Lots of thoughts and directions

Sometimes my mind seems to go many ways at once – it has been that kind of a week :

Kenya – the country is at the tipping point – there is all the election and political inputs which have resulted in chaos and destruction – there is disease which takes hold especially of the weak and the young – there is hunger and homelessness – there are families torn apart – there is fear and hatred - there is also potential. Changes have to come from within the country. No matter how much money the world pours into Kenya – the real changes will have to come from within. Heart changes. Loving as Jesus loves.

Friends – Friends are a gift from God and we are so blessed.
Don and Joan took time out from their vacation in Honolulu to come and visit ….Drinking Kona Coffee by the sea and walking on a lovely beach….
Neil and Anita have been vacationing here on the Big Island and we have had the opportunity to visit and chat and sight see … always a joy
Dave and Laura are coming in a few days …. Lots of anticipation and excitement to see them and hear their stories of Brazil, South Africa, India, Thailand and more --- I am so thankful anticipating time together

Ukuleles – guess what – they really do play ukuleles in Hawaii – even in the kitchen at the U of N - Sam will sometimes pull out his ukulele as we are finishing up our work duties – got to love that. We enjoy the serving in the kitchen and the many people of all ages with whom we work or talk to – God is working here in so many people and preparing Christians everywhere to join together and complete the great commission.

Caleb Jen and Thomas – it is such a treat to be close by – walking about with Thomas is like having a celebrity in our midst. He is so smiley and relational that he has a following at age 6 months! His body is small but he is a ‘big’ man on campus! It is a blessing to talk to students in the Megacities DTS who re being challenged and inspired – I wonder how their lives will be changed by this experience.

Rain – it has rained twice since we have been here – as in sheets of rain and wild thunder …. Apparently it has not rained for months so the rain is much needed and s very dramatic! “When she rains, she pours!”.

Kona coffee – hand picked and very tasty – some coffee is 100% Kona coffee but much is blended … It is becoming my weekend treat. Harry, who runs the kitchen, grew up farming coffee - a coffee plant is about 16 feet high – the ones we saw at high elevation in Kenya were smaller – Maybe 10 feet. There are places here where you can tour and learn about coffee.

Weekends – we have had 2 weekends here and both have involved a breakfast out and beaches. Kona has a small swimming beach beside the pier but you have to drive to get to most – we have found one sandy beach but it is a long drive. Fortunately Mission Builders band together and head out regularly so we should get to enjoy a variety of locations. This is a popular spot for cruise ships which island hop – Kona is a petty quiet place but the shops are hopping when a couple of big boats unload 6000 people into the town!

Movie – we can get movies from the library here and we watched ‘I Am David’ this week – a very moving story – if you get a chance to watch it, let me know what you think of it. It is based on a novel. Anyone read it?

Challenges – I could hear a bit of the teaching on listening to God today as I was setting up buffet lines and washing tables. I am thinking about how I am so busy talking and doing instead of listening. There will be a time of fasting and praying here soon – I want to listen. You may hear soon of something called the Call to All. I will write about it as I learn more. Youth with A Mission is an exciting ministry and our experience at the Perth base has been a delight – we look forward to having the chance to sit on a DST class or two.

Emails – thanks so much for the emails – Keep them coming please – bless you for taking the time to write!