GOOD MORNING FROM MAUI ~~ March 8

8:00 a.m. We are ever so slowly gliding into a beautiful morning and onto a beautiful Island as this day gets underway.

Maui’s Valley of the Kings, Iao, runs so deep into the hills that some parts never see a sunrise or a sunset. IT is guarded by the mountain scepter known as the Needle. Higher by a mile than anything on the island in Haleakala National Park, where cinder cones rise 1,000 feet from the crater floor and strange, beautiful flowers bloom. AT Nakalele, the eerie lava shoreline looks like the ragged edge of Mars, and ocean geysers spout every few feet. To find a quaint, New England-style town amidst al of this exotic scenery is a wondrous experience. The old wooden buildings curling along Front Street and hanging over the water were once grog shops and ships’ chandlers when Lahaina was the lusty, bawdy, whaling capital of the Yankee Pacific fleet. Spruced up a bit, they are now part of a National Historic Preservation District and serve as art galleries, boutiques and fine seafood restaurants.

The above is what is written in our PRINCESS PATTER this morning. We won’t see all of that but do have two fun excursions which will take up our day in Maui. Our plan:

MAUI WHALE WATCHING (2 HOURS)
Every year humpback whales migrate from Alaska to the waters of Maui, where they mate and calve from December through May. We will be boarding a state-of-the-art whale-watching vessel that’s equipped with both above and below water viewing. Our experienced skipper will maneuver the boat to provide us with the best views without disturbing these gentle giants of the deep.

IOA VALLEY AND TROPICAL PLANTATION (4 HOURS)
We will explore Maui’s sacred “Valley of the Kings” on a scenic drive to Ioa Valley State Park. A guided walk leads to the overlook of “The Needle” ~~ the sacred volcanic spire that rises from the valley floor. We will board a tram for a 35-minute tour of Maui Tropical Plantation, a paradise of flower gardens, macadamia groves, and sugar cane fields.

We pray for our family and friends a wonderful day in your part of the world!! This time next Monday, we will be driving home from Huntsville (flying from LA to Huntsville on Sunday) to arrive home sometime on Monday afternoon, the Lord willing.

I do have a prayer request to share:

Last evening, when we came in from our day in Kauni, our cabin steward, Maria, was in here turning down our bed, leaving candy on the pillows, and all of that (wonderful) stuff. :) We hadn't had much interaction so I asked if we could visit for just a minute and she seemed happy to oblige. We asked her how long she has worked on the cruise ships, and this is her 14th year. I asked about her family. She told me that she has a 14-year-old son and that her HUSBAND DIED THREE DAYS AGO! That was a shock to hear. She said they have been apart for these 14 years. He worked in Dubai and she here on the cruise ships. Her mother has raised their son. Her husband went to Dubui to make his money and she came on the cruise ships to make her money. I asked her if we could have prayer with her and she eagerly grabbed for our hands. I prayed. When we finished, she was crying. She said that she and her husband both are born-again Christians (her words!!!) and that she knows he is in Heaven. He had come back to the Philippines from Dubui some weeks ago and she took a leave from the ship to go be with him because he came home very sick with a terrible kidney problem. She spent some amount of time with him, made things right with him, and then returned to the ship to complete her contract. And he died three days ago and was buried yesterday.

Isn't it wonderful that the Lord gave her the opportunity to go home, to make things right with her husband, before he passed away? What terrible regrets she would have had for the rest of her life. Her name is Maria Villacruz and I would ask that you please whisper a prayer for her and her son (age 14 and back in the Philippines) during this time.

I told Maria that after today's outing on Maui, we will have lots of free time and when she is off and can come by to visit with us to please feel free to do so. She brightened up and seemed to really appreciate our invitation to do so. I don't even know if that would be allowed on her end, but we offered the invitation.

Just wanted to share with you this prayer request for Maria.