October 2, 2007

• Wow...can I just say that God is so amazing?
  I gotta tell ya, this one might be a little bit long...

  So it's been five days since arriving in Hawaii.  My first day, registration day, was quite relaxing in the morning.
  I met Derek's girlfriend, Heeran, who has become a really good friend.  I love that girl!!!
  We hung out by the pool for a little, headed off to campus to finally register and spent the day getting things organized for movin' in!

  Friday...orientation all day long.  Really good worship and praise is so much fun.  Very free, so many people from different cultures worshipping in their own ways.  Did I mention we have about 90 International Korean DTS students this quarter?  My DTS alone has 54, the Community Transformations DTS has about 46, French World and China Focus DTSes have around 20 each.

  Saturday, the Compassion class went to Hapuna Beach, which is about 30 minutes north of campus.  So beautiful.  The sand is burning hot, but the water was so refreshing...and very salty.  So crystal clear, you could swim out so far, look down, and still see the sand below.  You'd you could touch the bottom, but really you can't.
  Yummy BBQ.  Something funny...just as I was finishing my meal, a little birdie pooped on my hand. 

  Tangent:
  One story I wanted to share...on the plane ride here, as I was boarding my first plane from Sea-Tac, my seat was changed.  So, I board the ploane, look for my seat, and a woman was standing there.  When I told her she was in my seat, she explained to me that it was in fact her seat.  She and her friends were reseated so they would sit together.  So, nauturally, I turn to look for my original seat.  Lo and behold!  A man is sitting in my seat.
  I officially have no seat.  So, a asked a flight attendent for some help.  She went to the front of the plane, returned and came back to tell me everyone has boarded the plane.  I was free to sit in any open seat I wanted and was pretty much offered a whole row to myself.  The young lady across the aisle from me also had a row to herself.  We slept quite well that flight.  Praise God!

  Sunday service was such a blessing.  God reminded me through a small, quiet bible study outside under a tree about the relationship between faith and works, Jesus' love for all mankind, and His neverending faithfulness.

  Can I just say, I have been so emotional.  Or perhaps just very sensitive to everything around me.  The lyrics in the songs I hear and sing are so much more meaningful than just two weeks ago.  I remember why I love music.
  I'm actually thinking of joining my DTS worship team.  Still in the thought process of it all, really...

  Today we had our first class.  At 8 in the morning, one of our DTS leaders shared with us a little about her personal life.  She always reminds us that we are truly here for a reason and that we are really annointed by God to be here.  She taught us that we should no longer live our lives as "performers" whether its living one way throughout the week and another on the weekends, or striving to live our lives earning what is already given to us.
  We watched a short video about God's love and how no matter what we do, God's love will never change.
  It started to break down some of the walls that had been building up.

  About half an hour before lunch, we were given the freedom to go to the cross and just lay it all down before Jesus.  From what I remember, about 90% of us walked up to that stage, fell on our knees, and prayed.  The tears were flowing.  But it was so much more than that.  We were outside in the Pavilion, right next to the outdoor cafeteria, bawling our eyes out.  I believe there was a lot of healing this morning.
  It was such a refreshness that overwhelmed our class and cheesy as it seems, the perfect to start a course on truly learning commpassion for children at risk.  God really needed to be real in our hearts as a Father who loves us...no matter what we've done.  And nothing will ever change that.

  I love it here in Hawaii.  The people are so nice and yes...God is so good!
  I can't wait for Southeast Asia!

  • 4:41 am
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