Saturday snapshot

I had a fairly restful and uneventful Saturday at home and around town here a bit. I began by talking story with a friend over coffee, later puttered at a thrift shop... then finally met up with my housemates and some of our other students to go out to dinner. We walked en masse down the street, ordered some great flatbread pizza, and talked over the din of one another's voices till i thought i'd go hoarse. It turned into quite a party; a couple dozen of us sharing pizzas, stories and laughter- a good ending to a pleasant Saturday.

when the nations come to us

As YWAM, we go to the nations to share the gospel and equip believers. However, this Fall has been an exciting time for us as at our base as we have received the outstanding gift of the nations coming to us. Three young people I worked with in Asia this last year are now here with us in Maui to receive training. One of the girls was not yet a Christian when i had coffee with her in Asia, walking with her through her questions about God- and now she is here being established in her faith so she can learn to serve the Lord and reach out to others in her nation. What a gift! We have all been so encouraged to see them here and continue to invest in them- we just love being a part of their ongoing discipleship. They are enjoying the freedom of our nation, being able to worship openly and express their faith boldly... it is such a privilege to walk with them during there months.

Most of my last outreach team is on staff here at the base right now, and are all really enjoying seeing our Asian friends again and being able to continue participating in their lives in such an open and free environment. I am so stoked to see them continuing to invest here at home as much as they did when we were overseas!

my lovely class

Just a quick pic of the SBFM class and staff all together- and a pic with a few of my girls... its so exciting having them here at last! As i am beginning to know this group one conversation at a time, my excitement grows for all God is going to do in their lives. Its a great group and my heart stirs when i think of these few months ahead- and all the more when i consider that i will likely be taking a handful of them on outreach in December! But thats a long way off still... for now, i just wanted to share a pic of my lovely new class:)

We have fourteen students and four staff- a pleasant occupancy for our little lecture hall.

Such lovely girls- i am so stoked to get to know them and walk them through these intense months of learning and growing!

in motion

Its great to finally have the course underway! After several wild weeks of prep with an unconventional total staff of two (Mike and myself) , its wonderful to see the school up and running- we did it! Praise the Lord! And seeing these students here ready to engage the Lord and their world reassures me that it was all worth it. It always is.

We had an orientation today- the school leader Ben (just arrived in from leading the course we run in Asia) spoke briefly about the purpose and context of the course- and i proceeded to spend the remaining couple hours of orientation handing out the syllabus and explaining assignments. There is a lot of reading and homework to get settled into- typically at least one student cries after walking out of the lecture hall with their load of books and papers ...and today was par for the course:) But with a little love and coaching, everyone is getting things figured out and starting to engage with enthusiasm.

The students have embarked on a challenging three month journey of the heart and mind- lets be realistic: such an undertaking deserves a little pizza. Five pizzas and a case of Coca cola later, i assess the situation: yep, i think everyone is going to be fine:)

the Fall 2011 SBFM has begun!

Saturday night marked the opening of our Fall 2011 School of Biblical Foundations and Missions- definitely an exciting evening! We have fourteen students from six nations all here for three months with one purpose... to know God and make Him known. I'm stoked to get to know each of these young people that God has lead here for this course at this time- after just a couple days with them, I'm full of anticipation for this semester!

a handful of friends

I have considered recently how blessed i am to have friends that love me, love the Lord, and encourage me to be who Christ redeemed me to be. I have both a precious family that over the years has been blessing upon blessing to me, and an ohana- an extended family of friends in the Kingdom that prove time and again to be means of blessing to me as well. I don't have room to post pictures of all these people i count dear- only a few are represented here. But tonight i thank God for the gift of friendship... for friends and loved ones far and near. My friends, you are on my mind as i thank God for His abundant and gracious gifts tonight.

More about the trip: Away

This is my last entry about the trip to NK for the time being. The last couple weeks being home have been wildly busy and not afforded as much time for reflection as i'd like- the times of reflection i do have tend to turn almost immediately into times of prayer. My heart has been constantly reminded of NK and the situations that i saw there, as well as those that were out of sight. Though every day I am further away from my time there, my prayers seem to flow all the more. Its a privilege to share a beat of His heart in this way- to love what He loves, and burn with the intent of His Kingdom come. Such a joy to share His heart this way.

It was several weeks ago now that we drove across the border. Our guides fell gravely off script as they bade us farewell, even shedding tears; i don't have to guess that we were not the usual tour group. The impact on these men was marked. But our time was over. We went through borer control procedures in the same cement outpost building that greeted us several days prior. Then we said those telling goodbyes and boarded an old bus to be shuttled across the frontier. Soon NK was an opposite shore and we were standing on Chinese soil across the bridge thinking of our time in NK in past tense.

The trip back to our base town would be another thirty hours- it seemed an overwhelming series of trains and buses. We felt giddy, exhausted, dazed and free. I spent hours staring out train and bus windows, watching through rain beaded windows as miles of countryside rolled by... my mind just wondering over the moment in which i found myself, and the memories of recent days. It was still difficult to believe that i ever went- and almost as difficult to believe i was now getting further and further away. The prayers were few- it was almost as if the days were a blur.

Buses and trains were followed a few days later by taxis and planes...and another day later i was home in Maui. The emotions were the same again: still thinking it surreal that i went, and surreal that it was over. The prayers for NK that are now regular features in my days would begin a few days later.

I am sure i will revisit NK in my writing, but for now, this is the last i am writing of the trip. Know that it will not be far from my heart, though perhaps absent from my writing. Please keep remember NK in your prayers. To those who helped me go: thank you again for sending me to one of the heaviest and most inaccessible nations on earth to represent Jesus Christ.

May His Kingdom come.