hurry up and wait

The course here in Maui is in its third week and has been a remarkable time. Definitely a rewarding time of mentoring students and seeing them transformed by the Word of God renewing their minds. I love it. I love spending time investing in each of these students and studying the Word of God together. But we can't stay here. Three months will fly by and bring us to the threshold of outreach .There is preparations that must be made and can't wait. The days prod us onward and force our hand. Even as we keep making the most of each day here in the classroom, we can't linger. We must keep investing in the present, and yet look ahead to invest in preparations for the coming next step.

Its official- I am leading a team of students back to China in December! I am so excited about this outreach- the opportunities are abundant, the doors open, and my team outstanding. My heart is brimming with anticipation for those months ahead of us.

But we're not there yet. Our students still have a rich and transforming course to complete here in Maui. We can't fully push forward to the next step. We have to live here in the tension: being present, living fully today, investing in the future and making preparations for a step we can't quite take. Its kind of a classic hurry up and wait.

This season in Maui with my students is remarkable, but we can't stay forever. The preparations are pressing.

Though we must prepare for the outreach to China, we have to stay focused on this time of training. Outreach is definitely coming, but we can't push it.

If there is a time for everything, i guess this is a time to hurry up and wait.

a Saturday to relax

This past Saturday, I went to the south side with a couple friends from church. We went stand up paddle-boarding at a popular little cove in Kihei- it was my first time doing stand up paddling. Its a style of surfing where you stand up on extra long boards (that are very buoyant) and paddle with a lightweight oar. We had a great time- regardless of my having lost my sunglasses within two minutes of touching the water. We paddled to and fro, laughing and talking- it was a very relaxing sort of activity. Afterwards, we went to Starbucks and drank iced coffee out on their patio as the morning warmed to afternoon. A pretty relaxing Saturday for me, all things considered!

archive: a shade of blue

a few of their faces

My students' faces are becoming more familiar every day- being as they are the consistent backdrop of my daily life! They are a precious and outstanding class and a real joy to be with each day. I think you'll agree that even their countenances glow:)

I am so blessed to be a part of mentoring these young men and women in faith and discipleship. Please keep me in your prayers as I invest in each of these precious lives.

all dolled up

At a special dinner event the first week of the school, my class was looking pretty cute- they get sand in their books trying to do homework at the beach, but all things considered, they clean up rather well;)

These are four of the girls I meet with one on one every week (there are others not pictured) to talk, process their thoughts, discuss their questions, and pray with. Of all the parts of my job, one on one meetings are my favorite. I love hearing how God is working in people, praying with them, and offering consistent Godly input while walking through a season of life and intense growth with them. Seeing people's faith cultivated in this context is such a joy and i am grateful for this opportunity to mentor these young women as they seek to build biblical foundations for their faith during these few months.

throwing the book(s) at 'em

Not a day to lose! SBFM hit the ground running today with two hours of issuing assignments and handing out piles of books and printed resources. Just when the over-stimulated, information saturated, glazed expression came into the eyes of our students, it was time to take a deep breath and get lunch.

There really is no other way to do it than hand them the syllabus and start throwing books at them, really. While it can be a little overwhelming for our students to get started with this intense three month course, I am happy to report that they are recovering nicely from the morning and are excited for their first study night.

As registrar and administrator, I hosted the student registration in the afternoon. I am excited to have discovered that there is a half dozen or so students hoping to participate in the outreach, which I will be leading. More on that subject in about two weeks!

The images of those who have gone before...to give students courage and assurance that they'll survive!!

I have been waiting for the semester to start for about six months- I am so amped to have finally begun! Praise the Lord for the opportunity to mentor these sixteen young people in establishing Biblical foundation in their lives and learning to effectively articulate their faith!

I love being a part of this outstanding ministry!

its official...

The Fall 2010 SBFM is underway! On Saturday night we piled into a van with our students (we had an overflow car, since 16 students + staff can't legally fit in a 15 passenger van) and headed up to our opening night event.

The spinach dip was awesome, the 36 new DTS student faces were overwhelming, and the worship time was sweet. It was an exciting evening of expressing all of the base's anticipation of what the Lord is going to do in the lives of both the DTS and SBFM students ... and an all around good time!

Then tonight (Sunday) we had a welcome BBQ for the SBFM - my hours spent thawing and marinating chicken in the kitchen at 11pm last night were rewarded when the meal I planned and prepped turned out delicious. It was very gratifying to see how much the students enjoyed it, since I had prepared it all with an aim of blessing them .

Best of all, the evening was full of fellowship and bonding- the students getting to know one another through stories from their widely varied DTS outreach experiences, testimonies of God's work in their lives, and lots of laughter. I loved sitting with them and talking story for a couple hours- it was a great start to the coming few months we will be together...

This week: twelve years ago

The time has arrived for our Fall DTS and SBFM schools to begin at YWAM Maui. This is what we have been gearing up for for months now. There is a charge of excitement in the air- and yet with all the bustle of my SBFM students arriving (the house is throbbing with footsteps, chatter and laughter) I have to take a minute and reflect upon when I first arrived in Maui to begin my work with YWAM.

In YWAM, step one for everyone is DTS: Discipleship Training School. In September of 1998, as a seventeen year old blonde girl from South Dakota, I stepped off a plane into the balmy hawaiian air...and the rest is history.

It was twelve years ago I first saw the YWAM Maui sign as I walked up to the little chapel we met in back then.

And twelve years ago I first walked walked up Baldwin Avenue and saw Haleakala crater looming like a watercolor backdrop to Paia town.

And twelve years ago I first hitchhiked the dusty roads of Maui.

And it was twelve years ago that I (front row standing) embarked on DTS with a couple dozen other young people that wanted to "Know God and Make Him Known," as YWAM puts it.

As we go into opening night tomorrow, and into the other events of orientation week, I am busy with my own SBFM students- who have already completed the DTS program. Still, as our events run side by side with the DTS where everything begins, all of the base's staff fondly look over at the DTS students and remember when that was us.

No matter what role on base we presently fill, we all still love to see new young people every quarter come to pursue God. We remember being in their shoes. We remember what God can do in a life.

And our hearts beat a little faster.

tying up the loose ends

So i ended my last entry saying that i was excited to see how God finished providing for this circumstance, since He was apparently set on demonstrating His faithfulness in full.

Cue my friends.

The very evening of my breakdown, Elizabeth offered to drive me to Walmart with my old tire to get a replacement (which i had money for). The next day, Joey put the tire on. The next morning, I got an unexpected card from Flora on the mainland with a gift that was just enough for my need- within dollars of the price of the battery. Then, Jason took out my old battery. And Jasmine drove me to town to get a new one which she installed for me.

And the car, His car, is as good as new!

I think its amazing how God tied up the loose ends of this situation, seeing the provision through to the end. He knows me so well- He knows how important that is to me.

So I just wanted to write this post script to my last entry to give God glory for not just His prompt faithfulness, but for the perfection of his follow through.

my breakdown (or, Making Jesus Lord) (or, They came two by two)

The day was off to a less than perfect start. My alarm didn't go off, and I woke up less than ten minutes before i had to leave for a meeting... so i hadn't had coffee or breakfast, devotional time, or a shower....i literally can not remember the last time i washed my hair. Its been a busy week.

Anyhow, at my staff meeting, we watched a classic Loren Cunningham (the founder of YWAM) sermon on "Making Jesus Lord", which deals with laying down our 'rights' and entrusting everything to Christ's care. In laying down our personal rights, we gain the rights of children of God. I was praying about the teaching as i drove home after the meeting- specifically at this certain moment discussing my car with Him. Suddenly, i saw a rock in the road as i was descending into the gulch, and though i swerved, i totally hit it. I made it out of the steep gulch stretch of road, but less than a mile later my car went to a wobbly limp and i pulled to the shoulder with a flat.

I laughed. This all came minutes after I told God it was His car and that I would trust Him to care for it even if it stopped running. Hahaha. All this as I am running late for another appointment.

I suddenly remembered that a car had been loading at the base just as i left so someone I knew would be likely driving past that stretch of road soon. So i waited and sure enough, along came my friends Tim and Sam. They saw me and pulled over. God provided help. Miraculously, there was a spare and all the tools, brand new, under my trunk's flooring. I have looked before and only seen the jack. But it was all there. God provided tire and tools. The guys did a record speed tire change.

(So the guys say they will follow me to Paia, so i get in my car and ...it won't start! Yeah. So Tim comes back and tries. No bueno. And i remind God its His car. Then Tim calls more of our friends-Jake and Caleb, who come down with a truck to tow me to Paia. God supplies more help, a truck and tow rope.

Then our friends Fritz and Benaiah drive by on their way home to Haiku and i had phoned Fritz awhile back, so they pulled over and came across the road too. Before we towed, Fritz looked at the car a bit and decided that it wasn't the starter but the battery, and that we could jump instead of risk rope towing. God supplied more help that brought wisdom.

Jake had cables in the truck. God supplied jumper cables. And it worked. So with SIX guys around me and my car ( somehow all of them momentarily unoccupied and in the midst of a week of hectic busyness for all of us, and on the scene in minutes!) i got in my car and rolled away on my donut tire. Which was also slightly flat. But I got home. It was definitely the practical hands on field assignment follow-up to the morning. The rubber met the road. And He so faithfully demonstrated that He really does care for His children that have laid themselves in His hands. I am henceforth excited to see how He provides for a tire and new battery!

And i managed to rearrange my appointment for an hour later, made it, and then finally got my morning coffee at 4pm.

How much unfolded in that hour astounds me- it was a tangible conversation of trust with the Lord. Who knew that a breakdown could turn out to be such a precious thing?