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.
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.
We were able to put together a wish list for those wanting to donate specific items directly to the ministry.
We were able to put together missions opportunities for those wanting to come out and help on the property
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.
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.
The Neufeld Family 
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