As we say our goodbyes...

It is the night of June 7th and I am "home" safe back in Maui. I have to admit that I've really missed that Hawaiian breeze, and love being on US turf. My time in Bangladesh was indescribable, though! I only have a week left with my school and it's difficult to cope with being forced into each others' lives 5 months ago, and now we're so suddenly going our separate ways. I'm not really sure how it's all going to work, and I am fighting back tears every day. Especially since I have grown with these awesome friends in my and their individual walks with God. It isn't easy saying goodbye to people that have played such a large role in that growth.

I do know that I am very much excited to come home and tell you all about my time with the Lord in Maui and in Bangladesh. Lets just say that Jesus doesn't settle for anything less than revealing Himself in miraculous ways... I can't wait to see you all! I'm leaving late Monday afternoon on June 13th... so soon!

And... I have to apologize again for not keeping you posted the last couple months. It is quite challenging! Love you all!

From the King's Park, to the tallest building in Bangkok, to Temple Tours, to the MST Project...

Danielle, Karl and I spent most of the day together last Saturday at what is called the King's Park, or Garden... either one. The King is very loved by the Thai people and has a park - more like a city within Bangkok! - dedicated to him. It was beautiful, humungous, and just an awesome place to enjoy the afternoon with my lovely friends :) We snapped tons of pictures of our surroundings and of each other, talked about anything and everything, and mostly just laughed (you know us ;)). We eventually had to make our way back to the YWAM base so Karl and Danielle could make it to church that night. And I had some plans with my team for my outreach leader's birthday.

The team went out to dinner, but had no clue what to expect. We took a long ride into another part of the city as Sam explained what was to come. He informed us that we were eating at the top of the tallest building in Bangkok at a buffet. Let me just tell you... when we got up there (and the elevator's move FAST over here!), it honestly looked like something you'd see in the movies. It was most definitely a nice treat. The Lord SERIOUSLY blessed us. All in all it was just a nice excuse to get "dressed up" speaking in outreach terms, and enjoy each other's company.

I have to go.. but I'll add more later!

T H A I L A N D !

Ahhhhhh! I'm here!

I left Maui at 8am on Wednesday morning home time, and arrived in Thailand at about 4am Friday morning Thai time... I guess you could say. I saw Karl right before I went to sleep and negated all Asian culture with guy/girl interaction by jumping into his arms. I'm not sure he knew how to handle it, because he's been here for months... hahaha! THEN I saw Danielle, the love of my life (lol!), a couple hours later and I can't even begin to describe how awesome and crazy it was. To think that God has the 3 of us in Thailand together for a couple days boggles my brain. He's so cool :D I love you all and miss you guys like crazy! I'm enjoying my time away, but look forward to seeing everyone.

We're leaving in aboug 8 days for B@ng!@de$h (lol). It's going to be great!

P.s. - I apologize again that I haven't been diligent in updating you. It's going to be even harder overseas. I have SO much to tell you all!

Love Feast

When we arrived at the church and made our way to the front doors, they busted open with some bumpin music and loud cheering. At that very second I started to scream with shear relief, because even though we were led to believe that Exodus would last three more very long days, it in fact was coming to an end. Every single staff member was there dressed in there best greeting us as we walked in dirty and smelly. I just couldn’t believe how happy I was. We all found our way to our designated seats as the music continued and announcements were made. We then were dismissed to eat… the moment all the students had been waiting for; REAL FOOD! They served us steak, salmon, rolls, salad, fruit, punch, coffee (oh yes), and dessert. Tears seriously welled up in my eyes as I began to eat it tasted that good. In fact, I will never forget how delicious that meal was.

The night transitioned into a little speech on the last supper, the love feast, where Jesus broke bread and poured wine asking the disciples to do this in remembrance of Him. It then continued on to how He washed His disciple’s feet, and at that instant I knew exactly where this was going. I started to cry. The staff was going to wash our feet, even after what we went through, and how dirty we were… I literally melted and started to heavily understand the heart behind YWAM. After having my feet washed, and being prayed over, the night ended with an amazing time of worship, a long shower, and a pillow to lay my head.

You're Only Allowed to Bring...

On our camping trip Exodus we had no idea where we were going, or for how long. All we were informed on was what time we were leaving the base on Sunday morning and the items we were allowed to bring. What we weren’t allowed to bring were essential items like a tooth brush, deodorant… or any hygiene products for that matter, not even a pillow. When we headed out that morning the staff members drove us to a soccer field where we decided four teams, made team names and cheers to win a prize. I was pretty excited that our team won and the prize was receiving an advantage in a scavenger hunt.



My first hitch - it was a blast!

Our hunt started in Paia and we were to take photos of certain landmarks and collecting specific items. After we finished that portion, we needed to hitch hike (yes, I said it… hitch hike. It’s legal and safe here  J) to Kahului about 5 minutes away. I have to say that hitching was quite exciting… riding in the back of a stranger’s truck with some friends… haha! When we hopped out of the guy’s truck in Kahului we needed to take more pictures and collect more items. Our last landmark was the mall three miles from where we were located… unfortunately we couldn’t catch a hitch so we walked the entire way under the hot sun with hungry stomachs. After reaching the mall, relieved and in an air conditioned building, we needed to prayerfully catch one last hitch to reach our final destination, Iao Valley.

When we stepped foot outside of the mall I prayed that the Lord would provide a vehicle after having such a difficult time earlier, and being exhausted and hungry… and Iao Valley was not necessarily close by. Sure enough after a couple minutes of walking the Lord provided that vehicle, and sure enough the guy driving loved Jesus! This was the hitch we had all been waiting for… We sat in the bed of his truck as he had his arms folded over the tailgate, and he blessed us with a 10 minute conversation about Christ’s love. He told us that he would take us all the way to our final destination, the top of Iao Valley… and even offered to buy us food!

Once we reached Iao Valley I was BLOWN away at the sight… mountains that absolutely towered over us that looked like they reached the sky vertically! It was warm with the sun on our faces, and a sack lunch that never tasted better. After all the teams had gathered and finished eating, we met a couple from the Island who spoke with us about Hawaiian culture, and the locals. Afterwards we headed out to our campsite with the students having not a clue where we were going. Despite what was to come, the place we pitched tents was incredible! It was out away from the busyness of life and on a cliff over the ocean.

 

We had three responsibilities to take care of: put up tents, collect firewood, and make squatty potties. Yep, this was real camping J. We built up an appetite after our duties, and were informed that Ramen noodles were for dinner. Unfortunately, two of the four teams had to eat it plain after the results of the scavenger hunt. Apparently it wasn’t exactly tasty. Our night came to an end with sharing testimonies around the campfire, and hitting the sack early (we didn’t have cell phones or watches, so the majority of us never knew what time it was – sometimes I think we went to bed as early as 8:30).

Many of us girls woke up the next morning feeling pretty dirty without a shower, or brushed teeth. The day continued on to some quiet time with the Lord, plain oatmeal for breakfast, a trip to some awesome tide pools (a saltwater bath is basically what it was), more testimonies, Ramen for lunch, team bonding, Ramen for dinner, and another night without a shower or brushed teeth. That following morning I thought to myself when I woke up, “We honestly could not get any dirtier than this.” Oh was I wrong…

After our quiet time and breakfast we were instructed to change into shorts and a T-shirt, and to follow the leaders down the road barefoot. It rained the night before, which wasn’t exactly pleasant I might add, so we trudged through muddy gunk to find out that were going to be playing games in it. Like I said, I was wrong about getting dirtier. I remember at one point I just had to embrace our situation, and that afternoon was when we all had the most fun. The refreshing part was that we walked further from camp to a freshwater spring and got to “bathe”, so to speak. All the while I keep thinking to myself, “how much longer might this go on for,” but trying to keep a positive attitude at the same time. 

When we got back to our campsite the leaders announced they had some good news for us. We had 45 minutes to pack up camp, and head to a new destination for three more days. At that moment my heart sunk and I truthfully almost got upset, but then I gathered my emotions and reminded myself that I wasn’t going to die. On our way to this new destination we stopped at this amazing forest that almost reminded me of home; more pines. We hiked down into this canyon and explored caves in the surrounding walls. Despite the fact that we were all exhausted, it was still really cool. When we made our way back to our vehicles our leaders had yet another announcement that a church down the road wanted to house and feed us for the night. I can’t express the joy that filled my heart…

Come Away with Me!

Before I hit you with a ton of updates... I'll have you know that I did in fact write this blog entry over a month ago, and am just now putting it up. Haaa... I'm telling you, life is hectic over here for me, but in so many beautiful ways! With this new post expect more to come so I can catch you up and keep you steady with my short life in Maui.

Flyin Hawaiian

Well, I’m here! I had an early morning flight with barely any sleep, so you can just imagine how exhausted I was by the time I arrived at the base. Flying over the pacific and above the clouds tasted like a small dose of Heaven. I was so anxious to get to the Island that I honestly thought we were almost there, but found out after nearly two more hours on the plane that we weren’t landing yet… haha! Once I got off the plane and grabbed my luggage I sat around for 15 minutes or so at the airport for my DTS staff, Jasmine and Ashley, to greet me. It honestly did not settle in that I was in Maui yet… not even the shining sun, warm air, or colorful landscape convinced me.

As Jasmine and Ashley drove me to the base in Haiku we left the airport in Kahului, which everyone calls “town”, and drove through Paia, a cool little hippie town below Haiku. In Paia we stopped at this awesome coffee shop, Anthony’s, which is well-known to all of YWAM Maui… delicious! Once at the base, Jasmine showed me around and alas I came to my room with a “welcome” package on my bed, and I began unpacking. I also met two other students; one from South Dakota, and the other from Germany. It was nice to get cozy and relax the rest of the night. The next morning on Friday we went to worship, which they do on Monday and Friday mornings every week… I love it! The rest of the day and Saturday we just relaxed as waves of more students arrived. We did make a beach trip, too… amazing!

Goodbye Westcoast...



...hello Hawaii!







DTS Staff: Ashley & Jasmine

Saturday night we had Opening Night at the same building where they hold morning worship. It was great… we met all the staff, and the staff introduced all the students. I got my first authentic lei! Yummy snacks and coffee.. mmm J We closed the night with worship, and an announcement about a camping trip called Exodus…

Time Seriously Flies!

Hey fam, friends, and church. Things here at the YWAM base in Maui are nuts! I'm not kidding when I say that my schedule starts the minute I wake up until the moment I lay my head down. The last three weeks in lecture I've learned about the intimacy of God, a Bible overview, and the Holy Spirit. Let's just say that Jesus has been blowing my mind! That being said, I have so much to update you all on and when I get a grip on my schedule, I will be sure to follow through with my commitment. Hope you all are doing well, and don't forget how much Jesus Christ does truly love you. We honestly can't really fathom it.