Home

We're home!

As Eric mentioned, furlough was hard. Many missionaries we know choose to have a longer "home assignment" of 5-6 months.  We have lived in Hawaii for two years, and this was our first trip back to the mainland as a family. Our trip was five weeks, and we packed that month full. We flew over 9,000 miles and drove another 4,000 miles. Our travel days were long (and frequent), and our two littlest travelers found it hard to be strapped to a seat day in and day out. They met more people than they wanted to (about week 2, Justice said, "I can't remember any more names") and missed home like crazy. We spoke to 20 groups and over a thousand people.

But furlough was good. Life-giving, restorative, and encouraging. We told stories of how God is working, where God is leading, and transformation we are witnessing. We met with other missionaries and church planters. We shared our struggles. We were honest about the work God is doing in our own home. We shared our hope for the future.

We were met with loving and caring individuals. People who are praying for us daily. People who can relate, and people who can't. People who have advice, and people who want to hear more. People who were encouraged to hear and see God's movement. People who were challenged by God's call in their present location. People who want to be a missionary-people in their communities. We are so encouraged by the conversations that began.

And in the midst of that, we visited with our families. We were blessed to see the relationships between our kids and our parents come to life. Relationships we've fostered over FaceTime and Skype, but didn't know what they would look like in person. We were grateful for our kids to play with their cousins, and their aunt/uncles. And we were giddy to hug our own brothers/sisters.

Furlough Update: Ministry Scholarships

Our family left Kona on June 23. We're now in our fifth week of traveling, sharing the Good News of what God is doing in Kona. And, in complete honesty, it's been so hard! This is our first trip back to the mainland since moving to Hawaii two years ago. Micah was born in Hawaii, and is only 18 months old. Justice is a child of routine and rhythms and does well if those lay undisturbed. Well, furlough disturbs every routine. And we are excited about returning to Kona next week. 

Furlough is a time for us to reconnect with family and friends, share our story with our supporters, and fundraise for years 3 and 4 of ministry. We've been sharing how God is raising up local leaders to lead the church in Hawaii. We believe that the work God is doing is going to be continued by those who have grown up in Hawaii, who can connect and guide other locals into God's story of redemption. We've been sharing about our work to re-imagine a culturally appropriate model of training local pastors in an oral culture and that we've started teaching classes this past January. We have 4 people from our congregation discerning a call into ministry. This is Good News!

But we are at a disadvantage because of our geographical isolation. All the pastor fellowships, continuing education, District retreats, and District Assemblies take place on a different island. These are valuable times of gathering for pastors to be inspired, to learn, to form needed relationships/friendships, and to stave off isolation. We want our ministry students to experience at least one of these gatherings each year as they work toward ordination.

This is why we are fundraising in part to offer 'scholarships' for each ministry student that would cover various resources and travel expenses to aid in their development and discipleship. We have 5 scholarships set at $370 a piece. If you are interested in sponsoring one (or more) of these scholarships, let us know! We'd love to talk to you and share a little bit more. Scholarships will still be funneled through the "North/Central Kona Mission" account fund at www.easytithe.com/kcn. Thank you for your continued support!

Polima Lopez's Testimony

Each month, I (Eric) gather with a group of people discerning a call into ministry to teach a course on "Declaring the Gospel of God." The class focuses on uniting Biblical story-telling with personal narrative; learning to share how our story falls into the scope of God’s story of redemption and communion. I must say, this is one of my favorite parts of the month. Never have I gathered with people who are so interested to learn, compelled to share, and eager to question. It's incredibly refreshing, and I am quite simply blessed to be leading this small cohort. 

The class represents the beginning of an answer to prayer. Namely, we have been praying for God to call local leaders to guide the church into the future. For a church that has, in the last 40 years, never planted a church or had someone carry through to vocational ministry, and now to have 5 in the last year speak of their call to ministry points only to God's grace beginning to move. Praise God!

Once a month, we clear space for these students to share their Testimony. This past week, Polima Lopez, our worship minister and a second generation Samoan-American, shared her story during the sermon moment. I wanted to share a little of that story with you: 

The fact that I'm standing in front of you today should be testimony enough. I would not have been able to stand here three years ago, but only by the grace of God. Many of you already know some of my struggles. A couple of years ago I believed the convictions of what others said about me, but now I understand that I am a daughter of God. All of the stories growing up wanted to claim me. I didn't know who I was, and so I struggled with my identity. I am a Samoan who grew up in Hawaii. American culture conflicts with being Samoan. The way we talk, our customs, our food, our language is different. And on top of that, my Dad is a Pastor, and so you can throw in religion too. These cultures clash and I was confused. I didn't know how I was supposed to think or act. I grew up thinking I was wrong. But I stand before you now to say, like Paul in Ephesians, that the old is gone and the new has come. I've been through a lot, searching for who I am and I've come to know this: God's grace embraces me, and I'm now able to embrace it.

I think this is a beautiful testimony; It is Limah's story of how God's grace has connected with her – changed her. We all struggle with Identity. We are all shaped by a multiplicity of stories that shape us. I can't connect with being Samoan, but I can connect with the cultural clash between growing up in American culture and my identity as a Christian. I inherit a story from my family: I grew up in Richmond, VA, a middle child of two white conservative evangelical parents. In this simple sentence recounting my past, you can begin to understand a little bit of my story…There’s the story of political allegiance, my parents were conservative, attached to the Republican party. I grew up in the South, which produces pictures of tobacco and cotton fields, deciduous trees, and southern comfort food (sausage and gravy). And I inherited a particular religious story: an evangelical faith. Each of these are various stories that interact and play with one another to form a confusing and muddled story that is my life. I have begun to understand how each has shaped me, though I have struggled with which defines me.

Each of us at some point choose whether to trust these stories that shape who we are, or whether to trust a different story, a story marked by the cross and resurrection. When we choose to trust a different story, to allow our life, the stories we’ve inherited, to be shaped by the story of Jesus found in Scripture and the Church, we call it faith. And we believe that those stories are worth telling. 

This past Sunday was Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is the day that the church remembers the gift of the Spirit that remains with us. It is the day that all the people of Jerusalem stood in confusion hearing their own language from Galileans. In a way, Christ's presence through the Spirit indeed confuses. It ought to confuse and confound our identity so that we may come to a posture that Limah has embraced, God's grace for us, a beloved of God. Emmanuel Katongole puts it like this:

"Christian faith is fundamentally about identity – who we are as embodied people. In Africa as in America, there is a multitude of powers and stories that try to define who we are: the color of our skin, the nation of our birth, the history of our culture, or the characteristics of our tribe. But when I baptize someone into the church of Jesus Christ, I see that God is making a claim on their bodies. Are they still black? Are they still white? Are they still Rwandan? Are they still American? Perhaps. But there is a real sense in which our identity gets confused (mixed up) with Christ's identity in baptism. Who we are becomes (or at least ought to become) confused and confusing to others." 

May the work of Spirit continue to un-confuse our past identity, placing us safely in the identity of Christ, so that Christ in us may continue to confuse all other identities. 

Parenting is Hard

We love the little bodies in our house. Our days are filled with so much laughter, questioning, repeat answers, and a few tears. We love the little boy Micah is becoming, and can't help but laugh when he tours the house looking for the best surface to hammer. He climbs, and falls, and races, and explores without abandon. We marvel at Justice's logic, her questioning, her observation of the world and how the pieces work together. She is so verbal. It's exciting, and so, so tiring.

We end our days grateful, certainly blessed, and always exhausted. This little boy likes to throw things, and break things, and run into the street to get a better look at the construction trucks. He sticks his hands straight into a pile of manure, and then throws it.

And this sweet girl. She challenges us. She tests the boundaries and negotiates further. She is a giant ball of emotion; of gladness and excitement, of disappointment and anger. She loves nature. She loves creation. She loves people.

Parenting is hard. But also rewarding. And definitely messy.

Our First Trip to the Mainland!

The last couple of months, we have been trying to confirm and plan our first Furlough trip for this summer. We are in a unique situation as missionaries on the Kona Coast. While we are bi-vocational, and receive a housing allowance from the church, it is still absolutely necessary to raise support (like most missionaries) in order to do the work God has called us to do in one of the highest cost of living locations in the country. We are so grateful for every one who has connected to our story and work, and furlough is a great opportunity for us to share (in person) all that God is doing and continues to do in Kona. Needless to say, we're really excited to see you and wanted to share where we will be speaking.

Furlough Schedule

June 27-28: Chicago/Bourbonnais area (Place TBD)

July 4-5: Southside Church of the Nazarene; Richmond, VA

July 12: First Church of the Nazarene; Nashville, TN

July 19: Hasting Church of the Nazarene; Hastings, MI


While we have scheduled several churches for Sunday mornings, we are hoping to gather with several smaller groups during the week or weekends for more personal engagements for us to share our story with you; and also to celebrate what God is doing in your life and the life of your community. If this is something you're interested in hosting, please let us know!

We'll be sharing more in the near future – both about furlough and ministry updates/stories – but for now, we are excited that furlough will be a time for us to connect with you, perhaps rest a bit, and see family (some of whom have never met Micah). See you soon!

Ordination Testimony

Joy and I just returned from District Assembly where I (Eric) was ordained as an Elder in the Nazarene Church. I was blessed to have Joy kneeling with me and Pastor Ryan Fasani praying a blessing over me. I was asked to write a brief, one page, testimony for the ordination service this past Wednesday night. It was not used during the service, so I thought I would post it here for anyone interested. Enjoy!

Ordination Testimony

Eric Paul

April 8, 2015

I received a call to ministry at a young age. My grandparents were Missionaries on a Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Grandpa was a giant in the community, not only standing taller than most, but respected as one who had, for years, given himself away wholeheartedly to the people and community who desperately needed life and hope. It's amazing the kind of work that can be done when you step out of the way for the sake of another. He died when I was ten years old. A month later, my call to be a missionary was confirmed and I was baptized. 

While the direction of my life was known, I had no clue how this story would be told; where I would serve or even in what role. Pastor? Missionary? Teacher? Something altogether different? While in school I became convinced that God's call is always a call to discipleship first. Like Peter at the water's edge, Jesus calls and because it is Jesus and no one else, I follow. All of life is directed toward this person and is formed by that life. The life of a disciple is a life on the way to discovering the Kingdom of God all around us. To walk and pray Heaven on earth. And Jesus' path seemed to always point toward the edge of society, to the fringes, to the poor and powerless, to those abused, left-out, and forgotten. Jesus' life tells us that the Kingdom of God is found there and with those people. And so, I understood a part of my call would be a constant seeking of the Kingdom of God on the margins. 

Phineas Bresee understood this downward movement of the disciple when he said, "Our church is a missionary church. It knows no difference between home and foreign fields- for all fields are near." And when I read these words from our founder Bresee, I knew that there still might be a place for me within the Nazarene Church: "The Gospel comes to a multitude without money and without price, and the poorest of the poor are entitled to a front seat at the Church of the Nazarene." 

Christ's love meets us all uniquely. I struggled with the church for many years, even as a Pastoral Ministry major at Olivet. In a way, all pastors should. There's a marked difference between what God desires for us to be and do and the modern state of the church. I walked through church doors, looked around, and didn't see Jesus. When I saw the church, I couldn't tell the difference between Christians and the rest of the world. It seemed self serving, existing for its own sake rather than for God's mission in world. We were just as violent, power hungry, and greedy; only we hid under an umbrella of grace while not allowing that grace to teach us a different way. 

And yet, Christ's love would meet me. It would meet me in the steadfast commitment of my wife, who ironically was on staff at a church. And soon after, Christ's love would meet in the face of the poor of Nashville, who I witnessed struggle for life and yet taught me so much about faith and dependence. Christ's nonviolent love met me in the streets of Palestine, where I saw Palestinian Christians opposing racism and violence in midst of state oppression. And in all these places, there was a steadfast commitment to the church. It seems to me that God created the church to be different, to be holy, to show the world a different way to live altogether. And then I realized that Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God doesn't make sense without a people who gather around that message. And it's these people, the gathered we call the church, who are participating to bring about something entirely and utterly new to our communities. And I want to be a part of that newness.

Ordination is my commitment to the pursuit of the Kingdom of God through the Church of the Nazarene. It is the answering to a call, and it is not everyone's call. But it is mine. So, I'm thrilled that my story has brought me to this moment, and under the recognition and affirmation of my calling and gifts in and for the community. So, I ask for your continued prayers and support as we all learn to give ourselves away to those around us.

Lessons in Culture and Discrimination

I (Eric) participate every month in a gathering of social service agencies and community members to discuss community relationships and needs. It's a cooperative group that intends to communicate openly about community issues and work together for a more healthy Kona. This video was passed on to all members, and we thought it appropriate to post it to the blog. We think this conveys well the kind of discrimination that takes place on the islands toward a particular minority group. I work every Wednesday in a gardening project with friends from the Marshall Islands. We know there is some foul language, but the point of the video is important enough to post.