A Spare Moment

So apparently life in this DTS is pretty busy. I suppose I'll fill everybody in.

My week started this Sunday (why I say it starts on Sunday is yet another topic I could go into some other time) with another morning eating breakfast with everyone on the patio. This is how almost every morning starts out, and it has fast become one of my favorite times. Tyler, a buddy of mine, asked if I wanted to go to Living Stones Church a couple miles down the road, so I decided to join. Apparently we were ignorant of the fact that there was a shuttle, and that there were also bikes we could use, but the walk was enjoyable. There's something about Hawaii that makes me feel like I could just up and walk in one direction and it be enjoyable. The church's worship is led by a big YWAM guy here at the UoN, by the name of Andrew West. Apparently Mr. West had a TV show with Discovery Channel, called "Hogs gone Wild", where he filmed wild pig hunts here in Hawaii. Pretty cool guy. I've a feeling I did something scheduled the rest of the day, but as we all ought to know, I've terrible memory.

Monday started off with breakfast, then a meeting the rest of the morning to share a bit about ourselves. Starting with the A's, we shared a bit about ourselves and answered some questions: our name, how we got to YWAM, why we're here, what we're hoping for, our passions, and our dreams. After this, we listened to a guy I'm surprised I didn't know much about, Phil Cunningham. He's with Steps of Justice, a Christian non-profit dedicated to serving the poor and oppressed of the world through promoting and "doing justice". I can't actually do it justice (what an unintentional play on words that was), so I would highly recommend you head over to their website and spend some time thinking things over. To wrap up the day, we checked out our work duty stuff, went to dinner, and went to sleep. I think...

Tuesday's morning ran the same as Monday, except it was my turn to speak. I told a bit of myself, but what really surprised me was the prayer time. Another buddy of mine named Mikey (who officially has the most awesomest mustache I've ever seen in person, and what's more, pulls it off with smashing success) said he'd never read it before, but he felt like he needed to share Psalm 45:2-4 with me, and it runs like this:

"You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.

Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.

In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds."

I'm unsure how to explain why this was so meaningful on here, but it spoke right to my unsure longing to face conflict. I don't mean just conflict internally, or financially, but to go to geographic locations with great suffering. Let me be clear when I say this terrifies me. I'm not naive to the fact that's a really, really scary thing. But, I can't ignore that part of me, which I really believe is true and God-given, and this verse, a surprise for everyone involved, really got to me.

The second half of the day we did work duty, then all went to a thing called Dinner With Friends, where we fed the homeless. This was interesting, and I'm glad we did it, but my thoughts are a bit more complicated than that...the future blog post topics sure are coming thick. After dinner we all climbed in the back of a flatbed truck with wooden walls and rode through Kona up to base, to watch a film called The Pink Room. It was made by Steps of Justice, to expose the horrible crimes of sex trafficking, but tells of the hope and the ministry that has been established there. It's not kid-friendly, but I would definitely recommend it if you're ready for it.

So after being upset from the movie, I went to bed, and woke up at 5:00. Not a fan of waking up at five, even in Hawaii. A group of us got some coffee and pastries together to go out and say good morning to the homeless, and came back for more testimonies. After this, we did work duty again, and I took the hour and a half I had left to jump in the shower, do my laundry (a surprisingly pricy venture), and write a letter to my mom for her birthday. So, mom, heads up.

Tonight has been relatively relaxed, with an "ice cream/journal decorating" party. Of course, being "creativity challenged" as I am, my friend Jessica strong-armed me into letting her decorate my journal. And, I must say, she did very well. So, kudos to you, Jessica.

And now that I've been sitting up late with some of these awesome new friends, I should probably go to bed. Goodnight all.


Onward, to serendipity.