On a journey...

After getting the rental car we filled a cooler box with ice and after getting a few supplies at Safeway we set off to the beach which was the activity for the day. It was a nice drive although I am realizing more and more that this is a volcanic island and so most of the scenery is black lava. On some stretches of road people have written different things with white stones and this is what they call “Hawaiian graffiti”. Our first stop was the Hilton Hotel. Not to stay there, but because you can visit the resort and enjoy lunch by the Dolphin pool. It was really lovely. The Hilton is on such a big property that you need to take a little boat to get around (a real boat in a sense, except it runs on rails in this little man-made river). It’s a beautiful place though, and the food at the little restaurant was simple, but nice (I had my first fish tacos ever made with fresh fish). Looking at the dolphins in this small pool area and observing people coming having paid lots to “play with the...

Yesterday was another lovely day. After a quick stop at Target to buy sunglasses (very important since the sun is really strong here!) as well as Pringles, animal crackers and water (snacks are also important) we walked down to the beach. It was another lovely beach, a little bit tricky to get to which probably explains the minimal number of tourists on it, but it was full of locals, especially children. There was a little lagoon where it was possible to swim and the beach was really nice. I went swimming and it was almost as if the water was thick... hopefully due to its saltiness, not because it was super-dirty. The beach was situated among some really spectacular houses and my friend explained that all beaches have public access here in Hawaii. Good idea if you ask me, or I am sure rich people would buy up all the beach areas leaving nothing for the locals and visitors like myself to enjoy the beautiful part of creation displayed on this island. After walking home from the beach I h...

Setting foot on Hawaiian soil. I arrived safely at Kona International Airport (not that I was traveling internationally, but that’s the name of the airport) Tuesday afternoon. As I stepped off the plane and walked down the staircase I was hit by the warm air. It was lovely. I walked across the runway and into the airport and immediately had associations to Brazil. It felt like Brazil, it kind of looked like Brazil, yet it wasn’t Brazil. Getting into the baggage reclaim area (which is really just the area at the front of the airport, it’s all non-covered really so it’s almost as if you’re outside the airport) I had to wait for a while for the luggage to appear on the conveyer belt. Plenty of time to grab a copy of (almost) all the tourist brochures in the little stand that said “welcome to Hawaii” or something like that. The interesting thing is that most of the information tells you about these wonderful adventures you can have here, yet they don’t tell you any prices. A bit inconvenie...

Tuesday 25 May 2010 Literally on a journey...to Hawaii...Aloha! So I’m sat here at KCI again (that’s short for the Kansas City Airport). It’s very strange to be traveling not to a familiar destination, but to somewhere new. I’m off to visit my good friend Elisabeth in Kona, Hawaii. Who would have thought? Sat here in the hustle and bustle of the airport my heart is excited and expectant. I am looking forward to a holiday (or vacation as they call it here), and of course to see my friends. But I’m also excited to have some time to seek the Lord. I know that sounds weird. I mean, my life and job is to pray, talk to Jesus, listen to Him. I spend over 50 hours a week in a prayer room…but there’s always a schedule. Never really an uninterrupted amount of time to just be. And listen. And not have to remember the next thing on the agenda. So here I am sat. Free WiFi lets me connect with the Prayer Room right here…which is also surreal…usually I’m there this time of the day (6 am). But today ...

I sat next to a lady at lunch this week in the inner city. Her right arm was in a cast so it took a while for her to eat. Everyone greeted her and she seemed to know everyone in some way. As I struck up conversation with her I asked her some unthreatening questions about her life- the first step in building some kind of relationship. It wasn’t about getting the whole story, but rather to be available and see how God would move. She mentioned that she was a grandmother of four, so I asked her if she saw her grandchildren much. Her eyes filled with tears and we sat in silence for a while. I gently touched her arm and said quietly: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” My heart was filled with compassion. After a while she shared that she had no family in Kansas City and that she misses her grandson who used to live with her a lot. As we chatted she shared some of her current challenges with a broken arm. Challenges like moving furniture and doing dishes. I suggested that maybe some of...

I was thinking about walking down an alleyway of houses in Brazil. The ground is a dusty sand and the houses are small and made of concrete and the simplest of houses. As I walk along in the heat I see a flowerpot on one of the porches and a sleeping cat on the other. Everything is relaxed and everything is at peace. No-one is rushing and everyone has time. Time to rest. Time for each other. I went on to ponder what our houses will look like when Jesus comes back and establishes His Kingdom here on earth. Will we have simple houses like these houses? Because fullness of life and true joy isn’t usually found in the expensive mansions rich people live in. Life is found in the little granny’s house in the alleyway. The city may be filled with violence, but that little house brings light. That little house is so full of love that the lack is of lesser importance. Maybe we will live in houses like that. Simple homes that are rich in the things that really have value and that really matter. ...

Taking things into my own hands. Figuring out solutions and the possible based on my limited mental capacity. Basing hope on what the past communicated to me. Why is it so hard to give it all to God? Why is it so hard to truly surrender without a get-out clause, without a “plan b” if His plan doesn’t work? And why do I feel like I need to fend for myself when He says He’s my defender, and protect myself when His clear again and again that He will protect me? Doing it myself is such hard work. Striving is exhausting, yet how can I truly walk and not strive? How do I let go? What does letting go of everything and laying it in His hands look like, or even feel like? What do a heart and a soul truly at rest feel like? Maybe like Jesus asleep with His head on a cushion in the boat while the storm is raging? Maybe like Peter after Jesus had taken away the shame of denial and entrusted him with the ones He loved so much He died for them? I wonder if Peter struggled after that day? Did he ever...