So much happened while I was home, and somehow five months came and went. I'm back in Hawaii now, here at STN, doing SLS. Currently I am the only girl. Three guys, all from different internships from each other, three staff and myself make up the team so far. We're waiting on a Swedish girl who's dealing with visa hassles, then we'll be a nice little ohana of eight.
There's a lot to say about the last five months, what I'm doing here, why I'm here, and so much more - but it will all unfold soon enough. For now, I'm starting with April 26th.
I arrived in Honolulu on Friday, April 26th. I left my family for a year, my mom sad, but happy for me, sister mildly indifferent, but secretly bummed (I know it), dad crying and convinced I'm gonna die in here. The hitchhiking stories previous are a big contributor to that prediction. I was picked up by some dynamite friends, Dave and Rosy, who were formerly my youth leaders back home until the Navy stationed them elsewhere. They eventually ended up on Oahu, where they've been living for some years now. They're officialy dubbed my "hanai ohana" which essentially means "adopted family." I can't express my excitement for this. While an intern, all I wanted was a hanai family to be close to and go hang out with when in need of space or change of scenery. SO grateful. I stayed with them for the first two nights, which was an absolute delight. I got to hang out with their two gorgeous girls, and their new little baby twin boys. I hadn't had a day off in a while, so Saturday was spent hanging around the living room with Rosy and the boys, watching Duck Dynasty. Exactly what I needed. Sunday evening they gave me a ride over to STN. Though I don't think I've ever been so in love with my family and the northwest as I was while home, coming back to STN was still like coming home, also. The night was filled with hugs, joy and reconnecting. The next day was Monday Funday and consisted of a beach day on the east side. I unintentionally, and stupidly crash tanned and fried the pnw outta me. So red, so painful. Tuesday I unpacked, met some of the other SLSers, napped and settled in. Wednesday it all started, with rock climbing. We went to a rad little place in town called Volcanic Rock Gym, where we romped around, biffed it a lot and destroyed our fingers and forearms. Thursday we had a good chunk of orientation, the administrative and technical stuff. We got our staff email addresses, learned how to use MailChimp (somewhat) and got slapped in the face with Julie's fundraising spiel. Julie's been here for a few years and has managed to become a fund/support raising pro. She's not scraping by, she's not broke, she's taken care of by solid supporters who believe in her and what she does. That's where I want to be. I didn't set myself up well because I'm afraid to ASK FOR MONEY. Nobody likes to talk about money, but the truth is I'm living like a missionary for a year, I need support, and I need to get over the awkwardness of talking about it. I don't want to scrap by all year, barely afloat, I want to be blessed to bless others. I want to be able to treat the kids on my street to ice cream at McDonald's once in a while, or a friend to coffee or dinner, to tithe, to eat well (no top ramen, please!). I want to have enough to put what I learned in Financial Peace University (FPU) to use! More important than that, I need prayer. Money is a necessity, and such a great tool, but prayer is powerful and filling. I know I need this more than anything. A monthly newsletter is an SLS requirement, and I'm currently in the process of setting one up. I have no email list formed yet, but if anyone out there would like to be on it to receive this newsletter, send me a message to ilomay55@yahoo.com and I'll put you on there. This will be a brief weekly, or monthly update message with links to my blog, Facebook, Instagram and donate page. If you're not into reading my sometimes novel-length blog posts, follow my pictures on Instagram. If you'd like to support me in what I'm doing, you can go to the super simple, tax-deductible donate page. Coming soon.
Friday. We went camping at Goat Island. It was beautiful. We played, we ate, I tried to surf, we had more orientation and we spent family time together. Saturday morning we had a long quiet time before lunch and it was incredible. If only every quiet time could be had on a sandy beach, overlooking glistening waves and glorious clouds. Lately I've been dealing with failure to make God TOP priority. Too often I'm more concerned about making sure my makeup's done well than making sure I'm pleasing God in whatever I'm doing. I doubt He cares a whole lot about my makeup or what outfit I'm wearing, but holy crapola I sure do. I had some good time hashing into that. Later we went on a hike into the mountains, and on the way home we stopped at the beach for a short surf/nap session. That night we had Surfer's Church, which as staff (we're now considered) we're not required to go. I thought about not going because I was tired, but I did and I'm glad. It's my weekly struggle, deciding whether or not to go to Surfer's Church, but every dang time I do I end up so refreshed and happy I did. This time was no exception.
Sunday I went to Blue Water church in China Town. I'd heard of this church while an intern, but never had the chance to attend. I finally did and it was wild. So basic and so full of God's Spirit. This might be my church. One small reason I might love it is because it's held in a big gym, just like the church I grew up in originally was. The rest of my day was spent getting a little work done, doing laundry and hanging out around the apartments. Monday Funday was such a treat! My friends, Willy and Canela, are here vacationing. They'd just spent a week in Waikiki and stopped to visit with me on their way to stay their last couple days on the North Shore. We ended up chatting in my apartment for a while, then lunching in Haleiwa before they dropped me off at Waimea where I met friends and caught a ride home. It had been a while since I'd seen either if them, so it was way refreshing to connect. Also, they're now the only people from home who have a decent idea of my life here. I can explain what I do here and what it's like until the sun goes down, but it will never compare to coming, seeing and experiencing. So grateful for them and their visit.
Today is Tuesday and it was a doozy. Some of the folks I did internship with came right back, did SLS while I was home, and are now on staff. Some of those staff left before I got back, on the Bangladesh outreach trip and just arrived home today. Now, I'm back in my old room here, in my roommates old bed. She's on staff here, but I hadn't gotten to see her yet because she was in Bangladesh until today. I was finishing up my makeup early this morning when I heard a raucous down in the parking lot. At first I though, what the heck is happening. Then I realized. BANGLADESH IS HOME! I blazed down the stairs, Frida saw me, squealed and ran over to meet me at the gate. I squealed, threw myself through the gate and into a huge hug with my former roommate and beloved friend. I instantly started crying. I don't know if I'm just plain weepy or it was the surprise of it, but I was blubbering. Especially when I got to Ashley, who's old bed I'm in. So much joy. Such a mess. Then it was time for Sabbath. We all shuffled into the Artis building, formerly the Texas Bar strip club, for teaching and worship. Our fearless leader and director of operations, Zach, gave us some solid teaching on being a leader. Interns have been dropping in all weekend for the semester that officially started today. Zach gave us the story of Achan in Joshua 7 to challenge us and convict us in leadership for these new faces we'll be mentoring and investing in for the next three months. It ended in a time of reflection and confession. There aren't many safe environments or situations in life where people can confess sin and failures to a family of friends and believers who want nothing but to love and forgive you without judgement or hesitation. It was cool, and powerful. Then we went into worship, and then a long time of prayer. Sometimes prayer seems heavy, and kind of exhausting to the point where I don't want to do it anymore. Then I remember that just because it's hard doesn't mean it's bad, it's just hard. By the end of it, I always feel refreshed, like I've taken a spiritual shower.
The rest of the day included an Ohana bbq with the new interns and some good balcony conversation with EmJ. I'm so thankful for this place and what God's showing me, teaching me and doing in my life here.
Stay tuned for tomorrow when I learn what department I'll be apprenticing in for the next three months! Media, Coffee Bar, Feeding the Hungry, Ulu Pono... What will it be? No idea, YET!
Until tomorrow.
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