restorer of lost voices

 Isaiah 61:3     To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. 
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. (NASB)

My husband and I stepped off the plane on the main Island of Hawaii and were not prepared for the weather.  We had flown from Oahu where it had been a beautiful,  sunny day.  It was raining on the main Island when we landed and the temperatures only reached  near 50 degrees.   Dressed in  tank tops and shorts, we were freezing and needing a strong cup of coffee.  We found a small café on a coffee plantation, and stopped to warm up and inquire about directions to the volcano.  This visit would change my life.

The owner of the café was a beautiful, elderly Hawaiian woman that I appropriately named “Esther” after we returned home.     When she asked me about my work , I told her that I had just retired as a manager of a Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center.  She nodded her head slowly and our eyes locked as she told me that she only hired women to work with her on the plantation.  She did not need to explain any further, I knew she was a rescuer of women and children.  She served us the best Kona coffee we had on our trip and then quietly gave me words of advice as we were leaving to hike the basin of an inactive volcano.  Its as if she already knew my story.

Esther told me that when I hiked to the bottom of the volcano and walked across the dead wasteland, I should lift my hands to the heavens and have my husband take a picture of me.  She told me to release my cares to God and I would realize his healing presence in the midst of the barrenness.  His power was visible in the volcanic crater and I would know with certainty that He existed.

It was pouring down rain as my husband and I walked through the muddy rainforest to reach the bottom of the crater.  I was eager, anticipating the journey.   When we reached the basin, the clouds parted and the sun came out. We walked a mile across the dark, rocky floor  with smoke seeping out of the crevices.  It was unsettling, as if the earth could erupt at any moment.  And there in the middle of no man’s land, where soil didn’t exist,  we found beauty. A delicate red flower had bloomed and was growing strong through the rock.

We returned to the Café after our hike to speak with Esther.  She filled our plates with delicious chicken wraps and listened as we shared our experiences.   She had been hopeful that we would find beauty in the midst of the barrenness.  Although it is sometimes hard to find, when we earnestly seek it, we will find it. This was a turning point for me in my life as I returned home and began to journal my thoughts about my history.  God began to re-frame the ashes of my past with his truth.  There was beauty to be found and He would reveal it to me.  It was the beginning of  a changed perspective, as he changed my mourning to joy.

I hope to go back to Hawaii some day to visit Esther.  We are connected by a similar purpose, God has used our broken lives to help Him rescue others.  May our lives continue to be a testament of the planting He is able to do in the midst of what appears hopeless.

Seeking beauty in the midst of the wasteland!

Lily Mae