Kyle, is it?

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"

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

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!

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

(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

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

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

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

happy birthday dad!!

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

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

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 :)

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

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....

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

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)