...and i'm off

Welcome Home

2008-12-31T08:12:00.001-08:00

As most of you know I am now home, and it's really good to be back. Unfortunately this marks the end of my constant posting to this blog. I think I will keep this blog alive for future travels.... even if they are short term. It might be a while though :) but if I've learned anything through having gone to Hawaii is... anything can happen!

Being home has been quite interesting. The first few days were a whirlwind, and after the dust settled it was hard being back, and trying to get used to a new life... a dramatically different life... again! I'm happy that my family is around or it would be a really lonely return. It's amazing how fast you get used to have people constantly around you. I'm looking ahead though with anticipation for what the new year brings... something tells me it's going to be a GREAT YEAR. I really believe that.

Thank you for trying to keep up with my life away from home. During the homesick weeks it was a big help reading all the comments and being encouraged by you all :) I know I HAVE SUCH GREAT FRIENDS heheheh

Until my next adventure...

goodbye!!

Welcome to Lahaina

2008-12-22T23:37:00.000-08:00

Maui's rockport... except the "little shops" include quicksilver, volcom, hurley.... yadda yadda. I spent my day exploring this great little town. I woke up early for the beach though, because i knew it would be my last beach day for a while :) Makena Beach in the morning, and Lahaina in the afternoon. I tried to snorkle in between ( I stopped on the road on the way to Lahaina) but I didn't really see any fish! heheh

I catch my first flight tomorrow 9:30 a.m.

enjoy!

believe it or not, this is all ONE tree folks. one Huuuuuuge tree.

He was doing some sort of dance... or something...?

shops

and more little shops

I stopped here to snorkle, but i didn't see much.

my sweet ride ;)

Lookout on the road to Lahaina

This is not Lahaina. This was this morning at Makena Beach... or "Big Beach"

Makena.

Sailing.

2008-12-21T22:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry y'all, but my mom and dad do not have facebook (yet!) so, here it goes... again.
Today the lady i am staying with took me on this amazing 5 star sail boat. She works for expedia and gets to do stuff like this for free all the time....
well, I'm exhausted, and they say a picture is worth a thousand words... so enjoy!

Debriefing.

2008-12-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

Part of Downtown Kona from the Pier

Maui at last!

I arrived here yesterday around 3 p.m. I was so beat. The last week has been quite a ride as I
mentioned before, and I was exhausted. Staying up late cleaning and packing every night, then
getting up at 5:30 for work everyday, and also feeling like I needed to spend every spare second
being social due to my eminent departure. I'm very greatful for these last couple of days in
Maui.... There were times when I definitely wished that I was just going straight home, but
something in me knew that I would regret it if I didn't come, and eventually be glad if I did
come. So I did, and I'm glad! It is going to be a great time for debrifing, reminding myself of all
that has happened, and all that I've learned here before I come home. Honestly, I feel like a
different person. Anyway, today I spent the whole day as a vegetable on the beach.... (a tomato
to be exact) I did nothing but lie there, read and sleep..... and it was needed. I've been cruising
around mostly on my own, figuring my way around this brand new island and that has been a
lot of fun... just following my own schedule... no more structure meal times THANK YOU
LORD. I love the freedom, but I miss my friends a lot. When I think about the fact that I spent
the last month doing everything in packs, it really surprises me, because I didn't think i was
capable of being a people person 24/7. It's amazing what you can do when you have no choice!
At any rate, I will try to post maui pictures at some point.
I love and miss you all so much. It's hard to believe i'll be seeing everyone again so soon...

surreal!

last day in Kona:

Welcome to the beach :)

The beach front house I will be staying in when I come back :) pshhhh

Sara the explorer

Finding a secluded beach

It all started on the back of a pickup... and that's how it ended too

winnnnndy

snorkeling. love it

*sigh* i am going to miss this place...

Rollercoaster

2008-12-17T23:01:00.000-08:00

Wow. Have officially entered the "goodbye" phase. Talk about dejavu!! It feels exactly how it did just before i left for Hawaii....

For the last week my closest friends here and I have been SO READY to go home! Yet, today on our last day of work it finally hit us. It felt like 2 days is just not enough time.... suddenly we don't want to leave AHHH!! what a rollercoaster...you start to really appreciate this place again once it hits you that you are leaving and may not ever come back! Today I said goodbye to my coworkers and bosses, and it was SO HARD to say goodbye. We have been through so much together... my job with the kids here was SUCH A CHALLENGE. My bosses and coworkers were such amazing people who taught me so much about love, patience, and kindness. I wish i could bring them home with me :)

Tonight we attended our last mission builder meeting, and since there are so many of us leaving we had a cookout. The others prayed for us, and we said our goodbyes. Lots of crying and hugging. It's SO WEIRD.... when this place FINALY starts to feel like home, and relationships finally start to feel meaningful and genuine.... it's time to go :( and it's so hard to close such an great chapter. God is SO good, this has been a true gift! On a more practical note... HELP!! I don't have enough space on my suitcase for everything ... i'm leaving SO MUCH STUFF behind and still it might be too much. yikes.

I (and everyone leaving friday) have tomorrow off to pack stuff, and clean! We're going to try to do something fun, and take in Kona one last time before we leave. Last night we watched the sunset and ate some dinner (pictures). It's been so good lately just hanging out without agenda and enjoying being here now.... and that's what we plan to do until we leave friday.

I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE AGAIN!! xo

Jesse, Ida, Hanna, Therese, Maria, and I. (Evan is the photographer)
Good times eating sushi and watching the sunset.

uhhh......

Girls

Sushi from Hyashi's. yum

Sunset behind the Kona Inn.

It's more fun when you JUMP

Sunset shots

Last breakfast

last day of SCHOOL!!! woohoo

The crew leaving this friday! (minus 3 or 4) Taken during our meeting/cookout/goodbyeparty

ahhhh. looking at this makes me really sad..... two of our good friends left tonight after the party.

The 3 musketeers

MAUI!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

The countdown is on. I've been waiting for this for SO LONG! This friday I leave for maui, and I will be spending 4 nights and 3 days there. I can't wait! 3 whole days OFF to sleep... sleep.... sleep (on the beach of course) and then when I finally have slept enough to make up for 4 months of no sleep I will explore the whole island, which is much much smaller than this island.
I'll be on my own, which at first I was kind of bummed about, but now I think it's exactly what I need. It will be amazing... just what I need.

SHOUT OUT:
EBERSOLES, KRISTIN, DAWN and MARIA (COSTANZO) you are awesome thank you for the christmas cards! I got them all-but one- in one day which made me feel so loved :)
P.S: I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL... and for SNOW!

Random Pics Because I can

2008-12-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

P.S: Don't forget to vote on my poll!! ------->

Random thursday night service

On thanksgiving (i was supposed to put pictures of thanksgiving up... ooops!) Loren Cunningham -founder of YWAM- came by Hale Ola to thank the mission builders for working hard :) it was fun.... and awkward... to meet him.

HAHAHA. what a goof

bad picture, good people.

Celebration!!

2008-12-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

So much to fill you in on.
This quarter has been wrapping up here, and with that comes a lot of STUFF to do. We had our "celebration" the other night, which is just what they call the end of year party for the foundation school students.... exhausting but lots of fun for the kids. They danced and sang and all that good stuff. Of course it means I was also forced to sing and dance in front of millions of parents and video cameras, but nothing I haven't done a million times before (at least this time the kids didn't leave me to sing and dance by myself for the parents). Today I finished my last full week of work here...... YEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO READY TO COME HOME. I know any of you would be dying to spend a week here in warm weather, but I will have been here for 15 weeks when I finaly come home and i can't wait! Don't get me wrong, amazing experience, but we are all(mission builders) starting to feel pretty much ready to come back.
I came home from work to find my room flooded yesterday... or at least my side of the room. It rained hard all day which is really unusual here, anyway, i had to move all my stuff, and just felt like i am ready to leave this place lol.
Wednesday (17th) is my last day of work, and then I will have thrusday off to clean and pack, then I leave for Maui on friday (19th) and stay there for 4 nights before I leave for home. Please pray that I can tie all the loose ends. I'll be on my own in Maui so... yea... pray for me!! :) I think it will be lots of fun. I WILL HAVE A WHOLE ROOM TO MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND BATHROOM!!!!!!!!!!! you have no idea what joy that brings me. I've been sharing a bathroom with 8 other girls, and if you knew what chaos it is in the morning all trying to get ready for work at once...

Anywayyyyyy.....
here are some pictures! (tried to include myself this time)

100% Kona COFFEE!! this was taken after a mission builder meeting or something or other lol

Saying goodbye to henri, our good mission builder friend leaving a week before the rest of us

My BUDDIES!! we laugh SO hard together... That's Maria and Therese.

Maria and I were in charge of making banners for the celebration

Margrete and Thor. My BOSSES!! (and leaders of foundation school) Man, do I wish they could be my bosses forever.... an awesome couple from Norway.

pretty for the party :)

our little performance for the parents

our choir :)

"I may never ride march in the infantry, ride in the calvary, shoot the artilery..."
Haha that's the song my kids sang for the parents :) I love them.

Maria and I with the Korean teachers :)

Holualoa Christmas Festival

2008-12-07T00:34:00.000-08:00

It just doesn't feel like Christmas here. Let me rephrase that, it doesn't feel like what i've been conditioned to believe Christmas should be like. It's warm, there are no shopping malls, and decorations are quite understated (nothing like what you see in new england.. whole houses covered in lights from top to bottom, giant snowmen blow up dolls in yards... you know). How WEIRD is it that we begin to believe that certain criteria must met in order for the celebration of Jesus' birth to be complete. So, the fact that "holiday fever" doesn't seem severe here is actually a good thing in my eyes. People aren't at all distracted with what is "supposed to happen" around Christmas time. For one, it hasn't felt like the whole world has stopped in a panicked frenzy to buy buy buy. Personally i detest the "Christmas shopping" syndrome (not Christmas) so I am grateful the world around me here doesn't not seem to be too concerned or overcome with a desperate need to buy "stuff". Nevertheless, i miss the things i've grown accustomed to associating with Christmas (the good things) So, when I heard we were going to a Christmas festival in a little town up the mountain (called"Holualoa") It sounded like something i could really enjoy... a small town, small shops and art galleries... and good coffee (which I do not drink :) I think i got some decent pictures. I hope to somehow get my hands on a camera someday seeing my days with this one are numbered (it's borrowed from a friend). At any rate, forgive me for my lack of writing the last couple of weeks. It's hard to find a moment to sit down here, and it takes forever to upload pictures where I live. Time I would much prefer spend with the people i might never see again....

enjoy the pics!

The boys

Art Galleries

Therese and Maria

street shops

Kona COFFEE!

Maria waiting :)

small shops

Dancing!

...on an island in the sun

2008-12-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

My last two/three weeks here have been nothing short of amazing on so many levels.
As my departure date approaches (i arrive home on christmas eve!!) I find it really difficult to stay focused, specially on the job :) I spent this entire past weekend on the beach, trying to savor every second of warmth and sunshine. (I don't think i've been this dark since I lived in the motherland heheh)

On a more serious note, i feel such a peace about coming home and the direction that I have been led in... which reminds me..... the person in charge of placing me at a school for my semester of student teaching has contacted me letting me know that the school i asked to be placed in has no teachers who are willing to host a student teacher. UGH. That means they will try to contact other schools in Arlington, but if no school in Arlington is willing to host me as a student teacher I will have to do my student teaching in good old Salem, Massachusetts. I am confident that what is meant to be will be as far as that goes, but please keep this in your prayers as I no longer have a place to live in on the Northshore. AH!

It's all good...
Some of you have asked if i'm excited to come home or sad to leave here...
well.... BOTH. Both times a million. I'm SOOOOOOO extremely excited to come home for Christmas... drink hot chocolate, and SLEEP IN. On the other hand, I have made such great friendships here. My best friends here don't even live in the same continent as I do, so obviously it will be sad to leave that behind. For the last three months I have shared close to every waking moment with the same group of people (sure, mission builders come and go all the time, but there's been a good group who's been here for the same 3 months as I) We live together, we work together, we share every meal together, and when we have time off.... we spend it together. It will definitely be hard to say goodbye, but in 2 weeks i will be so ready to leave. Part of me has already left, which is what makes it hard to stay focused like I said.. specially at work :) but the other half is working hard to stay focused on being here now.

(i am so bad at estimating wave size, but you can get an idea of the size of that wave by looking at person about the get slammed in the water)

2008-11-26T23:40:00.000-08:00

Iceland /New Zealand/ Norway/ Sweden

i'd love to go.

Anticipation.

2008-11-26T20:48:00.001-08:00

I think i'm doing that thing again where I really miss the cold weather, and it freaks me out. Actually let me repharse that! I miss the change in seasons, but still, it freaks me out! I really wasn't anticipating missing it at all, but I do. I missed fall weather a lot.... and now I miss hot chocolate, and it is against my principles to drink it in hot weather so i've been going to star bucks and buying chocolate milk a lot. I guess all these trips to starbucks really got me missing coffee shops and scarves and what not. Nevertheless, the weather here is really great because we have a little bit of cold in the mornings and evenings, which will do for now.

It's just ironic that when a place finally starts to feel like home it's time to leave! these next three weeks are going to fly by. I know it because the last 3 months certainly have. I'm just bracing myself now trying to make the best of the last few weeks... and really really really realllllllly anticipating my return to Boston, and at the same time not knowing how to say goodbye to all of this.

At any rate, work has been going well. Tomorrow I will spend my first EVER thanksgiving away from home! It doesn't really feel like it's thanksgiving at all :) and get this... mission builders are the only ones working in the whole campus! woo. So, we get to make all the food, but then we are having a party altogether thursday night. I also work friday, but short hours (like 6 a.m to 10 or something) then we all get to take a van to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. I've never spent thanksgiving weekend on the BEACH. interesting.

random pics

Good night Hale Ola
Maria (pink) and Ida going to bed :)

Roommate (red) and stephanie at the kitchen :)

dress up. christian and Jude

Tehani and Ella Joy crack me up with those heels. They walk better in heels than I do.

Swim Lessons every Friday- kids LOVE it.

This is David, and I love him. so does the rest of the campus...

David enjoying life (Christian is really into pretending he is drowning these days)

Jude showing off major backstroke skills

...Waves.

2008-11-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

It looked a lot better with bigger pictures, but anyway just watch the surfer directly in front of the two sitting down.

lazy afternoon...

2008-11-22T17:00:00.001-08:00

writing letters on a rainy day..........................

Ode to Sigur Ros

2008-11-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

If i had to eat papaya
(which I despise)
every time I listened
I would still listen
a lot.

The End.

it's "DINNER"!

2008-11-20T22:11:00.000-08:00

Don't ask me why, but it really bothers me when people call dinner "supper". My roommate calls dinner "supper" all the time, and it's only one of the infinite ways in which we are different. The girl -whose name shall remain unmentioned-that moved into my room once my original roommate(Sydney) moved 0ut has taught me a lot without wanting or meaning to. Sheesh...have I been "stretched" by my roommate situation..... (obviously the word "supper" is not REALLY a major issue, just an illustration:) Don't let my tan or beach pictures fool you, because actually the roommate situation is just one of the many aspects of life here that has stretched me... and that, my friends, is a wonderful thing.

breathe.

2008-11-19T22:54:00.001-08:00

Just got back from a run, and It feels really good. just thought i'd share.
Also, tomorrow around 7 a.m my time I'll be calling up the airline about asking to change my return date to december 23rd (instead of 26th) because I want to come home for Christmas (I won't go into why plans have changed). If you're in the mood, pray for that! The only way I can change that flight is if the airline agrees to reimburse me for a hotel reservation that I made for my trip back (I make a stop in seattle overnight) . Needless to say, I have to stay overnight because my original flight was canceled, so the airline is willing to reimburse me for that seeing as it is THEIR FAULT (or I wouldn't have booked the hotel of course) but they had said they wouldn't reimburse me until I'm already back in Boston. Problem is... I need the money NOW so I can use it to change my flight! Ok, a lot of info, and you are officially lost, but the bottom line is... pray that I can convince them to give me MY MONEY now. I repeat, MY MONEY.

I love you all, and I miss you, and I'm sorry that it is freezing in Boston.... because it sure it nice here (ehehhee love to throw that in there) It's actually getting much better (the weather) it was too hot when I got here, but now it's just perfect. So, if you ever decide to come to Hawaii, come in november... it's great! I'm still on a technology fast aside from this blog and travel related communications :) will keep you posted....

-the end-

"you look tired!"

2008-11-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

Oh if I had a penny for every time I have been told "wow, you look tired!" (in life in general, but specially here because I usually don't get enough sleep)
Yes, I AM TIRED, thank you for pointing it out, but for the most part this is just how my face looks in the morning- whether i am tired or not makes very little difference. God gave me an interesting morning face lol and that is ok with me.

Anyway, just wanted to let y'all know that i'm on somewhat of a "technology fast" this week. Don't ask. It just means that if you have something important to say you can call and leave a message, or better yet... WRITE A LETTER! (I've been so bad about writing it feels wrong to ask for letters but i will anyway) don't leave it for facebook or email because i probably won't get it. This will probably only be for a week, or so... we will see!

Now off to work!!
Today I miss wearing winter clothes lol

Happy Birthday Kristin

2008-11-16T22:29:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTIN!! not quite the 17th here yet, but it is on the east coast! I wish i could've made it to your shindig, but I will celebrate here with a sunday from mcdonalds for you:) heheh)

It seems winter is upon us in Hawaii. The nights are cooler (like in the mid 60's ) and the water is cooler, and the waves are really big at most beaches....
Today we took a van to a new beach and I finally got the hang of body boarding :)
I've tried before, but have been totally beat up by the waves , so i gave up for a while. Well, today I conquered the waves. Granted, the beach was more like a lake, and the waves were only a little bigger than new-england-size waves... but STILL. I had a lot of fun.

only 4 more weekENDS with the mission builders! the bittersweet countdown is on...

Enjoy the random pics

Junior and Elin hanging out at Hale Ola

Alice and her husband Ron arrived here on the same night as I did. Awesome couple

hmmmm i think this was our cleaning day

....when you're having fun

2008-11-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

So as of yesterday I've only got 5 more weeks as a mission builder. Time is flying!
I know the next 5 weeks are going to go by really fast, so I'm trying hard to enjoy my time/friends here as much as possible. Looking back I marvel at how much i've grown/learned in my time here so far....
This monday my good brazilian friend Junior leaves, and I will have no one to speak portuguese to :( It's annoying to have to say goodbye so frequently. On the other hand i'm really grateful that there is a really big group of us who leave on the same day because it'd be really hard to say goodbye to the ones who've been here with me since the beginning. This weekend a huge group of new mission builders arrived (something like 15 people) and I've made a new buddy :) so i'm really happy about that....
I'll be spending my last week of Hawaii in Maui :) and I am really looking forward to 7 straight days in Hawaii without WORK :D

ridin a scooooterrrr. I was pretty scared... my friend shana had just learned how to drive one

Breakfast!!

Varpu's bday party

Dinner at Bubba Gumps. fun.

skype it up

2008-11-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

I have it.
you have it.

let's use it!

**mom, dad, ask matt to tell you what it is, and tell everyone to be home on sunday so we can skype it up.

Ode to the Sea Turtle

2008-11-10T00:32:00.000-08:00

Sea Turtle
Oh how I wish
I could hug you,
and lift you
but you are heavy
and it could cost me
25,000 dollars
according to David.
and you
you are always always sleepy
and I would hate to wake you up

The end.

mahai'ula and Jaboticaba

2008-11-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

this weekend was perfect.
on saturday we had cleaning day, and afterwards my friend david (foundation school staff) actually invited some mission builders to go to a beach nearby which id never been to before called mahai'ula. The place was amazing... it was so quiet that we all actually fell asleep ... no tourists, no madness, no boomboxes... oh the joy.
At night I realized that now that it's november not only are the waves bigger, but that the nights are a chillier. As I walked to mcdees for my saturday night hot fudge sunday delight, I I was freezing when it was actually only about 65 degrees, which sent me into a panic about soon coming home to below freezing temps. a.k.a i am NOT ready.

On a happier note, on sunday afternoon a brazilian couple (simone and Leo) who is staff here at YWAM invited some of us other brazilians to their house for some CHURRASCO. oh yum. It was only Sam, the kitchen cook, Junior, me, and Michelle (korean brazilian.... SO COOL)

Did I mention they happen to have some JABUTICABA? (awesome brazilian fruit that i havent had in about 13 years maybe more...) I went nuts. nuts. they started calling me jabuticabeira (jabuticaba tree) I brought some home which I will devour in the morning.

note that I am trying to type this in darkness as my roommate is asleep....

Good night Boston :)

JABOTICABA!

YUM! out of focus

Flamenguista

Sam(Hawaiian friend of ours who is staff in the kitchen), leo, e junior

eu simone e a michelle

korean brazilian :)

so happy to find a quiet non touristy beach

The teacher thing...

2008-11-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

I have no problem admitting that more than once I have doubted, or questioned whether teaching little kids, or teaching at all, is really FOR ME. Don't get me wrong, there's no question about how much I love kids, and that I want to work with them, but the whole "being a teacher" thing is what I sometimes wondered about. It's just a really big responsibility and at the end of almost 4 years of college I was not feeling so secure that my education(and experience with TODDLERS) had prepared me for that role.

Well, this week i was with the kids in a circle teaching a lesson or something or other and all of a sudden it dawned on me. wow, i'm a teacher. When I first came to YWAM my expectations for the job with foundation school were completely different than what I found on my first day lol. I was expecting to be nothing but a helper to someone who was completely in charge and knew what they were doing.... but instead it's a lot more like a co-teaching experience. The other teacher and I split up the subjects each week and we are fully in charge of teaching that area, and of course beyond that is classroom management which I feel has been left completely up to moi :) (that's not to say that the other teachers don't help with that, but "order" is one of those things that comes naturally for me only because I can't really function in a classroom without it, so i've just taken over that area without realizing heheh)

At any rate, the point is I feel like the whole experience though very very hard and frustrating at times :) has given me some confidence, and DESIRE, to go into student teaching in january. I'm really looking forward to it. I know that God had it all planned out this way for a reason, and it has been just what I needed.

This week has been one amazing week of just learning that God is faithful, and He really hears little OLD ME! it has been so good, and now I can't wait to go home and share it all with you

missing y'all!!

the kids praying for China

I wish I could watch the Office

2008-11-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

I think I've officially entered the phase in blogging where keeping up the blog becomes more of a chore than anything else. If you're a long time blogger and you've never entered that phase, hats off to you....
I think part of it has to do with the fact that the camera i've been using of late is this really cool danny/joel camera, which just means it works well and it's big :) (Before you freak out and think that I actually spent a grand on a camera let me explain that a friend let me borrow it... it's NOT MINE! lol) So anyway, i don't carry it around with me, and I don't really take pictures unless an occasion arises. On the bright side, I'm actually learning how to take pictures manually... and I LOVE IT. I've gotten a few mini lessons from a couple of friends here, which has actually made me consider taking photo sometime when I get back (maybe over the summer?) It probably won't happen seeing as i don't own a nice camera which would defeat the purpose :) but dreaming about it is fun. Since being in Hawaii I've thought about learning a million things... including at least 3 other languages, bible school, photography lol and the list goes on.... I will have to narrow the list down when I come back to earth of course.

This friday I'll have been here for 9 WEEKS!! It's ridiculous how fast time flies when you're having fun... It feels like the worst phases of homesickness are over, and the 13 other girls i live with are really starting to become a little sisterhood of sorts . Building 6 at hale ola is one very exciting place to live heheheh......

Now on to more important things, IT'S ELECTION DAY!

I love election day, even though I don't get to vote. Let me rephrase that. I LOVE election day probably BECAUSE i don't get to vote. No pressure on my back about having to pick between two unexciting/uninspiring choices... I just sit back, pray hard, and watch it all unfold.

Oh and one more thing... I wish I could watch The Office!

rest

2008-11-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

today the gang went to some place to kayak, but I actually stayed home... slept in.... then went to the beach later on in the day.
call me a granny, but all I have to say is feels good to stay back and rest once in a while :) I feel so much better...

Origins of Halloween

2008-10-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

so most of you know i'm not a fan of halloween.
Well if you're interested in finding out why....
Here's a little history of the Origins of Halloween

(this is an informational post, so i'm not looking to argue any point of view, just meant to inform. nothing more)

History traces Halloween back to the ancient religion of the Celtics in Ireland. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it - such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning.

Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1), and Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween) at the end of summer (Nov. 1). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds became very thin, when hostile supernatural forces were active and ghosts and spirits were free to wander as they wished.

"During this interval the normal order of the universe is suspended, the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed, the sidh lies open and all divine beings and the spirits of the dead move freely among men and interfere sometimes violently, in their affairs"
(Celtic Mythology, p. 127).

The Celtic priests who carried out the rituals in the open air were called Druids, members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul, who generally performed their rituals by offering sacrifices, usually of crops and animals, but sometimes of humans, in order to placate the gods; ensuring that the sun would return after the winter; and frightening away evil spirits.

To the Celtics, the bonfire represented the sun and was used to aid the Druid in his fight with dark powers. The term bonfire comes from the words "bone fire," literally meaning the bones of sacrificed animals, sometimes human, were piled in a field with timber and set ablaze. All fires except those of the Druids were extinguished on Samhain and householders were levied a fee to relight their holy fire which burned at their altars. During the Festival of Samhain, fires would be lit which would burn all through the winter and sacrifices would be offered to the gods on the fires. This practice of burning humans was stopped around 1600, and an effigy was sometimes burned instead.

Blending of Paganism with Christianity

When Christianity spread to parts of Europe, instead of trying to abolish these pagan customs, people tried to introduce ideas which reflected a more Christian world-view. Halloween has since become a confusing mixture of traditions and practices from pagan cultures and Christian tradition.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. During their rule of the Celtic lands, Roman festivals were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. Another festival was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

As the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands, in the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs, to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. In 834, Gregory III moved All Saint's Day from May 13 to Nov. 1 and for Christians, this became an opportunity for remembering before God all the saints who had died and all the dead in the Christian community. Oct. 31 thus became All Hallows' Eve ('hallow' means 'saint').

Many of the customs survived and were blended in with Christianity. Numerous folk customs connected with the pagan observances for the dead have survived to the present.

Some trace the origins of present day "trick-or-treat" to Samhain, which was the supreme night of spirit jubilation. Spirits of the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside, trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruit and nuts. They began the tradition of placing plates of the finest food and bits of treats that the household had to offer on their doorsteps, as gifts, to appease the hunger of the ghostly wanderers. If not placated, villagers feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property.

The problem was... if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night, so could anything else,human or not, nice or not-so-nice. The only thing the superstitious people knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic hoard, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.

Others trace "trick-or-treat" to a European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven.

In many parts of Britain and Ireland this night used to be known as 'Mischief Night', which meant that people were free to go around the village playing pranks and getting up to any kind of mischief without fear of being punished. Many of the different customs were taken to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the nineteenth century, and they developed into 'trick or treat'.

Halloween in America:

Traditional Halloween symbols (witches, black cats, pumpkins, candles, masks, parties and pranks) appeared in the U.S. during the late 1800's. In 1848, millions of Irish emigrants poured into America as a result of the potato famine. With this sudden influx of people, the holiday of Druidism found its new home on alien shores. "Proudly Celtic, they called Halloween Oidche Shamhna (`Night of Samhain'), as their ancestors had, and kept the traditional observances" [Common Boundary, Sep./Oct. 1993, p. 31].

The Jack-o-lantern is the festival light for Halloween and is the ancient symbol of a damned soul. Originally the Irish would carve out turnips or beets as lanterns as representations of the souls of the dead or goblins freed from the dead.

When the Irish emigrated to America they could not find many turnips to carve into Jack O'Lanterns but they did find an abundance of pumpkins. Pumpkins seemed to be a suitable substitute for the turnips and pumpkins have been an essential part of Halloween celebrations ever since.

Pumpkins were cut with faces representing demons and was originally intended to frighten away evil spirits. It was said that if a demon or such were to encounter something as fiendish looking as themselves that they'd run away in terror,thus sparing the houses dwellers from the ravages of dark entities. They would have been carried around the village boundaries or left outside the home to burn through the night.

Bats, owls and other nocturanal animals, also popular symbols of Halloween, were originally feared because people believed that these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead.

Black cats have religious origins as well. Black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise.

Witches and witchcraft are dominant themes of the holiday. Witches generally believe themselves to be followers of an ancient religion, which goes back far beyond Christianity, and which is properly called 'wicca'. Witches are really just one side of a modern revival of paganism - the following of pre-Christian nature religions, the attempt to return to worshipping ancient Norse, Greek or Celtic gods and goddesses.

To witches, Halloween is a festival of the dead, and represents the "end and the beginning of the witches year. It marks the beginning of the death and destruction associated with winter. At this time the power of the underworld is unleashed, and spirits are supposedly freed to roam about the earth; it is considered the best time to contact spirits"

Cliff Jumping

2008-10-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

hate goodbyes...

2008-10-31T18:46:00.001-07:00

My best friend here Miriam (and her husband Thorsten) left today :( it was so depressing.
Miriam and I had a lot in common, and we became really good friends while working together at the GO center (doing housekeeping). She's a kindergarten teacher back in Germany, and we spent countless hours talking about teacher stuff. We both left our jobs housekeeping to work at schools at the YWAM base around the same time and we'd spend a lot of time venting about work related stuff, among other things. I am so grateful that God sent them here, because they definitely were around for my most difficult times, and it helped me A LOT.
They're also youth group leaders in Germany (actually reminded me a lot of some other youth group leaders I know :) and their passion for God and for what they do was awesome to have around. it helped me to stay focused on what's important, even in Hawaii.

Now they're off to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Mozambique! I'm so jealous :)they're doing a backpacking trip around the world grrr. lucky. I have no idea when/if I'll ever run into them again.
People come and go here all the time, and it's rather disturbing actually! The majority(but not all) of the young people who are still here now will stay until december 19th (which is when I also leave) so that is the good news! but until now it's been a big wave of people coming in and leaving, which gets old fast.

Anyway, it's halloween, and If you know anything about me you SHOULD know that I despise HALLOWEEN. (a.k.a don't wish me a happy halloween) On a happier note, i'm not in Salem for Halloween this year.... so for that I am grateful :D

The Weekend

2008-10-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hi!!
Here are some pictures from this weekend :) finally!
On friday we said goodbye to yet another mission builder, which as usual took place at our lovely mcdonald's around the corner. Then we came back to Hale Ola and played some ultimate ping pong, and it was fun hanging out with everyone as a group actually. We had a great time.

Saturday we left early and took the van on a 2 hour drive to South Point, the southern most point in the U.S. That's where we jumped off the cliff . There were quite a few people there from YWAM besides us mission builders so it was a lot of fun. I knew I was going to jump- after driving fo 2 hours I HAD TO! but of course when I got up to do it, it took a few minutes before I actually got the courage to jump off. I've been told the cliff anywhere from like 40 to 60 feet high (I have no idea what the accurate measurement is) As you would imagine, I jumped really clumsily and landed on my right leg which now has a big bruise (so does my elbow and you can see it all happening in slow motion in the pictures :) I had such a great time though, i can't wait to do it AGAIN!!

Sidenote:
Every sunday we have mission builder night, which mostly only the older mission builders attend :) but I was actually asked to speak this sunday! (someone different usually shares about where they;re from etc...) and I get to plan the whole evening actually. So, I'm trying to gather some info on salem, and the ministry there (KLC, Uprising, etc...) So I can do a decent job sharing about it. We always end up praying for what is shared, so if you can help me in any way with that it'd be awesome- danny I NEED PICTURES!

anyway here are the pics
missing you all

On the way to south point. stopping to take pics

Black Sand Beach :)

Cliff jumping take 2

Cliff jumping Take 1

Mcdonalds goodbye party for Lukas :)
(bet you can't find me!! )

Then back to Hale Ola for Ultimate Ping Pong

GO brazil.

My little tink tink

2008-10-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received a letter from tink which she dictated to her mom. I hope she won't mind if I share it ('cus I think it's pretty hilarious)

"Dear Rah Rah,

I love you. We're doing sticker paper. I want to do my homework. We went to the fair and to Bonkers and Tia ebersole, Micah, Lorian, Eden and Jossy. Alexa, mommy, daddy, our family baby.
(about Ballet)
Sleeping Judy, streamer, run, dresses, books, ballet, I think that's it.
I love you
Alexa"

she's so funny....
When I decided to come to Hawaii, the first thought that crossed my mind was "aww i'm gonna miss the kids!" (sorry everyone else! it's the truth) and I do miss the kids a ton. all of them. Even if they don't remember me when I get back, i'll be so happy to have them around again...
A friend of mine here has lots of nieces and nephews and she talks about them a lot, and about how much she misses them. I asked her what it's like to have nieces and nephews and she said (in her little swedish accent:) "it's closest possible thing to the love you would have for your own kids."
In that case I've got lots of nieces and nephews!! woohoo

Today I finaly went cliff jumping, and I can't wait to share that little video on here. let's just say I am a dork and that is reflected in everything I do including how I JUMP off cliffs lol

the end.

Hava' ee

2008-10-23T00:14:00.001-07:00

I really don't enjoy sitting down and writing about the deep ponderings of my heart, which is why I love pictures hehehe, but then again narrating gets tiring :) so I will ponder for a bit, and then continue with the typical random ramblings....

I hate trying to articulate exactly what It feels like to be in a BEAUTIFUL place far far away from everyone you love. I was talking to a friend today and it felt so good to know I'm not the only one who feels different every HOUR of the day. One minute I am SO SO HAPPY to be here and don't want to leave, the next I am really homesick. The weird thing is that it's far enough away that i might as well be in another country, but it's still the U.S so I can so easily pick up the phone and call people up and be reminded of how much I miss them. In a way, I think it would be much easier if I was forced to be cut off from communication lol. The best word I can find to describe it is "surreal" because the whole experience is SO FAR outside of my comfort zone... i never in a million years imagined that I would pick up and leave for three months, because I'm not that TYPE lol (i.e it's such an ebersole thing to do). For that reason I feel like It takes real effort to make the whole experience be a time that I enjoy, rather than something that fulfills other people's expectations.

I'm a person who really enjoys spending time with few people or just one person, rather than hanging in a big huge group. So, because I spend most of my time in a big huge group(there is something like 40 mission builders alone!) I think right now it just feels like i've made a lot of "acquaintances" but only one or two meaningful friendships. I have one REALLY good friend here who is leaving in a week....... and i'm really sad about that. A lot of the mission builders who are here, specially the girls actually, came here with a friend and sometimes even more than one! (WHY DIDNT I THINK OF THAT!?) needless to say, I am a little jealous of those people :) but on the other hand I know the circumstances here are exactly what I need to push me out of my comfort zone, and it's forced me not to be so dependent on people to fulfill my needs, but rather God, whom I have grown very close to :)

With that said, there are so many things that I love about being here.

* Mile 88. i will never get sick of water so warm and blue :) and waves !

*MAIL! specially packages :) heheh If you knew how happy it makes me, you would write more.

*POG= passion, orange, and guava juice.

*Realizing that the world is so much bigger than our little neck of the woods

*I love the fact that after work, I can do everything or nothing at all :) no comittments, no errands, NO SCHOOL WORK! During the week I actually don't do much, and I LOVE THAT. Some people who are here spend their whole time occupied with "stuff"(which is fine!), but I feel so blessed to have free time! I am learning to enjoy that. Back home I feel like I was always on the go (ask the people who lived with me!) , running from here to there, driving driving driving, doing doing and doing........ i'm really enjoying not making plans and just "seeing how I feel" :)

* NO TV! there is NO CABLE TELEVISION ANYWHERE. not at Hale Ola, and nowhere on campus either. That would also explain why there is so much time... and makes you realize how much time is wasted in front of the t.v

* I love the question "where are you from?" There is usually an awkward pause after I'm asked this. I found out really early on that If I said "Brazil" people would ask "why do you speak such good english?" and if I say "Boston" or "east coast" people would be very disappointed lol (I dont look like a new englander apparently). So now it's always a "originally from Brazil-but been living in the states for a long time :) that usually satisfies most.

*The prayer room at campus. At times just a peaceful quiet place to pray/read etc... and other times... the place is on fire. i love both.

*Harashi's: sushi place a block from hale ola where I can buy 6 pieces of sushi for $2!! if you pay $5 the sushi is huge. it's just really good cheap food.

* I can't forget to rub it in....I LOVE THAT IT'S HOT EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!!!! sure, soon i will be freezing cold like you ANNE!! :D but i'm pretty warm for another two months and that makes for a very happy brazilian.

* I LOVE LOCALS... They're really cheap hawaiian flip flops.

* $1 hot fudge sundays around the corner :D

The End.
SHOUT OUT TO ANGELA... for making me laugh out loud with a very funny letter this week.

Random pictures or nothing in particular... enjoy

My locals :D

Downtown is only a block from where we live which comes in really handy. There's always something to do, someplace to go

This is SO COOL. A beach volleyball court in the middle of downtown in between some shops. Mission builders go here to play volleyball at night all the time

SKATE NIGHT!! every tuesday night YWAM opens up the Ohana Court for skaters in the community and the public as a form of outreach... the turnout is always huge. It's fun to go and watch when there's nothing better to do :) they play loud music and sell chocolate which is always a plus

More pictures, because I can.

2008-10-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

Michael and Hara's house where we spent the night.

Papaya tree in the backyard :)

Lava hitting the ocean ;)

This is Polulu Valley where we also made a step on our way around the island

Akaka falls state park

waipio valley. i hate that I had to wear hiking shoes lol SO UGLY

The gang at Waipio. from left: Junior, Miriam, Thorsten, Steve, Michael, Hara (we did not look that happy after hiking down and then up the steepest hill i've ever seen)

At kiholo Bay where we turned up after hiking over lava for a long long time :)

Kiholo Bay

Volcanos and Waterfalls

2008-10-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

OH how I wish I had speedy internet!! I took over 200 pictures on this trip :) so what you see is the extremely condensed version of the trip. The order has been totally screwed up by the blog for some reason.. which really annoys me, but I dont have time to sit here and reload everything on a slow connection. ANNNNNNYWAY, here are some pictures from this weekend! I had a ton of fun. We ended up not camping because we arrived at waipio valley a little too late, and there were some other risks involved which we were unaware of at the time we planned the trip. So, instead we stayed and Michael and Hara's house which was on our way around the island, and it was so nice. They have an AVOCADO TREE in their backyard, among many many other things (bananas, macadamian nuts, mangos!)

The pictures aren't in order but here it goes

Walking into "lava tube" at volcano national park. This was toward the end

this is what it looks like inside the lava tube

The smoke you see in the back is the lava hitting the ocean, we couldn't actually see lava, just smoke :( which was very disappointing

what we looked like after 2 days of hiking and exploring. *whew* very exhausting. we were waiting for sunset so we could see the lava reflecting in the smoke and the lava flow which was really really far away

That's the viewing area same place as before but at night the smoke reflects the red lava

rainbow falls - when its sunny there is a rainbow across the water thus the name :D

steam vents at volcano national park

Steam VEnt at Vocalno national park

"caldeiras" at the volcano national park

Thats Michael showing us the backyard. two words: AVOCADO TREE. AHH

My second time at Akaka falls :) gets prettier every time...

Miriam swinging :)

we hiked through lava randomly to get to the water(Near kona the main highway sits between fields of lava rock ) . Most beaches are about a mile into the lava because we're on the coast, but of course there are roads! we just chose to hike this time. We ended up at Kiholo bay, which i've been to before... the only way I can think to describe it is ... heaven perhaps?! it's so quiet, the water is beautiful, there are palm trees and sea turtles everywhere... and it's SO QUIET. no people.

Waipio Valley. We hiked down to the valley which is SO beautiful, but it was dark by the time we got down (... like a mile on STEEP very steepp hill)

Hara and Michael's place. EATING RAMEN

Hiking the lava (that's thorsten I think)

haha dork!

I tied that thing around me cus I didnt want to carry a towel in case you were wondering why I look like a fool ;)

I will try to put up some more pictures later.
Everything here is going really well, and i'm happy that we weather never gets cold :)

the end.

Big Island Adventure

2008-10-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

i'm always in a great mood on any given friday, but this weekend i'm especially happy because i'm going CAMPING!!!! 5 of us mission builders are renting a car this weekend and taking it around the island. We leave tomorrow morning after breakfast, then we drive north making stops along the way until we hit this place called "Waipio Valley" where we'll camp for the night and meet another couple who will join us there. On sunday we'll leave Waipio valley and head west, then south making stops at waterfalls, and other cool locations along the way. Our ultimate destination is Kilauea- the volcano :) all I have to say is I am not coming home until I see some lava.
The people coming aremy german friends Miriam and Thorsten, Junior the brazilian guy, and steve the american guy. At waipio Valley we're meeting Michael and Hara, they're a married couple who are good friends with Miriam and Thorsten and really cool people actually. She's from Ethiopia, and he's.... hmmm... not sure what he is. I'm going to be sharing a tent with Miriam which i'm really psyched about having some girl time :D We borrowed a tent from Don and Angie -the mission builder coordinators who live at Hale Ola- and we're taking one more which miriam and thorsten already had (did I mention these guys are doing a trip around the world? camping and all that jazz? so sweet...) The car we rented was SO cheap $18/day divided by 5 PEOPLE! it'll definitely be worth it...

Anyway, I've had a great week. On thursday I had my DTS day, which was so encouraging. Every mission builder gets to attend "DTS" once a month and have the rest of the day off from work as well. It was just what I needed actually, the speaker was this guy called Dan Baulmer who wrote the book "imprisoned in Iraq" such a good speaker. Then Ohana service on thursday night was so so so good, but more about that later ( I keep saying that and then later never comes hehehe)

I gotta go actually leaving now for camping :)
missing you all very much

girls

boys

our serious camping planning meeting at mcdonalds

serious research went into it of course...

Thursday after service

after service

more weekend pictures

2008-10-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

So ironman pictures finally stolen from my friend. It's just a crazy triathlon they first swim 2.5 miles, then bike 112 miles, then run a MARATHON. yes, a marathon (26.something miles) YWAM always volunteers with security so there we were....

enjoy

supposedly $10 million worth in bikes....

nbc sports was right next to us at ironman heheh almost pushed us into the water actually!

as you can see we're pretty tough security

swimmers waiting to go. surfers keeping them back

hundreds of swimmers on their way....

beach the next day

girly surf board

hahah miriam

Amen

2008-10-14T09:08:00.001-07:00

Mahalo

2008-10-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

So tonight was the Mahalo ("Thank you") party for all the volunteers who helped out with Ironman ... all 5,000 of us. fun times... great food. Did I mention that we were on security? It was such a long crazy day on saturday. We had to be there at 4:15 A.M!!! more about that later ;)
Anyway, enjoy some pictures from that day... and other random stuff that I haven't put up yet.

we do this a lot here. just stare at the sunset... until it's gone.

writing one of you a postcard... on da beach ;)

at mile 88

and i'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.......

GRRR this was taken at quarter to 4... IN THE MORNING. heading to volunteer at Ironman

mission buildas... leaving Hale Ola, heading to volunteer

HAHAHHA. this was at Mc'dees. Unfortunately there IS a mcdonalds around the corner from Hale Ola. We spend a lot of time sitting there doing nothing... eating $1 fudge sundays

not the best pic of junior, my brazilian buddy. This is the" Ohana (family ) Court" where all the assemblies take place... worship services, speakers etc...

Aloha Welcome celebration thing for new students. BRAZIL! ;)

Lorn and Darlene Cunningham, founders of YWAM. He's actually been the speaker at Ohana night (every thursday night service) for 2 weeks in a row now, pretty sweet..

A day in the life of a FULL TIME volunteer :D

2008-10-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

So, I've been asked once or twice about whether I actually ever do any work here :) seeing as this is Hawaii, paradise, "a little piece of heaven" or whatever you would like to call it, I understand why there would be cause for concern!

My week usually goes a little something like this:
(warning: this may be old news to you. if so, stop here )
Monday through friday I wake up at 5:30 in the morning. By 6:15 all mission builders (group of volunteers) have to be ready to board a van that takes us to the University of the Nations campus, which is about a mile down the road. At around 6:20 we all gather at the flags and share/pray together for about 10 minutes and then head to breakfast.

I work at the Foundation School, which is the school where YWAM students (i.e missionaries in training I guess you could call most) who have children send their children to school while they are in training. The kids are expected to learn academics, but more importantly to be prepared for the mission field and outreach etc...

Backtracking..... most of the mission builders have to be ready to start work at 7, but since I work at the foundation school I get a half hour to prepare for school/pray etc before I start my day at 7:30. This is by far the most challenging job i've had for as long as I have in this field anyway. It's hard to describe what is difficult about it without being complainy/and annoying so i'm not going to attempt to lol. Just trust me that I am being challenged not only as a teacher, but mostly in my character etc...

Anyway, back to the schedule :) kids get picked up at around 2:45. Then, I along with other teacher usually work on something for the next day, or clean, or meet with the directors of the school until 3:15 which is when my van leaves back to Hale Ola (the housing place where we all live). I have missed that van more than once, so it's a good thing that I could use the exercise hehehe. (i've definitely put on a couple pounds, not that you care, but now you know...)
Over the course of the week some days are longer than others, which is one thing about my job that is different than all the other people's jobs. But that's ok... I know I am where I am supposed to be.... whether i like it or not :)

On the weekends we usually do lots of fun things, and that's why you see so many pictures of gorgeous beaches, amazing sunsets, and lots of people among other things lol.... but please be assured... we are all expected to work very hard during the week.

I've grown in every aspect mentally, spiritually, and (sideways) physically lol so I am confident that there is purpose to my time here in Hawaii beyond beach-bummin' and sun-bathing, and I am sure most of you already suspected as much, but I just wanted to make that more clear :D

I will try to bum some pictures from my peoples and post them tomorrow hopefully. Ironman was pretty insane, and tomorrow is yet another beach day. really looking forward to church.

love and miss my Boston biffles

xo

That's "Miss Rachel" :) really sweet lady

after school meeting with the families on the first week of school.

Maria and Hwa Kyung. Two other mission builders who also work in foundation school

Random View of part of the campus from the driveway.... dont know why i put this here but oh well. Usually there is a very big cruise ship parked on the ocean there. i've never seen so many of those things...

let me rephrase that! :)

2008-10-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

On that last post what I meant to say is...
Looking through my friend's bible, I found out that in swedish the first 5 books of the bible are CALLED moses 1-5. The content is the same as every other bible out there, but the title is different... which I found to be quite interesting lol

ANYWAY moving on...
I was having problems with my NEW camera, which i bought here after my original one broke, so I returned it and got my money back, but now I need a new one. The first one only cost $60 which is about all i can afford lol so pray for another miracle if you think of it :) that's a lot of cameras sheesh...

Also, this weekend is IRONMAN. I'm definitely regretting having signed up to volunteer on the first shift. it's SO EARLY. I won't even share with you what time I have to be there. don't ask why I did it. I was too weak and caved to peer pressure. Anyway, the point is... watch it if you're into running and all that jazz :) it's taking place this saturday I think the swim starts at 6 my time.

most importantly, I was woken up at like 5:30 this morning with very exciting news :) (i was supposed to get up at that time anyway lol)
it's a boy!! :) CONGRATULATIONS KRISTIN AND ANDRE!!! can't wait to meet the little guy...

ultimate ping pong!?

2008-10-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

since my internet is working unusually fast... here goes a video

shout outs, ironman, and this weekend

2008-10-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

One month down, 2 1/2 to go...
Wow... time flies.

I was just checking my pictures and I relized that in one month i've accumulated something like 650 pictures! ah! If i keep going at this rate my calculations tell me I will come home with over 1800 pictures/videos so I better slow it down if I want any memory left on my BEAUTIFUL precious mac heheheh

Anyway, lots to report.
Weekend was great, and very relaxing just as I had hoped. The bbq was perfect for a friday night, lots of people and lots of food... what could be better? Has anyone ever heard of ultimate ping pong? it was news to me... but everyone else seemed to be familiar with it. It was so much fun, a little but dizzying though lol
Cliff jumping got postponed (happy mom?)because well the "cool" place to jump off cliffs is a 2 hour drive from here and we just didn't have any time, so we will plan better next time.
Instead we had yet another beach day at my most beloved beach here.... Mile 88. I am in LOVE with this place I tell you.... IN LOVE. I think i'm going to write a song about it actually. Anyway, People always bring boogey boards to the beach here... EVERYONE does. So... in my attempts to surf on a really REALLY small board ... my board got swallowed up by the wave, and I got taken as well.... let's just say it wasn't pretty, and I still have sand in my hair from that... but it was fun.
No shark sightings yet, but lots of stories of people who supposedly have seem them..... hehehe...
Oh OH! Ironman is THIS SATURDAY!! I signed up as a volunteer for the first shift which is REALLY early but you get to see all the runners etc... honestly ive been peer pressured into participating because as most of you already know I ain't into marathons, or any other activity that reminds me how out of shape i am.... but everyone is going to be there... it's the place to be apparently this weekend... and it's all happening down the st. so why not. I had never heard of this Ironman business before I came here, but maybe some of you have?? If you're into it watch it... you might see me!

Now on to the much anticipated SHOUT OUTS!
I got some more mail today... shout out to *drum roll*
Ebersole sr.'s you rock!!!
and i also got a package, how cool is that? shout out to you-know-who-you-are/ package-sender! love packages. it makes me look good here lol (only cool people get packages)

Anyway lots of pictures hoping the internet will cooperate,
Enjoy!

MILE 88 On sunday!

1,2,3 JUMP!

that;s me:)

mission buildas catching waves

Mission Builder BBQ on friday

Hanna and Maria, +ping pong

Brazilians!!! Unite. there were like 10 cameras taking pictures of this lol people love us.... it's the brazilian blood

The gals and Junior.

blurry people eating at the ping pong table

FOUNDATION SCHOOL- my new job :)

That's Ella Joy and I finding South Africa on the Map :) (where her family is from)

(Looking for her flag) im so dark HEHEHHE

That's Morgan our eldest really excited about finding Cambodia! (she's American but went on missions there with her mom on a DTS)

U.S.A represent! That is Jude looking for PENSYLVANIA! go P.A!

That's us! looking at the map of the world

That;s Ella Joy from South Africa. I know you;re not supposed to have favorites but.... hahaha jk

That Mikael from U.S/China/norway looking for Norway on the map!

That's Mik's little bro... the 3 year old that correctly identified China on the map among other things! (missionary's kids i tell ya!)

T.G.I.F x 1,000

2008-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
You have no idea how happy i am that this week is over. and now it's time to celebrate.

Tonight mission builders are having a bbq to celebrate the end of a very long 2 weeks. The last two weeks we have been working extra hard to overcompensate for all the students who were gone (they each perform 10 hrs of work duties each week that we had to cover for when they left, before the new students arrived) At any rate, students are here again, and we are back to a decent schedule THANK YOU LORD.
Today work went a lot better, and in comparison to monday - the first day- we have progressed a LOT. I am optimistic about this quarter with the kids. They're all very cute, and i'll be putting up pictures of them probably next week.

This weekend is going to be great... we're going CLIFF JUMPING ON SUNDAY AND I CANT WAIIIIIIIIIIIIT! I'll definitely have lots of pictures to put up on sunday.

My homesickness has subsided and I am back to never wanting to come back. (kidding...)
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH for the notes. on thursday I got Alicia's letter (thanks Alicia!! loved the france stories, was laughing OUT LOUD) with everyone's notes and it totally made my day. I laughed a lot reading them... some of you really cracked me up ("Joely Bear??" too funny.. Andre, the king of Hawaii has been informed of your existance and looking for a contractor for his next straw palace)

I was gonna put up pictures but our internet connection sucks. SORRY :D

First Days of School

2008-10-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

alohaaaaa!

I feel like it's been a few days since i've updated this thing with useful info. A lot's been happening here!

I am really bummed that I forgot to bring my camera on Sunday night to the Aloha Welcome celebration thing-a-magig (is that how you spell that?) The event was an assembly of the whole campus (staff, students mission builders etc) as a kick off of the new quarter and a welcome to the new students. Anyway, Lorn Cunningham (founder of YWAM) spoke, and then introduced all 40 different nations which are represented here.
The funny thing is that he would call out the name of a nation, then a student would run down the aisle to the stage with the flag and then all the people who were from that country were supposed to run after them down the aisle, through the stage. It sounds stupid, and i felt a little stupid not gonna lie, but it was fun. S. Korea and the U.S obviously had the most people... it took a while for all of them to walk through. It's hard to describe what the atmosphere is like here with so many different nations represented. It's really just eye-opening I guess is the word, and amazing, specially when we all gather together with one purpose.

Monday was my first full day at foundation school, and man has that changed my life here! I actually get a whole extra half hour before I have to be at work :) and about an extra 15 minutes at the end of each day. In the end its about the same because I always spend that time doing work-related stuff. At any rate, the first 2 days were overwhelming and I'm glad I didn't write anything then because it just would've been a big downer. I just felt really lost... I was thrown into a classroom with kids of really different age groups and nothing was really explained to me about curriculum, etc.. Anyway, the first 2 days were rough, but I feel a LOT better now. The kids are getting used to the routine, and I've got a few strategies down :) THANK GOD FOR WORKING AT HARBORLIGHT! Man, has that helped. It's going to be great experience for me as a teacher, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the quarter. God has given me such a peace about the whole thing... I was stressed at first, but I am confident that i am there for a reason .

Anyway, I'm always missing everyone.... not sure if that means im in a constant state of homesickness or what. It's weird because it's NOT that i'm sad, or moping around missing my friends and family. It's just that now that I'm here I realize how fortunate I am to have such wonderful people in my life... and coming to that realization of course makes me miss all you wonderful people that are in my life.

But anyway, i'm still loving it here, and definitely not ready to come home yet :D

Kyle, is it?

2008-09-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

I heard this weekend new england was drowned by hurricane kyle is it? well I thought i'd put up some pictures of MY weekend :) I started full day of foundation school today, and i've got a lot to say, but i'm too tired to write anything else.....

Enjoy the pics

That is Alice enjoying some waves! Alice and her husband Ron arrived here on the same night AT THE SAME TIME as I did. They're older mission builders, and they're like my parents here always taking care of me... great people.... but more about them later...

love this picture. That is Jim. One of the oldest mission builders here at the moment.

Mile 88. I AM IN LOVE with this beach! perfect amount of waves... not too warm or cold... the brightest blue water i've ever seen.

swedish gals. i like them a lot... all 6 of them :)

Ida and I

"Alo" + "Ha" = "Honi"

2008-09-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the welcoming the new students "ceremony" which happened on friday morning. All the school events here are done Hawaiian culture style.

New students representing different nations brought gifts and presented them to the native Hawaiian people at the school... it was pretty cool. In Hawaiian "Alo" means face, and "Ha" means breath or life, so the way they "aloha" or greet one another is by touching foreheads and putting one hand on the other person's shoulder so that they touch face and exchange breath none of that hand shaking impersonal stuff I guess lol. this act is called a "Honi". All the YWAMers (students, staff, etc) who'd been here had to get up and "HONI" the new students as a way of welcoming them. talk about awkward! Going up to strangers and touching their greasy foreheads lol jk I actually found people i already knew to Honi heheheh

Anyway, sunday night we're having this thing called the Aloha welcome... it's a huge dinner party. should be fun....

Students and gifts from their Nations

The guy is the Hawaiian receiving it

This guy was bringing a gift from South Africa. The korean guy next to the Haiwaiian lady is a translator.... probably 35% of the school population is Korean.

New quarter, new bed, new job

2008-09-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

ahhh it's so nice to have a minute to sit down in front of the computer :) This week was crazy with a new quarter starting it's been very busy, and i've had a really "homesick" week :(
BUT....
IT's the weekend!!! oh how happy that makes me. This morning I was determined not to get out of bed before 8:30( a whole 3 hours later than i have to be up during the week), and i've accomplished my goal. Even if you decide to "sleep in" and skip breakfast on the weekend, which starts at 8, you don't really get to sleep because a lot of people are getting up, running around, and making noise. I live on the first floor and there're always people right outside my window talking or being obnoxious (mainly Angie's kids- the mission builder coordinator who lives here at Hale Ola with her fam).
Anyway, I woke up at 830... and stayed in my PJ's and took my time eating my breakfast here. (I save milk during the week and buy cereal so i dont have to go to breakfast on campus heheh) it was great... because mission builders went to the beach and I decided to stay back(they're going again tomorrow!) and have the WHOLE PLACE TO MYSELF. oh the simple joys of life.

Now on to catching up with life....
On thursday the new quarter here officially started, which means something like 500 new students arrived on campus. ahhhhh. I hate huge crowds of people..... but it's been ok. The lines are just a lot longer for food and everything else.

On friday I started my new job at foundation school. My little class has 7 kids from 3-7 years old, and 3 teachers! yes, 3 teachers for 7 big kids ! It's kind of nice :) The head teacher doesn't seem to have much experience with little kids at all.... and I really have to try hard not to take over sometimes cus I REALLY WANT TO. :) but i'm sure it'll be ok. The teacher with no experience issue is a YWAM thing because this place is run by volunteers- I've learned a LOT about YWAM since i got here, and i will save that for another post :) So anyone who is staff here technically can be a teacher at foundation school... Also because foundation school focuses more on spiritual education. They do academics too, but parents usually homeschool their kids. I will know more once i've been there longer though.

Also, with this new quarter sadly a lot of mission builders have left either to do DTS, IBS or some other three letter acronym for missions and bible school(there are lots and lots here) People are constantly coming and going. We've got a lot of new ones, but it's sad when they go. My roommate sydney left to do a DTS, so it;s just me and MJ now in a room meant for 3 (yay) i took Sydney's bed in the corner :) way more space, more places to plug stuff into.... definitely an upgrade heheh I spent this morning moving my stuff. (tinky, Joss, the pictures you made me are up on my wall, and lots of pictures of everybody too)

write some letters people

Ich Vermisse Dich!

2008-09-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

1. I START TEACHING AT FOUNDATION SCHOOL ON FRIDAY!!! can't wait!
I've had about enough of laundry. though I can make beds now so well... and fold towels too :)

2. I met some brazilians finally!! One lady who is staff here from Sao Paulo, and a mission builder from the South of Brasil.

3. I want to learn how to speak german, swedish, and hawaiian... (so far all I've got is Ich Liebe Dich, Ich vermisse dich, and Gutten Morgen! lol)

Hapuna on Sunday

2008-09-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

(if you have facebook... sorry you're looking at the pics twice)

Last sunday was probably one of the best days i've had here. We -30 people!- went to Hapuna beach after church, which was by far the best beach i've been to here, and spent the day there had a cookout for dinner and then a time of worship together at sunset. The waves were so much fun, and there really are no words, no pictures, no movies, that can describe how beautiful the sunsets are here.

If you're in the mood for disturbing information here you go: (continue at your own risk)
---> One of the mission builders, this swedish girl who'd just arrived here actually- got stung by a jellyfish! Did you know that the best way to alleviate pain when you get stung by jelly fish is to pee on it?? i kid you not... and you need lots of it depending on how bad it is... so yea a few people had to help her out lol (i know what you're thinking... disgusting) but TRUE ! poor girl... luckily it was just her foot and lower leg that got caught in the jelly fish and nothing else.... Personally, I think it's hilarious that it was her first day there and she had to collect pee cups from random strangers and pour it on her foot, but that's just me :)

It was such a fun day....
Enjoy the pics

cookout

waiting for food :)

swedish girls! the jellyfish girl, hanna, is not in the pic though...
there're like 6 swedish girs here newly arrived... This is Frida, and Elin.

The waves at this beach were FUN

ahhh the sunset....

Sunset swim. (i heard that is when sharks feed....) I love to freak my parents out

We are such dorks.... (and I;m such a cheerleader wannabe..)

Jossy, Joel, and Anne

2008-09-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

I had such an awesome day today... which i will get to later :) but when I got home exhausted tonight i was reminded that I missed jossy's bday party ... AOKFHJLAKHGLAHGHG!!! and Joel and Anne's bdays too which I will get over in time.... :D

It's all good, im in HAWAII :) but...

HAPPY BIRRRRTHDAY JOEL
JOSSY and
ANNE!!

I miss you like peanut butter misses jelly

"girl love "(anne you better get the joke)

small feet love

my goofball love

this one's for you Andre

2008-09-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

I attempted surfing today...
I was assured that the waves here were going to be "baby waves- great for learning on"....
I was told the big waves don't hit until around november and I had nothing to worry about...
I agreed to go.
The thought "this is it. i am going to die." came to mind at least twice during my attempts to catch waves....
I swallowed at least 2 gallons of salt water...
My ears are still filled with water.
THEY LIED.
THE WAVES WERE BIG (for a boston girl anyway)
AND THEY KEPT ON COMING
i'm a wimp. THE ROCKS ARE SHARP... and they cut my knee :( (the nice sandy beaches apparently aren't as good for surfing... so we have to swim waaaay out as far from shallow rocky water as possible which i did not do the second time I went out)

overall.... another great day in Hawai'i :D

teaching me what to do...

I had no idea what i was in for...

Kat getting out

a million surfers waiting for waves

That is NOT me :)

battle wounds lol

an old german surfer guy had this vw bus brought here from germany. we hung out with him for a little while and his wife. i'd never seen old people surf so well

me and Trish

Kat

you need an S.U.V to go to the beaches where the locals surf..... they are quite impossible to get to without a car that can handle major bumps and rocky roads

Show of Hands

2008-09-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

How many of you have ever heard of the Iron man competition??

happy birthday dad!!

2008-09-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

feliz aniversario !!
Muitas saudades de todos vcs. pode comer a minha nutella (e o seu presente de anniversario)
wish i could celebrate with you all
potoca

Sunday Afternoons

2008-09-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Every weekend the mission builders take a van out saturday and sunday on some sort of adventure. Depending on where they go, i join them :) i like to have at least one weekend day to myself, but when you don't have a car and someone offers to take you somewhere beautiful.. you usually go... no matter how tired you are of being around people (heheheh) jk i love them :) and most of the time we go to really cool places.

The best are sunday afternoons... we all get back from church, grab lunch and then go out on a day trip.... i love it.

Here are some pics from last sunday - there are resorts here up the wazoo(sorry its true... never seen so many resorts!) they're usually HUGE. So ... we crash them! lol last sunday we went to the Mauna Lani resort. We hang out on the beach (which by Hawaii state law is public property and no one can claim, so there is no such thing as "private beach" ) and use their nice chairs. it was so cool. there was a shark warning that day which you will see in the pics.....

This water was SO WARM. Even for here.. I'd never swam in water so warm... amazing.

M.J is my other roommate... the funniest Korean I have ever met :)

I'm hoping my dad won't read this.... we just ignored the signs. we prayed before we got in the water lol

Mauna Lani

"surfing" that's lizzy, me, and miriam

Steve floating

mission builders hanging out

Haircut & Ping Pong in the Back

2008-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is embarrasing because i'm obnoxious, which will be the case for every video i ever post, but oh well! The girl cutting hair is franciska (swiss), the guy getting a haircut is my friend miriam's husband. Behind them are Seth (american guy who's already left here) and Miriam. This is actually behind my room... at night when im trying to sleep all i hear are ping pong balls hitting the table...

Working hard and missing my toddlers :)

2008-09-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

So the internet has been down where I live since saturday, so you'll have to forgive me if I am slow to reply to any emails etc... Anyway, what's worse is that since monday we've had no electricity on the entire campus. A major fuse blew (i think... i really have no clue what the problem is) but all I know is that in this entire island there was no electrician qualified for the job, so some people had to FLY here from honolulu (oh the joys of island-life).
Some departments and work stations, like the kitchen, have electricity because they rented a generator ( didn't want the food to go bad) but the place where I work (GO center) has had no electricity at all since monday. Which means we've had to do MOUNTAINS OF LAUNDRY elsewhere which also means transporting mountains of laundry elsehwere in really hot weather.... and guess who gets to be the designated laundry girl (in our crew)... yours truly :) because Im the only one with the american license. Did I mention I am driving a 15 passenger van full of laundry around? feels good to drive again. So, anyway here I am in a local laundromat heheh...
So, if you think of it... pray for electricians and electricity to come bacK! So things can go back to normal.

Next week they're expecting something like 600 students to arrive, which will bring the campus population up to something like 1,000 people- the most they've had since this YWAM base opened up. It's going to be really hectic, and every department will have a huge load of extra work :) yay. On a happier note, I was apporached today by the lady who runs the foundation school and she seems really excited to have me on board. She's hoping to have me start either this monday or next at the latest... and i can't wait! I really miss working with kids. I miss my little toddlers from harborlight a whole lot

Living Stone Church

2008-09-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

At church

Pre-church fellowship (thorsten (miriam's husband), Steve, Sydney(roomie), and Miriam)

This is Sydney my roommate and I hanging out after church... right next to the church

I found a church! :) Right on the edge of the ocean

Last sunday I wasn't able to attend church because of that little road trip to Hilo I went on... but this sunday i went for the first time. There're two prominent churches around here Living Stone Church, and Solid Rock ( most of the churches are non-denominational...I have yet to hear of any catholic or denominational church... though I'm sure there's gotta be some around) At any rate, every sunday two vans leave from Hale Ola at 8:30 one goes to Living Stone and one to Solid Rock. So, I went to Living Stone this sunday and I LOVED IT. In many ways it reminded me of my church back on the east coast (i.e: they also have healing services on wednesday nights, and are planning a ladies retreat this fall heheh and there're other eerily similar things...) I really felt at home there, and the message was soooo good. I really felt like this was the place for me. Another cool thing is the church is right by the ocean and there're 3 services because the building is small and cozy :), so a lot of people get to sit outside, by the ocean during the service.... which is awesome really.

The service is from 9-10:30 :) it's pretty sweet....
I've already started attending a bible study there on monday nights (which really helps me stay focused while i'm here:) it's really easy to get distracted... there is always so much to do, to see, etc (don't get me wrong I'm gonna enjoy myself! but for me this is also a time to separate myself to seek God like never before) Anyway, The Pastor is doing a 4 week class/teaching on the book of Ephesians. I'm so blessed... to be here, such an great place, and I really feel like I'm surrounded by just the right people, and now in a great church. I am so grateful.

SEA TURTLES! my new favorite animal....

2008-09-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

This one is tartaruginha, her husband, which will remain nameless , and child whose name is booski.

(this one's name is myrtle)

On Saturday a few of us drove down to a place called "Kiholo Bay" which is a beach front area here that mostly locals hang out at... not too many tourists :) Spent all day there, but the best part about it was that I got to see a TON of sea turtles. THEY ARE SO ADORABLE. Apparently they hang out mostly at places they know they wont be bothered.... I saw a few of them tanning in the sun ... it was great. The fine for touching a sea turlte is $25,000.. but I had to take a chance heheheh....they were too cute.

At any rate, the battery on my camera died before I could get better pics so a lot of these were taken with my camera phone... so you'll have to bear with crappy resolution. On a happier note, I was able to buy a new digital camera for really cheap, and my travelers insurance is going to reimburse me. (THANK YOU GOD)

That's David and Kat, both americans.... really good people.

Kiholo Bay
(...)

Tsunami

2008-09-15T15:44:00.001-07:00

The internet has been down at Hale Ola all weekend, and I'm not sure when It'll be back up so until I can properly update this thing... I will leave you with this:

Let's just say these signs are on every street corner a block up from the ocean :)
I had a great weekend! Will post pictures up as soon as I can

(Today I miss boston weather... IT IS SO HOT HERE!! bleh)

Up at dawn

2008-09-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

There is a store here, which apparently is pretty big on the westcoast too, called Ross (it's in the background) . It's like MARSHALLS BUT CHEAPER! so good.... it's all I can afford :) so it works out well. hopefully it'll catch on on the east coast. it's where I got my fabulous purple shades heheh.....

On a more personal note... I'm having a really hard time adjusting to the 5:45 schedule! Ugh, i don't mean to complain, but everyday I wake up around 5:45 (that's before micah is awake most days) which means by 8 at night im wiped and by 9 i'm in bed lol. I better get used to it, or no social LIFE! It was only my first week this week, so hopefully by next week i'll be able to stay up later. Last night I suggested a movie night to some of the other mission builders and I think it was a big hit... they wanna do it every week now... :D (except I couldnt make it through the MOVIE!!) ahh

working hard

2008-09-10T21:27:00.001-07:00

I haven't really written anything about my job because it's been really up in the air lately, but here is what i'm doing , and what I know so far!

I have been assigned for these next couple of weeks to work in a place called the Global Outreach Center (GO center for short), which is the hotel facility of the YWAM base for guests who come here from all over to attend conferences.... mostly YWAM leaders from bases all over the world. This particular base here in Kona is the headquarters of YWAM. so, there are conferences here all the time. Anyway, I work everyday from 7- 3p.m at the Go center usually folding laundry, changing towels etc etc... I am the lady who goes "knock knock, HOUSEKEEPING!" I will be doing that for the next couple of weeks while they're short staffed, and then I'm assigned to go into the Foundation school- the school for the children of people taking DTS (training). Usually I wake up around 5:45, and we have to be ready to get into the van at 6:15 head to campus, pray together, have breakfast, then we start work at 7! The GO center doesn't open til 9 a.m so we help out in the kitchen until 9, then head to the GO center. It's been great working there actually :) I really like the girls i'm working with, and I' learning how to properly make a bed! :D among other things...

This is during our 2 hours in the kitchen :) wiping tables

Miriam and Inge (Inge is from Norway, and very sweet. they both work with me at GO center)

This is Miriam from Germany. I really love her, she's 26 and a kindergarten teacher at home so we talk about that a lot :) Anyway she works with me at the GO Center.

This is OUR CAFETERIA! :) on campus

P.S: i miss my friends and fam :( - i'm sure it's just an episode of homesickness that will wear out by the morning time lol

Salem, MA :)

2008-09-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

There are 3 mandatory meetings which we have to attend: monday worship 8-9- (this is for all the students, staff, and volunteers ) tuesday night mission builder meeting, and thursday night service(also for all) at 7 p.m (it's the closest thing to a church service on campus).

On monday morning I went to my first monday morning worship service, and God's presence was so evident in that place. They had a GIANT map of the whole world on the floor, and as the band played worship the pastor had us walk over the "land" on the map as we prayed prophetically over it. Then, later he asked us to think of a place that has been on our heart, that maybe we've been praying for a while, and to write something on sticky paper and place it on the map and pray over it. Needless to say, I knew exactly where to go, and what to write :) (if you can find it on the picture you'll know) but yes, it was an amazing time I felt the presence of God so strongly there, if you can picture about 600 young people kneeling down and passionately praying for nations, cities, towns all over the world. It was a reminder that God has a heart for the nations because they represent people.... not geographical locations... and He loves people.

I feel very blessed to be here, and I know this experience is a lot more meaningful than just 4 months of volunteer work in an exotic location :) It is about allowing God to change who I am, so that I can love people, and God, the way I was intended to.

Roadtrip to Hilo

2008-09-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

I drove to Hilo(west coast of the Big Island) with some people on sunday. we left early in the morning and got home around 7ish... I was soooooo tired by the end of it, but it was a lot of fun. The people i was with wanted to do some shopping (you have to drive 2 hours to the nearest mall!! and it is no northshore mall trust me) and i went along for the ride... the drive is beautiful and these pictures really don't do it justice. The worst part is that my camera decided to BREAK just before we got to this really amazing waterfall. anyway, great weekend over... just a little tired now :)

At one point both sides of the road are covered in these lava flows...

The scenic road home :)

group picture. all those people fit somehow in that truck for a 2 hour drive.. it was interesting:)

Riding to Hilo in the back with francisca.

This is francisca, from Zurich- Switzerland

We finaly got to the waterfalls... and this was the last picture my camera took before it broke :( so I didnt actually get to photograph the waterfall. That's me, Tabea and Ephraim both from switzerland ALSO (Bern :) Patti!)

CORRECTION!! (very important)

2008-09-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

I was mistaken on my address, but no worries, if you've already sent something I was assured it would still reach me, but just make sure from now on if you're going to mail anything this way mail it to:

Sara Macedo
Mission Builders
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy #247
Kailua-Kona, HI
96740

Thanks :)

Mile 88, and back of the pick- up

2008-09-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

Back of the pick up :) on the way to the beach

Alright so, this is mile 88. my first real beach experience here. I was the dorky wide-eyed tourist who just kept saying "oh my gosh, oh my gosh..." in between taking pictures. Trust me there's a lot more, but it's too time consuming uploading everything and i' EXHAUSTED. *whew* what a first weekend. So I was randomly invited to the beach by some people I didn't know and ended up in the BACK OF A PICK UP TRUCK (legal here!) on the way to this awesome spot. Met a lot of cool people, who then invited me on a road trip to Hilo (opposite side of the island-2hrs away) the next day. So, if you think this place looks good... you shall soon see pics of what I did the next day. Oh my, I rode in the back of the pick up for 2 hours and let's just say the drive gave a whole new meaning to "scenic route".

Will post sunday pics later. too tired :( gotta be up for work tomorrow at 5:30 AM!!

Down the street ;)

2008-09-07T23:16:00.000-07:00

This is Hale Ola, my building is the second one down. #6

On my first day here I took a little walk by myself after breakfast hoping to explore the area a little bit on foot. Well.... these pictures give you a very small idea of what i found :) (not gonna lie, i think a tear came out lol) I was overwhelmed , but was not ever prepared for what else was in store! After this I headed to the "real" beach with perfect strangers... (see next post)

VOG

2008-09-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

volcano fog= vog

Mailing Address

2008-09-06T12:42:00.001-07:00

Sara Macedo
University of the Nations -Kona
6 Hale Ola- Mission Builders
75-5851 Kuakini Highway
Kailua-kona, Hawaii 96740-2199

Hale Ola

2008-09-06T12:14:00.001-07:00

aloha :)

I've arrived! It's 9:15 local time... (6 hours behind boston time) and I just returned to my room from my first breakfast here! I don;t even know where to start describing what it's like here. Amazing? beautiful? definitely exiciting. I was blown away the minute i got off the plane in Kona... AN OUTDOORS AIRPORT! so cool. So far it kind of feels like the "on-campus" college experience i never had for sure. I'm sharing a room with 2 korean girls MJ and Sydney who are both in the 20's as well. The mission builders(volunteers) have their own housing area called "Hale Ola"- it means house of light in hawaiian- which is about a mile from University of the Nations-Kona (The YWAM Base where i'll be working everyday). The campus there is beautiful.... i haven't gotten a chance to look around much.... i went there for breakfast this morning, but that's about it. Tonight i'm figuring out what i'l be doing for work and what-not..

The mission builders are hitting the beach some people today, and some tomorrow, so I think i'll go tomorrow after church so I can explore the little downtown area and others places around here. So far everyone's been very kind, and i am very EXCITED (finaly!) to be here.

P.S: I met 2 or 3 people who have relatives or have been to the boston area ALL FROM THE NORHSHORE! YES. so STRANGE. one girl asked me... have you heard of Gordon college?? i just laughed....

i don't have great pictures yet but I will post better ones maybe after the weekend :)

see you on the other side

2008-09-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

alright folks...
this is it.

Just wanted to let y'all know a few things before i go...

if you're up tomorrow around 2 a.m (technically saturday) think of me, because that's about the time i'llbe arriving :) (it'll be 8p.m their time)

My phone service is the same so please text, leave messages, etc... (specially when you find out if it's a boy or a girl kristin)

Oh and most importantly, AS SOON AS I FIND OUT MY NEW ADDRESS... i will be posting it on here. I expect a lot of snail mail...

Thanks for your prayers :) and i'll see you on the other side of 4 months

S

Micah Moo

2008-09-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

so I hardly took out my camera this summer, because i'm always counting on someone else to take pictures. (danny, joel) but i did get a few... this is Micah, Angela, and I enjoying some sunshine in manchester. will miss that little moo man

02474

2008-09-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

first night back at home(which is now Arlington,MA) and man.... it's going to be an interesting 3 months when I get back from Hawaii ;)
let's just leave it at that.

"Are you getting excited?!"

2008-08-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

oh if only I had a penny for everytime I was asked... "Are you getting excited?!" :) and if you're one of the many who's asked me that, don't feel bad. I have nothing against the question. It's just that I feel dishonest saying "yea! I am" when the truth is I've been too busy stressing over moving, and saving, and other legistics to really feel any jolt of excitement, YET. Trust me, I know there's a lot of excitement sitting somewhere in there... I have a feeling the bulk of it won't 'manifest' til i'm sitting alone on an uncomfortable chair at logan airport waiting to board the first (of 3) planes. Until then, I'm living a pretty normal life aside from the fact that I am homeless, pennyless, and living out of a suitcase :) for the next week. I'm trying to focus on enjoying the time i have left here, and the people that I will really reaaaaaaally miss for the next almost-4-months... and chances are if you care enough to be reading this thing, you're one of them.