The Neufeld Family

Serving in Hawaii

  • July 2025 update

    “Mom, I traded it fairly!” Caden said as he held his binder filled with trading cards close to his chest. “And it’s not fair that he is coming back saying he wants it back a month later!”

    Caden has a growing collection of trading cards, and is often found at the center of trading circles at various outings and events. He loves studying cards, and has read many books on their value and how to tell which cards are worth more or less. He loves helping other kids as they trade, and finds so much joy in organizing his many binders when he gets new cards. So as he sat across from me, after I explained that another mom expressed concern over some allegations her son made, my heart tore in two listening to Cadens response.

    Another boy, who is younger, claimed Caden took his favorite card. Caden claimed he traded for it. The little boy was devastated as this specific card was a gift from his mother. Caden shared in precise detail which cards were exchanged. The other boys mother unsure how to navigate the situation, asked me if I could help her resolve this problem. I said I would talk to Caden at home and try to come to a solution.

    So we talked, and, honestly, I agreed with Caden; It wasn’t fair. And it seemed further unfair for me to ask him to give back the card, not expecting anything in return. Yet I asked him to do just that. After much conversation, He looked at me and agreed “If I made a mistake like him, I would want the other person to give me grace.”

    I shared these events with Gabe, and I couldn’t help but be so proud of Cadens response to the hard situation. He had every right to refuse my request and keep the card, but he chose to love, even as he was being accused of stealing the card.

    The next morning I went online and saw a man was selling a vast trading card collection for a very low cost. I was preparing to move past it, when I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to buy these specific cards. So that’s what I did, I reached out, and I purchased them; Two giant paper bags filled with cards.

    Before showing Caden I looked him in the eye, let him know his actions didn’t go unnoticed, and told him how proud I was of him. He smiled and nodded his head as he mumbled an “I know”. I then proceeded to place both bags on his lap, and confusion filled his face. I repeated “You made a really hard choice, Your actions didn’t go unnoticed, and I am so proud of you.” He looked in the bags, his eyes bugging out of his head as he repeats “No way! No way! No way!” He looks up at me “Are these really for me??” I nod as I once again say “You made a really hard choice, and I am so proud of you.”

    He opens the first box of cards and begins looking through them singing under his breath “I’m so blessed, I’m so blessed” and suddenly He freezes. “Mom!!!” I look over and he holds up a card for me to see “Jesus gave me the exact same card back!!!”

    Sure enough, It was an identical card to the one he gave back to the boy. Caden looks at me, tears welling up in the corner of his eyes “Jesus cares about the details, huh?”

    Planting Hope Ministries

    We truly believe that the title non profit is a tool for us to be able to build the kingdom, so it can be hard to see where the ministry starts and stops. We believe that our lives should be a reflection of Christ and that ministry should be a natural extension of living a life that follows Jesus. If you are wanting details of why we are here in Hawaii and what God has called us to, I highly encourage you to check out our website for Planting Hope Ministries to learn more about what we are doing and why. We would love to have you partner with us!

    Planting Hope Ministries website

    Bulldozer

    As we are building we continue to find that biggest needs to effectively continue with any major building projects, not just for current projects but future projects, is a large piece of equipment. Not having a larger piece of equipment has meant we are paused for much of our building until we can fully fund either renting a larger piece of equipment for each project or purchasing one.

    The tractor we have been borrowing is not able to handle the load of digging and flattening the land which means we keep having to put money in to repairing it. Although, The tractor has served us well and is a big asset when it comes to road work, and helping with some of the mowing; we have been pushing it beyond its capabilities. After some research we are hoping to raise $50,000 for a bulldozer or an excavator. We are praying for people who feel called to support this specific project. If you would like to donate to our bulldozer fund click the link below

    Donate to the Bulldozer fund

    Property updates

    We have planted so many trees- Lemon, Lime, Orange, tangelo, Avocado, more bananas, coffee trees, a few more dragon fruit, and several pine trees. We had our first citrus tree pop a baby fruit which had us doing a happy dance , and We have put up fencing around the garden space, to protect the trees from the animals.

    Speaking of animals, The animals are getting bigger. The pig is living her best life getting daily head scratches. The chickens are constantly following us around waiting to be picked up or fed- sometimes both. The goats have continued to be a huge help as we move them around the property eating down the tall grass. Still no regrets with getting goats(we totally got lucky with their sweet personalities!!)

    One HUGE new property update is the bathroom/Shower facility being built.We have been working with a group from Minnesota called Side-by-Side(A program of Good in the ‘Hood). They are a Minnesota based youth program that reached out to us about coming out on a mission trip to help us on the property. They fundraised to purchase building materials AND fly 16 people at the end of July for a 10 day trip to build a large bathroom/ Shower facility on the property.

    Why a bathroom/shower facility versus another building? In order to begin welcoming kids for sports programs, day camps, overnight retreats, we must have some basic infrastructure in place. The bathroom/shower facility will serve as a functional space for youth and future mission teams who will support the ongoing development of the camp as we continue to build, and enable us to begin hosting youth programs at the property.

    To prepare for their arrival, we have already cleared, and flattened the space where the building will go. A friend who is a plumber has volunteered his time to come help us as we lay the plumbing. We have concrete being poured this coming week, and have several friends volunteering their time to help with the pour.

    We shared the exciting news of the mission team coming out and how we were preparing with some friends of our from Hilo, and their family was so excited about the investment this mission team is making into this community and our ministries goals of working with kids, that they donated some building materials, and tables so we could build a covered eating area specifically for the mission team coming out.

    It is very encouraging to us, to see how mission group coming out is encouraging the community to come together and partner with what God is doing here!

    If you or your church is interested in doing a mission trip to Hawaii. We would love to talk with you more. Check out Planting Hope Ministries mission trip info page

    Mission Trip Information Page

    Support Raising

    We are currently funded at about $850 a month, and have been so blessed by those who have given generous one time donations and partner with us monthly. We still have a goal of raising $10,000 of monthly support for the ministry. I am blown away every month and filled with gratitude towards those who feel called to support what God is doing here. But since we are not fully supported, we are praying and continuing to trust that God will call the right people to help us build here.

    If 200 people pledged $50 a month we would be completely funded. 

    What does financial support go towards? First, it goes to provide personal support for our family as we are working full time to grow and develop the ministry. As a family of 6 we have expenses and we are trusting God that as we build His kingdom He will provide for our family. The second part of that support will go towards providing building materials for various buildings and projects around the property. Currently we are working to build the worship and prayer center which will be a foundational building as we work towards building a Bible camp(which is multiple buildings), green houses(fencing, water tanks, structures), Sports field(lights, sprinkler system, bathroom facilities), and the A-frame discipleship homes.

    If you would like to financially partner with us and what God is doing in Hawaii, either one time or on a monthly basis, click the button below to be taken to our Planting Hope Ministries Donate page.

    Support Planting Hope Ministries

    Kelly’s Kitchen

    We continue to sell bread at the market and get the opportunity to engage in so many wonderful conversations.Wednesday is by far my favorite day of the week. This day has become even better as we have started to expand this ministry. Several people have asked “What do we do with leftover bread?” over the past year we have done several things: We have taken it home and frozen it for our families consumption, we have given it out to neighboring vendors, we have brought it to outreach events and given it to attending families, we have gone to local businesses and given It to the employees.

    This past month we began partnering with Hope Dia-mend Ministries TLC food distribution. They have been operating a food ministry outreach for several years in the Kau area. Every Wednesday they drive to Kona to pack and pick up pre-cooked meals, drive back to Kau, set up in a parking lot across from the bus stop, share the gospel, and pass out food to anyone who needs. The first week we visited, we passed out hygiene packets and we brought the leftover bread from market, but the Lord spoke to us so clearly to increase our bread production so we could donate 10% of bread specifically for this outreach(plus any leftovers). We thought this was the craziest idea ever because we were so stretched for time on Tuesday bake days and couldn’t fathom making additional loaves. However, We obeyed, and somehow we have found that our time to make bread has decreased, with enough wiggle room so we can all sit down and eat dinner on Wednesdays, now.

    I can not explain the God math, but God math is always perfect AND its fun to see the impact of passing out bread . We are moved by the gratitude of people, and love seeing the excitement people have as they take their bread. Its so hard to put into words, but God is touching peoples hearts, and it is so evident as we hug, and shake hands with those we are feeding.

    Friday Youth Night

    We continue to partner with Purpose Ministries on Fridays. This has been an amazing opportunity to meet with and invest in the youth in our community. We love joining with Purpose Ministries to provide community support and we love seeing the impact this outreach has on the kids as they memorize scripture, and are taught more about the Bible through song and scripture.

    Pray for this outreach as it grows that the intentional discipleship would having meaningful impact and that the word of God would continue to touch the hearts of these youth.

    Project Nehemiah Hawaii

    We have been given the opportunity to partner with the organization Project Nehemiah Hawaii. They are a very well known Christian ministry that is grass roots boots on the ground in the fight against human trafficking. They have resources through out Hawaii, and have the respect of many government officials. They have primarily worked on Oahu, but are working to pull together resources and bring further awareness of this issue on the big island. They have been incredibly supportive and helpful as we have been partnering with them to do outreaches in the community.

    I had the opportunity to go with Project Nehemiahs big island director to represent Project Nehemiah at a women’s conference in June, we were able to speak with many church leaders from all over Hawaii, and share with them our hearts for the people of Hawaii. We are looking forward to getting to do several homeless outreaches with Project Nehemiah this month as we hand out hygiene packs, and work to build relationships with the houseless community in out area.

    We are also be working with them to put on a Hope community event this summer that will aim to bring the community together and shed light on the issues of Human trafficking, child abduction, domestic abuse, exploitation, and youth on drugs and alcohol.

    We are currently looking for donations for giveaways at the event in August, and looking for donations of outreach supplies for creating homeless packs. If would like to learn more about this, or how you can support us as we do outreaches in the community please email me at plantinghopeministries@gmail.com

    Prayer requests

    **We are looking for 100 people who will commit to pray with us and for us. We currently have 20 people who have committed to this role on our behalf. We firmly believe that everything we are doing here has to be rooted in Jesus and we want a team with us who will go to Him on our behalf and intentionally take time to pray with and for us. We send out separate emails and updates to that specific group.Thank you to those who have already said yes to partnering with us through prayer! If you are wanting to be apart of our prayer team please reach out to me via email: plantinghopeministries@gmail.com

    -Pray that God would bring the right financial partners to join us. We threw out a big number asking for $10,000 a month in support. We received several one item donations, and have $850 of on-going monthly support committed. We don’t know how God is gonna provide financially, but we are 100% trusting that He will. We felt very confident that He was telling us to trust Him, so we are praying that our personal needs will be taken care, and all funding will be taken care of for building materials, and land development moving forward. If you would like to financially support us click the button below! 

    Donate

    -Pray for a Bulldozer. We have been borrowing Gabes parents tractor, but the availability is limited as it often needs repairs, and the work that could be done, is a lot. We need bigger equipment to properly work the land.We have had to pay to rent various equipment so we can clear land, level the ground, and dig to prepare for foundations. This gets very expensive, vey quickly. We would love to have our own equipment.

    -Please pray for continued health of our family, We have all been down with illness the last month, and we are coming in to a very busy month of July, Please pray that we would be in full health, pray for continued protection both physically and spiritually, and for wisdom; that God would continue to speak clearly to us so we can walk forward confidently.

    -Please pray for our vehicle situation, Our truck is showing some signs of trouble. We are looking at the very real possibility of needing to retire the truck and seek out a different option for an affordable truck. This is a big deal as this is the truck we use to carry water, haul building materials, pick up heavy gardening supplies etc, We are VERY dependent on this truck, Please pray that this truck is fixed, that we get a truck donated to us, or that financing would become available to purchase a truck.

    -Pray for our outreach events: protection over volunteers, that the right connections and partnerships would be made and that the community would be blessed.

    -Pray for Side By Side mission team coming out. Pray for their health, pray that as they are out here that their time in Hawaii would be fruitful and for them to be encouraged to grow in their faith.

    -Pray for the weather for the end of July. Pray that we don’t get rain during the day so we can build the framing and get the roof on the bathroom/shower facility during the time we have the mission team volunteers

    -Pray for the people we get to meet, that every interaction would be one that points people to Jesus and that we could love this community the way God loves them.

    neufeldfamily2013

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  • April update

    John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.”

    It is the shortest verse in the Bible, yet one of the most profound. “Jesus wept.” These two simple words capture a powerful truth about the heart of our Savior. In the midst of sorrow, pain, and grief, Jesus demonstrated deep compassion and shared in the suffering of those around Him. This moment took place at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, and though He knew He would raise him from the dead, Jesus did not rush to triumph over death. Instead, He paused to weep with those who mourned.

    What does this tell us about Jesus? It reveals a Savior who is deeply acquainted with the human experience. He doesn’t stand apart from our struggles; He enters into them with us. Jesus was not indifferent to the grief of Mary, Martha, or the others present. His tears show us that it’s okay to grieve, to feel sorrow, and to be vulnerable in the face of hardship. 

    We have a privilege of serving so many people, people who have faced incredible moments of loss, pain, and uncertainty. Sometimes, they might wonder if God sees their tears or understands their heartache. The answer, as shown in this passage, is a resounding yes. Jesus weeps with us. He is present in our sorrow and offers us comfort. He is not distant or detached but is deeply compassionate and involved in our lives, especially when we face times of distress.

    We, as Christian’s, get to play an incredible role in our community, however as we are pushing through the days, accomplishing the goals, It can be so easy to simply see people as numbers and focusing on the work to be done, overlooking the human aspect of ministry. And while we should have a desire to serve as many as possible and steward resources well. We cannot forget to take time with people, to look them in the eyes, and treat them as significant. To cry with them, empathize with the hurt they are experiencing. To love them as Jesus loved; Not just by handing items out, but through embracing people in pain, and empathizing with those who are hurting. Jesus is not distant from pain, and as His hands and feet we shouldn’t be either. He weeps with us. 

    And, just like Jesus knew the end of the story, and had a purpose in raising Lazarus from the dead, using a difficult moment to bring glory to Himself. We as Christian’s also know that He will bring healing and restoration, even in the most difficult of circumstances. But it’s ok to cry first.

    *This was a short devotional I shared, as I have been studying the character of Jesus. I had the opportunity to share this with the Good in the ‘Hood board recently, a non profit based in Minneapolis which I have had the privilege of serving on since 2013*

    Property updates

    This past month we have added some new animals to the property.

    We have continued to incubate eggs and hatch chicks as we are trying to grow our flock so we can be totally self sustainable with our egg production, which would be a HUGE cost savings for our family. But we were also surprised this month with a baby pig. We awoke to the squealing as the kids were outside our window yelling “MOM! DAD! WE CAUGHT A PIGLET!!” Our early riser, Caden had chased a baby pig from in front of our house to all around the yard and eventually caught it. She was hungry, cold, and VERY cuddly. We are raising her with the intention of eating her once she’s bigger(we will see if that actually happens this time next year 🤣), but for now she is living her best life getting all the food and pets she can handle.

    We have officially planted over a dozen banana trees, we now have dragon fruit in the ground, and are looking to clear some more space so we can get the mango trees planted. For every tree we have to build triangles to protect them from the wind, and make sure they have the proper spacing, as they work to get established roots.

    The goats have been such a huge help as they have been helping us to keep the grass down. We move them all over the property and they constantly add a whole lot of laughs as the babies get a little more adventurous. Many people tried to convince us that goats are miserable but that is not our experience, we are so in love with these sweet babies.

    We have been slowly working on building a pantry addition to the kitchen. This will hopefully help to mitigate the traffic jams we have in the kitchen as the baking days expand and give us more functionality in our day to day. It will also allow us to store more food when we have large groups come down to help for a week at a time

    Planting Hope Ministries

    We truly believe that the title non profit is a tool for us to be able to build the kingdom, so it can be hard to see where the ministry starts and stops. We believe that our lives should be a reflection of Christ and that ministry should be a natural extension of living a life that follows Jesus. If you are wanting details of why we are here in Hawaii and what God has called us to, I highly encourage you to check out our website for Planting Hope Ministries to learn more about what we are doing and why. We would love to have you partner with us!

    Planting Hope Ministries website

    Bulldozer

    As we are building we continue to find that biggest needs to effectively continue with any major building projects, not just for current projects but future projects, is a large piece of equipment. Not having a larger piece of equipment has meant we are paused for much of our building until we can fully fund either renting a larger piece of equipment for each project or purchasing one.

    The tractor we have been borrowing is not able to handle the load of digging and flattening the land which means we keep having to put money in to repairing it. Although, The tractor has served us well and is a big asset when it comes to road work, and helping with some of the mowing; we have been pushing it beyond its capabilities. After some research we are hoping to raise $50,000 for a bulldozer or an excavator. We are praying for people who feel called to support this specific project. If you would like to donate to our bulldozer fund click the link below

    Donate to the Bulldozer fund

    Mission trips

    We are so excited to announce we have our first mission group that has committed to come to Hawaii this summer. They will be serving for 10 days helping with building projects and outreach events. We are also in conversation with several other individuals and churches who are prayerfully considering being apart of a mission trip to Hawaii. This is such a cool opportunity to be apart of laying the foundation work and helping to set up infrastructure for future ministry.

    We are asking friends to pray, and reach out to their friends, family or church to see if they would be interested in doing a mission trip to Hawaii. We would work closely with you to build a trip that suits your team best in a way that would utilize your God given skills to build His kingdom in Hawaii. Check out Planting Hope Ministries mission trip info page

    Mission Trip Information Page

    Support Raising

    We are currently funded at about $800 a month, and have been so blessed by those who have given generous one time donations and partner with us monthly. We still have a goal of raising $10,000 of monthly support for the ministry. I am blown away every month and filled with gratitude towards those who feel called to support what God is doing here. But since we are not fully supported, we are praying and continuing to trust that God will call the right people to help us build here.

    If 200 people pledged $50 a month we would be completely funded. 

    What does financial support go towards? First, it goes to provide personal support for our family. As a family of 6 we have expenses and we are trusting God that as we build His kingdom He will provide for our family. The second part of that support will go towards providing building materials for various buildings and projects around the property. Currently we are working to build the worship and prayer center which will be a foundational building as we work towards building a Bible camp(which is multiple buildings), green houses(fencing, water tanks, structures), Sports field(lights, sprinkler system, bathroom facilities), and the A-frame discipleship homes.

    If you would like to financially partner with us and what God is doing in Hawaii, either one time or on a monthly basis, click the button below to be taken to our Planting Hope Ministries Donate page.

    Support Planting Hope Ministries

    Kelly’s Kitchen

    When I was little I never imagined being a baker. Anything to do with the kitchen was so outside the realm of possibilities for me that I probably would have laughed a deep belly laugh if anyone even suggested I would be making 80 loaves of bread each week. God has such a way of creating possibilities when we relinquish our pre-conceived notions of what we think we can and can’t do, and just allow ourselves to be open to being a vessel that He can pour in to.

    Whenever I get tired I remember the “why” He placed in my heart and there is so much joy and energy that comes from that place of God-given purpose.

    We recently received an old Levi Strauss stone mill to use for our whole grains. This has been an incredible addition to our baking because it mills the grain so fast and much finer than the previous mill we were using. This has made for a better wheat bread.

    One of my regular customers came by to buy a loaf of bread, a few weeks back and he told me “we need more Christian’s here! More people who love Jesus! You’re my favorite because I knew you were a Christian. You make it so obvious with what you wear, and your tent has a spirit of peace. I don’t know a lot of Christian’s here. Plus you make the best bread. But you need to start making cinnamon rolls because there’s big bucks to be made there.” Now I don’t know about the cinnamon rolls being added but I love that people see Jesus through me.

    We had the incredible opportunity to support our local community this last month through the donation of several loaves of bread. OKK is a non profit group that supports our local community and runs the market. This past month, they hosted a clean up event and served breakfast to their volunteers. It was such an honor that we were able to support the work they did and were able to donate bread to bless those that work hard to better this local community.

    Friday Youth Night

    We love getting to partner with Purpose Ministries to reach the kids at this weekly event. We had a donation of bracelet materials and we have been teaching the kids how to braid together bracelets and keychains. We purchased chalk and bubbles and it has brought so much joy and creativity. The youth are going through scriptures and memorizing verses, then the teaching is bringing the New Testament to life by painting a verbal picture of the events that happened in order, finally the meal is an opportunity for fellowship, laughs and belly’s to be filled. It’s fun to see kids who want to be there. It’s fun to watch the kids grow and to see them apply the truths being taught.

    One of the cool things that is a focus at these events is teaching, by example, how to honor each others and live a life that encourages them to serve like Jesus. One of the rules of the evening is little kids and girls eat first; this may seem like a silly rule, but it’s teaching the boys how to be men who lead from a place of serving. It’s exciting to see the adult men discipling the boys and the boys encouraging each other to step in to their role as men.

    Project Nehemiah Hawaii

    We have been given the opportunity to partner with the organization Project Nehemiah Hawaii. They are a very well known Christian ministry that is grass roots boots on the ground in the fight against human trafficking. They have resources through out Hawaii, and have the respect of many government officials. They have primarily worked on Oahu, but are working to pull together resources and bring further awareness of this issue on the big island. We are currently working with them to do a homeless outreach on May 5th, we will be putting together supply bags and going into the community to distribute and minister to the homeless here in Kau. We will also be working with them to put on an event this summer that will aim to bring the community together and shed light on the issues of Human trafficking, child abduction, domestic abuse, exploitation, and youth on drugs and alcohol.

    We are currently looking for donations for giveaways at the event in August, and looking for donations of outreach supplies for creating homeless packs. If would like to learn more about this, or how you can support this outreach please email me at plantinghopeministry@gmail.com

    Prayer requests

    **We are looking for 100 people who will commit to pray with us and for us. We currently have 20 people who have committed to this role on our behalf. We firmly believe that everything we are doing here has to be rooted in Jesus and we want a team with us who will go to Him on our behalf and intentionally take time to pray with and for us. We send out separate emails and updates to that specific group.Thank you to those who have already said yes to partnering with us through prayer! If you are wanting to be apart of our prayer team please reach out to me via email: plantinghopeministries@gmail.com

    -Pray that God would bring the right financial partners to join us. We threw out a big number asking for $10,000 a month in support. We received several one item donations, and have $800of on-going monthly support committed. We don’t know how God is gonna provide financially, but we are 100% trusting that He will. We felt very confident that He was telling us to trust Him, so we are praying that our personal needs will be taken care, and all funding will be taken care of for building materials, and land development moving forward. If you would like to financially support us click the button below! 

    Donate

    -Pray for a Bulldozer. We have been borrowing Gabes parents tractor, but the availability is limited, and the work that could be done, is a lot. We need bigger equipment to properly work the land.

    -Please pray for continued health of our family, continued protection both physically and spiritually, wisdom and that God would continue to speak clearly to us so we can walk forward confidently.

    -Please pray for our vehicle situation, we have two vehicles, one of which we finally got running after 9 months, and an older truck that we are pushing to it capacity. If you have followed us, you know our truck is especially critical to so much of what we do here, so we are praying that the Lord would sustain the vehicle, or help us find a replacement truck with in our budget.

    -Pray for our outreach events, protection over volunteers, that the right connections and partnerships would be made and that the community would be blessed.

    -Pray for the people we get to meet, that every interaction would be one that points people to Jesus and that we could love this community the way God loves them.

    neufeldfamily2013

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  • February/March Update

    “Wait”

    I tell my toddler grabbing his arm as he tries running full force to the other side of the driveway. His heart was set on his target as soon as he locked in on the fruit tree filled with oranges. Tears filling his eyes as he began yelling for an orange. He didn’t fully understand why he couldn’t run across the driveway and grab the nearest one, and my attempts to share what I see only seems to further frustrate his emotion fueled desire.

    To our right, a truck is coming up the driveway, In front of the orange tree is a thorn filled bush, and the low fruit he is eyeing is partially opened and covered in ants. All of this has me calling for him to “wait” but those are some of the hardest words for this sweet boy to hear.

    He verbally repeats “wait” with me as he continues crying for his favorite fruit. Once the truck passes he again says “wait”, I walk with him and show him the thorn bush, he repeats “wait” as we walk around it, I lift him up so he can pick a fruit higher up the tree and he excitedly grabs an orange and holds it out for me to peel. The tears drying up, as triumphant laughter fills the air.

    My toddler isn’t the only one who isn’t a fan of waiting. Being in a season of waiting is a struggle, even for me. I see the goals and I just want to put my nose to the grindstone and accomplish them, but in the same way I need my toddler to trust that I’m seeing things he can’t, I trust that God has a purpose in our season of waiting.

    Waiting for finances for bigger projects. Waiting for proper equipment. Waiting for help. Waiting for responses from partners. Waiting on doors to open for partnerships. Waiting….

    Waiting is not synonymous with doing nothing, which is especially important to remember as Christian’s. Active waiting for me means: actively praying over the property we are stewarding, actively sharing the vision God has given us, actively going out and developing what I can in with the tools and materials I do have on hand. It means being intentional to form relationships and build community partners with Christians who are living missional lives and connecting with people who have influence here.

    So we spend a lot of time waiting. Even if I don’t always like those words. Gods timing is always perfect and I trust Him to bring things together in His perfect timing so that all we do points people to Him and brings Him glory!

    Family updates

    February we celebrated our anniversary. We got to enjoy a quiet day taking it slow. Towards the end of the day, We were sitting near the water when we were surprised by a stranger who walked up to us and shared some photos she took of us because “the scene was just so beautiful and I had to capture it for you.” The sweet gesture made our day.

    March we celebrated both Caden and Raeleighs birthday. Caden enjoyed brownies and homemade ice cream for his birthday. Raeleigh made her own cake, a purple and pink yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting.

    The past couple months we have added some new farm members to our property in the form of goats and chicks. The kids are loving frolicking in the fields with the baby goats and have been trying to teach the new chicks how to “surf” meaning they place the chicks on boards and pull them around the field.

    Planting Hope Ministries

    When building a non-profit it can be hard to see where the ministry starts and stops. We believe that our lives should be a reflection of Christ and the non-profit is a tool so we can more effectively build His kingdom and be the hands and feet of Jesus. So I highly encourage you to check out our website for Planting Hope Ministries to learn more about what we are doing and why. We would love to have you partner with us!

    Planting Hope Ministries Website


    Bulldozer

    As we are building we continue to find that biggest needs to effectively continue with any major building projects, not just for current projects but future projects, is a large piece of equipment. The tractor we have been borrowing is not able to handle the load of digging and flattening the land which means we keep having to put money in to repairing it. Although, The tractor has served us well and is a big asset when it comes to road work, and helping with some of the mowing; we have been pushing it beyond its capabilities. After some research we are hoping to raise $50,000 for a bulldozer or an excavator.

    We are praying  for 120 people to pledge $8 a week for ONE year, and donate it to this fundraiser. If you want to support this campaign click the button below.

    Donate to the Bulldozer Fund

    MISSION TRIPS

    We have begun to have many conversations with teams who are wanting to be apart of a mission trip to Hawaii which is super exciting as we begin to plan these trips with various churches and individuals; There is so much opportunity to be apart of laying the foundation for the ministry and so much work that needs to be done.

    We are asking friends to pray, and reach out to their friends, family or church to see if they would be interested in doing a mission trip to Hawaii. We would work closely with you to build a trip that suits your team best in a way that would utilize your God given skills to build His kingdom in Hawaii. Check out Planting Hope Ministries mission trip info page

    Mission Trip Information

    If you have further questions about what this could look like, or feel God is calling you to come to Hawaii, please reach out to us via email at plantinghopeministries@gmail.com and lets talk more

    Support Raising

    We are currently funded at about $800 a month, and have been so blessed by those who have given generous one time donations and partner with us monthly. We still have a goal of raising $10,000 of monthly support for the ministry. I am blown away every month and filled with gratitude towards those who feel called to support what God is doing here. But since we are not fully supported, we are praying and continuing to trust that God will call the right people to help us build here.

    If 200 people pledged $50 a month we would be completely funded. 

    What does financial support go towards? First, it goes to provide personal support for our family. As a family of 6 we have expenses and we are trusting God that as we build His kingdom He will provide for our family. The second part of that support will go towards providing building materials for various buildings and projects around the property. Currently we are working to build the worship and prayer center which will be a foundational building as we work towards building a Bible camp(which is multiple buildings), green houses(fencing, water tanks, structures), Sports field(lights, sprinkler system, bathroom facilities), and the A-frame safe homes.

    If you would like to partner with us financially and what God is doing in Hawaii, either one time or on a monthly basis, click the button below to be taken to our Planting Hope Ministries Donate page.

    Support Planting Hope Ministries

    Property Work

    Much of our building is on pause, which can feel frustrating, but certainly has not slowed us down…. Much

    It feels so tedious taking hand tools to the land. Digging up dirt, taking a pick ax to roots and rocks, walking the wheelbarrow around to deliver or drop things off. It’s a lot of sweat over the course of many hours, for what feels like very little in return. BUT it is still obedient steps forward. So even when the days are hot, even when the days are long, it’s amazing to look at what has been accomplished.

    The past several weeks we have built a small goat shelter, and have expanded our chicken coop to accommodate our young chicks. We are continuing to work to clear the property and have planted banana trees(that have been generously donated by various friends), avocado trees, and sugar cane(also given to us by friends). We were able to purchase an archway so we can begin planting vines. In the next month We are hoping to plant our coffee trees, and several mango trees.

    Kelly’s Kitchen

    The baking of bread and selling bread continues to be a weekly event. Due to a miscount we made 99 loaves of bread one week in February, and still nearly sold out. God has been so good to use even my silly blunders.

    We are now baking fresh milled whole wheat loaves, sourdough, along with our beloved artisan loaves and sandwich bread. As we are adding more variety we are figuring out a new baking rhythm on Tuesdays. I find that I want to accommodate every request and new idea but recognize I need to master the current work load with excellence before trying new ideas.

    One thing I love about the market we sell at is the community of people. They “aloha spirit”, as it’s referred to, is so evident especially in the relationships between vendors. A couple weeks ago a woman walks up to me and shares with me that she had gone around the market the week prior looking for sourdough and she stopped by another bread vendors booth. She was feeling defeated because no one had sourdough and this other bread vendor happened to have a loaf of my bread that she had purchased earlier, and this vendor gifted it to this woman.

    Well, this woman goes home, thankful. She shared that she is a believer, but her family is not, her prayer is that her kids and grandkids would know Jesus. She occasionally watches her grandkids, and happened to have her grandson over for a Sunday. She was watching an online church service, her grandson was dancing and clapping to the music, they listened to the message, and at the end the church service has a time of communion. Her grandson looks at her “grandma we need to take communion too!” She explains that she doesn’t have any of the elements. He says more adamantly “grandma! We need to take communion!” She again tries to tell him they don’t have the elements for communion. He walks over to the kitchen and pulls out the sourdough bread. “Grandma! We have the Jesus bread here!”

    Tears begin to fill her eyes as she shares with me that this was her grandsons first communion and she said “your bread was filled with such a peace, as we broke it, I could feel the presence of God in the room with us.”

    At this point I’m almost crying. This woman doesn’t know me, or what we do on Tuesdays to prepare for Wednesdays. She just knows she and her grandson had an experience with God and she has to share it with me. I shared with her that on Tuesdays we worship and we pray over the bread. My prayer is and always will be “God let people encounter you as they sit down with this bread. Let this bread be a tool to build relationships and fill every home our bread goes in to with Your peace.” I got to pray with her, for her children and grandkids And thanked her for sharing her story with me.

    As she is hugging me goodbye she laughs “I know {vendor} gave me your bread, but I don’t think I can ever buy any other bread, except yours after having this moment with my grandson”

    So many weeks go by and I feel like all I’m doing is baking and selling bread. Sharing with our supporters who ask “what are you doing In Hawaii?” it feels so silly to respond with “we are baking bread”

    How is bread baking a ministry? First, God is using the income to help provide part of the support for our family which allows us to continue to be here. Second, our goal is not to bake bread; Our goal is to be obedient to what God is calling us to do even when it doesn’t make sense to us. We know God very clearly told us to bake bread, even if it doesn’t always feel like it is making a difference. I have to remember that even when I don’t see the impact, God is using it and working in hearts.

    Friday Youth Night

    Before Christmas, Purpose Ministries Friday Youth Event was seeing 60+ kids in attendance at Friday Youth Night. Post Christmas we have seen a significant drop in attendance, for a variety of reasons. We keep praying for the community and continue to be a consistent presence. We were blessed a few weeks back with a donation of basketballs and BINGO to share at this event. The game has been a huge hit, even amongst the adults.

    It is so fun to see the silliness and competitiveness come out in both kids and adults. I step out of the vehicle and am rushed by kids “did you bring Bingo?” I never would have thought this would be such a hit.

    We continue to pray for more creative ways to engage and show these kids the love of Jesus. And pray for those who have been absent, that Jesus would meet with them and the seeds planted will flourish.

    Prayer

    **We are looking for 100 people who will commit to pray with us and for us. We currently have 20 people who have committed to this role on our behalf. We firmly believe that everything we are doing here has to be rooted in Jesus and we want a team with us who will go to Him on our behalf and intentionally take time to pray with and for us. We send out separate emails and updates to that specific group.Thank you to those who have already said yes to partnering with us through prayer! If you are wanting to be apart of our prayer team please reach out to me via email: plantinghopeministries@gmail.com

    -Pray that God would bring the right financial partners to join us. We threw out a big number asking for $10,000 a month in support. We received several one item donations, and have $600 of on-going monthly support committed. We don’t know how God is gonna provide financially, but we are 100% trusting that He will. We felt very confident that He was telling us to trust Him, so we are praying that our personal needs will be taken care, and all funding will be taken care of for building materials, and land development moving forward. If you would like to financially support us click the button below! 

    Donate

    -Pray for a Bulldozer. We have been borrowing Gabes parents tractor, but the availability is limited, and the work that could be done, is a lot. We need bigger equipment to properly work the land.

    -Please pray for continued health of our family and continued protection, wisdom and that God would continue to speak clearly to us so we can walk forward confidently.

    -Pray for the people we get to meet, that every interaction would be one that points people to Jesus and that we could love this community the way God loves them.

    neufeldfamily2013

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  • January update

    The new year has officially begun. We have been Praying into 2025 and asking God for His direction over the year. As we are praying, I find myself filling the calendar, setting big goals, and filling out to-do lists. My husband pauses me and reminds me “don’t forget a day of rest.”

    Kelly sitting at the top of Mauna Kea

    Of course I put it in our weekly calendar but to me it’s more out of habit than conviction.

    Taking time to rest is a struggle. Taking time off is hard. I tend to bring paper work on family outings, I always have one more contact to reach out to, and feel guilt from a sense of responsibility if I don’t complete certain tasks by a certain time. This has brought about some long discussions between Gabe and I, as I struggle to find the balance between all the work that is needing to get done, and often feeling mentally and physically exhausted.

    Well isn’t Gods timing impeccable. Wouldn’t you know that as I was struggling with trying to figure out how to fit more things into my schedule that God would place a very timely video “Recommended for me” on Instagram. You can check out the 2 minute video below.

    “Why is the devil your role model? Jesus rested”

    That isn’t some excuse to be lazy and sit on a couch doing nothing all day, but Jesus took the time to rest. He didn’t run His physical body ragged, instead He walked with a Kingdom cadence. He could have been performing miracles every minute of every day during His time on Earth, He could have over filled His calendar and still would have found more work needing to be done. However, He knew the importance of rest, and spending time with the Father.

    The devil wants us to be busy and overwhelmed; he wants us running so hard that we forget to prioritize time spent in His presence.

    I want to learn to walk at the pace of Jesus.

    Christmas

    Christmas came and went and it was a wonderful time filled with family and fun adventures. We especially appreciated time spent with extended family who flew in to visit us during that week. While they stayed, we got to visit Santa at our local library, visited the erupting volcano, enjoyed our children’s involvement in the Nutcracker ballet at our local community center, played many games and ate a lot of food. Our hearts were happy and we felt refreshed by the time spent.

    “Snow” in Hawaii
    Traditional Christmas roll up pancakes
    Kassidy Visiting Santa at the library

    Christmas morning, we read the story of Jesus birth, like we do every year. This year we chose to read from the Hawai’i Pidgin Bible, for a new perspective. I think sometimes we get into a routine with reading the same Bible stories from the same version and we stop paying attention to how amazing they are, and we lose our awe and wonder around them. We then opened the first gift of Christmas, Jesus, and placed him in the manger of our nativity scene. It was such a beautiful reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.

    Photo of the volcano erupting. PC: Eli Neufeld

    Planting Hope Ministries

    We are very excited about some of the progress we have been able to make as a non-profit and some of the upcoming projects we have begun work on. If you want to check out Planting Hope Ministries website, click the button below

    Planting Hope Ministries Website

    Building Projects

    We shared last month that the A-frame home is on pause as we are waiting on materials for the trusses and roof which will cost around $60,000 in materials and we were going to begin taking steps forward on building a worship and prayer center with an attached outdoor kitchen.

    We have begun to dig into the ground and have taken steps towards flattening the area where we intend to place the center. We also received enough funding to be able to pour the foundation once the ground is flattened. We are so thankful for all of those who have pledged to support what we are building here in Hawaii.

    Bulldozer

    One of our big needs to effectively continue with building projects, not just this project but future projects, is a dozer. The tractor we have been borrowing is not able to handle the load and we keep having to put money in to repairing it, currently the hydroids are leaking and we put a hole in a new tires due to lava rocks. The tractor has served us well but we have been pushing it beyond its capabilities. After some research we are hoping to raise $50,000 for a bulldozer.

    I know this seems like such a big number, and it is, BUT We did some math and it is totally feasible with some help from partners like you: The average person spends $8 on a cup of coffee, IF 120 people pledged to give up ONE coffee outing a week for ONE year, and donated that to this fundraiser, we would be able to achieve getting a bulldozer. If you want to support this campaign click the button below.

    Bulldozer fundraiser

    Hawaii Mission Trips

    We are looking for individuals or groups who are wanting to be apart of a mission trip to Hawaii. As we are breaking ground, there is so much opportunity to be apart of laying the foundation for the ministry. We are asking people to pray, and reach out to their friends, family or church to see if they would be interested doing a mission trip to Hawaii. We would work closely with you to build a trip that suits your team best in a way that would utilize your God given skills to build His kingdom in Hawaii. Check out Planting Hope Ministries mission trip info page

    Missions Trip Information

    If you have questions about what this could look like, or feel God is calling you to come to Hawaii, please reach out to us via email at plantinghopeministries@gmail.com and lets talk more

    Support Raising

    We are currently funded at about $600 a month, we have a goal of raising $10,000 of support for the ministry. We are looking for monthly partners to come along side us as we work to build here.

    If 500 people pledged $20 a month we would be completely funded.

    What does financial support go towards? First, it goes to provide personal support for our family. As a family of 6 we have expenses and we are trusting God that as we build His kingdom He will provide for our family. The second part of that support will go towards providing building materials for various buildings and projects around the property. Currently we are working to build the worship and prayer center, but we have a vision for a Bible camp(which is multiple buildings), green houses(fencing, water tanks, structures), Sports field(lights, sprinkler system, bathroom facilities), and the A frame homes.

    If you would like to partner with us financially and what God is doing in Hawaii, either one time or on a monthly basis, click the button below to be taken to our Planting Hope Ministries Donate page.

    Donate

    Prayer Corner

    This last month, one of the projects we were able to accomplish was establishing the prayer corner. We mowed a path around the property, and halfway around there is this beautiful little cove, surrounded by tree coverage. It was very overgrown and required some TLC to clear out. We were able to take the tractor back there and mow the space, pull out stumps, and knock down dead branches. We had a local friend donate some large concrete pavers, which was perfect for creating a landing. We then built a bench, and brought it over to the corner.

    Our prayer is that this portion of the property will be a place of peace and reflection; A place where people can go to pray and meet with God.

    Kelly’s Kitchen

    Kelly has become known lovingly as “The Bread Lady” by so many, as baking 68 loaves of bread, continues to be a weekly event. We have ordered whole grains, and are still waiting for that shipment to come in so we can begin milling our own wheat. We have begun making and selling Sourdough which has been received so well. The past two weeks we have sold out of sourdough before market even opened, which is so crazy to us.

    As we have continued baking ,we have been selling out before market ends. The past three markets we have sold out before noon. We are still blown away by this. We received a text message the other day from a gentleman saying “the cinnamon swirl bread reminded me of my grandmas; it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for making my day, it was amazing!”

    Another lady who bought bread from us said that she “loves the sense of peace she feels when she comes into my tent at market.” This is such an answer to prayer, as we want people to experience Jesus presence. We don’t have to fight people or get in their faces, but We want to be intentional with our prayers and intentional with our actions, With the goal of being able to share Jesus with the community. Whether that’s through the clothing we wear promoting conversations, helping people with set up and tear down, or gifting people bread, we want to be intentional with our efforts.

    Every time we get to invite people to church, every time people share their story with us or allow us to pray with them we feel honored by the position God has placed us in. We are constantly amazed at how something as simple as bread has opened so many doors to conversations, and allowed us to get to know our community on a deeper level.

    Friday Youth Night

    We continue to join with Purpose Ministries Friday Youth Night Event. This youth group continues to grow, this last week we saw over 40 kids. All of them were given a meal, and shown the love of Jesus. We love seeing the atmosphere of joy as the kids play, sing, and learn scripture. There is still a need for sports equipment, and outdoor activities. We would love to see more craft materials to engage, specifically, the young girls. We are currently praying for God to raise up a community of Christian men and women who come down with us and spend time with these youth, by engaging in sports(football, baseball, pickle ball, kickball, etc), meal prep, and biblical discipleship by being a christian witness and encouraging these young men and women in their faith.

    We are so thankful for Purpose Ministries and the work they have done and the time they have spent to invest in and build relationships with the youth here. We are praying for creative ways we can better support the work they are already doing.

    Prayer Requests

    **We are looking for 100 people who will commit to pray with us and for us. We currently have 20 people who have committed to this role on our behalf. We firmly believe that everything we are doing here has to be rooted in Jesus and we want a team with us who will go to Him on our behalf and intentionally take time to pray with and for us. We send out separate emails and updates to that specific group.Thank you to those who have already said yes to partnering with us through prayer! If you are wanting to be apart of our prayer team please reach out to me via email: plantinghopeministries@gmail.com

    -Pray that God would bring the right financial partners to join us. We threw out a big number asking for $10,000 a month in support. We received several one item donations, and have $600 of on-going monthly support committed. We don’t know how God is gonna provide financially, but we are 100% trusting that He will. We felt very confident that He was telling us to trust Him, so we are praying that our personal needs will be taken care, and all funding will be taken care of for building materials, and land development moving forward. If you would like to financially support us click the button below!

    Donate

    -Pray for a Bulldozer. We have been borrowing Gabes parents tractor, but the availability is limited, and the work that could be done, is a lot. We need bigger equipment to properly work the land.

    -Please pray for continued health of our family; We had been dealing with the flu over the holidays, and very high fevers that resulted in bringing one of our kids to the ER. We would love to just be healthy and not be sick(any other parents relate?) so please join us in praying for health and continued protection, wisdom and that God would continue to speak clearly to us so we can walk forward confidently.

    -Please pray for our vehicle situation, we have two vehicles, one of our vehicle engines has been in the shop for 7 months, and we have no idea when we will get it back. Simultaneously, our truck has begun to make some concerning sounds. If you have followed us, you know our truck is critical to so much of what we do here, so we are praying that the Lord would help us find the problem quickly so we could fix it, sustaine the vehicle, or help us find a replacement truck with in our budget.

    -Pray for the people we get to meet, that every interaction would be one that points people to Jesus and that we could love this community the way God loves them.

    neufeldfamily2013

  • December Update

    When I was in High school I heard a poem called ‘The Vision’ By Pete Grieg.I would listen to it over and over. One line in particular always stuck out to me”

    “They pray as if it all depends on God, and live as if it all depends on them.”

    From the moment I heard it, I wanted to strive to do that: Work hard, give my best, push forward, leave it all on the table. However, I found I often missed the first part: Pray as if it all depends on God.

    Naturally, I am a Martha(If you remember the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10) I can do a lot of things, I enjoy being busy and accomplishing tasks. But, as I reflect on this last year, I can say with absolute confidence, when I tried to solely rely on my own capabilities, things around me fell apart. I would run in circles and get no where. I would become frusterated and be absolutely exhausted. Time and time again I would be brought back to this place and Jesus would remind me “sit in my presence”

    Before I do anything, I need to begin by sitting at His feet. My life and my efforts are dependent on Him. I recently shared with my prayer team: If I am to be the hands and feet of Jesus then my life is an extension of Him, and I need to find myself in His presence, first. I need to continue to get to know His voice, and get to know His heart for people before doing anything. When I do take the time to sit with Him, My efforts go further and I have more impact then I could have imagined. What a cool thing, that not only do I get to spend time In His presence, but I get to reflect Him to others!

    But it has to start with prayer. It has to start sitting at His feet. It has to start in His presence allowing His word to wash over me.

    One year on Big Island

    This month we have officially been on big island for one year! It is incredible to look back at where we started and see how far God has brought us on this journey. As we reflected back on the last 12 months we put together this reel of some of our favorite memories.

    Thanksgiving

    We had the opportunity to join with several other families and make a meal for our church over Thanksgiving. It was such a joy getting to make a turkey to share; especially since, this time last year, we were traveling and unable to host our usual thanksgiving get together.

    One of my favorite parts of the whole afternoon, was everyone taking part in writing down something they were thankful for this past year. Before going through the food line, each person was handed their marker and a slip of paper. It was delightful getting to watch as each person paused to reflect, and even more fun reading through them later as we stuck each response on our thankful tree(a long standing tradition in our home).

    There has been so much to be thankful for this year. Although, I don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to give gratitude for the incredible things that have happened, It was so nice gathering with our community to give thanks together. I cannot wait to see what happens in this next year.

    Planting Hope Ministries

    The last month has been slower than we would like as we have had to pause building until we can get enough financing to cover the next steps. The A-frame home is waiting on materials for the trusses and roof which will cost around $60,000 in materials. We have begun reaching out to various businesses to see if they would be interested in donating materials to bring down the costs, but it is still a slower process as we can’t build with out materials.

    We have begun to draw up plans for our next project. We are working towards building an outdoor worship center and kitchen. We are still pulling together costs for that but are hopeful that we can build a space that can be utilized for gathering on the property and bringing community into the space through out 2025.

    Gabe and Randy prepping the tanks to go pick up water

    The third project we are working on is the garden/green houses; this has continued to be a complicated aspect because of the lack of water. We have several acres set aside, and have drawn out a vision for multiple green houses and are praying about developing aquaponics around much of the garden area that could be used as a water source. Impact Ministries International(the owners of the land we are developing on) recently hired a man to help lead the agricultural aspects of the property. So as we develop plans, we are working closely with him to move things forward.

    Click here to go to Planting Hope Ministries Website

    Vehicles

    We had a scary situation occur a couple weeks back. Gabe and Caden were driving home from an event: upon turning to come down our gravel driveway, Gabe went to press the brakes and they didn’t work. He was able to slow himself down and eventually was able to safely maneuver home. Once home, we discovered the brake line had a hole in it.

    It was a very unexpected problem, and a problem that could have easily been much worse. The entire day we had been hauling several hundred gallons of water up and down our road to fill up our tank. A few days prior, we had been driving the windy road to Kona. Had we been hauling water, or been on the Kona roads, this situation could have lead to severe injuries. We were so thankful of the timing of the problem; and thankful with how quickly Gabe was able to identify and fix the brakes.

    Kellys Kitchen

    The last few weeks, as we have been baking, we had been discussing ideas for how to cut our stand around time down. If you bake bread, you know that so much of baking is spent waiting for bread to rise.

    I had told Gabe that we needed some 20 or 30qt bowls, but the cost of them are so high, I couldn’t justify it. Well two weeks ago we went to Kona to pick up some items, as we walked around a store I saw them: Three giant 20 and 30qt bowls. I could not believe it!! I flipped them over and the price was just right, so I snatched every single one! I could hardly contain my excitement. If you have never seen a 30qt bowl, please reference the above picture. They are huge! We washed them(of course), and utilized them last Tuesday. The baking process went so smooth and we were done in time to sit down and have dinner as a family(minus bread slicing and clean up). It was such a fun surprise to find.

    We have started to make 2025 goals for bread making, one of which is introducing whole wheat options. This has been a huge request since we started. Many people love the bread but find they cannot handle the bleached flour. This past week I was able to put in an order to purchase an organic grain from a reputable company and will have that shipped in by January. We will be purchasing a mill and begin milling our wheat to provide the best options we can for the local community. We will still offer the white bread options for those who prefer it, but adding the whole wheat options to our menu is an incredible sign of growth.

    We continue to nearly sell out every market, and are still able to giveaway/donate what is left over to our local community. This has led to building incredible relationships as we continue to try and get to know people. We love that we get to provide a staple for our community and love the opportunities we get to talk and pray with people week to week. Our prayer through this journey is that God would use the bread as a blessing here.

    Friday Youth Night

    As we have been joining Purpose Ministries at the park, we’ve been praying about how to best support the work they have been doing. They have built amazing relationships with the youth over the past several years, and have been a consistent presence at the park. We love that they have allowed us to be involved in what they do. One of the ways we learned we can best support them is by helping to provide sports equipment that can be utilized at the park. We would love to also help provide craft options for those that are not wanting to play sports.

    As a non profit providing equipment, there is always a risk that those things will have wear and tear, items will get damaged, or lost. We would love to come along side and be able to help in this area. By providing these items and building relationships with the youth we are being put on an incredible position to speak into these young lives and show them Jesus.

    Take a look at the video below to see a glimpse of how this ministry is effecting the youth in our community.

    Prayer Requests

    Screenshot

    **We are currently looking for 100 people who will commit to pray with us and for us. We firmly believe that everything we are doing here has to be rooted in Jesus and we want a team with us who will go to Him on our behalf and intentionally take time to pray with and for us. We do send out separate emails and updates to that specific group. If you are wanting to be apart of our prayer team please reach out to me via email, or fill in the link at the bottom of our “Support Letter” Page. Thank you to those who have already said yes to partnering with us through prayer!**

    -Pray that God would bring the right financial partners to join us. We threw out a big number asking for $10,000 a month in support. We received several one item donations, and have $600 of on-going monthly support committed. We don’t know how God is gonna provide financially, but we are 100% trusting that He will. We felt very confident that He was telling us to trust Him, so we are praying that our personal needs will be taken care, and all funding will be taken care of for building materials, and land development moving forward. If you would like to financially support us click the button below!

    Click Here to Donate

    -Prayer for a consistent water source. As we move forward water is one of our biggest hiccups. We would love for a well to be dug, but the cost is steep(around $80,000 and they are booked about 2 years out). We are entering the rainy season, so pray that we would have our tanks filled during this season, but long term we are continuing to seek out other options, and need prayer for wisdom, and practical solutions for the present and future growth.

    -Pray for a tractor. We have been borrowing Gabes parents tractor, but the availability is limited, and the work that could be done with it, is a lot.

    -Please pray for continued health of our family; continued protection, wisdom and that God would continue to speak clearly to us so we can walk forward confidently.

    neufeldfamily2013

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  • October/November Update

    Change can be so incredibly beautiful. But with change often comes a letting go or releasing; A dying of self. In order to enter the new season of life you have to be willing to let go of the things that hold you back. It can be painful saying goodbye to what’s comfortable and known; and not all of it is bad. I think that can be the hardest part for me, releasing something that isn’t bad or harmful. I like comfortable. Comfortable is easy, but if I only lived to be comfortable I would miss out on the amazing opportunities that come with growth.

    During our visit to the Midwest this past month, we had the opportunity to visit our childhood homes, and got to show our kids the home they first lived in. We discussed the great memories, We laughed over the silly stories of our kids as babies, and we imagined what we would be doing had we stayed in the Midwest and never moved to Hawaii? What jobs might we have? What schools would the kids be attending? Would we have stayed in the city? Moved to the country? Would our faith have grown or would we have gotten into a routine based on comfort?

    The last several years have been filled with stretching, change, learning, discomfort, growth, and dying of self to enter into this new season. The things we left behind weren’t all bad, but had we not left them we wouldn’t have gotten to experience the amazing grace of God as He has walked with us to get to the point we are at now. Looking back at the seasons of change has me looking into the future with excitement and anticipation. Seeing how God has worked in all aspects of our life and deepened our faith as we prepare for incredible growth helps me to feel peace as I look to the future and the need to continue to releasing things that hold me back from the fullness of His plans for my life. It’s not always easy to live a life open handed, but I can confidently say His plans are always better. My prayer is God help me to live life that doesn’t fear what you need to take away, but learns to embrace the changes I need to make so I can be prepared for the exciting opportunities you have in store for me.

    Midwest travels

    This past month we got the opportunity to travel back to the Midwest. We got to meet with churches, friends, and family and share what God is doing in Hawaii and the vision for Planting Hope Ministries. We were not sure what to expect from this trip, other than some quality family time, hoping for doors to open to share about the ministry, and maybe a little bit of rest.

    The past couple months, trying to share what we are doing in Hawaii, from a distance has been a challenge. As we reach out to friends and family we have been met with mixed responses. Through it all we have just continued to pray that God would bring the right partners and teams around us. But if we are honest, some days we just felt discouraged.God has been showing up, there is no doubt. He has been answering prayers, and confirming again and again we are exactly where we are supposed to be, but the lack of response at times, or doubts spoken about our qualifications(trust us we are the first to acknowledge we are not the most qualified for this) can have us feeling like He chose the wrong people.

    So as we began sharing in person, we had to pray through these feelings. Asking God to speak through us, and for His heart to be seen. Through out the time in the Midwest we got to meet with several groups of people and were able to share some of the incredible testimonies we have seen this last year, discuss the vision God laid on our hearts in more detail, were prayed over, and were met with a lot of encouragement. As we left the Midwest we all felt a sadness, leaving friends and family, but also a renewed sense of energy for what we are building here. It was exciting to have opportunities to answer questions, and really share the heart God has given us for Hawaii. Our prayer is that God would continue to stir the hearts of people, to support us(through prayer, financial, or time and skill) or to reach out to those they know and act as ambassadors for the vision here.

    Planting Hope Ministries

    One of the most exciting things that came out of the trip was getting to meet with people who have a background in non-profit ministry. They were able to give us practical tips, and worked with use to create the foundations for our ministries website.

    Click Here to go to Planting Hope Ministries Website

    We were able to set up our back office so we can receive one time and reoccurring donations through our website, with no fees and immediate tax-deductible receipts issued.

    Click Here To Donate

    We were able to put together a wish list for those wanting to donate specific items directly to the ministry.

    Click here to see our Wishlist

    We were able to put together missions opportunities for those wanting to come out and help on the property

    Click here to check out Missions Trip opportunities

    We are so thankful to every person who has been involved in helping us get the logistics of Planting Hope Ministries up and running. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, but God has been so faithful to partner us with skilled people who believe in what God is doing in Hawaii and have graciously invested their time and talents to help us on this journey!

    Container Update

    We have counters!! We have operated on fold out tables and totes for storage for a year, It feels like we are settling as we see pieces come together. Although this container is a temporary space as we build the A-frame, it is nice to add small details over time that help make it more functional as we have various people visiting.

    Property and the A-Frame

    The A-frame build has been paused as we wait for funding to come through for purchasing building materials.

    We have been refocusing efforts towards things we can accomplish with out building materials which means a lot of mowing grass. We have continued to borrow a tractor for this project, but upon last use it stopped working and so now we will be working to fix the tractor, again. Our road its in desperate need of being graded again, so we are praying that we can fix the tractor quickly.

    We are looking into the cost of buying a tractor for the ministry so we don’t have to continue to borrow one, which would hopefully mean less time spent fixing tractors.

    As we work to clear the land, we are clearing a site so we can build a Gazebo for intentional worship and praise. We have established the site we want to put it, but as with every part of the property, there are a lot of rocks to clear and move. Once we can clear the area we will begin work on laying a foundation.

    Current plants in our garden shed
    One of our mango tree seedlings

    We are also clearing a portion of land so we can build a fenced in garden space. We would love to build a green house so we could do year round gardening, but currently don’t have the funds for this so we are beginning to prep the land(tilling and laying compost down), will begin building a fence using leftover material from various projects, and will begin making plans for a lay out so we will be ready for spring.

    Prayer Requests

    **We are currently looking for 100 people who will commit to pray with us and for us. We firmly believe that everything we are doing here has to be rooted in Jesus and we want a team with us who will go to Him on our behalf and intentionally take time to pray with and for us. If you are wanting to be apart of the group please reach out to me via email, or fill in the link at the bottom of our “Support Letter” Page. We will begin to send out more personal prayer requests that way. Thank you to those who have already said yes to partnering with us through prayer!**

    -Last month we sent out support letters We threw out a big number asking for $10,000 a month in support. We received several one item donations, and have $350 of on-going monthly support committed. We don’t know how God is gonna provide financially, but we are 100% trusting that He will. We felt very confident that He was telling us to trust Him, so we are praying that our personal needs will be taken care, and all funding will be taken care of for building materials, and land development moving forward.

    -Prayer for a consistent water source. As we move forward water is one of our biggest hiccups. We would love for a well to be dug, but the cost is steep(around $80,000 and they are booked about 2 years out). We are entering the rainy season, so pray that we would have our tanks are filled during this season, but long term we are continuing to seek out other options, but need prayer for wisdom, and practical solutions for the present and future growth.

    -Pray that the tractor we borrow is fixed quickly, or we could purchase a tractor for the ministry for the on going property needs.

    -Please pray for continued health of our family, continued protection, wisdom and that God would continue to speak clearly to us so we can walk forward confidently.

    neufeldfamily2013

  • September Update

    I was having a conversation with God a couple weeks about faith.(can we sense a theme this year?) What does it look like to have faith that moves mountains? I’ve read the verse about needing faith as small as a mustard seed at least a hundred times, I’ve listened to so many sermons on this topic, but the idea that I could look at Mauna Loa and command it jump into the Pacific Ocean seems so impossible. But does even thinking that way mean I lack faith, and is that why I can’t stand in my back yard and command it to be?

    Mauna Loa

    Frankly, this lead to a whole tangent of questions, but ended with me pondering what does a life of radical faith actually look like. When I hear the term radical faith I immediately think of Peter stepping outside the boat to walk on water; which seems so impossible as I look out at the vast Ocean.

    Ocean waves

    The past several months we have shared The vision God has given us with friends and family. Many are supportive, some have “better” ideas, and others question our qualifications, or sanity as we move forward. I have come to the conclusion I’m not doing any of this for mans approval so I want my eyes so fixed on Jesus that as He calls me to “step out of the boat” I can walk towards Him with confidence. I don’t just want to have faith the size of a mustard seed. I want to live a faith filled life. I look at Abraham who was given a seemingly impossible promise of having a son in his old age,

    “Yet he did not waiver at the promises of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Romans 4:20-21)

    Thats the kind of faith I want. The kind that sticks with Gods promise, no matter what.

    I’m still not sure about commanding Mauna Loa into the water, or literally walking across the pacific. But as I grow in my relationship with Jesus, I am praying that my faith is strengthened so if He ever told me to do those things I wouldn’t hesistate because I believe in the God who can do the seemingly impossible!

    Couch

    We had been praying for a reasonably priced couch. Specifically we were praying for an L shaped couch. Our parents had moved their two seater couch to big island, which we have been using, but it doesn’t seat 6 of us; it barely fit three of us.

    Two seater couch we replaced

    So we began praying, for an L shaped couch so the whole family could fit on one couch, reading books, cuddling, but especially as we do weekly worship nights together we wanted to create a space that allowed people to gather comfortably. Well this last month we were blessed with a generous personal donation and an incredible second hand deal. We drove three hours north and picked up our L shaped couch. It may seem like a silly thing to mention but having a space where we enjoy getting to gather is so important to us. Our family has been able to spend many mornings and evenings gathered in our living room space. We have even had a few people come spend the night in the couch this month. We are looking forward to many memories being made on it!

    L shaped couch!

    Fires and Hurricanes

    Our neighbor sent us this photo of our house showing the fire and helicopters in the distance.

    This month was an interesting month in regard to disasters. August 15th we had a 30 acre fire start up on a neighboring ranchers land. We were not home, and thankfully our neighbor was able to keep us updated and was prepared to grab our animals and get out of the way if the fire did get out of hand. Fortunately, our local fire department responded quickly and they were able to control it pretty quickly, although they did close the roads down for a few hours. But after the Maui fire disaster a couple years ago, I think hearing the word fire hits a little differently. We are all too aware of how quickly a small spark can get out of hand. So when we heard the fire was so close to our house, we sent word to our prayer team and they were quick to cover us and our property in prayer.

    A break in the rain as Hurricane Hone passed just south of us

    Well the next week we were finding ourselves preparing for Hurricane Hone that made its way to the island of Hawaii. It just so happened that Gabes parents had purchased a generator the week prior which was a huge blessing because as the hurricane came towards us we didn’t have to worry about any loss of power during that time. We were very proactive to pack things up pretty tight, tie anything down, and, board up windows. Because we don’t have any wind break around us, and we are so far south we knew if it got bad, we would get hit pretty hard. So we did all the prep work we could, then sat at home and rode the storm out. We had hoped it would stay a tropical storm but as it got closer to the island It did end up being a category 1 hurricane. Thankfully amidst lots of rain and wind we had no damage to our property and the weekend was a great time of sitting together as a family playing games and worshipping Jesus.

    Our road was not so lucky, and many of our neighbors had sever damage due to flash flooding from the massive amount of rain breaking through walls and tearing down the mountain. I’ll get to the road later in this post, but One of our neighbors, I’ll refer to him as J, had such severe flooding from a river forming in his yard that the entire bottom floor of his house was covered in a foot plus of mud and sand. The damage was awful. Gabe got the opportunity to drive the tractor to his house and fill in some of the holes the water made, and create a berm to hopefully protect the house from future damage.

    Video compilation of the effects of the storm

    Tractor

    Last month we had shared the tractor had several things that needed to be fixed. Well we were able to fix them. Praise Jesus! And it was just in time because that tractor became so valuable after the hurricane.

    Working on the tractor

    After Hurricane Hone as mentioned, the road to our house was in terrible condition. We fortunately have a truck with 4 wheel drive, but many of our neighbors were unable to get down the road due to a river forming in the road, tearing it up pretty badly.

    The damage forced many of our neighbors to stay home for an additional couple days after the storm. We are all working to try and get the city to help maintain the road, however they are currently not wanting to work with us to get asphalt or assist in caring for the gravel(Which is a whole issue for another day). Because of this we were all thankful we had gotten the tractor up and running prior to the storm as we were in a position to grade the road the day after the storm, making it drivable. We were then able to help a few of our neighbors with several projects caused by the storms.

    One neighbor in particular, the morning Gabe went out to fix the road, was attempting to haul a trailer behind his truck. He ended up getting his truck stuck and breaking his drive train. Gabe was able to pull his truck out, pull the trailer out, and then continued to smooth the road enough so the tow truck could down the road.

    Gabe continued to work tirelessly that week getting up at 5am several days, and working late into the night to intentionally bless our community.

    Friday Youth Outreach

    We have continued to join in with Purpose Ministries Friday night outreaches. Its a great opportunity to build relationships with the local youth. This last Friday a new Bible verse was introduced, and the kids were challenged to memorize the scripture. We love seeing the energy and excitement. This last month 5 more boys got water baptized. This is always such an exciting thing to bear witness to, as these young men make a public declaration that they follow Jesus.

    Kellys Kitchen

    We are continuing to make bread to sell at market. This weekly event has brought a little bit of financial support, but mostly it has been an amazing opportunity to get involved in the community. We are constantly blown away each week by what God is doing through something so simple. We have gotten to use bread to build friendships. At the end of each day, our leftover bread is given away; Some of it is given to other vendors, some of It is brought to outreach events, and some of it has been donated to a local homeless ministry.

    A few weeks back a couple came up to me and the husband shared that he has a slice of bread each morning with an egg and his coffee; He told me there is an unexplainable peace as he enjoys his morning routine. I got to share with him that as we make bread on Tuesdays we worship and pray. All day Tuesday and all day Wednesday my prayer is “God, allow your presence to fill the home of each individual who eats this bread. I want them to know You!” He seemed almost taken back, and simply said “Keep praying ,its working”

    Planting Hope Ministries

    We are officially Tax Exempt!! We were told the process to get approved could take u to 6 months. We received our letter of approval with in 30 days of submitting our 1023 form. We are able to do business as Gabe and Kelly Neufeld so all donations made to support us are able to go through the ministry giving those who have supported us from August 2024 and moving forward, a tax break. As we pray for this ministry we both feel such a strong sense that our vision for Planting Hope Ministries doesn’t even begin to compare to what God has in store. We are so excited to be on this journey and see how God uses this tool for His glory.

    Prayer Requests

    **We are currently looking for 100 people who will commit to pray with us and for us. We firmly believe that everything we are doing here has to be rooted in Jesus and we want a team with us who will go to Him on our behalf and intentionally take time to pray with and for us. If you are wanting to be apart of the group please reach out to me via email, or fill in the link at the bottom of our “Support Letter” Page. We will begin to send out more personal prayer requests that way. Thank you to those who have already said yes to partnering with us through prayer!**

    -We have officially sent out support letters as we have transitioned into full time ministry. We threw out a big number asking for $10,000 a month in support. We don’t know how God is gonna provide financially, but we are 100% trusting that He will. We felt very confident that He was telling us to trust Him, so we are praying that our personal needs will be taken care, and all funding will be taken care of for building materials, and land development moving forward.

    -We are traveling to Minnesota for a couple weeks in October. Please pray for safety as we travel, and great connections to be made.This trip will be spent mostly with family, but we are also hoping to connect with churches and potential partners. If you would like to connect with us while we are in town, reach out to us via email, we would love to grab coffee, answer questions, and share more about what God is doing in Hawaii!

    -Prayer for a consistent water source. As we move forward water is one of our biggest hiccups. We would love for a well to be dug, but the cost is steep. We are continuing to seek out other options, but need prayer for wisdom, and practical solutions for the present and future growth.

    -Please pray for continued health of our family, continued protection, wisdom and that God would continue to speak clearly to us so we can walk forward confidently.

    Mahalo Nui Loa!

    neufeldfamily2013

  • August update

    Living a life of walking on faith is both terrifying and exhilarating. Mentally, I can tell myself “God brought us here, He’s not going to leave us.” But when we look at our freezer, or the gas gauge on our truck or upcoming events and the practical and financial aspects are uncertain or don’t seem to make logical sense, it can be hard to make that head knowledge, heart knowledge. I’m sure anyone who has lived a missional life can relate. I find myself preaching to my own heart, as much as I preach to my family when I say “Eyes on Jesus.” This last week, I got a phone call that a payment was due for the class we are working on, with no means to pay it. Then as I drove home in our pick up the AC stopped working. I then arrived home and I looked around my kitchen trying to figure out what we could make for dinner with the food we had available(we buy a month at a time, we have food but sometimes figuring out how to make it stretch on a budget is hard). We were planning to go grocery shopping sometime this week but I was stuck trying to decide if I need to stretch things out to last a week longer(try some meatless meals?). I began to feel overwhelmed. I took a breath and start to quietly pray.

    Gabe, seeing the wheels in my head turn, walks over and asks what I’m thinking. I tell him what happened, as I begin to verbalize the needs, I start to feel a peace in my heart. I tell Gabe: I can’t figure out how the practical parts will work out, but I know they will. I see our needs and sometimes I think to myself “did we make the wrong decision? Should we just go back to a 9-5?” It was so comfortable owning our own businesses and feeling like we had control of our situation. I also know God sees our needs and I’m confident that this is where God called us. So I am confident that He will not leave us. He has confirmed that this is where we are supposed to be so many times I know the practical aspects will work out. I just need to align my faith and my emotions right now, so I keep my eyes off the waves and put them on Jesus.

    Gabe and I continued to talk, we prayed, and we came up with a plan, while intentionally keeping our hands open to God setting our direction. We can now look forward to how God will answer our prayers.

    Building and property update

    This month we have made some awesome progress on the building of the A-frame. We had a good friend come down and help us finish install the floor. Now that we have completed that, our next steps will be to get the beams purchased.

    Our friend John helping install the flooring

    If you want to hear some of John’s takeaways from his time here; he shared a great message at church this past Sunday. Take a listen!

    Or go to YouTube and find it By searching Waikiki Beach Gathering “trusting God pastor John German”

    A-frame ready for the next step

    We also took the first step towards establishing a sports field. This will be an ongoing project with many practical things needing to be accomplished before it is operational. Primarily, figuring out a consistent source of water for the field and getting bathrooms set up. Gabe mowed down the area where we hope to put the field which gave us a good idea of what we are working with, land wise. We are in conversation with IMI founder, Rev. Thomas Stamman, to decide what course of action we should take to get this up and running.

    Gabe mowing down the field

    Unfortunately, a few days after this photo was taken the radiator on the tractor blew. So we have been taking the time to fix it and working to get it up and running again. We are very thankful to Gabes parents for their generosity in allowing us, and our neighbors, to use their tractor and work with us to get it back to operational.

    Vehicles

    This month while driving to get water, Gabe found himself stranded on the side of the road just a couple miles from our house. He opened his hood, and found his idler pulley disintegrated.

    Disintegrated part

    It just so happened that he had accidentally purchased this part 3 years ago, and it had sat in his truck all this time. He called me asking for tools to be able to replace it. Miraculously his belt was completely intact. Once I arrived with the part he was able to quickly replace it.

    Gabe fixing the truck

    Why do I share this? Gods timing is impeccable and perfect: The day before a friend had borrowed our truck. A couple days before that, Gabe had done a 12 hour round trip around the island picking up parts and tools. In either of those situations it would have been a huge ordeal you get the right tools, or even having someone skilled to fix the problem quickly. We had the part, and it broke down at a perfect time where it could be easily fixed. It’s never fun to have a broken down vehicle, but if you’re gonna have one break down this was the way to do it 🙂

    Kellys Kitchen

    We have been continuing to bake bread weekly and it is so much work but it has been such a fun time getting to work with Bella to bake on Tuesdays, and so many cool God moments and sweet conversations as we sell on Wednesday. We had and incredible answer to prayer happen this month. We officially got a commercial sized mixer!!

    Mikael next to the dough hook for size comparison.

    We had been praying for the last month for a larger mixer. First, because it has been taking us 16 hours to complete all our loaves for market. Second, as my poor 4.7 qt kitchen aid is just not built to handle the mass production and stress we have put it through each week, and no longer turns off unless it is unplugged. Commercial mixers are not cheap so we had been putting aside the profits from bread to save for a mixer that, brand new, can range from $700-$3000 depending on the size. Now add to that, Hawaii does not have very many options, and most places we had window shopped at “Do not ship to our area” or the shipping was estimated to be as much as the machine itself.

    So after looking for a used machine, this 30qt one finally popped up on marketplace. It was priced at $1500, which was a steal(brand new they run $3500 not including shipping), however we did not have that much saved so I was prepared to keep scrolling past the listing when I felt God telling me to message them anyways. “You have not because you ask not” My heart was pounding as I decided to go with it and reach out to the owner, mostly because the ask I was making could have been perceived as insulting. I offered $300, our story, and complete honesty that I knew what I was asking would seem obscene. Then I waited for a response.

    They counter offered saying that they loved our story and couldn’t go that low but they would take $750, which I couldn’t believe. However, It was still out of our financial reach, so I politely declined, and thanked them for even considering my request. They came back an hour later “We love your story, we know you could use it, and we would love for it to go to a great cause. Are you willing to barter?”

    My heart leaped with the possibility that God was opening this door for us. I prayed and felt compelled to reach out to our close friends, and those who were on our newsletter list to share with them and ask them to join us in prayer for favor. The next morning, One of those people reached out to us and said they wanted to cover the difference to help us get the machine. I cried tears of joy at how God worked to get us this mixer. So that Monday we drove down picked up the mixer and set it up in our kitchen, and were able to make our bread in half the time.

    We cannot wait to see how Jesus continues to use bread to bless the community.

    Planting Hope Ministries

    We have taken steps this month to begin forming a non profit. We are in the process of filling out the 1023 form to get tax exempt status but we are officially recognized by the state of HI and IRS as an organization. Although we don’t need a non profit to go out and fulfill the calling God has placed on us, we look at it as a tool that will give us more credibility as we establish ourselves here, and will give our financial supporters a tax break. It also has helped us to sit down and verbally formulate the calling we feel has been placed on our family. We pray that God uses us and this organization to plant seeds of hope wherever we go.

    Friday night outreach

    Raeleigh holding the boards for kids to follow along

    We are continuing to be involved in the Friday night youth outreach. There was a dip in attendance but this last week saw new surge of kids. This month they have been teaching kids how to play pickle ball on the tennis court. Also this past month 4 of the kids, who also attend church on Sunday, got water baptized, which was super exciting. Our favorite part of Friday is the energy of the kids.

    Kids singing at Friday youth night

    Prayer Requests

    Pray for financing, as we are moving forward into full time ministry we are seeking financial partners to come along side us and what God is building out here.

    We had been presented with an opportunity to take part in an intensive through Transforming Hearts Ministries that would help to better equip us for this season of ministry. We are still taking steps towards that, However we are not sure how we will pay for this intensive. It’s $7200 due soon. So please join us in prayer that if we are supposed to take part in this that financing will be taken care of.

    We are continuing to pray for steadfastness, wisdom and grace as we continue to take steps, trusting He will make a way. We want to be faithful to staying on the path God has set us on trusting what He has told us will happen in His timing.

    neufeldfamily2013

  • July update

    I have a sweater that says ‘Faith over fear’. It’s one of my favorites, despite being a cream color, and attracting dirt so easily, because of how comfortable it is. But even more than its comfort level i love the conversations that have come up because of it. I had a conversation with a couple while at market this week, and the husband mentioned he loved the message and walked away encouraged stating: “so often we let fear of unknown effect our faith; really we just need to take the step (of faith).”

    Faith Over Fear

    I’ve taken to wearing clothes more intentionally, because I want to be intentional about what message I am sharing. That even if I’m not saying anything, I am still sharing a message. I have another shirt that simply says “Jesus loves you”. As I was walking around the park, a man coaching baseball goes “I sometimes forget; your shirt is a good reminder” we got talking and the conversation ended with an invite for him to come to church with us. He had been seeking a church community but just needed someone to invite him as motivation to actually attend.

    Jesus Loves You.

    Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the gospel, and that calling isn’t difficult or overcomplicated. I once heard “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”-St. Francis our lives should be a reflection of our relationship with Jesus, if we are aligning ourselves with Him, I find, opportunities naturally occur.

    Kelly’s Kitchen

    This month we began baking bread to bring to the market. We are hoping that by pricing bread below what the stores market we can bless the community with affordable options, as well we are building relationships with local vendors. We have had great opportunity to talk to people and pray with people. It’s a lot of hard work but in the last month we have already been so well received and feel so encouraged to keep going.

    Our first market

    Building

    We have begun construction on the floor of the A-frame. It is a slow process, but we have been blessed with friends who have shown up at just the right time to help us accomplish work. One thing we keep bringing to God is “Lord, we are willing, but we can’t do this on our own”. And just like always, when we are faithful to move forward, He has such perfect timing in providing the help at just the right moments.

    As we are working in the A frame, we have also been doing research so we can establish a sports field on the property. We are hoping we can begin steps to build a baseball/soccer field in the next few months. The biggest issue we have in moving forward is working through getting irrigation for the field, because it requires a consistent water source.

    Outreach

    We are continuing to get involved in the community. Friday night youth outreach has seen a dip in attendance as many kids are out of school and baseball is no longer in season. But the kids that do come are still so excited to hang out with a consistent group of adults. That are excited to learn, and are engaged. Gabe taught a lesson a couple weeks ago and it was well received by both adults and the kids.

    Gabe teaching the Bible lesson on Friday night

    As we have been praying we are still looking for ways to engage the young girls in the community. One lady, a teacher with a heart to see children and the local deaf community encounter Jesus, has begun an ASL club, in the park in the hour prior to the Bible lesson and our girls have been super excited. We had our first club meeting this month, there were only a couple of us but as we have been talking to others and several girls are excited about joining in the future.

    ASL club first meeting

    I’m not sure if it will continue past the summer, I hope it will, but either way we will keep on praying for the children here and seek out ways to reach them.

    Travel

    Over Father’s Day weekend we had the chance to travel to Oahu. An organization Gabe had partnered with reached out to see if he could fix their roof which had been leaking and causing bigger issues due to an influx in storms. All other places they reached out to were booked out months. So last minute we decided to all fly out and make a weekend of it. They were able to provide us with housing for the weekend and Gabe was able to fix their roof in a day. During that weekend we got to use the time to connect with church friends and family in the area. We felt so refreshed by the encouragement from our community on Oahu.

    Celebrating Father’s Day on Oahu
    While traveling I made sure to bring my coffee along with so I could enjoy the good stuff

    Prayer Requests

    Morning prayer together

    We are still working towards getting established as a non-profit. It’s a lot of steps and thankfully we have friends and family who have taken them and are able to help us with the legal aspects of getting established. This is important so we can begin to receive donations and offer tax deduction’s. Please be praying that we can move forward quickly, and that we don’t run into any issues getting approved.

    Pray for financing, as we are moving forward into full time ministry we are seeking financial partners to come along side us and what God is building out here.

    We had been presented with an opportunity to take part in an intensive through Transforming Hearts Ministries that would help to better equip us for this season. We are still taking steps towards that, However we are not sure how we will pay for this intensive. It’s $7200 due by the end of July. So please join us in prayer that if we are supposed to take part in this that financing will be taken care of.

    Pray for wisdom and peace.

    neufeldfamily2013

  • June Update

    God is so good. I don’t think I can ever say that enough. Every time we start to question “God did you really send us here?” He answers so clearly, through scriptures we are reading, through people we encounter, and through perfectly timed unexpected help.Our testimony is constantly “Look what God did…” because there’s no way any of the progress here could have happened with out Him going before us, and that’s exactly where we want to be anyways.

    RAIN

    At the beginning of last month we were sharing how our part of the island is very dry, We have a water catchment system but if its not raining we have to go into town several times a week to fill up our totes with water. We can haul about 700 gallons, which lasts us about 4 days(between laundry, showers, drinking, dishes, toilet, and gardening)now that we have a trailer and a second tote. Every trip into town cost us about $10 in gas and 2 hours of time, which adds up and is hard on our vehicles. We could have a truck come and deliver 2500 gallons of water but that costs us $250. We are praying about other options but until then we keep praying every day for God to send us more rain. We look out we can see the clouds all around us, but we tend to get minimal rain fall.

    A few weeks ago, at our prayer and praise night, the kids asked everyone to pray that it would rain so we could fill up our giant tank.I kid you not, we stepped outside and it starts down pouring! We get all the way home, and had to run into the house because it was still down pouring(which wasn’t great because we left the windows open at the house 😛 )By the end of the night the tank was almost completely full. We continued to get rain overnight for the next week or so, which allowed that rainfall to mostly sustain us up until last week. Two lessons: First, Do not doubt the faith of a child. Second, ask God to hold the rain until you are home unless you were planning to wash your hair that night anyways 😛

    TRACTOR

    One of our prayers has been a means to clear the land. We have been slowly weed whacking, but the California grass eats through the wire, and by the time we finally finish with one portion its already growing back. Gabe’s parents bought a tractor and they have been so generous to allow us to utilize it for many projects as we are working to clear the property; Huge answer to prayer!

    The past several weeks we have been able to knock down several small trees

    mow the land, and even grade the road to allow for better vehicle access.

    BUILDING

    We are continuing construction projects as we have material available. The past couple weeks we have been able to get materials for doing the floor on the A-Frame house, and are hoping to begin that stage of project this week.We have been continuing to help work on the small cabins on the neighboring property. These cabins will have the capability to host individuals or couples who want to help on the property, which is exciting. We have one gal currently staying in a cabin, and will hopefully have one more cabin completed this next month.

    OUTREACH

    The church we are involved with has been a consistent presence in this community and has established relationships with the kids, primarily elementary and middle school boys, in the area. At church on Sunday, the kids out number the adults which is such an exciting sight to behold. Hearing the kids sing out the hymns with zeal melts my heart, I can only imagine how much more it touches the heart of God. This last Sunday, several of the boys asked the leadership about baptism, showing sincere desire to take that next step in their faith walk.

    We are so excited to have opportunity to help out with outreach events they have established, and partner with them by offering support. This past week, Gabe was asked to present a message at the Friday night youth outreach program.Our prayer with the kids is that God opens up doors for relationship. We are also praying about ways we can reach the young girls in the community, and how we can continue to be involved with what this church is already doing. We both feel a community doesn’t need more programs, but we need more christians to partner together to be consistent with the next generation.

    GROWTH OPPORTUNITY

    Gabe and I have been continuing education, and personal growth as we need to equip ourselves with tools so we can better minister to the community. God has provided the amazing opportunity to go through a class (Discovering MErcy) this past year, thanks to a friend who felt led to provide the finances to cover the cost.

    As we continue to move and take steps in obedience, Gabe and I are working to gain more tools that will help our family move forward in ministry. We have both seen many families torn apart in ministry because they had undealt resentment and bitterness, or they have placed the outward ministry ahead of or at the expense of the family. We want to place our family in the best possible position so we can pour into others from a place of health.Our relationship with God is always number one, then our ministry towards each other and our kids, any outside ministry comes after that. We have both agreed that if our family is not healthy, we can not effectively help anyone else, and have asked God to remove us from any position of leadership if the ministry ever comes at the expense of our marriage and/or kids.

    All that to say, We have sought advice from several people we respect and they suggested we go through Transforming Hearts, a one week intensive being offered to a select few in August. The purpose of this intensive would be to gain tools to allow us to learn how to communicate to the heart of our family, and in turn others, and work through any roots in our lives we haven’t addressed that could become bigger issues later. We are praying and trusting God that if this is something He wants us to move forward in He will provide the finances for this intensive as it is a $7200 commitment, due by the end of July.

    neufeldfamily2013

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