Out with the old
In with the new
Welcome to YWAM Maui-
This is what we do!
I guess Hawaii is a good place for us, since Aloha means Hello, Love and Goodbye. Thats kind of the pattern of life here, every three to six months.
Another couple teams are home from outreach and debriefed. We had a fun and casual beachside graduation at Launiupoko, and it was great to bedeck the students with flower leis to congratulate them on course completion. Strangers when we first greeted them just six months ago, we have loved them and seen them grow- and now its time to let them go. Even as the weekend is peppered with sad partings and airport runs, our eyes are (rather unbelievably) already on the horizon...
Take a deep breath: without pausing, we are hastening straight into preparation for our next group of students... as they will be here in just two and a half weeks!
The second level course, the one I am primarily involved with, is expected to be under a dozen students. The moderate enrollment is a blessing and a perfect fit, however, as we have a minimal staff available this quarter. I am already covering more than one position, and i think a heavy enrollment would have compromised the quality of what we could offer with just two full time (and one part time) staff! The entry course will be straining our base's seams though, with over forty students likely.
Its going to be an exciting Fall, as always- and I am sincerely looking forward to it regardless of the inconveniences of a quick turn around and the substantial workload. I know that at times we will all be stretched a bit thin, but that always reminds us of our dependency on the Lord, and pushes us to lean on His strength rather than our own. Thats a good place to be. Even so, we have to be alert that we don't run ourselves ragged- but I have seen that that risk is greatly minimized as we intentionally and genuinely love and serve one another.
I am excited to share this season and all its challenges with our whole ohana- staff and students and my far away support partners. Though as a base we are perpetually in transition with life turning over at quarterly intervals, the work God does in people's lives here has a great deal of permanence... impacting them for the rest of their lives. That reality often serves to cultivate patience in me for the constant stop/start of life here:)
A couple of my students at graduation- one of which is joining our staff on the base!
A couple of my students from an outreach team I led in 2010- now both staff on the base that i am SO proud of!
No complaints about the backdrop of life here... :)
