Threads of Hope

Part of my work duty each weekday afternoon is working on a revised edition of the 30 Day Prayer Booklet - Voice for the Voiceless. This was the booklet that introduced me to the program that I'm currently in and it addresses 30 voiceless issues from around the globe including abortion, female genital mutilation, domestic violence and others. Part of my research includes action points for people to take the information that they've just read, and put hands and feet to the topic. I found an organization called "Threads of Hope" and it will be the new action point for child prostitution. Missionaries in the Philippines found families that were doing everything they possibly could to pay their bills and NOT sell their children into prostitution. The families make beautiful bracelets and are sold through Threads of Hope - check out their website at http://threadsofhope.com.ph/.

Ironman Qualifiers

About 30 of us volunteered for the Ironman qualifiers - it is only 1/2 of the actual Ironman, which happens in October. We volunteered in a variety of capacities over the course which started with 1.2 mile swim, followed by 56 miles of biking, and ending with 13.1 miles of running. The first man came in at just over 4 hours and it ends (whether people are finished or not) at 8.5 hours. For the actual race in October, they say to double your time and add 10% - the maximum amount of time given is 17 hours.

I was at the finish line for 4.5 hours telling the 1000 or so racers where to go to hand in their chip (it's attached to their ankle and records their times throughout the race as they cross different sensors). Obviously the first one to cross the line was very exciting. We had one guy cross the line, whip out a ring and propose to his girlfriend who was waiting for him (I think it was a yes!). Just before the 8.5 hour mark (they started at 7 a.m.) a double-leg amputee came across the finish - the very first to have finished the 1/2 Ironman.

My throat is a little sore from yelling "chip removal" all day, my face is red from the sun, I'm so very tired (I left with the 6:45 a.m. crew, but we also had a 4:45 crew), but it was a great day! The picture is at the finish line - Logan is in awe of the Ironman.

Portraits

This week we are working on taking portraits. Trudi is a great friend of mine and she has 2 sweet kids that like me enough to hang out with me (they are both in elementary school)! Logan is a sweetheart and she agreed to let me take her portrait. Isn't she beautiful?

Dell

Some of you may know that I bought a new laptop before heading out. My last one was on its very last leg (Windows 96 anyone?) and so I researched and asked around and decided on a Dell. I ordered it at Christmas and February was the original shipping date. That changed to March without my notice (a back ordered part) and I was a bit nervous because I was leaving at the beginning of April. It did arrive and I spent an entire weekend putting all my documents, pictures and music on to it - no time to back things up. I don't know if it was the transit or that the original parts were faulty, but upon my arrival in Hawaii, I have had nothing but problems. Telephone access is not easy because we are in a new building without phones, far removed from a lot of the campus (including phones that we can use). I spent many hours on the phone trying to get everything sorted out. Originally they thought it was my motherboard and RAM, but once that was replaced, I still had the same issues. I was able to get the computer to work enough to back-up all my documents, which was a miracle. I had to change my address to the U.S. to receive an imaged hard drive (versus a blank one and having to start from scratch), which was the actual problem. The drive came blank though and so I had to get some help to get everything going again (thankfully I brought along all the disks).

Needless to say, it's been "a bit" frustrating. I only had mail in warranty, so parts were shipped to me for free, but any work that I had done out here was my own bill to pay. Thankfully, I've become great friends with one of the computer technicians here on the base, but he still has to live, so that left me with about $150 of expected and unnecessary bills because they were just not getting things right. I called Dell this morning and told this exact story 3 times - the 3rd time was to the manager himself and he approved this payment directly, noting that this was a very special case. If it had gone any other way, this would be a "don't buy Dell" blog (though that may be your thought anyway after reading my story), but I appreciate their step of good faith today - they did not even ask for a copy of the invoices. BUT, I also went out today and bought a portable external hard drive - we're traveling for a year and if I've learned anything, it's to be prepared for the unexpected and BACK EVERYTHING UP!

Your Thoughts & Prayers

I have had a really hard time the past 2 weeks and I would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this time. Again, I don't want to get into detail, but we're dealing with family stuff, which is so hard, being this far away. Some of my friends are also going through some hard times with their families and I just wish I could be closer. I know that I can't do much more than I'm doing now, but somehow it just seems better when you're closer.

Public Speaking - Starvation

We gave our 5-minute public speaking presentations tonight. We had the choice to address any injustice issue, so I decided to speak about hunger. Did you know that 1 child dies of hunger every 5 seconds? That in developing countries they spend 80% of their income to put food on the table whereas in Canada we spend about 10%. That doesn't seem quite right - 80% from their shortage and 10% from our excess. One in nearly seven people do not get enough food for a healthy life, making hunger and malnutrition the number one risk to health worldwide - greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. My suggestions for a response: getting involved and supporting organizations like the United Nations, Canadian Foodgrains Bank; volunteer at soup kitchens and donate groceries to your local food bank; buying as much locally produced food or planting a garden!

Memorial Day Long Weekend

This weekend I get to wish my US friends a happy long weekend - hopefully you enjoyed the day off as I did. It has been extremely hot here the past 2 days, so I've tried to move as minimally as possible! I have been able to catch up on some computer organization and cleaning up some things that have been waiting for me. The topic this week with be the Holy Spirit, so I'm expecting a dynamic week.

Sex God

The latest book on our reading list is "Sex God" by Rob Bell and I highly recommend you read it. It looks at the connections between sexuality and spirituality. I just finished it, but I want to read it again - I underlined a lot, so I just want to go back through it and really solidify the interesting points. If you have already read it, please let me know your thoughts. Our speaker from this past week was addressing a totally different topic, but it was so interesting to note how many times his lecture and the book overlapped in common topics. His basic premise is "Our sexuality, then, has two dimensions. First, our sexuality is our awareness of how profoundly we're severed and cut off and disconnected. Second , our sexuality is all of the ways we go about trying to reconnect." (p. 40) He discusses various aspects of who we are, issues of lust, love, sex and children.

Children's Beach

I was given the opportunity to head out with one of my leaders (Monte) and take pictures for my photo-essay assignment this morning. You can't say I'm not committed - I got up at 5:30 to get ready and catch a ride to Children's Beach. The morning was organized to give disabled kids the chance to learn to snorkel. The volunteers who gave up their Saturday morning were simply amazing and I was able to capture it on "film" (at least I tried - I'm still practicing!). They had to get special permission to use a mobi pad - kind of a long "red carpet" into the ocean that allows people an easier entrance into the water. The mayor stopped by at the end and talked to the group about community and responsibility for every person a part of it. Once my work was done, I had the opportunity to snorkel as well - it was my very first chance and I had a great time. Just have to remember to breathe through my mouth! Salty ocean water is kind of gross!

Overflowing. . .

This past week's lectures were incredible! John & Yvonne (our leader's parents) shared their hearts with us all week long. We were filled to overflowing with the love God has for us, which overflows to others. We also looked at spiritual warfare in terms of materialism, sexuality, and the role of children in our society - so interesting. Finally, we worked on public speaking skills which will be put to the test next Tuesday (only 5 minutes so I think I should be o.k.!). It was a very encouraging and practical week.

Costa Rica/Panama Outreach

Slowly, but surely, over the next few weeks, our outreach groups will be bonding more and learning how to work together so that we can be effective when we go to Panama and Costa Rica. We will be spending Monday noon hours to fast and pray for direction regarding our outreach. We will also spend some time at the beach this weekend just getting to know one another and hanging out. We have a variety of people on our team - mostly single gals (of many ages) and 2 young families.

Joanne, You Will be Proud!

I was asked to play some worship songs and lead singing for my small group. Tonight was my first attempt and considering that I only started learning how to play the guitar in October, I think that it went well. We only sang 3 songs: Jesus, Be the Center; Amazing Grace (my Chains are Gone); and You are God Alone. But Joanne (my guitar teacher), you will be proud! Are see!! (It's an inside joke from good, old Fisher Branch).

Kodak Gallery

I am once again trying to post some of my pictures online through Kodak. It's been difficult because my computer was down for about a month and then there's trying to find a reliable Internet connection. I did open up an April album and if you didn't receive an invitation (maybe check if it went to your junk) and would like to be able to view my photos, please email me and let me know. Remember that my photography skills are SLOWLY developing and some of the pictures I am taking are just for you to see the buildings or the events of my life.

A New Week

A large part of our focus in lectures up until this point has been dealing with us and our own life. That will still be a part of our lectures, but we will also focus on our group as a whole and the work we will be doing as we head out on outreach in about 6 weeks time. We want to be a unified group, with a common purpose. Our topics this week include the authority of God, spiritual warfare and public speaking!

Makapala Relationship Retreat

Yes, I missed a day of blogging - we were gone on a relationship retreat from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon (and no, it was not cold!). We headed to a YWAM camp called Makapala. It was just as nice to get away from the norm on Friday as it is to return back to it today. There was time to relax and enjoy each other's company, as well as looking at the other relationships in our lives. I must be a "bit" sleep deprived because I had a 3 1/2 hour nap on Saturday! A Happy Birthday goes out to my Grandma Doerksen for yesterday - I'm sorry I missed it, but I was thinking of you all day long!!

The Half Way Mark

It's unbelievable to me that I've been out here for 6 weeks already - 1/2 way through the lecture phase. I received a crazy picture this morning from my guitar teacher back home and it included a snowman?!? It's hot and sticky today, but that's o.k. because it's not a dumping of snow! We are heading out on a retreat this weekend to the north part of the island and are told to bring something warm. We'll see just how cold it will get - so far, cold is something that I have not experienced out here yet! To all my fellow Canadians, enjoy your long weekend - if there is snow of the ground, hopefully it will melt quickly!

Ohana Meeting

On Thursday nights we have a corporate meeting for everyone on campus, plus anyone from the community or visitors who wish to join us. It's our Ohana Meeting - "ohana" is "family". It is a time of worship in song and usually we have a speaker that shares. Each week it's very different in both the singing and the message that's given/the way it's presented.

My Small Group

Wednesday nights are for meeting in our small groups. My leaders are Jo (who is also my 1-on-1 girl) and Deb. Our group is probably considered the more "mature" group of ladies (by age, not necessarily wisdom!!). The youngest of us is 26 and it just goes up from there. We meet in different places (the best being Deb's condo that is a stone's throw away from the campus which feels like home, including chocolate chip cookies!). Tonight we walked down the boardwalk (campus is not far from the ocean) and enjoyed ice cream and coffee. We talked about our experiences thus far, being about 1/2 way through the lecture phase. I truly value each one of these ladies and am so very thankful for their impact in my life!

Prayer Needed

If you believe at all in the power of prayer, then I am asking that you say one on behalf of my family. I cannot go into great detail right now, but I know that the devil is not happy with me being out here and trying to deal with different issues in my life (starting with the abuse I received as a child). My sin had not been of issue to him until now when I started to face it, and he is attacking me through my family (and attacking them in the process). I ask you to raise your voice and cry out on my and my family's behalf.

The Butterfly Effect

The butterfly effect is based on chaos theory and basically says that the flapping of a butterfly wings (small atmospheric changes) somewhere in the world causes a chain of events that, theoretically, could be linked to a large scale event such as a tornado. That's very simplified obviously, but the idea is truly complex, even for us 2-legged creatures. Imagine that the simple, little things that we do every day change the grander scale of humanity. That my decisions today, good and bad, affect people around the globe for today and tomorrow. Does that change would I do today? Should it? Just a thought. . .

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in my life! First of all to my own Mom - I Love You!! Then to all my relatives and friends that are moms of kids, big and small. Have a great day that hopefully includes some pampering along the way!

Waipio Valley

Our second field trip was to Waipio Valley - about a 1.5 hour from the campus. We hiked for about 2 hours to arrive at this enormous waterfall (pictured behind me), which, in Hawaiian culture, is worshipped because of its size and beauty. It was a HARD CORE hike! We scarfed down our bag lunches and then went for a swim. It was AMAZING! I tried to get close to the waterfall, but couldn't swim that close because of the pressure - it was so hard to breath. It started raining and so we headed back and made good time on our way back. Some of the hike required us to walk through water and at one point we were up to our chins in water (depending on our height, of course!). I am exhausted and heading off to a much deserved sleep!

Finding My Voice

Our topic this week has been an overview of the Bible, while also working on our writing skills. Our speaker, Andrew, from Canada (eh?) is a man of many talents and one of them is writing. Part of the Voice for the Voiceless program includes a 30 day prayer booklet of women's and children's issues around the globe (which I gave some of you as Christmas gifts last year). He wrote many of the personal impact stories in it. He challenged us in a number of different ways over the week, but the 2 that struck the biggest chords with me were: be willing to ask God the really big, hard questions (and you may have to wait a while for the answer); and find your voice and then use it for good. Some people's 'voice' in our program will be their photographs, some their writing, and various other mediums. I'm not quite sure what mine will look like as we venture out, but I'm excited to be able to really use my voice to make a difference.

Jo

I'd like to introduce you to Jo (short for Joanna, just in case you are wondering!). She is my one-on-one person - we meet once a week to catch up and talk about deep, heart issues. She is also a leader in my small group (Bible study group) and she will be part of my outreach team (which is officially going to Panama and Costa Rica - it was kind of up in the air for a while). She hails from Britain and I just really appreciate her encouraging words in my life. I am so excited that she's also coming along on outreach with our group - we were in need of an extra leader. She's not afraid to call me on my garbage (in a kind way) and is such an incredible blessing - I am so very thankful for her!

The Blah's

We are almost at the half-way point of the lecture phase (yikes, how time flies!). We have been told that this is where the blah's kind of set in. People are in routine and everyone is tired - extremely tired! We've got colds and bronchitis traveling around the campus. Thankfully the leaders have been gracious and given us some extra time off this week, including tonight! I am really tired, but healthy as a horse (so far!).

War Dance

Last night, for movie night, we watched the documentary "War Dance". Though it was a 2007 Academy Award Nominee, no one in our class had watched it before. Simply, it took my breath away. I felt despair, seeing the lines of internally displaced refugees in Uganda waiting for food to be unloaded from the UN trucks that deliver once a month. But I also felt hope, as we heard how these children could use music to start the healing in their lives. One little boy, Dominic, was determined to be the best xylophone player in all Uganda! Another girl, Nancy, talked about how excited she was to see peace. Don't you think that's interesting? She didn't want to FEEL peace, she wanted to SEE it! So, check out the website at www.shineglobal.org and then go out and rent this DVD. Seriously, go out. . .right now. . .GO!

The Love of God

The words to the old hymn "The Love of God" by Frederick Lehman have been playing through my mind a lot lately:

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure-
The saints' and angels' song.

When hoary time has passed away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God's love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam's race-
The saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Captivating

I actually had enough time this weekend to do some reading of my own choosing. I would highly recommend reading the book "Captivating (Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul)" by John & Stasi Eldredge. He also wrote the book "Wild at Heart" (for men). I suggest that you read the one that applies to your gender, but also consider reading the one from the opposite gender - it gives great insight!

Cale to the Rescue!

As some of you may well know, I've had a ton of computer issues since boarding a plane about a month ago (yikes, how time flies!). The motherboard and memory have already been replaced and now it was at a point of changing the hard drive as well. I was told that the drive was to come to me imaged (with the operating system on it already), but that was not the case. Thankfully we have a computer genius in our group - Cale to the rescue! He worked all day today to get this thing working again and we will see if the problems have finally been resolved.

Prayer & Fasting

Today was a day of prayer and fasting throughout the campus. I used the time to go through a booklet called "Fast for Change" put together by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. It certainly reinforces how blessed we really are. I challenge you to get involved in the work that they do and check out their website at www.foodgrainsbank.ca.