How is it all going?! Fiji is freaking amazing and has been a blast! It is so pretty and everyone is so nice. We stick our hands out the window and wave to everyone and they all get so happy, they love americans! I feel like I have been here like a month but in a good way haha we're pretty busy. the first weekend we went to a island in waleilei that is like an hour out on a little fishing boat with a motor. It was so beautiful. Ill telll you all about it later cause i dont have much time. But i have been having the time of my life. I realize exactly why im here when all the little fijian kids at our worksite never let go of my hand and call my their bestfriend after only a couple days here. I love them all. Also, i had the most rad moment of my life when we got rained out at the worksite but ended of playing hardcore rugby in the mud. I got straight up tackled by like 10 kids when i stepped on the field. haha then we went and cleaned off in the widest river in fiji. that dosent give it any justice but it was a scene out of a movie. we just got doen with the temple and are going to nandos, the place we ate at in england mom and dad. PUMPED. love you all, im still alive but a good chance i might have a fijian disease. Just kidding kinda. BYEEEE & see you soon

So it is the last day of our trip to paradise...er...Ventura. It has been a taste of heaven being with my Sweetheart in her element. Yes. She is at her best here, and I have been in ecstasy with her. Somebody pinch me. I must be dreaming. No. This is my life every day. Heaven. 

I recently watched a long time hobby and interest of mine--wrestling. My son was involved in it for several years, and I wrestled during my high school days.

When we were in Anacortes, WA, the wrestling matches took place in a pitch black gymnasium under a spotlight.

You and your opponent face each other on 248 square feet of mat. At first, the skill and tactics of your opponent are unknown,  but quickly you discover his strengths and skills, as well as his weaknesses and shortcomings. When the whistle blows, it's just the two of you.

But that is not the way it is in life, fortunately. We are not alone and the opportunity around us is much greater than what we ourselves can control or handle. In fact, our responsibility is to do what we can and allow the Lord to create a miracle in our life and that of our families. As we follow him and recognize the tender mercies in life, we see them all around us.

​Finding parking at the airport
So let me continue with my story. There was a lot more going on all around us. Every day. Every minute. But we ultimately came on this trip to take my daughter to the airport, so we made a plan, left with plenty of time to spare, and headed toward the airport. All went swimmingly until we got to the airport and tried to find our airline. The papers and informational had turned out to be rather cryptic. Because of this we were unsure exactly which parking garage to use and which terminal. Now if you have ever been to LAX, this is not a situation in which you want to find yourself. There are dozens of airlines, multiple terminals, and two levels of all of these before you even get inside the airport. So there we are driving aimlessly along trying to decipher all this to get my daughter where she needed to go. Thankfully, I followed my wife's directions and though we took the loop multiple times while trying to find our international flight terminal, we eventually did. We turned into the parking garage and though we were not on the second level like we thought we were supposed to be, we were happy to finally be at our destination. Somewhat amazingly, we found a free parking stall immediately.

Gathering my daughters luggage, we hurried into the terminal. We walked a few feet to the gates, found the right one, met up with the other girls, said our farewells and kissed our daughter goodbye, and she was off.

We had left with plenty of extra time, did our best to quickly and efficiently get to our destination, and had everything prepared, or so we thought. But we faced delays, confusion, and setbacks all along the way;  nevertheless, somehow made it just in time. And what we had spent months preparing for was begun in a moment's time. Everything had to work out perfectly. And it did.

Beaches

Yesterday was a momentous day.  We took our daughter to LAX for a humanitarian experience in Fiji. She was to meet up with her team at the airport for their direct flight to the island. The three of us chose to make a week of it.

We enjoyed sunny Southern California and relished the beach. Hers was a late flight, so we decided to ride bikes along the boardwalk, which included Redondo beach, Hermosa beach, Manhattan beach, Elsegundo beach, and Marina del ray. We rode our bicycles up-and-down the boardwalk. 

It was delightful. Young and old were using the beachside passageway, some riding bikes, gliding on skates, or just leisurely strolling along. Others were practicing surfing, volleyball, and many other activities. A few were taking lessons: boating, volleyball, hang gliding, yoga, and surfing, among others. A couple men were receiving private lessons on how to mount a surfboard. The instructor showed them the right procedure and demonstrated their launching the board, remaining balanced and skillfully rising to their feet  it was just done on the sand in preparation for when they would really be about the more difficult waves someday soon. The lesson was repeated over-and-over until the men felt comfortable and skilled enough to do it on the water. Meanwhile, large waves crashed against the beach and massive airplanes soared 
overhead as they left the LAX runway and quickly climbed altitude. This scenario was repeated time and again. 

I thought as I witnessed these events that sometimes we feel just like this scenario that played out on the sunny southern California beaches. We are learning in a small way how to balance and stand and move forward while all around us there are successful examples and seemingly more capable individuals with skills that we feel we may never achieve. And in the moment of frustration, embarrassment, and cynicism, we lose hope and feel our contribution is not enough. And perhaps alone, we are not enough, but we are not alone.