Sweet Moments

Little Man on the Move
A little chopping never hurt anyone! Sheila from Washington State is next to me.

SWEET MOMENTS

Sweet Young Spirit
A young girl about 7 years old came into the kitchen while we were cleaning up after lunch and asked if she could pray for us. In appreciation for the work of the kitchen crew she quietly and confidently asked God’s blessing on us. What a sweet moment!

Cruise Ships
A number of cruise ships come regularly into port here in Kona. They usually depart but literally sailing off into the sunset. It is such a beautiful sight – one did so on a beautiful clear evening a few nights ago and me without my camera!. None the less - What a sweet moment!

DTS Outreach Returnees
We went last night to an informal evening with students who just returned from Cambodia, Columbia. Vietnam and China. We talked to them – mostly very young ones 18 / 19. They spoke with great excitement of all that saw and heard. A frequently used phrase was ‘life changing’. More sweet moments!

Tattoos and Piercings
I saw a young man approaching the kitchen area yesterday very ‘decked out’ with tattoos and piercings. He was singing and waving his arms. No - he was not on drugs – he was singing the doxology! Another sweet moment! God looks at the heart.

Your Sweet Moments.
I hope you are having sweet moments in your life too.

WHAT A RIDE!

I can say that about a lot of things right now!! What a ride!!

Starting at the obvious – Harpuna Beach – watching whales on a perfect sunny day with waves big enough to knock me down (twice) but … once I was out past where they broke it was such fun to rise and fall on the swells in the warm salt water – what a ride!

Listening to Rya’s story – Rya is from Tajekestan – she told her story about how she came to be in Kona – amazing! Briefly she became a Christian as a young teen but this was not good in her family’s eyes. She was beaten beyond recognition and her life was threatened. A couple of years later, she was in her church when it was bombed. She survived but returned to help those whose clothes had been blown off when a second bomb went off burning her over 90% of her body and exposing the insides of her brain. She died and saw Jesus but asked to return to earth to serve Him. He agreed and she came back to the excruciating pain of her injuries. The doctors said she would not live but she did – she is now fully healed except for a small scar on her head.
She wanted to study at Oral Roberts University but had to get better English skills. She enquired about ESL in Kona. But instead she was allowed to enroll directly in a discipleship training program (this is not normative) …. She had the means to travel to Moscow and apply for a visa which she received. She borrowed some money from a friend and flew to LA. She tried to get a flight to Hawaii but was short of funds. As she was getting help on the internet to find a cheaper flight, someone heard of her plight and paid her way…. So here she is.. what a ride!

By the way – an offering was taken to pay off her debt and send her on outreach – that will be another amazing ride!

Day of prayer and fasting – There were many amazing speakers, testimonies and declarations - Caleb talked about how battles are won or lost in the heart . I had time to examine my heart and God spoke to me about many things. A number of scriptures came to mind about mercy, about feeding the hungry … like Isaiah 59 – one part reads “spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed’ …. I pray for more opportunities to do that very literally… what a ride!

Sitting on the shores of the ocean outside at a church service with waves crashing, praising God and being led through scripture at a seeker sensitive but not watered down examination of the word. What a ride!

Hearing about Mission Building opportunities all over the world - this is for both those who are adventuresome and for those who are less adventurous. www.missionbuilders.org. What a ride!!

It’s all good. Very good!

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!

Kitchen-ing 101

Kitchening 101

Hey – I’ve invited 700 for lunch – hope you can handle it – and by the way they’ll stay for dinner.

I have to admire these people who run the food side of life here at the University of the Nations. I think the kitchen was designed for about half the number now being fed – but somehow it all works out.

Besides it isn’t really about the food – it is about the people whom God is calling and teaching and the plans he has to use them in many ways around the world – it is about the stories of what He has done in the past and is doing today and will do in the future. It is about healing and breaking down and building up. Which brings me back to the lettuce.

A couple of cases of romaine to cut and clean and spin for 4 minutes in my new favorite toy, Get it well chilled and set it out to feed the people God wants to use I wonder where that nutrition will end up…. Asia? Africa? Europe? North America? South America? Who knows? Keep the people well nourished so they can concentrate on what they are learning.

Working in the kitchen can look like lots of different things … barbequing several hundred pounds of beef, racking up 179 pizzas for baking, or trying in vain to open the door of the large freezer and finally getting help form the ironman! Lots of people here are into the triathlon / ironman thing.

Now picture the dishes – plenty of dishes.

Some times it is slow in the kitchen and sometimes it is hard to keep up! At the end of the day I am always tired and I think dehydrated. This week I will try to consume much more water … speaking of water … I am thinking of the next blog it will be about weekends!

KONA 1

Kona View
Thomas at 6 months!

What is bigger than a breadbox, smaller than a Volkswagen beetle, and is Lauris’ new favorite toy? It’s a bright green electric salad spinner the size of a cement mixer! Handy for preparing salad greens for 700!

Life in the kitchen from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM is many things – like hard work and sore feet – but more so it is working together with people from all over the world to further God’s purposes …. Both Ron and I are enjoying the opportunity to serve and being part of the Mission Builders team who have come to give all they are – flat out and flying! Some are young and some are – well – not so young – but all are here willingly and enthusiastically and God has reasons for it all. One fellow was in Kona on a cruise a year ago and came to see the YWAM campus – returning this year on his vacation time from work to serve through Mission Builders. One lady has come for 13 years! Some of the Mission Builders are Korean students who took the ESL course and stayed on to serve.

We have the personal joy of being with Jen, Caleb and Thomas – what a treat to meet here while they are busily leading a Discipleship Training School…. seeing them ministering and hearing Caleb preach – playing with Thomas who is so full of sweet smiles and enjoys people just like his mom and dad. …Caleb’s father Pete was here last weekend and we all headed out to the beach and for supper at Bubba Gump’s. (M-m-m good shrimp!)

Our accommodation is comfortable and the meals on campus are generous, tasty and varied. Hale Ola is home to about 100 Mission Builders!

We find ourselves still praying for Kenya a lot – for the nation and for the people whom we hold dear. We cannot forget and would not want to forget.

Now about the Big Island – the weather in Kona is amazing – sunny and hot. There is much black lava on the beaches and rather strange looking black crabs … moonscape-ish! I always enjoy palm trees and beautiful floral. The aroma of Kona coffee is never far off ….

There is no public transport and things are a bit spread out so it will take some time to know the town. We have just been here 6 days and have a few favorite walks…. Mostly along the water front where there is a small swimming beach. We go back and forth to campus in YWAM vans.

Friends Neil and Anita from Vancouver are here and we had a nice day together exploring part of the island and finding a nice lava beach. Don and Joan will be here this weekend and Laura and Dave soon arrive for a month as Mission Builders! We are blessed!

Right now I am listening to some kids having a game of tether ball outside our window. The laundry is almost done and the ceiling fan has us comfortable and relaxed! It is good here in Kona. I am thinking on the worship service we just had and thankful to have come!

Kenya - Our Hearts Are There

It is heartbreaking to hear about all that has happened in Kenya since our departure on Dec 19th …. How can anyone comprehend the turmoil and the suffering? …. a lack of integrity in the presidential election process is the trigger; the underling tribalism and corruption are so pervasive and are so much at the root of the problems….. impediments to true democracy.

Honesty, transparency, accountability…. these were the watch words of the CRWRC project we were privileged to serve on…. These were the characteristics we saw in our co-workers …. These are essential for justice and mercy to abound.

Now Kenya reels in pain……suffering from a deficiency in the building blocks for true democracy: honesty, transparency and accountability……. from the top down.

There is a quote that says: Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice (Marin Luther King perhaps?). Such justice is more than stopping the demonstrations in Kenya…..much more.

There is another famous quote from the bible:
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.2 Chronicles 7:14

In a country where the Christian faith is very wide but not always very deep, we met many amazing authentic Kenyan Christians from who had much to teach us.

Please pray for Kenya in light of the above two quotes. The people need true peace, justice and mercy in an atmosphere of honesty, transparency and accountability.

We love the people of Kenya and God loves them even more.

A LOT

A lot has happened since the last post - covering an enormous range of emotions

- saying good-bye to our project coordinators - amazing people who have blessed us greatly
-saying goodbye to some precious pastors

- visiting Lake Nakuru National Park where we saw white rhinos and tons of flamingos and buffalo

-saying goodbye to our friends in the Nairobi office whom we greatly respect
- saying goodbye to Chris and his family and to Ben whom we we would live to serve alongside again - they taught us so much
- saying goodbye to the gang at the guest house - what a rich variety of experience and involvement in making the world a better place. So many goodbyes. I am not too fond of goodbyes.

- flying over the desert , the Mediterranean and the Alps - a wonderful view of God's magnificent creation
- a couple of hours in old town Amsterdam in the cold winter air exploring the canals and the classic architecture

- flying back to Canada and being greeted by dear friends
- arriving a few days before Christmas to many welcome home blessings from loving people
- Christmas - the wonder of God's provision in the Christ child, dinner with family on Christmas eve and with other family on Christmas day - delicious abundant food

- sitting with the fire on and remembering Africa just a few days prior and connecting by phone with many loved ones

- hearing the news of election problems in Kenya and subsequent horrors and trying to find out if those we love in Kenya are OK
- celebrating the new year with a special Kenyan focus - what a blessing - and visiting my dear friend Nanci who amazes me daily

- anticipating going to serve with Mission Builders in Hawaii very soon

- emotions - a lot has happened this past month. Sometimes I just have to stop and try to re work it all in my mind and my heart - it seems a part of my heart is still there in Africa.