delirious

This is how I am experiencing Motherhood:
For the first time in my life I am willing to sacrifice all sleep, work, vanity, and sanity for this little guy who spends 80% of his time eating and the other 20% pooping.
We have had brief moments of sleep sprinkled over the past 3 weeks, but I fear I am still losing my mind. Last night I told him "ok we're going to pray now for our family, dear God please bless 'Osi and myself and....the baby.
what's your name again?"



Isaac Halalilo, I adore you.

Announcing

Our beautiful baby, Isaac Gray Halalilo was born on December 5th,2009 at 12:58 p.m.
He was 7 pounds 7 ounces; 21 inches long; and absolutely perfect.

Thank God for family!
One of the greatest blessings of our lives is family. Praise God we have both been able to stay close with our own nuclear family, and with one another's. 'Osi sometimes says "our family is our first missions field", meaning that we need to work hard for peace and loving relationships with our nuclear family. After that we can start looking outward to loving and reaching the rest of the world.

Getting involved

We absolutely love our church family at Camano Chapel. Everyone is so loving, we are overwhelmed every week we go through the door. Thankfully we have a little free time on our hands while visiting so we have been able to volunteer in several programs. 'Osi's been helping out with EYP (Jr. High youth group) and joined the Sunday night volleyball team. He is also being discipled by Pastor Mich and is so grateful for the new Paul/Timothy relationship they are developing.
Together we have volunteered in the infant nursery, soothing crying babies has been great practice for us. hehe
Then Jen has been helping out in Home-school Co-op and MOPS, thoroughly enjoying the other volunteers as much as the energetic toddlers.
If you are interested in being involved in a loving church family, we recommend Camano Chapel. For 20 years it's been a loving Mother hen to Jen, and 'Osi is so lucky to be adopted into the nest.

Tongan Missions Dinner

We hosted a Tongan missions dinner at Camano Chapel last month. This was a way to say thank you to our missions prayer supporter team, and others who have been praying for Tonga. We are so thankful for all the people who came, including 'Osi's family from Seattle.
'Osi entertained us with Pacific Island dances, (I mean cultural presentations - because we don't 'dance' in church right? =)

Hiding our pumpkins

I've been introducing 'Osi to American culture and he believes nearly everything I tell him. So now we can do all the American traditions, plus some I make up, and the ones that are normally reserved for children!
Going to the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect pumpkin was a must - only he insisted that I was hiding one under my shirt, so he did the same.
He paid for his now, I'll pay for mine next month. hehe

There's no place like home

Hello friend,
We just wanted to let you know we're back in the U.S. again and have been so overwhelmed by the love of friends and family who have been welcoming us home...we especially want to thank our Camano Chapel family for their excitement. You always treat us like celebrity's even though we're only simple, young kids trying to follow Jesus.
Thank you all.
So we will be home for the next 3.5 months, for the next 3.5 reasons =)

1.) We're having our first baby, and would love to give birth in an environment that is safe, healthy, and familiar for Jen. At least this first time, she needs her Mom =)

2.) This is a great opportunity for 'Osi to meet our family and friends in the U.S., and experience American culture.

3.) Jen's Mom is having major surgery next month. We want to be here to care for her, and drive our little sister Mary to school and soccer practice everyday =)

Also....Jen is meeting with the YWAM Publisher in Seattle, with a book on Missions that she has been putting together.

Please feel free to call or write anytime! We would love to spend time with you if it is convenient, or at least catch up over the phone.
360-652-7430
God bless you with great joy!
-'Osi and Jen

Bula from Fiji!

It’s 8:45p.m. and the youth are starting to gather at the outdoor crusade. They told us it started at 6, but Fiji time is a fluid concept.
I (Jen) was beginning to get bored so I fished super glue out of my purse and began fixing my broken sandal. A few minutes later the pastor called “‘Osi, our guest from Tonga, please come up and share the word of God with us!” I am so proud of him—this is his first time preaching in English to a giant crowd of people.
The message went smoothly, we all laughed at his jokes and shouted “amen!” at the appropriate times. But then he throws a curveball and calls me up to sing a song with him! I have a dangerously squeaky singing voice, and in the excitement of the sermon I had somehow managed to superglue my fingers together, which were glued to my dress, and also glued to my leg. So I awkwardly hobble up to the front, smiling, smiling, extremely nervous.

Thankfully it was a short song, and the Pastor didn't ask me to sing again. (?) But I have all new respect for my husband, having the courage to take any opportunity to share the gospel with one person or a hundred. It reminds me of our Father who invites us to represent Him and serve Him even when we’re awkward, can’t sing well, and glue our fingers together. hehe

Hallelujah!
We're really enjoying our time in Fiji, while waiting for 'Osi's visa interview on September 15th. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement.....we really praise God for opening many doors for us to serve the Missionaries and different villages in Fiji too.

Everyday we have been able to do door-to-door evangelism, youth crusades, prison ministry, helping tons of young Missionaries write their first newsletters.....God is so good, keeping us busy, using our talents. Never a dull moment!
Here's a picture of us with a local youth group we were helping with.

We're in Fiji

We are here now applying for 'Osi's visitor's visa to the U.S. We really want to visit Jen's family and have the baby in the U.S. for citizenship and health reasons.

We arrived last week and have gotten settled into the Youth With A Mission in Suva house with the couple here who just started a counseling ministry. Their names are Jerry and Debra, and they are in their late 50’s, He is Fijian and she is American. Very sweet couple, we have really been enjoying getting to know each other, sharing our testimonies…..
The day we arrived I called the U.S. Embassy to make an appointment for ‘Osi, but they said that they have changed all their Visa policies, everything is much stricter starting this month, plus the rates have been raised, and all paperwork is online. So I filled out all the forms online last night (I had to do it 6 times because their internet server kept crashing! Praise God for the perseverance =)

Then I was able to make an interview appointment for ‘Osi. The bad news is, now is peak visa season so people from around the Pacific have been coming in for visa interviews, and there are no available appointments until September 15th. Sooooo we booked the appointment, and will keep checking in to see if there are any cancellations and possibility of an earlier one.
But ‘Osi and I prayed a lot about what God wants us to do while we’re in Fiji. We were really encouraged by the word, and feel that He is leading us to get busy in some kind of service and evangelism while here. So please pray for open doors =)

After praying we met 2 young Missionary guys from South Nandi who have been helping lead a youth crusade in the city this week. They invited us to join them in the crusade, and preach to the Fijian youth. So that’s what we did =) We joined them all week in the afternoons and evenings, helping with the crusade. 'Osi also taught the guys a Fijian praise dance, so they are performing that tonight at the crusade =) We also joined in a prison ministry over the weekend.

I’ve also be helping Debra get her counseling office set up – her wireless and computer stuff, as well as making some brochures and fliers for their ministry and counseling school. Today I sketched a few logos for her..... I want to help her with advertising, so that more people in Suva know they can come here for help and healing as well as training in counseling if they want to take the school.

So it’s pretty exciting so see how God is working, we always have our plans but His are much better, right?

We still really pray to get the visa to come home to the U.S. to see our family/friends and have the baby in December – please keep praying for that.
But in the meantime we’re happy to “be about our Father’s business” =)

Tragedy in Tonga

Friends, please pray for Tonga. There have been many tragedies happening lately on each of the 3 islands of our kingdom. One of the most terrible tragedies happened this month, when an inter-island ferry the MV Princess Ashika sank killing 93 passengers on board. The victims were mainly women and children who were trapped inside the ship while they were sleeping.

While they were sailing a storm arose and somehow the ship flipped upside down. Many of the men (staying outside on deck) were able to jump ship, but the others were trapped inside when the ship began sinking within seconds.

'Osi lost one of his Uncles, his Mother's eldest brother. So we are mourning for him and all the families who lost loved ones. This is a major tragedy for our country because families are so tighly knit and our population is so small. Losing 93 people in Tonga is relative to losing 237,166 Americans (comparing the population size). So nearly every person in Tonga has lost at least one relative. Everyone is hurting.

Please pray for our people.

(Here is a photo of some survivors returning home)

Happy 6 month Anniversary Honey - let's weave baskets!

Loloma has been teaching us how to weave baskets from coconut palms!
And Jen made a stunning "Happy 6 month Anniversary" hat for 'Osi. King of the house =)
he is wearing it proudly.

We plan to fill the baskets with taro (Tongan potatoes) after we harvest it, to sell it in the market. Taro is one of the main food staples in the Tongan diet. Nearly every Tongan meal includes "Tongan food", one of the many varieties of starchy root vegetables we grow here.

Typical (exciting) day on the job!

'Osi (middle) preached some words of encouragement to the country, through the local Tonga TV station.

Jen's been helping out in
the mission's office,
with communications projects.

'Osi recently spoke at an outdoor evangelism night in one of the villages. He has a passion for reaching and teaching the youth of Tonga.

Tongan Pregnancy Lore - according to Jen

Being pregnant, for the first time, in a foreign country has been an adventure, let me tell you! Everyone is excited for us, every female, Aunty, and Grandma in the village wants to give their advice about what I must do in order to have a perfect baby. Everyday they surprise me with new rules.

Sure, every culture has their unique brand of pregnancy lore - but I dare any to be as creative as Tonga.
For starters chili peppers are forbidden. Unless I want my newborn to have twitching eyes syndrome. I don't, but mind you there are limited flavor additives for Tongan food - we can either put copious amounts of salt on our daily yam/taro portions - or chilli. I love chilis! But when I catch myself reaching for the tiny red treasures I can feel every eye accusing me "Do you really want 'Osi's child to have twitching eyes??"
Coffee is completely tabu.
Even one cup. One tiny cup. Being from Seattle, the mecca of fine coffee (Starbucks), it is my birthright to be a coffee addict. I even downloaded the International and FDA caffiene standards for pregnant women, 1-3 cups a day is perfectly fine. But alas, I must sacrifice my coffee cup on the alter of good motherhood.
Octopus (another favorite) is also forbidden. Otherwise the child will be born with splotchy octopus skin. That's ok I don't need a Star Trek baby.
Too many carrots (fav. veggie) is also bad. Otherwise the child will be born orange, so I'm told.

The GOOD pregnancy lore, I am thankful for is that I am no longer allowed to touch cold water anymore. Since we don't have warm running water 'Osi now carries the responsibility of handwashing our clothes and dishes. And I don't shower anymore.
Just kidding.
I heat up the kettle and take a bucket bath. Which I sometimes do for the clothes and dishes too, because 'Osi has to hang up all the laundry. (They believe pregnant women should not stretch or reach up their hands too much.
The most fantastic story I've heard is whoever I stare at the most will resemble the baby. Thankfully I spend 95% of my day staring at my husband. So we're expecting a very handsome child.

Please let me know if you can explain my frequent sneezing and crazy dreams. Last night I dreamed that kung-fu Thai fighters were taking over our village. Thankfully I was able to surf a tidal wave to a deserted island where my missions leader was making pancakes......(maybe it was the octopus I snuck a bite of when no one was looking. shhhh)

Needless to say God is teaching me alot about humility. While my hormones are raging and I can't have coffee, this is the royal test of submitting myself to the culture I am called to serve. Please pray for me to love my neighbors....and follow the rules.
-Jen

Another praise report is that we both have many opportunities weekly to do evangelism with other missionary teams on campus. Sometimes we go from door-to-door in villages, other times we meet in churches, village halls, or do open-air events with cultural dancing, worship and preaching.
Here is a picture of 'Osi dancing (front, right) for an outdoor evangelism night.

The blind will see!

As always, God is doing great things in Tonga, and we are so thankful to witness His work here. This past month we were sent off campus because we couldn’t pay all our room/board fees.
As we were praying with some other students what to do next, one of the girls asked us to go to her village to pray for her sick father.
Her family is Mormon, so when we visited them we shared some verses including Matthew 11:28 “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” After this we laid hands on him, praying for his healing. This man was very old and weak, as well as blind. After praying fervently we all expected a miracle, but the man remained blind, tears streaming down his face as he thanked us for our encouragement and prayers.
On our walk back home, we encouraged our friend that God loves her father. But sometimes it takes time for prayers to be answered. So we kept praying for her Dad everyday, and 2 days later God provided $700 to pay our debts, and our friend called saying her father is healed, the blind man can see again!

70 years!!

Happy Birthday Loloma!
This weekend we celebrated Loloma's 70th Birthday. (Loloma is the dear lady living with us while taking her DTS). Her daughter and Granddaughter flew in from New Zealand, and we had a huge birthday celebration with her family and the entire missions community.
It was a great time of celebrating God's faithfulness and blessing over Loloma's life.

She truly inspires us, like Psalm 145:4 says "One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts."
We are so blessed to live with Loloma everyday, sharing our house and everything with her; amazed by her stories of Gods faithfulness over her whole lifetime. We also praise God because in a few months we'll be able to do the same for our "next generation". Then we will have three generations living in one house.
Hopefully God will give us all 70 years to "tell of his mighty acts".

Excercising our faith

'Osi had a interesting experience excercising his faith lately.
The farmers surrounding our village were burning their feilds, preparing to plant new crops. The other night 'Osi noticed one fire behind the camp was getting larger and seemed to be coming quickly toward our houses.
He noticed one of the staff of our mission running around frantically asking for the Director. 'Osi thought "I don't know where the Director is, but who am I? Who am I in Christ? I know my position as a child of God. I can go ask God for miracles and He will answer my prayers."

So he marched confidently towards the fire at the end of our campus, and said "In the name of Jesus I command this fire to stop by the time it reaches this coconut tree. You will not harm our houses."

Then 'Osi returned to the main chapel building where we were all gathered to have a meeting. During the meeting a few of the girls were watching the fire nervously, saying how worried they were that the fire was coming too close.
But 'Osi told them not to worry, he already prayed about it, it will stop. Most of us kind of laughed at him (sadly) he has such child like faith and confidence in his prayers. But by the time that fire reached the coconut tree, the rain started falling. God quenched the fire and answered 'Osi's prayers. We all have daily opportunities to excercise our faith, are you praying specific prayers in confidence that God will answer?

Harvesting peanuts!

The mission we are serving with in Tonga claims to be the only self-funded YWAM base in the Pacific. We have 50 acres of land that we lease from the Tu'ipelehake, and we use much of it for farming. Everyone living at the mission takes time to serve on the farm. This week we had fun harvesting peanuts! We will sell these peanuts, using the profits to help pay for various ministry expenses.

Join the Peace Corps or be a missionary?

While living in Tonga I (Jen) have had the opportunity to meet several Peace Corp volunteers from America. They are serving in various villages, and we love to talk about life in Tonga and how we sometimes miss American food or hot showers.

I have been told that most Peace Corps volunteers are not Christians. Out of 20 living in Tonga I have only met 2 believers, and they claim to be the only ones. I met these two at church, and try to encourage them regularly because they are very discouraged, claiming to be continually bombarded with ridicule for their faith. Please pray for them.

On the other hand, this is a fantastic opportunity to share God's love with the others! It is wonderful that they have come here voluntarily, to serve the Tongan people. They share that common ground with Christians, to serve and sacrifice for the good of others.
I have started contacting a few of them for casual visits, and hope we can become friends. Hopefully we can all broaden our understanding of faith and the culture we are living in now.

Thank you

For the past 5 years in missions we have been strengthened and protected all over the world because you were praying faithfully.
Sometimes people send us a word of encouragement which is exactly the thing we need to sustain us in a spiritual battle. Your partnership with us is vital, and we want to improve our communication with you. From now on we will try to update this weblog with new photos and stories every week.

One of our main goals in ministry is to proclaim God’s goodness through our testimony.
Revelation 12:11 says the Christians overcame Satan “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
We all want to be counted in that number of Christians boldly sharing our testimonies right?

So what can we do to be in better communication with you? Should we send newsletters more often? Maybe every 2 weeks instead of every 4-6 weeks? We enjoy praying for you every day when you send us your prayer requests….should we send you more letters or postcards?
If you would like to receive letters through the mail we can do that. We apologize because sometimes our mail doesn’t reach America, coming from our remote 3rd world country. But we’ll keep trying. We received our first letter here this week and were so excited. Jen’s Grandma mailed us corn seeds for our garden (thanks Grandma!)
Whatever we can do from our side, we really want to try our best to improve communication. Because we care about you, value your partnership, and need to share more testimonies for God’s glory. Amen?

Here is the exciting news….

We’re having a baby!
This was a total surprise to us, because we planned to wait awhile—but God did a miracle.
This is a blessing and testimony to ‘Osi’s family too. His 3 older brothers have been married for many years with no children. They really want children but are not walking with the Lord. Now they see how we are walking with God and He blessed us with a baby even when we were trying to prevent it. God is so amazing!
So now we are over the shock, and getting excited. God’s plans for us rarely seem “practical” or “safe”. Remember what He called Noah to do? Or David, or Esther? (Check out Hebrews 11 for more fantastic examples of faith). When we put our faith in Him He can show His greatness and do miracles.
This month we moved back to the YWAM Missions compound on the main island of Tonga. We felt we should return here for a bit more Bible/ministry training while helping serve the mission. Because everywhere we’ve lived the past 5 months of marriage we get heavily involved in local ministry, and quickly the Pastors offer ‘Osi a leadership position among the youth or asks us to pioneer a pre-school….random things. But every time we bring it to God in prayer, we get verses about how we need more training and humble positions first.


While we are serving and training here…..

We are sharing a cute cabin with another missionary on campus. She is a darling 70 year old lady named Loloma, who just gave her life to Jesus and wants to be a missionary. We love Loloma as our own Grandma, and are thrilled to have her in our family. She came with nothing to support herself, and no family support. So we applaud her bravery. She is a true disciple, leaving everything to follow Jesus. Loloma is also helping Jen improve her Tongan, because she talks constantly but doesn’t speak English. The only English word we have hear her speak is "enough!" when we give her too much food.

Maybe you were wondering why we took the past 4 months off from our “normal” ministry to do youth ministry in other villages with our family. Truthfully, we have not changed our missions focus or vision, but were respecting the culture we live in. In Tonga after marrying the man is expected to take his bride home to help his Mom and meet the whole family. Indeed we spent a lot of quality time with the whole family, sometimes packed into a 3 room house with 4 different families. Spending our “honeymoon” in the same room with Grandpa was awkward, but overall God used us in exciting ways.
A few of our relatives recommitted their lives to God simply because they saw that we read the Bible and pray together daily instead of screaming and fighting. Osi’s brother and sister in-law have been married, wanting children for years but never could. But when they saw that God blessed us immediately with a baby, they started praying and going to church again….after inviting God into their marriage they conceived 2 months later! Hallelujah!


The most amazing miracle…..

Is that after 16 years ‘Osi’s Dad is finally reuniting with his Mom. ‘Osi’s Dad, Kesomi sat in our kitchen last week crying as he confessed his failure to a group of friends and family. Kesomi had left ‘Osi’s Mom Kelela 16 years ago in Tonga with their 7 children. Then he moved to Alaska, saying he wanted a divorce and had another girlfriend. But Kelela refused to give up on him, and she prayed for the next 16 years. Kesomi said recently he has been convicted by the way his children are missionaries trying to serve God, yet he should be the one setting an example. So he flew back here to Tonga and is currently reconciling with his wife.

Malo aupito! (Thank you very much) for your encouragement, advice, prayers, and partnership with us. We always pray for you, and look forward to communicating with you more regularly.
Love 'Osi, Jenn, Loloma, and the baby.

Eating the neighbor’s dog….. and the never ending Easter Celebration

Life is different in Tonga.
The other day I sent ‘Osi to the shop to buy some milk and he came home holding the neighbors dog by the feet, dead. He found it on the road, and guessed a car hit it, so we can cook it for lunch. We’ve been on a tight budget, since the U.S. economy went down our missions support is down 1/3 what it was before. But God still provides manna from heaven! Jehovah Jireh, our provider.
We know that you may be facing a similar struggle right now, so we have been praying for you and your family everyday. Praying you will experience God’s peace and provision for your family. Tongans always tell me how proud they are of being free, they don’t feel pressured by jobs schedules, time, or bills….just free. Just live, and eat what God provides. Dogs are tasty with salt and onions. Meanwhile the building project continues, as we help our Mom finish her house.

Our brother Viliami also came up for a week to help us build the house. Here is a recent family photo.Here in our village ‘Osi and I helped lead the Easter program for the children/youth in our church. We had to be there from 6 A.M. until midnight the whole weekend, so I was squirming like a little kid on the pews. Overall I didn’t contribute much to the program because my Tongan is not fluent yet, but ’Osi was fantastic teaching and preaching. Several kids gave their lives to Jesus, Praise God!!

♥ ‘Osi and Jennifer Halalilo

Building!

'Osi enjoys working on the house, he is learning alot about carpentry. We just installed the plumbing, so our Mom can have her first indoor toilet! We are all very excited.

March 2009 Newsletter

We have so much exciting news to share with you this month, and here are the highlights:
We moved to Vava’u the beginning of this month. Vava’u is another main island in the kingdom of Tonga. ’Osi’s Mom Kelela, and some siblings still live in his childhood home where we are living temporarily to help Kelela finish her house, and renew her farm. ’Osi’s Dad and all 3 older brothers moved away to find work, so Kelela really has to work hard to care for the other children on her own.
I love, Kelela so much. She is the perfect picture of a Proverbs 31 lady. When we first married ‘Osi told me “Jennifer, I love you so much. I love you like I love my Mom.”What!! That’s every American wife’s nightmare being compared to the perfect Mother in law!
But now that I am living with Kelela I understand, I can’t be jealous of an angel. Besides ‘Osi gives me ample reason to feel secure. Every day he scrubs the Tongan mud off my feet and tells me how much he loves me. He is a wonderful husband. Another way God blessed us this month is through ‘Osi’s Dad giving us land for an inheritance. Land in Tonga is passed down from Father to son, and his Father gave us the best piece. We praise God for this generous gift. Hopefully we can build a little Tongan house from coconut leaves so we have a permanent address anytime we need to return from missions.
When I first visited the property I cried and cried. Its everything I ever dreamed about, and ‘Osi was totally confused when I reenacted a scene from Gone With the Wind – grabbing a fistful of dirt I declared “With God as my witness, I’ll never go hungry again!!!”
‘Osi was working as a youth leader for 3 different churches in Tongatapu before we moved to Vava’u. We are still involved in ministry everywhere we go, and I have internet set up at home now to continue mission communications work. Also I finished two documentary videos this month for YWAM Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. But our main ministry now is friendship evangelism with many of our unsaved family members and friends in our village.
Everyone goes to church as part of the culture, but many people don’t have a relationship with God. So alcoholism, abuse, and other problems are common within families in our village.
Village life centers around church meetings. So I really need you to pray for me to learn Tongan faster. I love going to church at home, but going to church Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:30 in the morning, then again on Sunday 3 times a day is a bit much when I don’t understand the language.
It was hilarious, today was the quarterly giving Sunday, but I didn’t know the protocol. ‘Osi and I were rushing out of the house when I grabbed our tithe, thinking it was a $50 but it was only $2. So the protocol in our Free Wesleyan (Methodist) church is every 3 months we save up our money and bring a large offering to the front. Then the deacon calls out our name and the amount we gave. Man, I was so embarrassed giving our $2 widows mite.
Good thing God and the Pastor are more concerned with our hearts than public displays of holiness.‘Osi has had many meetings with the pastor of our church here. They have several ideas for reaching the youth in our village. Most of the youth are going to church on Sunday as part of the culture, but during the week they are taking drugs and alcohol and falling away from God’s plan for their lives.
Please pray for the youth in our village. It’s difficult to reach people who think they are Christians because they go to church, but they don’t have a real relationship with God. We want to encourage them to see that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life.This promise is true for you as well dear friend.
God bless you as you grow closer to Him,
♥ Jen and ‘Osi
Praises and prayer requests:
1.) Praise God for the opportunity to serve our family and new village in Vava’u.
2.) Please pray for our good health, Jennifer is recovering from dengue fever this week
3.) Praise God for our ministry opportunities to the youth, through ’Osi’s favor with the Pastor 4.) Pray for Jennifer to learn the language and adapt to being the only foreigner in the village, it can be lonely sometimes

Wedding Photos!!

At last!
I am now Mrs. Faka'osi Halalilo.
We had a beautiful simple little wedding here in Tonga. Please see the Wedding Photo Album on the right side of this page!
Love from Tonga,
Jenni and 'Osi