ALOHA!

Läget? That’s Swedish for “What’s up?” 🙂 

I thought I’d give you a brief look into the life of Lindsay at YWAM and my crazy adventures!

Breakfast is at 7am and the mornings here are actually quite chilly (chilly as in 18c :P). Every morning we have a bible study to read through and write about in our journals. It’s so great to have an hour blocked off each day specifically for talking with God.

Our mornings are filled with worship, intercession, lectures, or community outreach. Each day is so unique and different!

Our five lectures this past week were on evangelism and healing. The speaker, RK, was super engaging and you can tell he has such a passion for sharing Jesus’ love with the world. Everyone here comes from a different theological background and perspective which makes discussing and challenging the things we’re learning super interesting. Definitely makes you rethink why you believe what you believe when so many people have different ideas. I’m growing lots and learning so much!

On Tuesday night, a group of us head out to China Town for evangelism. We’ve been out twice so far and both times have been challenging yet rewarding. This last time, I was paired up with Ciaran from England. We headed out through the streets of China Town and got to talk to a couple of homeless men. Everyone has a story and I’ve come to realize that often they’re just waiting for someone to ask about it! It’s amazing how open they can be to talking about faith and what we’re doing with YWAM.

Wednesday mornings, I have Community Outreach. My group serves at River of Life Mission, an organization who’s mission is to  is to restore broken lives through rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration, all in the name of Jesus. This is such an amazing opportunity for me as the people I get to interact with on Tuesday nights, often come to the River of Life breakfast on Wednesday mornings! So thankful to be able to build relationships with these people – they have so much life in them just waiting to invited out.

It is our job as students to help take care of the YWAM Honolulu base. My original duty was to help clean the Shekinah (girl’s dorm) but just last week they switched it to help with their marketing! I’m thrilled to be helping out in this way – just a tad more enjoyable than cleaning toilets 🙂

Our free time is spent playing hours and hours of card games, hanging out at the local sports complex, swimming at the pool, chilling on the beach, and my absolute favourite, HIKING!

Oahu is an island of such beauty and magnificence. Yesterday a group of us did the 3 hour bus ride to the North Shore. The North Shore has such a “Hawaii” feel with all the surf shops, surfer dudes, crystal clear water, and 5 year olds shredding waves. We went to one beach that had wild sea turtles!!! I got to swim just a couple feet away from one! Incredible!

On the way home from the North Shore, we stopped in Wahiawa to go to Surfing the Nations. Every Saturday they serve a free supper for the community at the Surfer’s Coffee Bar and then have a church service. You could just sense the amazing community they have cultured. I’m hoping we get a chance to go back in the next two months.

It’s been three weeks and yet I feel like I’ve been here forever. Literally every single person here feels like family. The vulnerability and closeness is far greater than I ever could have expected. My leaders are beyond amazing and I so appreciate their servant hearts and leadership. Case in point, one of the staff just came to me in the gazebo and handed me a fresh baked cinnamon roll – life is good.