This summer, we finally joined part of my husband’s family on a vacation to Maui! Traveling together, aside from visiting parents and grandparents, has been a rare treat since our return Stateside, four years ago. We enjoyed the ocean, the beautiful scenery, and the perfect climate.

… well, almost perfect.

The day before our scheduled flight home, I received a text message from the Airline: Due to Hurricane Lane, your flight has been canceled. 

Maui’s location gives it some natural protection from such inclement weather. We experienced some rain almost daily, a little heavier as the storm passed over the island. We experienced high wind, but we live in West Texas. If the wind doesn’t have dirt in it and you still have reasonable visibility, we think, “No biggie!”  Though we managed the weather, we saw a wildfire on one of the mountains. We were inconvenienced by a nearly full day without an elevator (and we stayed on the eleventh floor). 

In the Eye of the Storm

As with the rest of our lives, we used the storm as a teaching tool. Dietrich tends to be a worrier. I often pray with him and encourage him to pray through uncomfortable or uncertain circumstances.

This serves as a reminder for me as well.

Just before we went on vacation, we started listening to the Faithful God Praise and Harmony CD, to prepare for our congregation’s singing class during the fall quarter. Every song on the CD pertains to God’s faithfulness through our circumstances. The words to these songs ran through my mind as we waited out the literal storm.

In the eye of the storm, You remain in control.

In the middle of the war, You guard my soul.

You alone are the anchor when my sails are torn.

Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm.

Ryan Stevenson

The greatest inconvenience of the experience, other than the elevator closure, came when I called to reschedule our flight. Getting our family of four out of Maui meant waiting a few extra days for a flight. We enjoyed the extended stay, though we became a little stir crazy in the hotel on the day everything was closed.

The kids enjoyed the activity center. I did NOT enjoy the walk down all the flights of stairs. Dietrich played Mario, Madilynn built with blocks, all four of us bowled about a 300 point game (if you add all of us together).

The Storm is Passing Over

Our time on Maui, hurricane included, gave us many new memories. Adventures don’t have to be in the extraordinary. Adventures come in the everyday moments that you turn into lasting memories. When I stepped out on the balcony the morning after, another of the songs from Faithful God played in my mind. The verse begins, “Take courage my soul and let us journey on. Though the night is dark, and I am far from home. Thanks be to God, the morning light appears!” At the time, the only words I could remember were the chorus. Whether the storms are literal hurricanes or the tempests and trials of life, seeking and praising God through the circumstances is at least as important as celebrating in joy as the clouds clear.