Well, it's Sunday April 10 and at 3:10pm today, we are on a plane to New York for a few days before we head out to Israel on Tuesday. This has been a huge blessing for Brandi and I. Prior to Lori passing, she made it a point to tell me that she wanted Brandi and I to take a trip together so that we could enjoy each others company, seek the Lord, continue healing from the loss, and honor her in the trip. My wife, always putting others first. If you remember, 2 weeks prior to her passing on May 31, 2015, Brandi and I took the planned family trip to LA for a wedding that I performed for great family friends, Tama and Olympia Hugo. Even then, she would not let her illness affect our goal as a family...to love God, to love each other, to love others and to live out our calling in God's will. We took that trip for 7 days and God blessed us with with 2 weeks more of Lori. It just seems like yesterday.
Initially Brandi and I was looking to go to Japan during Christmas...I love Japan in the winter..cold, ono food and just awesome. But work scheduling for Brandi was not a good time fit. In mid Fall, a family friend of ours, Pastor David Stoker put out a flyer on FB about him leading a tour, his 6th to the Holy Land. His son Andrew and Brandi went to Punahou and Westmont together and we were able to serve with them on the Westmont Hawaii Parent and ohana team.
I inquired as it was something to look at. We also had been looking at the New Hope Oahu Footsteps of Paul tour in October 2016 as this Holy Land trip was in April 2016. We both prayed and because Lori had set aside some resources for us to do this, we knew that God had opened the door for this trip. It truly is God's timing, now with Brandi planning to go back to school in the Fall to get her Masters in Social Work, we would not have been able to do the Footsteps of Paul trip. For me, work timing is never right, as we are on a weekly schedule of ship operations and since I am only part time, if I don't work, I don't get paid. And if I fall short of 20 hours per week, I have to pay my medical...but as usual..I continue to trust God for all things as He has always provided in the past. This was something that we knew God was allowing us to do. So we booked the trip in December and here we are.
The picture on the left, is filled with a ziploc bag of Lori's ashes. I opened up her Urn earlier this week to get some of the ashes (that in itself is a whole another story..lol) and we will be taking it with us to spread it where God tells me to spread it. The picture on the right is the area, where we have kept her urn, her pic and place tulips every week since her passing. I have made it a point to honor my wife in life and in death. She was a true lover of God and lover of me, Brandi and all of you.
I am praying in this trip for God to reveal to me whatever He desires..I am praying for His will in my life, I am praying that my love for Him and connection to Him just goes on fire for Him. I want to live a life that glorifies Him in all that I do...and I have an opportunity to see and touch where the Son of God, God Himself - Jesus, the Triune God, lived and loved over 2000+ years ago. Wow!! I pray that same for Brandi. I pray that the past that we came from, the graduation of Lori to heaven, and the physical loss of her - be not forgotten, but be memorialized that we as a family have chosen the scripture Joshua 24:15:
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Lord, thank you for this wonderful blessing. I am sitting here at the foot of Your cross anticipating, eagerly waiting for You to show me whatever it is You want me to see. Lord, give me open ears to hear you and fresh eyes to see what You are doing in the midst. Amen!
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