Trip to Oahu

We are in O'ahu right now, finishing up our "last" vacation before Baby comes.  It's been such a great time fellowshiping with our parents here while enjoying the beauty of God's creation.  It's been a great time of learning as well.  One thing that's impressed upon my mind after seeing the extent of their ministry here is that ministry is toil.  It's a labor of love, but it is a difficult labor that's done only by the love and strength and grace that the Lord supplies.  We've really seen that our parents here are in a true mission field.  Some might think, "Hawaii?  Mission field?"  But it truly is...the people here need Christ just as any other people do, and they surely need the Word of God to sanctify them to walk in obedience.  I think Mike and I are challenged to pray for our parents' ministries more...both in HI and in DC.  How they need the wisdom from the Word to guide them as they shepherd their flocks.

Here we are after Sunday Service.  Although we missed worshiping with CBC, we were so blessed to be able worship with our parents and their small congregation.  It was truly a sweet time.   The Hawaiian culture is so different from ours in SoCal.  People are so much more laid back...it even reflects in how they dress for church.  Mike and I would never be able to get away with wearing these outfits at our church.  And the only reason why my dad is wearing a tie is b/c he had another function to go to after service.



We also were able to attend a wedding ceremony for a member of their church.  It was my dad's first time officiating and Mike's first time translating a sermon.  They both did a great job!



We also ate...a lot.  Here's the shrimp and squid we had at the Korean shrimp truck coming down from the North Shore.



Here's Mike's fave...spam and rice at McDonald's.



We camped out at the Sheraton Hotel a lot on the Waikiki strip.  I loved their Pina Colada smoothies.  Don't worry, they were non-alcoholic...I wouldn't do that to Baby.



Mike tried chicken feet for the first time today at a Dim Sum place.  I wasn't as brave, but he really enjoyed them!



Besides eating, we also marveled at God's creation...Hawaii is SO beautiful!  We were drop-jawed many-a-time.  God is so creative and reflects His beauty in all that He makes.

Here's Mike at one of the beaches off the North Shore.  The waves weren't as big as they are in the winter, but the water was a clear blue.



Hanauma Bay, really good for snorkeling.  Too much jellyfish that day, so the beach was closed, but we got to take some good pics.  Look at all that coral!



We spent a bit of time at a small beach by Kailua.  Mike taught me how to play dominos here.



We loved the Waikiki strip...so much so that we went there 4 times.  It's a lively place with a long beach area.  The waves there were really calm, but the water was refreshing.





Our parents also took us to some look-out points to city the whole city of Honolulu from up top.  The view was gorgeous.





Here's one last pic.  It rained a lot while we were there.  Here's a rainbow we saw at the wedding.



All in all, so many blessings from this trip.  We were saying how thankful to the Lord we are for our families.  He's given us two sets of parents who love the Lord and who love us so dearly.  I know that we are reaping all the blessings from their years of persistent prayer for us.

Wedding and Easter Pregnancy

On Saturday, we went to Alice and Patrick's wedding at the Richard Nixon Library.  In college, living at our apt in Westwood, I would never have guessed that the Lord would bring them together.  But He surely has in His beautiful plan and we are praying for their new life as husband and wife.

Mike was a groomsman at the wedding and he looked VERY handsome.  He looked like a model for Men's Wearhouse.  God surely has blessed me with Christ-honoring, God-fearing, wife-loving, hard-working, talented, athletic, funny, affectionate, good-looking husband.  The perfect package, I must say.



Here we are in front of the pond.  It was a beautiful night.  It was also Baby's first wedding!



Here are Mr. & Mrs. Ham...the happy and glowing couple.



Easter (Resurrection) Sunday was a real blessing.  In light of Pastor James's sermon, I was challenged to pray for nonbelievers as Christ prayed for those who put Him to the cross.  What a miracle that God chose to save sinners through the blood of His Son!

After service, we took a Lee clan photo.



You can tell that Mommy's gained some Baby weight!  Right now, Mommy loves fruit, chocolat, Nescafe instant coffee (thanks Joan!), and pastries of all kinds.  She hopes to one day, be diligent at walking to burn off the side effects of these delicious treats!  One day...

Actually, I went walking today for an hour.  I meant to only go for 30-40 minutes, but forgot half-way into the walk that it takes a really long time to walk from one end of the block to another in my neighborhood.  I felt really good though, and now I'm enjoying my reward...a bowl of yummy strawberries.

All in all, Mike and I are so thankful for this wonderfully blessing time in our lives.  And this joy, we know, simply comes from walking with Him daily.  The Lord truly is good to those who love Him and He gives Himself so liberally to us so that we might enjoy Him.  Christ Himself is an incredible, undeserved gift from above that we are so thankful for.  And yet, He also gives us the grace to live this life to seek Him together as husband and wife.  Elder Bob always says that marriage is like the topping of God's grace in our lives...grace upon grace.  And I definitely agree.

First Blog Post

I've created this site to keep in touch with friends and family in Hawaii, Maryland, New Zealand, and soon-to-be the Czech Republic...as well as people close to us here in Cali.  I hope it will be a good way to keep from missing out on each others' lives while being apart.

As you know, Mike and I are in our 5th month of being pregnant.  Baby Lee has already been such a source of joy to us and we're really enjoying every stage of this pregnancy.  The Lord is truly gracious to us in that He's kept us healthy and joyful through it all.  We are praying that this verse would be what characterizes our love for our child...

Matthew 10: 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

We know that to be the parents and husband/wife we want to be, our love for Christ needs to be SO much greater.  Please pray to that end!

Here's our last ultrasound of Baby...