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.