanied by headaches. Doctors appointments have been made as we will need to get assessed for insurance purposes. The headache begins with damage appraisals, assessments, car repairs and insurance collections. Oy!

We are just happy to have arrived home safe and sound.

Short and Sweet

Life is just sort of moseying along. Nothing monumental to report. We've had lots and lots of rain this winter. So much so that the water is seeping into the closets and soaking our clothes on the shelf. The rain is getting old but it keeps the island looking lush so there is really nothing to complain about. Except the lack of motivation it brings with it.

Ben is doing well and started in all regular education classes this week. This of course, has added stress and a feeling of being overwhelmed which leads to "I'm not feeling well" and "I don't want to go to school". He has missed 1 1/2 days of school this week due to "sore throat,headaches, cough and dizziness". While I am not discounting that he may indeed have an illness (alot of people around here have something and the rain/mildew does not help), I do suspect that avoidance may be the key source of the headaches and such. School is getting tougher and it's easier to bail out than deal with the issues. He does meet with a skills trainer for 1 1/2 hrs. every day after school which I actually think he may enjoy although he'll never admit it. Of course, he's had an incredibly light (actually non-existent) homework load and once that picks up a bit, he may not enjoy the time with the skills trainer so much.

Sheldon: has been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home! Can you believe it? He is very weak and has a long road ahead but you gotta give God all the glory when you look at what this little guy has been through. It's an incredible miracle. Look under Buller's Fave Links for Sheldon's Page and read about him and how his brother-in-law Andrew, answers some tough questions.

Thank you for continuing to keep us in your prayers!!

My New Style

So...what do you think... do you like my new look?...check out the poll and let me know if it's a keeper or if I should go back. This is the result of a wee bit of boredom...trying to add spunk and flash and keeping things fresh and hip.

Sheldon

Currently things are improving with Sheldon...he has awakened from his coma and has recognized family members. Efforts to remove life support have so far failed as he is unable to breathe comfortably on his own. He has however been able to move his limbs at the request of the medical team. And all this from a kid who showed no brain activity on his EEG just a few short days ago!!! To God be the glory. (For those of you on Facebook, we also have a group called Crazy about Sheldon Swampy....that you are welcome to join)

Ben just returned home from school an hour late. He walked in claiming of an interesting ride...a child on the bus had a grand mal seizure and an ambulance had to be called to pick up the child. What is going on with our babies? Pray for the family.

Uncle Herb Survived

Thank the Lord for a recent time of blessing with Uncle Herb and Aunt Erna....we are of course, most grateful for surviving the door-free (and unobstructed view) helicopter ride without incident. We literally could have had a family tragedy on our hands. Half way through the ride (and of course leaning out the copter to take fab pictures), Uncle Herb realized that his seat belt had accidently become undone. Panic stricken, he fumbled with his restraints and managed to strap himself in once again. We had dropped into the crater of Mt. Waialeale when he noticed. The pilot set the copter down when I turned my head to see Uncle Herb signalling me with his hands. I mentioned to the pilot that he was unrestrained but the guy lifted off anyway. We have no idea how long he was un-restrained but we are so grateful that we did not lose him! Of course, jokes about insurance policies ensued while we were safe and sound and on the ground. The experience got our adrenaline pumping, especially Herb and Erna's. Sorry Dad and Eliana about the scare...I think your brother may be cured from heli flying for awhile. He did get some awesome shots though.

Satan continues to attack the productivity in our ministry. Pray for strength and patience and God's guidance as we head into a new year of ministry. People are coming to Jesus and the church is growing and...Satan is working hard, bringing disunity among His people. Pray for hearts to change and personal agendas to be tossed out the window.

Once again, my camera....my brand new camera...sob..sob...has died. I have to send it to Illinois for repair but luckily it is still under warranty. Hopefully you'll enjoy my selection of not-so-recent photos.

A Hui Hou....Later.

Urgent Prayer Request

Sheldon Swampy Harder is the 13 year old son of Ben and Viola Harder (Winnipeg....and nephew to Abe and Eve Harder) and our son, Benjamin's closest and dearest friend. Sheldon and his family attend Riverwood Church Community.

Sheldon has suddenly contracted a critical form of viral encephalitis. Initial symptoms presented themselves before Christmas in the form of headaches, which when assessed where thought to be of migraine origin. This past Saturday, Sheldon experienced a grand mal seizure and was admitted to the Children's Hospital. There he coded and crashed and has had to have been resuscitated 3 times. They would have lost him if not for the immediate transfer of Sheldon to PICU. Sheldon is currently in a deep coma and the EEG has revealed no brain activity. There is swelling on the brain and he is on life support. A machine is keeping him breathing and another, his blood circulating. Yesterday, he had an NG tube inserted for nutrition and to encourage his organs to maintain their function. The prognosis looked grim but it seems now that they are seeing tiny movements in the right direction provoking a smile out of the doctor.

We are hopeful for the family and praying for a complete restoration to Sheldon's mind and body. God can perform miracles and what a testimony that would be!

This child is an amazing child of God. He was so compassionate and prayed daily for Ben while he was in the hospital. Our sons have such a strong bond, I'm not sure how Ben would manage if he lost his only friend. They have maintained close contact through Skype and MSN using computer cameras. This is devastating to us and of course, more importantly his family. Please....to our prayer warriors, you have been so faithful...may I encourage you to plead with God for this boy's life.

For updates on Sheldon's condition or to learn how to pray more specifically for him...please check out the link Sheldon's Page or http://www.getwellsheldon.blogspot.com/. You can also email Sheldon or his family at getwellsheldon@hotmail.com.

There is always something to say....

It has come to my attention that there is always something to say. Hmm..so whether or not I feel that there is no real news... apparently there really is.

We successfully survived the Christmas season with much thanks to Grandma Warkentin who provided alot of stability to the family. Uncle Dick and Aunt Emily from Morden provided hours of fun with the gift of Canada's version of Monopoly.

We've been blessed this year so far with visits from Grandma, Harold and Jocelyn (FGMB) and now Ed's uncle Herb and aunt Erna who will visit with us for a few days as a part of their trip around the world. What a wonderful time to reconnect with people who have known us for years. I was telling Aunt Erna that one of the hardest parts of the transition is not having close friends nearby who have known you forever...you don't have to constantly explain where you've come from and where you've been.

For our army of prayer warriors all over the world...

Ben has successfully transitioned back to middle school in a self-contained classroom. He wakes at 6:15 am and hops onto a 6:50 am special needs bus to the school where he spends the day in Miss Ryder's class for those with special needs. Now for all of those who know Ben and how intelligent he is...don't worry, this is temporary. He will be re-introduced to each regular ed. class one at a time which is the classic approach according to his psychiatrist. We've been informed that he is coping beautifully and is doing amazingly well....well ahead of what they expected. We have been transferred to a new psychiatrist, Dr. Hamamoto who is both a pediatrician and child psychiatrist from Honolulu. He works at the Queen's Hospital where Ben was admitted and knows the team that worked with him there. He is young, nice and very personable. A huge praise item. In tandem with Dr. Hamamoto, we decided to increase Ben's prozac to 30 mg/day as his compulsions have increased along with the stress of school. He rubs his hands along the carpet (as a part of a OCD ritual) and is beginning to wear down the outer layers of skin on the palms of his hand. The concern is that he will rub them raw leading to infection.

Alyson is constantly "wow-ing" us with her easy going personality and her diligence to her schoolwork. This week, she achieved the Super-Glo Star award which is handed out only to a very select few star students. In grade 3, there are 3 classrooms with maybe a total of 60 students...typically with only 2-3 super- glo stars. This term there were 3 and Alyson was one of them. We are of course extremely proud. This obviously comes from Laurie's side of the family.

Laurie spends her day re-evaluating life and where she now belongs. Emerging battered and bruised from the last several months leads me to times of quiet contemplation with God reading the Word. I also have the dubious task of continuing to provide a healthy environment for my family. This is leading me on a search for rental housing properties in the Kalaheo nieghborhood but away from the church. Through sharing and prayer it has become clear to me that this is a necessary move for a healthy husband and pastor and to reduce stress in the home. As mortgages here are astronomical and without divine intervention, it is likely that we will be renting rather than buying a home in the new future. This of course, is disappointing as we are nearing the 40 year-old mark and would love to start obtaining some equity. Nevertheless, the rentals here can be quite lovely as long as you can afford the $2500-$2800/mo. that they ask. Those of you in Winnipeg will understand the notable cringing... of a monthly rent so high not going to a personal mortgage. You feel my pain.

Ed is coping rather well through life although desperately needs a personal retreat. The two and fro flying from Honolulu during Ben's illness and maintaining his position in the church has left his spirit quite weary and feeling empty. A few beautiful days in Maui were refreshing but also provided an opportunity for Satan to attack. He is so good at what he does.

Thank you for continuing to pray and journey with us. The church is alive and thriving and ultimately people are coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ!! We love the church body and are excited as God constantly reveals himself to us.

Last 2007 Blog

Whew, what a busy holiday season! If you love, love, love the Christmas season, you are likely not married to a pastor. Ha ha!! I love it, although it has become quite the juggling act with church related events and services. Throw in a coupla of funerals and a wedding and well, you'll just never see your pastor husband anywhere near the homestead. I love Christmas, but it's always a relief when its over and life returns to normal.

This blurb is intended just to be a quick update on where Ben is at. Ben has constant support win the form of a behavioural therapist, tutor, skills trainer and autism specialist. To date, Ben has been able to return to school (during the Christmas break with no students present) and fulfill a 4 hour day. Next week, we will work him up to a 6 hour school day so that hopefully, he'll be ready to resume to some regular classes Jan. 14, 2008 when the rest of the students return from break. It's definitely a miracle that helped him get to where he is now. He still faces daily struggles and continues to deal with compulsive behaviour, though less frequently than in the past. What can I say but, God is good.

A very Happy New Year to everyone of you!

ps. Special "Alohas" go out to the Makarusa bunch...we can't wait 'til the next conference! I met Amy N. on Saturday.

Catching Up

Well Ben has been home for almost a month now, the 10 lbs. lost regained and generally walks around with a smile on his face. A welcome relief from the anguish he had earlier from losing control of his thoughts. Life is slowly returning to normal. A home bound program has been initiated to return Ben to normal life as a student, complete with homework. The ultimate goal is to return him to the school setting....baby steps are being taken in that direction. The Christmas school break usually means freedom and travel for most kids; for Ben it means daily schooling and continued work at transitioning back into grade 7. Ambitious...it seems to me...but the transition team says he is ready.

The tree is up and decorated, the gingerbread house candied up and the presents are wrapped. All that is missing is the lovely layer of fresh sparkly, fluffy snow. We have had precipitation though, and quite regularly I might add. We've enjoyed one sunny day since about November 26. The rains are torrential and our town has had numerous flash flood warnings. Not to worry though, our home is on a hill and we are sitting pretty high and dry.

As the housing market continues to soften, we are once again keeping our eyes peeled for a starter home. Even with the market the way it is and low interest rates, it seems inconceivable how we could ever make this happen for our family. Home ownership seems increasingly elusive and has provided hours of frustration to our tired little family. In faith we remind ourselves that God will provide a healthy and relaxing home for the pastor and his family.

Alyson continues to do well and has 100% record of completing homework. She has won several awards for continued good work. Next week she heads out to the movies with a few other classroom "smarties". Last reward was dinner out with the teacher and frog catching at his taro patch, a classic reward passed down from generations (okay maybe not generations) and eagerly anticipated by anyone lucky enough to end up in Mr. Hashimoto's class.

Ed continues to burn the candle at both ends. Work for him right now is non-stop and family life including him is also elusive. With Christmas hot on the tail of Thanksgiving, he won't be breathing until the new year. Pray for continued health for him. Stress and pressure of the season (and regular church life work) certainly takes its toll on the diabetic part of his body.

Laurie is struggling to regain a sense of self following 2 months in Honolulu. My childcare stint complete with tiny income with baby Kyan was cut short by the recent "vacation" to Queen's Hospital. Unable to work and tired of cleaning only to turn around and find a giant mess created by the menehune in my home. Funny how nobody ever claims responsibility for all the stuff laying around. I am however, excited to say that following our income tax filing last year, (we haven't actually received our refund yet...oh well, maybe next year) I received an ITIN number. I was finally able to take that number to the bank and no, not actually get an account.... but become a joint account holder with Ed!!! A year and a half later. I got my name on official bank account paper. Up until now, they would not issue me anything...no debit cards, no check cashing cards, no bank cards whatsoever because I didn't exist. And now with the ITIN number, I'm a real person. A real live person. I am so happy that I'm alive now... because before I wasn't...I guess. But hey, I am getting a debit card in the mail soon. That should take about a month. Nothing happens fast here.

Ben's a Free Man!

HALLELUJAH!!! Ben was discharged on Thursday, Nov. 15 from the Family Treatment Center at Queen's Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. Wow, how much more formal can we get! He was extremely excited to "break out" and roasted in our rental car for 45 minutes while I packed up the apartment and checked out. Although he is healthy enough to no longer require 24 hour medical observation, he still struggles daily with anxiety and OCD. Ed and I were thrilled to bring him home, but there is still some apprehension on our part. We are now completely responsible for helping him cope and in the continuation of teaching him his own coping techniques. This week we have minimal assistance with Ben but that will increase next week. We will have a team consisting of a autism specialist, family guidance counsellor, psychiatrist, school psychologist, and working directly with us will be a skills trainer, home bound teacher and behaviour specialist. We have an amazing program set up and are just waiting to plug people into it. The woman who will be our skills trainer is in Israel and she returns at the end of this week. When she returns, it is all systems go! I'm confident that the team will meet Ben's needs and that he will be able to quickly catch up with his peers, academically.

Life is returning to normal (can it be true? is it really? am I dreaming?) and it feels so good to be back home and together again as a family.

Coming Home...I Hope

If all goes as planned, I will be bringing my large bundle of boy home this weekend. The doctor's say, he is as ready as he'll ever be. We are still waiting for temporary home bound assistance until longer term ones are found. Hopefully, the OCD will not do too much damage to Ben in a week's time. This is how long we anticipate having no assistance. Well, if anything unforeseen happens or he takes a turn for the worst, at least we know the ropes and have made the relationships. Thank goodness for that! The initial trauma I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Thank you for the hugs (real and cyber). Please continue on the journey with us a little while longer as we transition him back home and into a home bound school setting. Love to you all.

Ben Update

As my friend Xiam suggests...it's been a week Buller, what's the news?

The 4 day pass went well this last weekend although on Monday and Tuesday, Ben was noticeably in need of structure. Behavioural issues that had popped up on Sunday, reared their ugly heads on Monday and Tuesday. There were several threats to return "the child" to the ward early. It wasn't really a threat though. The staff had notified us that if he got to be too hard to handle, we were welcome to send him back. It did enter our minds more than once though. And we were instructed to use it as a tool to curve behavioural issues. Strict limits had to be set. Expectations had to be VERY clear. Yes, there were tears. Ben was so mad at me, he jammed his foot between the wall and the bed and got it stuck! I held my ground and eventually he loosened his leg and followed through on the instructions.

Things continue to go well. Ed and I are learning which actions to take and when with Ben. Ben is essentially well enough to come home (PRAISE JESUS!!) but at present, we have no support structure in place. We have a program for him to come home to, but we are waiting for a skills trainer and home bound teacher to plug into the program. The hospital will not release him until they are convinced that we have strong support in place in the home.

So ideally it looks like Ben will be on his way home in the next week or so. It is so hard to believe! What a long road!