Cool Injuries by Michelle Huster

Every Monday night Jim and I lead a Bible study in Mission Hills with some really cool singles. We are the only married couple and these guys and gals lead some really interesting lives. They have such a heart for Jesus and it inspires me in my walk with Him.

Jim has an "ice breaker" every week to get to know everyone's name. He goes around the room and has them introduce themselves and state their favorite food, sport, etc... This past week the item was your worst injury.

Now on a side note, many of you may be thinking that is a little sick but let me give you some background about Jim's family. I love to get together will all the Husters (His dad Richard and step-mom Pen and all six siblings). They tell stories about the past which are quite hilarious about trips taken etc... One thing I found out early on when I married into the Huster family is that they have high pain thresholds and really don't think your that "bad off" unless there are bones protruding and gushing blood. The Huster motto is, "Just rub some dirt on it." One time Tasha dove into the pool and hit a float and hurt her neck. She complained for a few days and finally her dad took her to have an x-ray. (He's an orthopaedic surgeon) It was broken!

Not only does the current generation of Husters exhibit this amazing tolerance for pain, this kind of toughness goes back a generation as Grandmother Huster had a pretty bad injury with her hip and didn't care to ride in an ambulance but preferred to ride in a car and just be seen in Richard's office. She went home that day and did great! At least Richard and Pen saved on doctor fees because Richard was able to treat most injuries and Pen is also an RN.

Don't get me wrong, they took wonderful care of their children and parents! The stories are so funny to hear about and each sibling and even the parents have their full share of injuries to tell from skiing accidents, skateboarding, bee stings on the lips and hornets from the garage, getting hit with a golf club by grandchildren, broken arms, broken legs while having to raft down the Colorado River, fingers, toes, ankles, hips, necks, road rash, etc... Really the family is quite athletic and so the more you play, the more chances of accidents can occur. Ken is known in the family as the most daring! I was the safe and cautious one so these tales really intrigue me. Faith has inherited my cautiousness while Isaac has no fear and had staples in his scalp by age1.

So this leads me back to Bible study. As we went around the room people told of skateboard injuries, shark attacks, broken backs, cracked skulls, you name it, and someone had experienced it. Then it was my turn to share. I knew just the injury that had been the worst for me. As everyone got quiet and listened to my injury, I said proudly, "A broken tail bone during child birth." The group went wild!!! None of them had ever experienced child birth but knew it was painful and many had shared breaking a tail bone and how horrible it was. All the tough guys soon claimed me as the "Champion!" I felt quite good about my accomplishment. It is hard to impress surfers, rock climbers, sky divers, etc... I know the Huster family would be proud that one of their own won out on the worst injury and became the coolest of the group if only for a moment!

Who does your hair? M- Huster

Wow! I just had my first multicultural experience. I don't know if it was because it involved a sweet Chinese gal or maybe it was just a California thing. Anyway, I went to get my hair cut yesterday because it had gotten so long and hot. I didn't have time to go closer to downtown because I had to pick up the kids from school in less than an hour. I drove by our local supermarket and in the complex there was a salon. Only one other person besides the stylist was there so I thought she could probably work me in pretty quick. Boy was it quick!

As I go up to the counter she asked, "What can do for you?" I no speak much English, shampoo? cut? style?" I said yes and we headed back for the sinks. The no speak English part should have clued me in but I decided to take the plunge. And plunge I went...she washed and conditioned my hair in less than 2 minutes. She flipped up my chair and whirled me around into the styling chair. She then asked, " Ever had razor cut?" I replied, "Yes, especially in the shower when I shave my legs." The next thing I know she whips out this handy dandy razor and begins to slash away at my hair. She kept saying, "Your hair too thick, it need be shorter and thinner, only take a minute." She was right! Hair was flying. I felt like Edward Scissor Hands was at work! Surprisingly when the "hair" settled, it looked really cute but way too short! As I took a deep breath and went to pay, she startled me by saying, "Come with me!" She led me to the back room and told me to lay down on the table. Then she started putting hot wax on my eyebrows! She said, "Eyebrows need waxing, to bushy, I make them sleek and clean." I never noticed that my eyebrows were bushy and now with that hot wax in her hand, I wasn't going to argue. She ripped off the tape which made me jump. She laughed, "Oh, that hurt?" I didn't have time to reply because her phone rang. Now all I could think about was that she was going to have to do the other side! She came back and did it again plus she broke out the tweezers and plucked a few strays that escaped the first attack. Finally she sat me up and gave me a mirror. She asked, "Do you like? All better now, makes eyes look brighter." Yeah brighter, my eyebrows were lit up like a firecracker with red marks.

At last it was all over and she said, "That be $20." I thought, Wow! I got all that and drama too for 20 bucks! I paid a lot more in SC for just a shampoo and cut. In all honesty, I do like my hair and eyebrows. The moral to this story is...when your in Southern California, ask your neighbor "Who does your hair?" and make sure you speak their language.

I never did get the gal's name but by the time she was finished with me, the salon was full of eager customers. I plan on going back, at this rate I will really save some cash because she cuts my hair so short I won't need to go nearly as much as in the past!

The Truth

It is so easy to to get caught up in performance mode. Last Friday, I posted a blog as a proud father about Faith being "Student of The Week" at OB Elementary. That evening I laid in bed and became extremely convicted about the values I was teaching Faith. See, after I posted Friday's blog, I made sure that Faith saw it. I made a big deal about her award, no harm done? This was one of the first true achievements Faith had been awarded and I made a huge deal (positive reinforcement, right)? Any other parent would do the same? Problem though:What happens when she is not first or the best, how will she react? Reality is I want her self worth to be built on the unconditional love of her heavenly father not on performance. See Faith needs the Gospel in her achievement as much as anyone. Here is a stark truth about Faith - Last week my mother was visiting from Florida and Michelle caught Faith telling grandma Lees to "Get out of my room!" This was followed by a poster she made for her door proclaiming "NO Grandmas!"(you can imagine her tone of voice). That is my "student of the week" pretty stinking and selfish.

When I got home, I took Faith to her bedroom and sat on her bed and had a "talk". I talked with Faith on a heart level and wanted her to know that I was very disappointed and was going to take privileges. I finished our time together by telling her how much I loved her. I told her that my love is not based on whether she was first or last but on the fact that she was my little girl. Nothing could ever change the fact that she was my little girl and I would always love her.

When you are loved unconditionally, it frees you up not to be driven to be first but let others shine. Hopefully, this was a teachable moment for Faith, I know it was for me. Next, time I will make a big deal and blog about a character issue, like serving a classmate if it happens (I hope so).

P.S. Faith loves her Grandma Lees so much and felt very badly for what she had done. Thankfully, Grandma Lees loves her unconditionally too!

Student of The Week

Just wanted to share a wonderful honor Faith received today at Ocean Beach Elementary - Student of the Week! Of course, we are very proud parents. Faith told me last week passionately, she loved school and wished she could go everyday.

Michelle has had a much better week and was downtown today with all the other harbor wives. My mother has been in town this past week helping hold down the fort. She picked up a bad sinus infection and has felt pretty bad for the past two days. Please pray for her as she flies home tomorrow.

I was able to surf a few times this week. Tuesday, I paddled out at break called The Cliffs, it was magical. The beauty of San Diego is such a gift!

We are now blowing up balloons and making posters to welcome Greg Langley who flies in tonight. Please be praying for Greg during this transition. He has two days to catch his breath then begins his new job. I think he works five out of the first seven days.

Earthquake...by M Huster

Something we all know about California is that they have earthquakes. Ever since we moved here, I knew that this experience would take place. My first earthquake was not without a little drama.

September 10th was my best friend's birthday (Katrina) and she came out for a long weekend from South Carolina. Unfortunately, my health was not good at all and she had to help me just like old times. I was having really high blood pressure and a sustained high heart rate. This made me a little edgy and very uncomfortable. About 6am I woke up on Sunday and remembered that the planes were going to be taking off at 6:30 am; we live near the airport. I went into Katrina's room to close the window so the planes would not wake her. I was about to go into Faith's room to do the same when I got this really strange feeling. Things were just a little "too" quiet and the air seemed really thick. I then got nauseated and felt like something bad was getting ready to happen. Jim startled me and told me to get back in bed. About 30 seconds later, our bed began to shake! I sat up and said, "Did you feel it? Was that really an earthquake?" Jim agreed and the next morning we found out it was a 3.4. After the earthquake, I slept like a baby. Later that day, our friend Lois came over and I told her about my experience. She said I was better than a dog at predicting earthquakes!! Kinda spooky but if I could make some money predicting...well that would be cool. I don't think they are going to sign me on just yet at USCSD. Katrina slept through it and was really bummed that she missed out. She asked me what it was like. I told her, "Do you remember how it felt when your water broke before you went into labor?" That was what it was like. You know it is going to happen, it just takes you by surprise when it does!

PS: Thank you for all the prayers. My health is improving!

OB Prayer Walk

“If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry.” Isaiah 58:9-11

On Thursday evening, a group of Ocean Beach and Point Loma locals who are actively involved in other Harbor congregations, met for a prayer walk down Newport Ave (OB’s main drag). It was so much fun to begin to a pray for our community. We prayed through the verse above from the prophet Isaiah. There are some great promises to hold on to.

As most of you know, Michelle’s health has been sketchy for a few weeks now. Her heart rate and blood pressure have been super high. Her doctor has her on some medication to lower her BP and heart rate and that has helped. She is a little frustrated that they are only treating the symptoms and not really getting to the root of the problem. However, her doctor does communicate well and is easy to get in touch when needed. It is hard to transition to a new Endocrinologist when they really don’t know your history. She is very grateful for all the support she has received from the other Harbor wives. They have given their time, support, and prayers. Her spirit remains strong and she just “rolls” with whatever comes. God has truly sustained her.

School Daze...by Michelle Huster

It's that time of year again! School has begun and so life starts a more structured routine for school age children and their parents. I just love the rows and rows of crayons, paper, notebooks, glue, and every other school supply you can think of at your local Target or Office supply store.

Last week, Faith and I had a "girls day out" of back to school shopping. Our main goal was a new backpack and a few pencils and paper. We went to three different stores and found everything we needed. Something else I found that afternoon was not school supplies but a hard look at myself and my heart. As we went to a new store, I could not help but notice all the street people hanging out in front begging for money or food. Some would be standing but mostly sitting with all their worldly possessions in a small grocery bag. By the time we had reached our third store, it seemed as if they were EVERYWHERE!!! I began to hold Faith's hand a little tighter and walk a little faster. Then fear set in and I became angry that these people were interrupting my day with my daughter. The Holy Spirit quickly convicted me of my arrogant, superior attitude and I became ashamed of my fear and the truth He had revealed about myself. I asked the Lord right there and then to forgive my attitude and to give me courage. Just then, a long bearded man approached us wanting "spare change." I told him no. When Faith and I entered the store, I pulled her aside and we talked about what had just happened. I shared with her that there are people in this world and right here in our neighborhood that don't have a place to call home. Most of the time it is not their fault and even if it is, God commands us to love all of our neighbors and our enemies, those with homes or not. I told her that I didn't give him money because that is not always the right answer. We talked about what we could do and decided to buy a bottle of water and Snickers bar. As we left the store, he had already moved on to another store front. We looked up and down the sidewalks hoping to find him. We promised to give the water and candy to anyone else that day who looked like they needed it.
Some of you may be thinking, what a great teaching moment but the truth is I was the one learning a new lesson. I have been praying for God to open my eyes to the down and out of our community. On that day He showed me!!! I had not noticed them before. It was no coincidence that the previous night I had been at a Bible Study entitled, "Sharing God's Heart for the Poor." This past week, I have started to discover God's heart for the poor through His Word. In Psalm 68:5, God is described as "A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His Holy dwelling." It is only by His mercy that I am not standing out in front of a store holding a grocery bag of all my worldly possessions. As God's daughter, He has clearly laid out His desire and will for me to care for the poor. Not just by writing a check but really getting to know who they are and loving them! My prayer now is that He will show me specific ways to reach out to those in need without fear and with compassion that only Christ could give.

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. --- PROVERBS 14:31