The effect in the opposite direction of one of the sunrises I've seen.

This will be a fairly short post, as this has been a tiring week with little spare time, and a lot of teaching to reflect and process. Our subject for the week was Spiritual Warfare & Deliverance, of which I had no knowledge. Our speaker was Pastor David Bryan from Church of Glad Tidings in Yuba City, California and he brought 5 Prayer Warriors with him. He presented a month's worth of seminar in 5 days, and although I learned a lot I realized I have much more to learn on this subject. He has prepared us, though, for some of what we will potentially encounter in Cambodia and I am grateful for that. However, my head was spinning by Thursday, and I continue to review my notes as I consider how to apply this in ministering to others.

Unfortunately, on top of all of this, I had a bit of an allergic reaction to some food - nothing major, but it was enough to put me out of my normal energetic attitude for almost a day. I'm fine now (thank God!) but will go back to being more diligent about what I eat.

As we move into Week 8 (I can't believe I've been here that long already!), I realize that although I have adapted well to Campus life, I do not get enough time alone. The photograph to the right is is what our room looks like when several of us are trying to do our homework (note the clothes hanging in the background - it had been raining that day, so the curtain rod became the clothesline for someone).

There is always someone around both inside and outside; just when I think I have found a quiet spot I get interrupted numerous times. Today, in a moment of inspiration, I packed a bag full of homework materials, a towel and some water and went downtown to find somewhere that no one knew me! I spent from 10:30am until 6:30pm doing homework at different spots - either sitting on the sea wall, or at a patio table, at a sushi take-out, or the oceanfront lobby of a nearby hotel, laying on my towel, or walking to the pier, or gazing at a turtle on the beach. It was probably one of my most restful days since I've been here and I even got quite a bit of homework done!

Here's a photo of the turtle I mentioned; she has been on the beach for 2 days. There is speculation that she is going to lay some eggs.; everyone leaves her alone for the most part, but there are some who don't know any better and want to "touch" her.

This next photo gives a perspective of how big she is; that is an adult woman's foot.

So, that is it for this week. Thanks again for your ongoing prayer support and for your interest in what I'm up to! Please say a special prayer for my youngest granddaughter, Truth, who is suffering from periodic seizures which is of some concern to all of us.

HUGS!

PS - does it surprise you that my class (male & female) now hug each other in the mornings?

ALOHA from YWAM Kona!

I was thinking of the number of times I encountered people on the street in my first few weeks here and realize that the first month was very much about looking outside of myself. These past few weeks have been about looking WITHIN ourselves, so there haven't been as many opportunities for me to meet new people off-campus. As well, we have been encouraged to develop relationship with those we are sharing these 5 months with, which means I shouldn't be off by myself so much. There is a lot of energy and reflection needed for this, so it hasn't left much opportunity (nor time) for the type of exploring I did at the beginning of my time here.

We've had a pretty big change in plans this week. Our Outreach location is now Cambodia rather than the original location in Asia. Our team will fly there together, and then we will split into two groups: one team will go to Sihanoukville (which is a fishing village) and one team will go to Kampong Thom (which is a farming village). I'll give as much information as I can prior to our departure June 29. Unfortunately, there will be little or no internet access there. I will try to figure out how to get updates to you though.

Sihanoukville is located on the Gulf of Thailand near Kampong Saom (on the map on the left). Kampong Thom is located almost directly in the middle of Cambodia to the East of the Tonle Sap Lake. I tried putting a map of Cambodia on my Blog, but I wrestle with this program every once in a while, and it often wins! Here's a website: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/kh.htm

The temperatures will be about 32 Celsius and it is monsoon season, which will mean rain for a few hours every day. Apparently that's good news as it helps the heat, but not-so-good news as it makes it VERY humid, not to mention MUDDY.

Now that our location has been confirmed, we have started intensive Outreach preparations, which will continue as part of our training for the next 6 weeks.

Our speaker this week, Don Stephens, taught us much this week on Grace, The Kingdom of God, and Worldview. He is an incredibly creative man with a heart like Jesus. Most of us had swollen (aching) brains by the time Friday came around, as Don has done so much research and has so much knowledge and wisdom to impart. He challenged us to think in ways that we hadn't before and to consider new ways to spread the Good News, which is important for us prior to going on Outreach.

View of our classroom from the back, including our "snack table"

(we have our break outside)

With his search for ways to share God's glory, Don uses many examples of movie clips that portray his message. "The Butterfly Circus" is an extraordinary 20-minute film, featuring Nick Vujicic, the young Australian man, who was born with no arms and no legs. You'll need kleenex, but be prepared to feel good about life at the end of the film. Unfortunately, I could only find it in two parts on YouTube, but here are the links to copy and paste into your browser:

Part 1 (10 minutes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtxANzN2Woo

Part 2 (10 minutes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4um8qubQh0&feature=related

Back at home, there is some news as well! Kevin & Becky have successfully opened their coffee shop in downtown Red Deer. It's in a double decker bus, and located on Gaetz Ave (the one way heading north) on the right hand side a couple of blocks south of City Hall. Check it out if you get a chance! TRAPTOW'S COOL BEANS! 4619 - 49 Avenue.

I had a nice visit this week with a young Korean girl who spent 9 months at the YWAM base in Blackfalds and knows my daughter Danielle & Tyman and girls. It gave me a surprise when she first approached me several weeks ago and asked me if I was Danielle's Mom (out of context, as I didn't know she was going to be here). Here I am with Hyo.

This next photo is of Don (who is in my class) and his wife Shelley who are from Manitoba. They are the parents of Kim - she and her husband Adam, work with Danielle & Tyman at YWAM Blackfalds as well! Small world!

Must sign off now - it's Saturday night, and homework beckons (life has changed!)

LOVE & HUGS!

ALOHA FROM MY SMALL GROUP:

Jess, Me, Jane, Sasi, Debbie

I hope this makes it easier; this time I created headings for the different subjects, so depending on what you're most interested in, you can skip to that section.

SCHOOL

This has been quite a week of insight and growth. We went through a process developed by Dr. Bruce Thompson called "The Divine Plumbline", which really dug the deepest into our hearts and souls since we've been here. (Amos 7:7-9, and Isaiah 28:17 refer to God's plumbline - the measurement tool for our lives as Christians.) "Through the process of inner healing and breaking spiritual strongholds, we grow in our relationship with God and with others". Anything else I could say about it would understate the week, so I will leave it at that.

I am so inspired by all that YWAM is involved in and the vision the organization has. The leadership truly has a heart for what goes on in our world and for improving awareness, sustaining healthy life, and providing hope globally. As well, besides the Mission Statement of "To Know God....and To Make Him Known", there are many courses to equip missionaries to survive in the condition they are travelling to. One of my favourites is "Jungle Survival" which teaches what roots to eat and not eat, how to hang your hammock so that a python won't be able to get at you through the night, and more...... who would have thought?

Here are just a few of the initiatives that were especially interesting to me. Rather than trying to properly explain each, I have included the link for it:

Getting connected around the world with news of life and hope

http://grassrootsnews.tv/

If you read the "About Us" tab, with the Mission Statement & Vision, you get an idea of what is involved.

The Food Machine

What is commonly known as aquapondnics will use limited electricity, minimal water, and a country's local nutrients to produce food in a short amount of time to sustain the community.

http://foodmachine.org/

Learning to read!

Inventing a new language called the Uniscript to help the illiterate learn to read in their own language the bible in a matter of days.

Sourceview Bible

The first innovation to the Bible in 500 years.

http://sourceviewbible.com

YWAM Kona

And of course if you want to know more about YWAM Kona, check out the website. All I can share in my blog are my views, this will have the facts.

http://www.uofnkona.edu/

HOW SWEET IT IS!

A couple of weeks ago, I had commented on the packaged artificial maple syrup here, and put an invitation out for anyone who was interested in having the other nationalities here sample REAL Canadian Maple Syrup. Thank you to Doreen and to Rhonda for their very thoughtful and generous contribution! Not only have they sampled it, but my roommates each have a bottle to take home with them. They are SO excited - they said they had heard of our "world famous" maple syrup, but had never tried it before. And they LOVE it! Here are some photo's of classmates with their waffles and yummy syrup.

Eunice greatly anticipating the first bite, and LOVING IT!

Kyeongshik thinking he should drink the syrup & one of the kids deciding he needed help.

AND NOT SO SWEET!

I heard a scrambling noise and thought it was Rango (our favourite gecko) and looked up and yelled to my roommates to bring me a shoe. It was a 3-inch cockroach on the wall - yuck! I smacked it with the shoe, sprayed it with the bug spray they brought, then flushed it down the toilet (hmmm, perhaps overkill. but I don't think so). The Korean's think I'm very brave, but actually I just didn't want it joining me in bed tonight! I decided you really don't need to see a photo of it (no sense in you having the heebie-jeebies, just because we do!)

KOREAN NIGHT

Our 3 Korean roommates decided Stephnie & I needed some REAL food, so they hosted a supper for us one evening this past week. We had kimchi, bulgogi, squid, rice, hot sauce, Korean soup, crispy seaweed (nore). It was SO flavourful and a nice treat. I provided carrots and hummus to dip them in. Stephnie's birthday was the next day (or the same day, in South Africa, where she is from), so she had bought a cake and they all had a piece of that too.

SMALL GROUP

My small group for our class consists of a Malaysian (Sasi), an American (Jess), a Scottish-born/Englander (Jane), a South-African (Debbie), and me. We went for mud pie (spectator sport for me) the other day as a treat after our intense week.

Need I say MORE?

Thanks also to those of you are so very encouraging by making comments on the Blog, sending emails, snail mails & cards - you bless me in so many ways by the love and support you so freely give!

ALOHA MY FRIENDS!

This is funny! One day Eunice & Michelle accidentally matched & then a few days later, Eunice & I matched. Couldn't resist sharing it with you!

This past week has been a tough one for sure. Our speaker for the 5 days (Doug Richardson) took many of us (read "me") out of our comfort zones and made us face some things about ourselves we may not have wanted to either see or re-visit. The good news is that it strengthened us not only as individuals, but as a team. We are going to have to rely on each other when we go on the Outreach portion of our schooling, and the more aware we are of our unique qualities, the better we will function and the safer we will be. Apparently the upcoming week is going to be even more challenging, so I will appreciate your prayers for us to have strength, wisdom, and discernment for all that we are going to learn. We also had much discussion on hearing the voice of God, and that was quite insightful.

I have been remiss in not mentioning the support I am getting/have gotten from so many. Thank you to those of you praying for me; I know that your support has helped tremendously during these past 4 weeks, as there have really been no adjustment issues for me. I appreciate your continued prayers over the next 4 months. Also, I want to publicly thank those of you who have helped financially; your unexpected and very much appreciated generosity has made a difference.

A few people have expressed a desire to do mission work in some way; we know that there are 'senders' and 'goers'. I believe there are also 'doers' in the mission field. I wanted to let you know that there is an opportunity help out without the potential discomfort of going to an underdeveloped country. This campus is run almost entirely on volunteers, whether it's students doing their work duties (minimum of 2 hours each per day) or "Mission Builders" or short-term volunteers. in Kona, YWAM is always looking for Mission Builders. These dedicated volunteers do everything from office work to maintenance to groundskeeping. All that is required is that you pay your way here, and your room and board is free. You may come for anywhere from 30 days to 3 months. The Mission Builders I've talked to really enjoy what they're doing, come back year after year, and find that it's a great opportunity to get involved!

If you have any interest, there is more information on the YWAM website - just copy this link into your browser:

http://www.uofnkona.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=182&Itemid=313

As I write this (Friday), we are experiencing a tropical storm. Thunder, lightening, and pouring (almost deafening) rain. In our residence courtyard, it is ankle deep and we have to put out sandbags and tables on their sides to deflect the water from entering the buildings! Those who live here keep telling us that this is not normal weather for this time of the year (hmmm). We have had some sort of rain almost every day; either through the night or for an hour in the middle of the day. In some cases, like today, it rains for several hours. Fortunately though, we do see a lot of sunshine too, and the temperature varies only be a few degrees.

Now I am writing on a different day (Sunday) and can tell you about my Saturday. We had a "class outing". Forty of us loaded into 3 vans and one car and went on a bit of an outing. It felt like we had been given a day pass from our intense confinement on campus, but we knew wherever we went He would be with us. Our final destination was to the active volcano on this island, with stops to "Green Sands Beach" and South Point (which is the southernmost point on this island - actually the southernmost point of the United States). It was a great day of further bonding as a group; however, we had a near tragedy with one of our Koreans jumping off a cliff into the ocean and having major difficulty getting back out. It's a long story, but she thought she was going to die and if there hadn't been two fishermen who were trained lifeguards who just happened to be there, we all shudder to think of how it would have turned out. She was roughed up by the waves and the lava rocks in the blow hole she ended up in, but came out of it feeling loved and embraced by all of us. Here are a couple of photos:

On the left is Anna (not the Korean) who was the first to jump from the cliff. We estimate the distance to the water at 40-50 ft.

On the right is the blow hole. Notice the people at the top to get a feel for how far from water to safety.

And this is Green Sands Beach - yes the sand is GREEN! It was a 3-mile walk over lava rock and against winds that stopped you mid-step (shades of Le Mistral in France!) We only had time to stay for 30 minutes, and then hike 3 miles back (but those winds were behind us and sped up our walk!).

Finally, we arrived at the active volcano here on the island (but hasn't had any lava flow since March). We walked through a lava tube (like a round cave) and through what I would call a rain forest, but others call nature. It's a unique and beautiful part of Hawaii. We stayed long enough so we could see the glow at dusk. It's not visible during the day........

Thanks for checking in on me!

HUGS!

J

ALOHA!

This is the view from the pier looking back towards the area where YWAM UofN is. No, the huge white building that looks like a cruise ship is not us..we are to the far left and adjacent to the white condos that angle up the hill (near the far left edge of the photo).

We see a lot of rainbows here on this island!

May 1! It's tough for me to believe that I've been here since April 7 in some ways and yet it feels like I've been through a lifetime of discovery and spiritual growth.

I've been asked about the learning and speakers up to this point. If this doesn't excite you much, just skip to the next section. ;-)

CLASS:

- We have worship/intercession at the beginning (8:00) - Mondays the whole campus gets together for worship for an hour, but the other mornings we do it in our own classes

- There is a speaker lecture in the morning

- In the afternoon, there is either "small group" where we discuss a subject, or Outreach Prep, or Lecture Application

- From 3-5 is work duty (I'll tell you about mine below)

- Thursday evenings we have "Community Meeting" for the campus, which involves worship and a speaker

HOMEWORK/INDIVIDUAL WORK:

- We have a predetermined outline for weekly journalling, including meditation verses, reflection on speakers, observations about our week (including satisfying time/challenging time/self-assessment), prayer times, goals for the week etc that is handed in on Mondays for review by our small group leader

- We read 1 to 5 books of the New Testament each week, and must write a 3 or 4 sentence summary of each chapter (by the way, this is a great way to put the teachings into your own words and attain knowledge about what each chapter is about)

- We have a book to read, and do a book report on (Is That Really You, God? by Loren Cunningham)

- And of course we each have our own personal Bible readings and devotions that are part of our daily life.

SPEAKERS (it is hard to cover all that was spoken about - this is only a few items from each):

- Week 1 was Andy Byrd - one of the Kona YWAM Leaders. He spoke on God's Love, and on Revival & Reformation

- Week 2 was Bill Payne - He's an international teacher and author. He spoke on Truth, and on The Character of God

I had mentioned the above two of these speakers in my last two posts.

- Week 3 (last week) was Loren & Darlene Cunningham (the founders of YWAM 50 years ago) and David Hamilton (is on the leadership of YWAM) - It is virtually impossible to even attempt to cover what this powerhouse team shared, but some of the topics were Discipleship, the Grace Ticket, Relinquishing Your Rights, Cost to Follow Jesus, The Opposite Spirit. (I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea).

Loren

Darlene

WORK DUTIES

Most work duties are from 3:00 to 5:00, however, I have been assigned Hospitality for our class and for our speakers, so my duty is 7:00-8:00am and 3:00-4:00pm, with some other duties outside of those time frames. I make coffee, tea, prepare cold water/lemonade and snack for the class. I also have the privilege of making a fresh bouquet for the class whenever the old one needs refreshing. Actually, to the right is one I created (the campus is filled with so many choices). As well, I do a Welcome Basket with refreshments and goodies for our guest speakers' rooms, ensure their room is clean and prepared for them, including flowers (I'm becoming a florist!!) and sometimes even do their laundry.

This past week, my work duties were less than normal, as Loren, Darlene & David spoke to 5 classes at once, so I chose to volunteer at the Organic Farm on campus and shovelling dirt and picking rocks, of which there are a ton (this island is all volcanic rock). Now that was a work duty!

It's been a good week again, no doubt about it. Although I had a tough time on Thursday when the topic was Relinquishing Your Rights. That's about laying down everything that is important to you and putting God TOTALLY and unconditionally first. However, the environment here is one that helps you get through any of those roadblocks to move forward. There is such love and acceptance here.

WEEKENDS!

Well, we sure don't take time out of what we are all here to do, which is pursue our relationship with Christ. However, we don't have classes but it is time to do our homework. Friday night I slipped over to one of the stores to look for some clothing appropriate for our Outreach in Asia (can't wear shorts, so wanted to get a couple of skirts). Very frugal though. Found one for $5.99 - figured that fit into my missionary budget - haha!

I believe I mentioned that many do their laundry on the weekend, and this is another thing I do very differently than at home. All colours, whites, darks get thrown in together as there is minimal time to get your laundry done and each load costs money. As well, there are outdoor clotheslines. There is a dryer, but again, many of us choose the clotheslines to preserve money as well as prevent shrinkage.

Saturday night, one of our class members made Thai food for us. He did a great job of providing us with some creative and tasty food - red curry chicken and eggplant. Here's Tom who made the meal and Felecia, one of our classmates.

Each of us helped in some way, and I was asked to do table set-up and decorating. Well, my sweet friend Bev would be so very proud of me - she has taught me well! We don't have much to work with here, but this is what the tables ended up looking like:

Today, one of my New Zealand classmates, Dianne, and I went to the Mokauikaua Church, Hawaii's original church. It was founded in 1820 and the building was built in 1836. I didn't take my camera (I was going for service, not as a tourist), but it is a beautiful old building and a great service.

Oh, and how did I forget! One third of our class went to our class leaders' home Tuesday night (the other 2/3 go on two other nights) for dessert. They have been gifted with staying in a friend's beautiful home for the entire year, except for 6 weeks when he comes to Hawaii. It's a Japanese garden effect inside and out, right on a very private cove. Here's a photo of those of us who were there in their little outdoor gazebo:

OK, well a few of us are going to the beach for 2 about hours, so I must run! This is my first beach day since I got here, where all I'm going for is to lay and soak the rays. Have an awesome day! I know I will!