Saying Goodbye

Well, it's hard to believe it's all over. I flew home early on May 19th to surprise my sister for her 12th birthday, and now I'm just at home enjoying the 110+ degree weather and desert cactus scenery! The experience I had this Spring in Kauai was amazing - I wouldn't trade it. I learned so much about God, myself, and life...and the people I met will always hold a special place in my heart.

I just want to thank everyone who invested in me for this season! It was one of the most spectacular experiences I've ever had, and I will never forget it. I hope to someday go back and visit Kauai again.

This will probably be the last post in this blog, but if you want to follow my regular blog from here on out here's the link:

http://isaiah-43-desert-streams.blogspot.com/

So Much to Do, So Little Time

So I've got 5 days left on island, all my homework is completed except final exams, and I've still got some adventures I need to have before leaving! Last week I made a list of things I would still like to see and do, and as time passes I don't think I'll be able to get it all done, but it's fun to try! 

ADVENTURE LIST

1. Go Scuba-diving 

2. Helicopter ride 

3. Jump off Shipwrecks

4. Go to Poipu

5. Hike Waterfalls

6. Sleep in a tree

7. Go surfing!

8. Feed Sharks

5/8 I went surfing for the first time and that was fun - glad I got to check that off the list, even if it was at the almost-end of my trip! I caught three waves on my stomach, two of which I pearled on...got a good smack on the jaw by my board, but it was still a good adventure! Forgot to put sunscreen on my back though and got a huge sunburn, but I'm hoping it will turn into a nice tan in a day or so! 

5/9

Had a blast at Tunnels beach with my Hanai family! Another check off the list! Got to go snorkeling and saw a variety of fish, a huge turtle, and a monk seal! Also got to meet Bethany Hamilton on the way out - she was coming in to surf! 

5/10

No adventures today, just cooking, dance practice (for the talent show), grading papers, and Discipleship class! Wrapping things up is bittersweet. Going to start going through my stuff soon to decide what I'm taking home and what I'm going to leave here. 

Thankful for a job mowing lawns to make some last-minute money to fly home on. 

5/11

Had a small adventure today! One of the guys shot a chicken today and I watched two of the girls skin it, gut it, and cut out the meat. We went back to Ahukini Pier at night to feed the sharks....but unfortunately we didn't see any! :o( Technically I could check it off the list since we tried to feed the sharks, but I would like to actually see the sharks so I'll keep hoping! We need to catch and kill a boar. 

5/12

SUPER BUMMED OUT! I was going to go SCUBA DIVING this morning but I got this huge lip sore/infection and didn't want to have the regulator rubbing against it and stuff. It's so nasty. I'M SO SAD! That was pretty much my last chance to go scuba diving this semester....

5/13

Still have this disgusting lip sore, and there's more bad news! I was going to go on a helicopter ride over the whole island this afternoon but the helicopter is down for maintenance! What in the world is happening to the end of my trip? *sigh* Oh well, I've got quite a few chuck tracks left to do, so I guess I will just do school....

Contemplating all the things I've learned and getting ready for the fact that I have to leave this place. 

Getting excited for summer. 

Ready to see my family again!

GOD IS AWESOME

Yep, I'm still here

So I've been living in a tent for 90 days now....pretty crazy. It's funny, too, because I'm starting feel like I don't want to live in a house anymore after this. Sure, it gets pretty loud when it rains, and if the wind blows hard enough sometimes my tent-flap will slap me in the face in the middle of the night (I like to keep my window unzipped), but all in all it's really a rather nice place to dwell! Well, except for the mold too. That's not good. But minus the mold - living in a tent off the land is really quite a profitable experience. Not only does it make you appreciate the things you once took for granted, but it also shows you that you don't really need a lot of the things you once valued, and you start to value different things instead.

The gentle breeze rustling through the grass and trees. 
Crickets serenading in the night. 
The sun slowly creeping over the horizon every morning. 


I'm learning to see the world in a way I had never really thought to before, and it's been such a great experience. The people here are great too. My two tent-mates are a blessing, and the relationships I've formed with fellow students, church members, and even the random meetings of people in town have touched my life in an unexplainable way.

My relationship with God has also been put through some times of testing while here, but it's only served to deepen my love and commitment, and for that I am and will forever be grateful. I'm also excited to share that I was able to be baptized in the ocean yesterday morning, as a symbol of my re-commitment to Christ and the act of regeneration that has already taken place in my heart! I was baptized as a child, but it was at a point in my life where I didn't really understand its significance, and it happened before I really entered into an active relationship with God. Now that I've been able to have a true relationship with God for several years now, and having been able to finally claim victory in some areas that I was living in defeat, I wanted to be baptized to show outwardly the renewal of commitment that has taken place inwardly in my heart. I can't even begin to describe how much I cherish being able to have that opportunity, and I know this memory will serve as a reminder to me for when things get tough again in the future.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself up for me." - Galatians 2:20

Videos

I just realized that I haven't shared any videos on here! I've been putting them up on Facebook, but for anyone who doesn't have a facebook and keeps up with my blog, here's a link to some of the adventures I've talked about:

Hoopi Falls: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JruRM6M23xE&feature=g-upl&context=G2b46d74AUAAAAAAAFAA


Hanalei Bay: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnXhGkNw-Fc&feature=g-upl&context=G220f520AUAAAAAAAEAA


The Deluge: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcRdBblPBCs&feature=g-upl&context=G278d131AUAAAAAAADAA


Package from Home: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PixYx1g66hA&feature=channel&list=UL


Macnut Conquered!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnFENhsH4f8


Ahukini Pier: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mF4rfpJb44


Secrets Beach: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDrr_7jLTEs&feature=channel&list=UL

I'm sure there will be more to come! I've got just a little over a month left on this beautiful island - lots of time to have more adventures!

Blessed Cont.

DAY FIFTY-FOUR

Went with some of the girls to go see "The Hunger Games" today after play practice! We had to wait in line for an hour but it was well worth it! I just love spending time with these ladies and thank God for them and what a blessing they have been to me in my life! 

DAY FIFTY-FIVE

Package from home! A huge thank you to everyone who helped fill it up! This was a tremendous blessing for me and made my whole week! It was like Christmas and my birthday and a party all in one box! I love you!

DAY SIXTY-THREE

Spring Break officially started yesterday, so I have a whole week absolutely free! Sunday night I got to spend at a friend's house watching movies and eating yummy food, and now I'm at another house of this sweet couple from church! I've been able to catch up on laundry, postcards, blogging, relaxing, and homework. Plus there is a cool gecko in their bathroom that I'm trying to befriend, but he keeps running away. Oh well. Suffice to say I am feeling tremendously BLESSED right now. God is good, life is an adventure. I'm thankful. 

A delicious macnut that I climbed a tree to pick, hammered repeatedly with a hammer, and then got to enjoy tremendously

Blessed

I'm not exactly sure what I want to write about in this blog post, so I'm just going to start off by saying that I am blessed! A new month has arrived and with it I have already experienced so many joys and blessings from God that I scarcely know what to do with it all. The love, acceptance, growth, and challenges I am experiencing here are just mind-blowing. I love how God works, and I don't regret deciding to follow Him.  He's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and my prayer is that for anyone who has not yet experienced what it means to enter into a real relationship with Him (not religion), that they will soon discover the amazing truth and freedom of being saved by grace, through faith. There's nothing else like it.
To recap the last two weeks: Again, all I can think of is the word BLESSINGS!

DAY FORTY-FIVE (Friday)

The camp had been vacated for the night and it ended up just being me and Mary left! Everyone else signed up to go to a prayer retreat for the weekend, but thankfully I decided to stay back and it ended up being one of the most restful, quiet and enriching experiences I'd had in awhile. Thank you Jesus! 

DAY FORTY-SIX 

So blessed to be able to spend the day with my Hanai family. We went up to Lumahai beach for the afternoon and it was beautiful! I am awed and inspired by God's beautiful creation, and blessed beyond measure by the loving friendships He has given me with more of His people. We all share a common bond, and it's so cool

DAY FORTY-SEVEN/FORTY-EIGHT

Play practice continues and things are finally starting to come together. It's hard sometimes, but daily I am reminded of what a privilege it is to know Christ, and I know this play is just another opportunity to share His love with others! Whenever I am tempted to have a bad attitude or let discouragement take over, I need only think of the numerous blessings God has poured out upon my life....and suddenly, things don't seem so hard anymore. 

DAY FIFTY-THREE (Saturday)

The whole college made a trip to Polihale this weekend and it was a blast! I'm definitely adding this place to my top favorite spots on the earth list. Sleeping in the sand under the stars was so peaceful, and waking up to the sounds of rolling waves was so amazing! 

Nature's Shower

And the rain rain rain came down down down......

DAY THIRTY-FOUR

(MONDAY) 

Today was one of those bad days turned good. The rain has been pouring down relentlessly for the last few days, turning roads into rivers and fields into lakes. For Kings class this morning we all sat huddled in a wet little circle while our teacher had to shout to be heard above the rain. The conditions are far from ideal right now, but we are pressing onward. 

In fact, today's motto soon became: "When life gives you rain, play in it!" We decided that instead of lamenting over the fact that all our possessions were getting damp and it would be impossible to stay dry ourselves, we would go out and enjoy the water and mud. It was one of the most fun things I've done in a long time! 

DAY THIRTY-FIVE

Meals and classes are canceled for today. Families from the church have been giving us refuge from the storm, and it's been such a blessed time of fellowship and just being able to stay dry! I've been staying with the Chastain family - they are so much fun and have just shown me so much kindness and hospitality. 

DAY THIRTY-SIX

Weather is still looking a bit sketchy, but classes are resuming and God is faithful. 

DAY THIRTY-NINE

It was raining a lot yesterday so I was able to return to the Chastain house and enjoy some more fellowship and dryness! If anything, the bad weather has actually been a blessing because it's allowed me to not only get more homework done, but also be able to build some great relationships with the people who are sheltering me from the elements. I feel so incredibly blessed, and I have awesome news: The Chastain family has decided to officially hanai me! This means I'll be their adopted daughter for the semester! I am so stoked! Jesus is so awesome. 

Mara, my Hanai Sister!

The rain made a beautiful waterfall for us all to enjoy!

DAY FOURTY

Tonight I got to go to the KEO homeless shelter in Lihue with some of the other students in our Christian service class, and I don't even know where to begin! Basically tonight changed my life. It's so cool how God works out things so perfectly. Here I was, just expecting to take a meal to some less-fortunate people and visit with them, and then WHAM - God hits me with a blessing and lets me meet Karen. 

Karen is a 60-year old black woman from Kansas City Missouri. Tonight she shared with me the story of how Jesus changed her life. Her words were filled with such passion and confidence...I felt like I was falling in love with Jesus for the first time all over again! I never want to forget how she relayed, in detail, the people that God placed in her life before she became a Christian who showed her what it looked like to be changed by God, and how God has been so faithful to see her through life's hardships after she placed her faith and trust in Him as her savior. All that she shared was a direct answer to prayer for me. It's funny, I left expecting to minister and ended up being ministered to! 

I am so thankful for Karen. I thank the Lord for her story of God's power and God's hope that truly changes lives. I know it changed mine. 

DAY FOURTY-ONE

The sun is out today! Still a few light showers, but praise the Lord that we can see the sun! 

Scatter Much?

The other day as I was walking up the the back path to get to the study tent, I saw a mother hen with her baby chicks up ahead of me. Now this is a VERY common sight in Kauai, but for some reason I was just touched by it. As I started to get closer (I had to pass them to get where I was going), they realized I was coming and the baby chicks freaked out. They all split in like four different directions towards the edges of the buffalo grass, and the mother hen began squawking frantically and darting back and forth, not sure which chicks to follow since they all had separated. At first I thought it was kind of funny, but then I started to feel bad so I hurriedly made my way through the little chaotic scene in front of me, and then stopped to look back and see what would happen next. I could hear the baby chicks still crying out, and the mother hen was walking down the middle of the path, poking her head towards the buffalo grass and calling out to her chicks. Whenever she got close to where a baby chick was hiding, the chick rushed out from its hiding place and went back to its mothers side. Finally they were all back together again in a tight huddle, and all was well again. 

As I was pondering this little scene I had just witnessed, the scripture came to mind from Matthew 23:37 (I had to look up the reference later - I'm not yet that brilliant to know these random cool passages off the top of my head) where Jesus laments, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" 

After seeing this little moment with the mother hen, it really just connected with me why Jesus compares himself to a mother hen who would gather her young, because this is such a great picture of love, tender care, and a willingness to lay down a life to protect. When the mother hen was separated from her chicks, she was heartbroken and unable to rest. Immediately she ran around searching for them, and at first I thought she was going to come after me too (but with different intentions)! But anyway, it just makes me think of how heartbroken and unable to rest Jesus was (and still is) over all those who rejected him. He came to love, provide tender care, and he laid down His very life, paying the ultimate price...and still there are those who willingly turn aside and refuse to be gathered. 

This also put in my mind how much the enemy delights in seeing people scattered and scared out of their minds. Those baby chicks just ran in whatever which way they could, and each one ended up alone and unable to defend itself. I could have easily snatched one up if I had had the mind to, and this just shows that when we are alone, running from the One who will care for us and protect us, it puts us in a very vulnerable spot. I know that in my own life, when something threatening or challenging happens, it's so easy to just freak out and react and run...but this is just what the enemy wants me to do. He wants nothing more than for me to be confused, scattered, and alone. But I know that I have a Protector, and I know that He is a safe-haven for all who take refuge in Him. I would much rather gather than scatter! 

PSALM 91 

¹ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High 

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; 

My God, in Him I will trust.” 

³ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler 

And from the perilous pestilence. 

⁴ He shall cover you with His feathers, 

And under His wings you shall take refuge; 

His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 

⁵ You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, 

Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 

⁶ Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, 

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, 

And ten thousand at your right hand; 

But it shall not come near you. 

⁸ Only with your eyes shall you look, 

And see the reward of the wicked. 

⁹ Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, 

Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 

¹⁰ No evil shall befall you, 

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 

¹¹ For He shall give His angels charge over you, 

To keep you in all your ways. 

¹² In their hands they shall bear you up, 

Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 

¹³ You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, 

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 

¹⁴ “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; 

I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 

¹⁵ He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; 

I will be with him in trouble; 

I will deliver him and honor him. 

¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him, 

And show him My salvation.” 

Catching Up

I was trying to write in my journal every day but that fell apart last week. It's funny how when you skip one day, it soon turns into two, and then before you know it - it's been 10 DAYS! Anyway, even though my sense of continuity and consistency with journaling has kind of been tossed to the waves at the moment, things are still going well and it's just been so exciting to see all that God is doing in this place. Since I have no journal entries for pretty much all of last week, I'm just going to give a brief summary/highlight of what has been going on lately in the beautiful land of Kauai: 

DAY SIXTEEN - TWENTY FIVE

- The body of believers here at Calvary Chapel Kauai are amazing! So many people have gone out of their way to show us love and make us feel at home here, including letting us come over to their homes to hang out, do laundry, get internet, and eat a meal! 

- Cammy and I have been tree-climbing! We have some beautiful trees here in the camp, and Cammy has been leading the way, giving me more confidence and teaching me her tree-woman ways. It's so much fun! Not to mention we discovered a Mango Tree which has provided several delicious-if-a-bit-small snacks for us and fellow students. It's so satisfying to eat something you had to climb up and pick yourself! Not to mention it's FREE! (a desirable thing for college kids who are broke) 

- I made it through my first week as a TA for two classes! I've found that I enjoy it tremendously, and I know it takes a huge load off of the teacher. I'm also finding that it's really encouraging and interesting to read/grade the papers and quizzes of my fellow students. It's helping me gain better insight into a lot of things, and also get to know them better as people. I feel so blessed! It is challenging at times, but God is teaching me how to show grace and uphold a standard at the same time. It's been great. 

- On Thursday I took the bus into Lihue (bus fares are free until March 10th!) by myself and had a fun afternoon of walking around town and shopping. I got to meet this really cool hippie couple while waiting for the bus back to Kapaa, and I had a really fun conversation with them. Meeting new people has to be one of my favorite things in life! 

- Play rehearsals are now on-going for the Easter Play and I have a ton of lines to memorize! It's coming along slowly but surely, but I'm hoping to really crack down and memorize a lot of it soon. It feels so weird to be in a production again, but I know it will be good and I love the people who are also participating. 

DAY TWENTY-FIVE: 

Today I woke up feeling sick and spent a lot of the time in my favorite port-a-jon. However, it ended up being a good thing because I ended up hanging out in Alyx and Mary's tent (their's is the closest to the port-a-jon) and later I spent the whole afternoon hanging out with Alyx in town. She is such a joy and so much fun to be around; we had lunch at Olympic Cafe and then shopped around all the little stores. We got two job applications for Dejavu Surfwear, so we'll see what happens! I wouldn't mind getting a job to make some extra $$, but only if it's what God wants me to do. 

DAY TWENTY-SIX: 

RAIN RAIN RAIN! Thunder, wind, lightening! It's so beautiful and terrifying. It POURED all night and all morning - pretty much everything is wet and muddy. I even sat in the sunday service wet and muddy, but God is so faithful! The church members here still showed up for church even in this dreadful weather, and we had worship accompanied by rain and thunderclaps. At one point in the sermon the loudest thunderclap I have ever heard sounded at the most appropriate moment. It was great! 

Now I'm at this wonderful lady's condo with two of the girls from camp. So many people from the church invited us students to stay at their houses today because of the weather, and it's so nice to be somewhere dry and warm with food, internet, and showers. SO blessed! 

What to Say?

I thought it was funny that I was about to name this post "At a Loss for Words," but then I saw that that definitely is not the case! However, in some ways I honestly do feel at a loss for words - or at least, accurate words to describe what I'm feeling-, because this place, these people, and this experience is so different and so much more than I ever expected it would be. I definitely expected it to be awesome, and it is, but it's just gone far beyond that...and I am so thankful!

DAY NINE

Beautiful day today! Just the right combination of sun and cloud and adventure. I got to learn how to shoot the BB-guns that we have here in camp and had fun trying to pick off a few wild roosters. Roosters and chickens are EVERYWHERE! I also got to go to Hoopi falls this afternoon with some of the girls. It was a beautiful jungle walk and then tons of fun jumping off the falls and swimming around below.

DAY TEN

Last class day of the week! I had ACTS and CCS (Christian Community Service). I'm really looking forward to doing the community service outreach. It looks like we will be volunteering in a couple hospitals and also serving food at a homeless shelter. 

DAY ELEVEN

Today was REALLY fun! The church had its annual cleaning day, and we had over 100 people come and help out with various projects around the church. People were weeding, building fences, repairing tents, putting up lights, etc. It was such a blessing to see everyone working together for the same goal. It just goes to show that the body of Christ is made up of all types of people with many different abilities, and all of them are needed! I got to help out with putting up lights and also just moving around a lot of stuff. Also I had my first encounter with a CENTIPEDE while we were cleaning out our classroom! It wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but it was a disgusting creature! Leana whipped right into action and hacked it to pieces with a machete. 

1/3 of the centipede remains

We also visited Hanalei Bay today after the church cleaning! I got to jump off the pier several times and just enjoyed a wonderful swim in the beautiful ocean! Even saw a sea turtle heading out to sea! Hanalei Bay has to be one of the most beautiful spots in the world! I love it and can't wait to go back and possibly try to surf! 

DAY TWELVE

I was able to go to church for the first time today! It was so wonderful. There's so many nice people here, and it was just great. 

They also held auditions for the Easter Production that they're going to start having rehearsals for. It's called "Fulfillment" and looks like it will be a lot of fun. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get cast as the reporter named Jerry. There's way more girls than guys that auditioned, but I'm cool with playing whatever part they need me for. I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Also there was a Cultural Orientation Dinner tonight that the church hosted for us! They made us a huge buffet of Hawaiian food, taught us about their culture, and even performed a Hula dance and taught us some Hawaiian and Pidgin! It was a blast! However, I'm really not too keen on the Poi. Poi me no likey. 

DAY THIRTEEN

What a fun day! A bunch of us girls (lead by Leana) resolved that we want to work out more to be healthier, so today we broke into our first workouts. I started not-so-bright but early with Noell at 6am! She jogged into town and back while I rode a bike beside her. My knee has been bugging me lately so I'm trying not to put too much impact on it. 

1&2 Kings class was good, and I knocked out bathroom cleaning early at the church. Made Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato soup for dinner, and then us girls got together again and did "Thunder Thighs" in the children's tent (there's mats in there). We've since renamed the tent "House of Pain." It was a killer workout for all of us, but we shared so many laughs and a lot of sweat; it was worth it! And to top it all off, Nicole drove us to Heather's house and we all got to have hot showers! Praise the Lord! That was my first hot shower in two weeks. Not my first shower in two weeks, but my first hot one (just want to make that clear!) 

Enjoying a trip into town! I love these people!

DAY FOURTEEN

Happy Valentines Day! Haha...who really cares right? But today was a fun day, because I have my two favorite classes on tuesdays: Discipleship101 and Apologetics. Always such a great time of learning. 

ALSO I got to do my laundry today for the first time! It was both wonderful and terrible. Wonderful because now I have clean clothes, and terrible because I ended up walking all the way back to camp (at least two miles) on foot with a 15-20lb backpack and about 8 pounds of laundry. Suffice to say, I cried out to the Lord for strength. He supplied!

DAY FIFTEEN 

Just another chill day at Kauai Bible College. Literally, this morning it was chilly! We had our early morning prayer meeting at the church again (every Wednesday!). This time Sas taught us a cool prayer model for times when you just need a little direction on what/how to pray. It uses the acronym ACTS, and basically you start with "Adoration," then "Confession," then "Thanksgiving," and lastly "Supplication." It was really edifying to put it into practice and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn something different. 

So it begins...

So it's the first week of classes! So thankful to be here in the beautiful land of Kauai!

DAY FIVE

Well, I was very excited to go to church for the first time in Kauai today but unfortunately...I got SICK this morning just as the service was about to start! Huge bummer! I won't relay in detail all that befell me, but suffice to say that I spent pretty much the whole morning inside or laying outside the port-a-jon in girl's camp, and then I was transported to a staff member's house to lay on her bed while everyone watched the SuperBowl in the living room all afternoon. Fun times. But my favorite part of today was the end of the evening, when everyone was pretty much winding down and Heather's dad got out a guitar and starting singing worship songs. It was a really great time of togetherness and a wonderful reminder of God's goodness, even when all I'd had was a pretty crappy day! Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness and grace.   

DAY SIX

Praise be to the Lord, the worst of my illness has definitely passed and I was well enough to attend my first class (1&2 kings) today. I think it is going to be a really cool class; I definitely enjoyed it and am already pondering which subjects I will choose to write about in my two future papers. 

I also had my first M199's today. I was blessed to be able to clean all 4 of the church port-a-jons, the first half in sunny weather and the second half in pouring rain. Totally cool! And then I got to help cook dinner with Victoria and Emily: we made Chicken Fajitas and a small salad. It was tasty and I love the way this camp is set up. We have great people, great food, and a great God!

Also got to bandage up a tent-mate's leg after she got snagged with some barbed wire while working the land. I love Gabby - she's so much fun! 

DAY SEVEN

I try really hard not to let food consume too much of my thoughts, but the french toast and fruit we had for breakfast this morning was AMAZING! It was so good! 

All right, moving on....I was also able to spend some extra time in prayer today concerning a verse that I think is going to kind of be my "theme verse" for this semester. It was actually really cool how it came about because one of the pastor's here had mentioned the passage and it stood out to me, so I went and found it later. The passage is Proverbs 19:21, and it says, "There are many plans in a man’s heart, 

Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand."

During my Bible reading and devotions this morning I found a card in the back of my book from one of my pastors back home, and he had written down Proverbs 16:9, which says "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." 

Both these verses are really stating the same truth, and I feel like it really relates to the season of life that I'm in right now, because over the last year I've definitely been very preoccupied with planning and setting goals and figuring out what my future is supposed to look like....sometimes so much so that I haven't really considered if my plans are matching up with what God sees for my life. So...I really want to use this semester as a time of prayer and laying it all before the Lord, to see what his Counsel is on what my "plans" and hopes are for the future. I know that He has given me different gifts and abilities and passions, and I want to use them in the best that I possible can. I'm so excited!

And just for the record, I had Disicpleship101 class today (which was awesome!), Life of Christ class (which, unfortunately, I'm probably going to drop because it's ending up being waaaay to many tasks in one day), we cleaned out our tents, and then I had Apologetics class out of town - a 35 minute drive but so worth it! 

DAY EIGHT

Everyone got up a little earlier today to meet up at the big white tent (AKA the church) and have a time of worship, a short message on prayer, and then some super awesome prayer time using Psalm 145 as a guide. I am so thankful for this beautiful land and the time set aside to really focus on God and to build relationships with my fellow students. I am already seeing growth in friendships and spiritually. It's been raining on and off for the last few days. Very windy, but apparently that's the norm here. 

Good Morning Kauai! The sun isn't up yet, but the moon is still out!

Off the Grid

What to say? This place is beautiful! The property we live on is amazing, and it looks like we are going to have a fruitful, fun-filled and challenging semester! We are living off the grid, though. We don't have any electricity, hot water, or flushing toilets. Internet is sketchy at best, but it's better than nothing. I'll be trying to post on here about once a week, but no promises! Here's a recap of the last few days:

DAY ONE: 

It is such a surreal feeling being here in Kauai. It's crazy that in only a matter of hours we can transport from one place to another, and experience such a vast change of scenery and culture. 

It honestly felt like I was in Jurrassic Park tonight, riding in the bed of a pickup truck at sundown as we drive by the mysterious Buffalo Grass and trees. I can too easily imagine the raptors lurking  just behind the plants, and even though I know that's a little far-fetched, I have seen the numerous wild roosters, goats, and cats wandering around. I hear there's also a few boars on our property, but I haven't met them yet. This is definitely an interesting place. 

I'm excited for all the adventures that are sure to come. Today was spent unpacking, meeting fellow tent dwellers, and exploring the beautiful shoreline. I got a decent amount of sun and also got to take my first underwater shot of some "zebra" fish in the tide pools. I was rather pleased with the picture! 

DAY TWO: 

Well, I made it through the night! There were spiders and cochroaches in our tent, but since that seems to be the norm, I'm forcing myself to not be alarmed. As long as they're not in bed with me, we'll be able to co-exist. Plus... it's not like I really have much choice anyway. The bugs have won here. 

We all registered for classes today. I'm going to be taking: 

- 1&2 Kings

- Discipleship 101 (required for Kauai students) 

- Life of Christ

- Apologetics

- Church History

- Acts

- OT Chuck Tracks

As well as required Bible study and prayer meetings, Community Service, and Christian Ministry Practicum (M199). I'm still waiting to be assigned my task, but I'm guessing it's going to be TA (Teacher's Assistant), some type of landscaping, or cleaning the bathrooms. Maybe a bit of all three? I'm pretty much happy with anything, but I think I'd like to be a TA/Landscaper. They have 66 acres of beautiful overgrown property here and there's definitely lots of work to do for future developments. I'd love to be a part of it!

Aside from Orientation and Registration, today is a free day so I'm planning on snapping some more photos, journaling, and looking for a thrift store in town with Cammy. Then we're having a bonfire on the beach tonight! This place is amazing! 

DAY THREE: 

I enjoyed a pretty wonderful cold shower this morning. Yep. It's nice to be clean! Today we finished Orientation and got our M199 assignments. I'm going to be a TA for Acts class, clean the church bathrooms on Mondays, and help cook two meals a week. I'll be honest, I was hoping to be put on landscaping instead of kitchen, but I'm going to just be thankful and see what the Lord has in store! 

This afternoon Cammy and I went adventuring out on the church property, which was a lot of fun. We found the tree-house about a half mile out, which was a pretty scary climb but a nice little adventure. I ended up running face-first into a HUGE spider web halfway up the tree, which was alarming but I'm just glad I didn't let go and fall to my death (there's lots of rocks and a few goat skulls down there). But anyway, I had a really nice journal/prayer time while I was up there, and God has already answered one prayer since then! So excited for that! Talk about a fast reply! Cammy and I also continued on through the brush to find another huge cluster of trees with lots of spiders and cow poop. It was rather nasty, and I ended up getting tons of welts on my legs from the Buffalo grass and bugs....but it was worth it. 

Now I'm sitting in my tent listening to chuck tracks and the goats. I made one of my little flashlights into a head-lamp, because we have no electricity out here and it'd be too dark to get anything done without it. Tomorrow we should be able to have some internet access, so I'll be able to post all of what I've been writing! I miss everyone back home but I am having a blast here. I can't wait to start classes on Monday. 

DAY FOUR: 

I tried to sleep in today since it's Saturday, but just couldn't! It's too beautiful outside to stay inside the tent for too long! So far I haven't gotten a lot accomplished today. Just charging my electronics, finding some internet (I'm in a coffee shop right now posting all of this), and hoping to go chill at the beach. Tonight we got invited to go to a pastor's house in town for a dinner/welcome party. Everyone here is so friendly and I know it will be a great time!