OUR FRIENDS

OUR FRIENDS
We have made some wonderful friends on our YWAM base! We wanted to introduce you to several of them. This is so you can get a closer look at our world, and the broad culture base here at University of the Nations. Our closest friends are Tina and Hans Hansen, who are from Denmark. They have a daughter Evan’s age who had her 10th birthday about three weeks before Evan had his. She has two little toe-headed brothers, Lucas and Marcus. The boys play with the Hansen boys or Ethan and Aiden, our next door neighbors. Their parents are our co-leaders of our school. Their family hails from eastern Canada. The mother, Jerilyn, is Kris’ small group leader and is Mohawk Indian. She blew everyone away in her community as a girl when she was a contender for the Olympics in ice skating. Her husband, Mark, was a high school teacher and youth pastor and is Randy’s small group leader. They are both great friends of ours, and lend us their car whenever we need it. Their input to us is so crucial because they, too, did a DTS as a family who was older and who had served in leadership roles for years. My running/biathlon partner is Ericka, a junior high teacher from Colorado who took a year off to travel around the world, staying with various missionary friends. She has a wonderful, global perspective on culture and the body of Christ. Another good buddy is Corlize, a journalist by trade from South Africa. She has soo much insight and reminds me of my dear friend back home, Jana Thorup. She lived in Israel for two years, and also did a 6 month internship at a well-known church in Albany, OR! In our school, I’ve gotten to know a few other girls: Chelsea, a 22 year old farmer’s daughter from Nebraska just got her degree in business and is wondering how that could fit in with the family farm. Becca is a super sweet 19 year old from Colorado who loves children. We saw a maturity beyond her years in genuinely caring about us and in reaching out to our kids that caused us to quickly think of her when we needed a sitter (dates are important, especially when we are surrounded by crowds of people all the time)! Ingrid is from Minnesota, and does my WholyFit with me when she can get up in time. I also have done WholyFit with Aleeia from Kazakhstan, and have struck up acquaintances with several more people: Janelle and Brian from Alaska with their three kids. He is a former fighter pilot who flies commercial airlines. She gives great haircuts for free to lady friends on the base. Mike is a young man from Boston U who was an atheist three months before coming to the U of N. Linda is a friend who sings in the choir with me, and is on staff long-term in England (originally from America). Carol is truly English, and has just joined the choir as well. She not only knows of where I lived when I worked with YWAM in the 80’s but she knows the exact street where I lived and the shop I lived above! There’s also Margaret and her husband, Gabriel from Rwanda (I speak French with him), Jacob and Joi, friends from Korea, and a lovely potter from Israel named Anoushka. I also just love April, a beautiful Filipina from the north, not far from where I was born in Baguio. There’s a young couple from Portland (SE area) who have two small children and she is pregnant with their third. Mariya is becoming a friend, who comes from Japan and will be in Tonga with us. There’s also Linda, on our team from Sweden, who is a kindergarten teacher and whose birthday we celebrated our first few weeks here. All of these people have marvelous stories. Some have lost successful businesses in the economic down-turn, and others have postponed their careers or college to carve out this half-year of their lives to serve God and share their lives with others overseas. It is a privilege to get to know them all, and to call them friends as well as our extended “Ohana.”

The Boys' Two Day Field Trip

Last weekend, we went on a two-day field trip with 36 kids ages 6-16 from our Foundations School on the YWAM base. We drove in three vans south to Black Sands Beach, where we saw five turtles. (Here’s a turtle picture that Daddy took on his camera a few days later.) The sand was pure black!! It was not a good swimming beach, but we looked at several tide pools. We saw all the colors that sea urchins can be.

From there, we went to our campsite that was at Volcano National Park. Before going to sleep, we drove as close as we could to the new lava flow on Mt. Kileaua, but could only see a red glow as it was down in a crater about a third of a mile away. We were going to go to the lava tubes for a hike a bit earlier, but just as we were ready to go, there was a huge rainstorm with flash floods! So, the teachers said we couldn’t go hike in the lava tubes.

We spent the night there in a kind of dorm (military base), and then got up the next morning to go to Hilo. In Hilo, we went to the zoo, where a Squirrel Monkey had escaped! I (Evan) took pictures of the other Squirrel Monkeys so you can see what they look like. We were told they were vicious and they do bite. Also at this zoo, they had a giant white tiger, a giant ant eater, and a butterfly exhibit, but all the butterflies had also escaped! (We noticed a rip in the screen of the butterfly exhibit. This zoo is way smaller than the one in Portland!) We did see several tropical birds, like a Toucan!

Finally, we headed back home across the island, and stopped at McDonald’s for lunch. (McD’s is much more of a treat now that we eat dorm food every day on campus.) We ordered Oreo cookie Mcflurries, which we loved! While we were going home from McDonald’s, we were at a stoplight and we noticed that a nearby parking lot was completely flooded! (Jo Jo really wanted you all to know that part.) I (Evan) took a few pictures of my friends being goofy in the van (that's Abraham Kim sleeping on a thing of chips) and also took pictures of a waterfall we saw when we stopped at a look-out view on the way home. We had a fun time on our two-day field trip!

Dates out with Dad

Last week, Randy drew inspiration from one of our speakers who talked about taking his daughter out for a special date. On two separate nights, he treated Evan and Jo Jo to a "Date out with Dad." This was such a treat because, although our lives are simpler here on this YWAM base, we are quite busy and don't have much quality times with our kids right now. So, Evan chose a little restaurant down by the water where he could have his favorite: pizza and Sprite, and even a rootbeer float for dessert--"a big one, Mom!" The two of them walked along the waterfront, with Daddy taking photos of Evan and Evan of Daddy. When I asked Evan what his highlight of the evening was, it was the rootbeer float and seeing a turtle in the surf at sunset. Where did Josiah choose to go for his date? You guessed it--the same pizza place. He, too, went for the rootbeer float and filled up his love tank as well as his tummy with wonderful memories made with Daddy. Jo Jo's favorite part was the large rootbeer float made with cookies and cream ice cream. The boys both returned beaming from their nights out with Dad and the treat of having had pop with dinner. We hope you enjoy the pictures as much as the guys enjoyed taking them!

Incredible Ironman

On Saturday, October 10th, Randy and I were able to tag-team on security with our YWAM base for the Ironman Competition here in Kona. It was a staggering race in what was expected of the contestants, in the sheer length of the thing (2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking to the other side of the Big Island, and a whole marathon running), and in the number of volunteers needed to pull this off. Of the 2000 volunteers, 500 were from our organization. Our job was to stand at the finish line and keep back the crowd so that the runners could finish the marathon without people hindering them (especially those pesky photographers). Of course, for me especially, this was a front-row seat to cheering loudly for those who were hearing “You are an Ironman” over the loudspeaker. Our shift was later in the afternoon, but we arose early as a family to walk down to the starting point and snag a seat on the sea wall for the big swim. We were flanked by far-traveling folks with t-shirts bearing the name of their loved one in the race. Above us, a military transporter plane dropped skydivers with colored smoke trailing off in curly-cue designs. As the boys watched the flying fish launching in front of us, helicopters circled above. One of our team leaders was assigned to be on a surfboard, literally inching alongside a slower finisher who had recently received a new heart. (Sadly, he missed the deadline by eight seconds and was out of the race.) There were many reflections for us and our boys on the power of encouragement, endurance, discipline, and various scriptures on running the race and being surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses.” The Ironman Race was a special memory and definite privilege for our family.

Randy's first post

Everywhere you go on the University of the Nations campus you hear or see worship! All over campus, throughout the day, there are people worshiping with all of their hearts. Softly, loud or really loud! It’s amazing to see and hear. Some alone, some in small groups, some in groups at large as six hundred. Some in English, some in Korean, some in Samoan and from time to time you may hear Chinese, Japanese, Russian or one of several other people groups pouring out their adoration to the living God in some language you may have not even know existed. It is absolutely one of the most beautiful things you could ever hope to see and hear! In some ways I feel like a kid peeking in a crack in a wall at a construction site, except this crack in the wall of heaven, where there will be worshipers from every tribe and nation and tongue! No one seems to grow tired of hearing this or of joining the worshipers. At times, right in our apartment, we can hear three or four different groups of people worshiping separate from each other yet strangely untied in heart and purpose.

KIDS' COMMENTS

September 28, 2009 I asked the boys their favorite parts about the following little stages we just went through, and here is what they said. *The packing time: Seeing so many friends one more time and Aunt Jo who came down, eating pizza out on the back lawn with friends when our dining room table was gone, and staying with Adin and Noah!! *Our first three days in Kona (at the Trendwest resort): Swimming in the lagoon by the mansions, eating Hawaiian shaved ice (Evan’s favorite flavor is blue bubble gum, Jo’s is butterscotch); seeing the dolphins, driving the glass bottom boat, *Our first few days on the YWAM base: Our new apartment, their bunk bed, the deep swimming pool, their friends they’re making from Denmark, Alaska, and Norway; eating every meal outside, “The geckos are funny. Especially when Mom closed the curtain and one fell down and she freaked out.” (Guess who said that.) Going to the beach, esp. Mile Post 88 Beach; the music and dancing here, and finding Plumeria blossoms to give to Mom.

TEARS AND MORE TEARS

9/27/09 Despite the losses and the grieving of those things, Randy and I were deeply moved and spurred on by the tears, the cards, and the gifts. I held one sweet neighbor girl in my arms as she cried and cried. My sister called on our last day and announced she’d be driving down for the afternoon from Seattle to help with the last bit of packing and cleaning. She asked, “Is this insane?” to which my husband retorted, “I LOVE your insanity!” When she bounded in the door a few hours later, all I could do was cry. One friend knew that I like to make chocolate zucchini muffins, took my recipe and two zuchs from my yard, and baked a batch, delivering them to our door 3 hours later. That was HUGE for our sanity! Our friends the Johnsons put our boys up for two nights while Randy and I were cleaning-feigns back at the home. This was marvelous for our sons’ emotional well-being as their sons are some of our boys’ best friends in all the world. Neighbors loaned us bedding for the last month, and students of mine and friends arrived en masse for a one-day blitz. They deep-cleaned windows and bathrooms, assisted with last-minute mailings and mending, entertained our kiddos, did oodles of yard work, and helped me talk through the ordering/narrowing of my home-school materials for phases 2 and 3 of our mission stint. One friend paid one of his employees to finish out our kitchen floor, and then returned to fix our screen door and some siding that needed patching. Two families loaned us cars, and more than one couple shoved checks or cash for hundreds of dollars into our hands in those last 48 hours to help with settling-in costs. In the end, all of our material possessions were stored in four friends’ basements or warehouses. (Thanks, guys!!) The last night in the Portland area, our family at the Johnsons’ house. They live minutes from the airport and had two extra large beds to put us all up comfortably. As I drifted to sleep around midnight, I had tears in my eyes due to the loss but the huge gains we’d already seen. It was humbling. I awoke the next morning, ready to climb on the plane, again with tears in my eyes. And 24 hours later as I awoke in a resort in Hawaii (that a friend helped us get) for a 3-day R & R stint prior to our training starting, I was again in tears. It had been a clean-stripping; a death of sorts, and was the beginning of a new thing.“FOR YOU DIED, AND YOUR LIFE IS NOW HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD.” Colossians 3:3 “He is no fool, if he would choose to give what he can never keep to gain what he can never lose.”Former Portlander Jim Eliott (whose namesake our son shares and who was martyred doing pioneer missionary work in Ecuador in the 1950’s)

PACKING AND DYING

September 26, 2009
PACKING AND DYING
Packing up a family to move overseas is an interesting, emotional, and intense experience. It has been a death of sorts, and—as we put our house up for rent and moved out of our established Vancouver neighborhood, a bit like going to our own funeral.

First, the grieving of the loss of stuff. We are going to live as missionaries in a long-term capacity. We’re saying we’ll be gone two to five years, but God only truly knows the real length of time. So, by definition, that means simplifying. Reality is, our furniture is mainly used, so paying for storage for years would by far supersede the cost of those items. Thus, doing a sort of material-triage, I whittled our possessions down to four furniture items that had been in the family for years, a bunch of art and books we’d collected, and treasure troves of my husband’s photography as well as scrapbooks. The one item that really made me lose it was my deluxe mixer. It was a medium-fancy one from (then) Meier and Frank that we received as a wedding gift. It had the attachable base, and the alternative hooks for kneading bread, which I never used. What I did use it for was dozens and dozens of batches of chocolate zucchini muffins made with my sons each August and September. We had managed to sneak in a couple batches prior to our Labor Day Moving Sale in which most of it went. The night before, I was on the kitchen floor surrounded by gadgets and crying like a baby—over that mixer. It sold to a little girl who was translating for her mother the next day for $2. My sons, too, fell apart at unexpected times over the loss of a bunk bed or a favored camping tent. It’s hard for any age of person to see strangers come on to your property, poke and prod things that you could almost call friends, and then unfeelingly offer a much-lower price. Like grief that broadsides you when someone has died, one of us suddenly would be crying without being able to verbalize why .

Then there is the loss of friends. We tried to balance seeing people with packing and deep-cleaning our house. Wonderful friends justifiably wanted to eke out another night around the dinner table with us. I’ll never forget a few very close friends who said they couldn’t bring themselves to say goodbye. So, they didn’t. It was more like, “I’ll see you on Facebook next week.” One friend threw a going-away party for a particular group of our friends, and she said she wanted to decorate the house with black balloons. It was an imminent loss that she (like us) was willing to face, even with dragging feet.

Finally, there was what I call the funeral procession. It was rather surreal as people did unique things in expressing their sorrow of the loss of us from their lives (at least for this season). One neighbor who is quite private brought over a card from her and the kids. Another neighbor came with her husband and hugged me over and over, saying how much she would miss us. There were tears from older people and peers and children, home-made cards, meals brought, and even a couple caramel Macchiatos delivered for this couple packing, again, late into the night. People accompanied/drove us to the airport and said things about impressions we made when we first met them years ago, surprising us by their candor.