Continuing on our “sprint through 2026” schedule, we were home for a brief two days after our Sarasota trip before flying on Thursday, Feb. 19, to Kona, Hawaii, for an 11-day ministry tour. We’re flying home as I write, with hearts overflowing with gratitude and praise for the many ways we witnessed God working in ways attributable only to Him. He is indeed a good, good Father.

We hit the road running with the first two days on the island dedicated to counseling, followed by teaching at Living Stones Church on Sunday, the 22nd , followed by two more days of counseling. Whew! Mercifully, as a result of a scheduling glitch, those first two days of counseling were “light” and we had time to catch our breaths and to catch up with some of our friends/ministry partners.

*We don’t often see a lot of sunrise color on this side of the island, but this welcomed us our first day during our early morning walk. Glory!*

*This is the view from our lanai, aka my “quiet time perch.”*

*And this was one of our first sunsets. One can never have too many sunset photos.*

On Sunday the 22nd, we had the privilege of teaching at all three Living Stones Church services. Pastor Bill Barley is going through a series on “Hard Questions” and asked us to speak on the topic of Biblical sexuality. He admitted it was not at all difficult for him to turn that subject over to us.

Paul entitled the sermon “Is God Anti-Sex?” and we prayerfully prepared to speak to the congregation, which spanned the generations. In the face of the many distortions, abuses, and reigning confusion that characterize cultural sexual mores, we welcomed the opportunity to teach from God’s Word, proclaiming the “good news” of His design. Since He designed our sexuality, He also defines it.

We were very thankful for a very positive response to the message at all three services. So many thanked us for Biblically and clearly speaking into this area, which the church has been remiss in addressing for the most part. As a result, for many of us in the Christian community, the world’s anti-Biblical messaging has impacted our understanding of this sacred and dynamic part of our humanity, which has produced so much brokenness. One fairly new believer expressed that everything we said was news to her! She had never heard Biblical teaching on sexuality and after having led a very promiscuous life as a non-believer, she said, “This makes so much sense.” She’s excited about teaching her children the truth, with hopes that they’ll be spared the heartache she’s experienced pre-Christ.

*Pastor Bill Barley (next to Paul) and Andrew West, one of the worship pastors at Living Stones, just before the first service launched.*

*A great joy to us was witnessing our dear friends dedicate their baby during the service.*

Another great delight was having Jasmine Wong with us for most of the day. We’ve known “Jazzy” since she was born to our very dear friends, Wai and Elaine Wong, and she’s on Kona currently doing a DTS (discipleship training school).

*The sun set on the Sabbath and we gave thanks for the many ways God had met us that day.*

*And the next morning, it rose and reflected on the clouds which were decorating the western sky.*

Monday and Tuesday were very full counseling days. We were so encouraged by a number of the sessions we had, and not unexpectedly, we were discouraged by some. The enemy continues to work overtime to destroy marriages and that just fuels our passion to keep fighting for them.

One of the bonuses of our time on Kona is being able to meet up with some whom we’ve grown to deeply love over the years we’ve been serving here. And with some, like Jasmine, who are passing through here with YWAM. Such is the case with our dear friends Rob and Juliet Pyles, from NH! Rob did a number of the HIM video spots a few years back and we’ve enjoyed a growing friendship with them for about 10 years now. We were thrilled that they returned from their DTS outreach to the Philippines the first weekend we were here, enabling us to catch up with them. They inspire us!

*We had Rob and Juliet Pyles over for dinner one night and got to hear about their outreach within days of their return.*

*We hiked out to Kona Village to meet up with our dear friend, Mike Field. Any time with Mike is a good time.*

Between meeting up with people for lunch and dinner on Wednesday and Thursday, they were mostly days off. One day we hiked and the next day we drove north in search of whales. We did see a few spouts, which was less than we had hoped for, but we were very content with driving along the coastline of this beautiful island.

Living Stones Church (LSC) hosted a Marriage Workshop on Friday night and Saturday morning, Feb. 27-28. Planned, organized, and executed by Jodi Coetzee and Roger and Erin Beasley (who have recently been appointed as family ministry point people for LSC), the event was a big success. They did a great job of putting together a very meaningful experience and covered all the bases. Dinner and breakfast were served, childcare was provided, gift bags were assembled, and the ambience was set outdoors with vases of tropical flowers adorning the tables. There were over 130 adults and 35 children in attendance and the vibe was electric.

After each of our sessions, the couples were given 15 minutes to process the teaching, directed by questions we had formulated, and that was followed by a period of Q and A. It was a very successful format and many expressed appreciation for the total experience.

*Roger and Erin Beasley made this marriage workshop happen and did a phenomenal job.*

*Bill and Jeanne Fountain serve endlessly, and for the marriage workshop, they headed up the dinner. Salt of the earth folks!*

*As the sun set Friday night, the couples enjoyed a yummy dinner and fellowship before we spoke.*

*Looks like they’re having a good time!*

*Saturday morning at 8 am, breakfast was served!*

*Denise Hart, who with her husband Rick head up family ministry at Living Stone’s church plant, Pine Trees, pray over us for Saturday morning’s sessions.*

*They wisely had the attendees sit with the ocean at their backs…or we would’ve had a hard time keeping their attention!*

*Couples spread out for their processing time.*

*Erin Beasley wrapped up the event at noon on Saturday, outlining “next steps” and recommending resources.*

Sunday we had the privilege of speaking at Mokuaikaua Church, the oldest church in the Hawaiian islands. It was planted by missionaries from Park Street Church, Boston, in 1835! We love partnering with Kahu David DeCarvalho and his wife Kim who lead this congregation with love and faithfulness. The church has been under rehabbing for the past six years and it was wonderful to be inside this majestic, historical place of worship.

*Kahu David and Kim DeCarvalho have become dear friends.*

Aaron Barker (with his wife Rhonda) is the worship leader at Mokuaikaua and he leads with passion and tremendous talent. Fun fact: we knew Aaron as a little boy when we served with his parents who were also on IVCF staff in the late 70’s. Such a great reconnection!

Monday the 2nd of March was our last very full day counseling and Tuesday was our day for packing and tying up loose ends. We did manage to sneak in a quick visit with the Pyles family, which was pure delight, and our time on Kona ended with dinner out with our “landlords,” aka “chosen family,” Bob and Debi Cary. How blessed we are to be invited to lodge in their lovely airBnB while we serve here.

*The Pyles served us lunch at their beautiful seaside “villa” on our last day.*

*Bob and Debi Cary took us to dinner at Magic Sands Restaurant as we prepared to leave.*

We return home with full hearts and nothing but praise for the One who makes all of this possible.