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!