Aloha Day!

Today is “Aloha Day” where we welcome all of our new students.  We have over 30 students in the DTS this quarter and 10 in the SBS.

Jess’s students in the SBS (School of Biblical Studies, a 9 month intensive inductive Bible study course) started on Monday.  They hit the ground running this week diving right in to learning the inductive method.  For the past two days Jess has been in class with her students starting at 8:30am and returning at 9 or 10 at night.

While we were worshipping this morning I was getting excited for what the DTS students were about to embark on.  My DTS, in Adams, Tennessee, 11 years ago, radically changed my life.  God became so real, I learned to hear  His voice, and I gained a heart for the nations, and grew in faith by hearing testimonies of people laying down their lives in obedience and doing great things to further the Kingdom.

I won’t be working directly with any of the students, so at times it’s easy to forget why I do what I do, which includes a lot of administrative stuff which is admittedly not my favorite.  But if I can help provide an environment where these 18 -25 year olds can be and learn about who God is and learn who they are because of that, then I’ll keep doing it!

I remember last year a staff member commenting to me that the longer he was in YWAM the less fun it was.  I chuckle now as I write that because in a way its very true.  The older you get the more responsibility you pick up, so that the younger people coming in can have a care free environment with their only priority being, to know God and to make Him known.

Would you pray for Jess and I as we embark on another year here at YWAM Honolulu.  We never intended to stay here, but I think, (actually I know, but if I don’t admit it, I can have a bad attitude about if I don’t like whats going on) this is where God has us.  The plan was to come here for 5 months and then move to Kona for 4 and return to Maryland, that was 2 years ago.  Now embarking on year 3, we’ve now lived in Honolulu longer than we’ve lived anywhere else.

Our base leader shared with us during staff conference last week, how it’s easy to complain about the things we’ve given up to become missionaries.  But then she reminded us all that we live the lives of millionaires.  And it’s true, we don’t go hungry, we live in on a beautiful tropical island, and get the opportunity to travel the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Even millionaires have bad days, and frustrations, which seem to abound if I’m not consciously being thankful.  But we’re blessed, and I need to remind myself more often, of the reason WHY we do what we do.

Here’s a photo of me and the guys on my DTS outreach team in East Asia from 11 years ago.  Right before everyone had digital cameras.