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