On the Road

Busy days and the day of rest....

Howdie from the middle of the Pacific! Tonight is Sunday night - the beginning of week 2 of the internship! This also marks the end of a long, fruitful, busy week here in Kona!

Since my last post I managed to get my campus driving permit, which means that now I get to drive for the University of the Nations! This weekend I did a Costco run, drove our internship crew to a BBQ and back, and yesterday I went to the airport to pick up a team returning from China. Now that was cool! I stopped to pick up the team and whose team should it be but that of my friend Bella! She was on DTS last year with Jenni and it was such a blessing and surprise to meet her and her team at the airport!

Yesterday I also had a taste of the Hawaiian surf. Now last time I was in Hawaii I thought the waves were too big and the rocks too sharp for me to surf here, but I've been thinking, and if I'm ever to learn properly, the time is now! Some buddies and I went to a beach near here called Pinetrees (ironically there isn't a pine tree in sight!) and we went out for a few hours in the surf. We had a blast in the blazing sun and warm water - I'm definitely just beginning to learn the skills but I got up a few times and had a whole lot of fun! What an exhilerating experience!

Today however, is Sunday, and it's been a great day of rest! We've really been encouraged this week to make a practice of having a 'Sabbath' day - a true day of rest. And this isn't a burden, it should be a blessing! Well normally I tend to go pretty hard all day every day, and even though Sunday is a slow day normally, I often don't rest that much. Well today was different. This morning I went to a great church here in Kona called Solid Rock Ministries. It's like a mini Hillsongs, but with an island twist! All the band are big islanders, as is the pastor, and the culture and feel is laid back and sun-soaked, but they were full of the Lord and based on the Bible! It was a bunch of fun to be there with Jeff, Beth, and their boys!

This afternoon was totally laid back - Basically I just slept and played guitar with Rob, a fellow intern who has moved here with his wife Jenni and their four kids, to serve the Lord! They sold up their business in NZ this year, and they feel called to Cambodia - great man and woman of God! Anyway, we had a sweet time in worship together.... Now I'm just about to head up the hill from the DTS office and go to bed!

I thank you all for your prayers! Looking back at this post it hasn't been very cohesive, but I hope you can forgive my tired brain and get some idea of how I'm doing! Hope you're all well - blessings.

Still in Colson....

Day 2 - and don't get that excited ya'll - I'm not going to blog every day ok?

But yeah, today was another fantastic day of the internship. Woweewawa what a blessings to be part of something like this. Today we went deeper into the fear of the Lord, and how it truly is the basis of a huge part of the Christian life and walk. If you look at the fear of the Lord as a subject throughout the Bible, the promises are so abundant about the blessing that rests on those who fear God. I mean, to the extent that you begin to wonder 'Why would we ever do anything else but walk ever faithful before the Lord?'.

Maybe at somepoint soon I'll sit down and write a more in-depth thought process on what I'm thinking and learning with regards to this subject, but for now, I'm going to read a little more Charles Colson before bed!

Jeff, Beth, Elijah, and Carter arrived back today - it's great to see them again! Carter's gaining more and more personality every time I see him! Amazing!

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." -Proverbs 9v10

CA, HI, and Colson

Well, I'm finally here - as I type I'm sitting in the DTS office of the University of the Nations, YWAM's Kona campus. And you know what - it's great to be home!

I arrived in Hawaii yesterday afternoon, after spending a wonderful weekend in San Jose.... I stayed with a wonderful couple, Brad and Corey Schroer, who are dear friends of Jenni's. Brad has just begun a pastorship as a little church in San Jose, and it was a real privilege to be a part of their home for the few days I was there! Jenni and I got some much-needed hangtime, and I got some much-needed sleep after a couple of weeks of doing too much while getting ready to go!

Seriously though, Jenni and I had a wonderful time together, and it was difficult leaving yet again, although I'm so excited to have her coming out next week! Yes, for those of you who don't know, she's coming out to also staff DTS, and she arrives on Tuesday! What a blessing and answer to prayer!

It's great to be back in Hawaii. As I flew in over the mountains, with Maui poking it's peak up through the clouds, I was thanking the Lord for bringing me back. If I'm honest, it feels like I've come home - this is where my heart is, this is where I feel the Lord has led me, and it's so great to be back here and in the center of his will! From the deep wet heat which soaks your skin, to the flowers in the trees, to the flags on the poles denoting the countries represented here, to the beautiful pacific sunsets, it feels like my heart is at rest in a way it never was back in England. In a way it's sortof sad, but in a way, it's a beautiful thing, because I'm pursuing the Lord before all else that may have been laid before me.

So today I began the staff internship today, led by a young guy called John Morris, and his wife Elin. John is a 26year old Australian, and he's a total dude and man of God from what I've gathered in one day of classes. It's going to be a joy to go through the internship with him. The internship consists of intensive training on the fear of the Lord, group dynamics, dts staffing, and other things, coupled with times for reflection and meditation late in the afternoons and evenings. The goal is to train effective staff, who have the right worldview and vision to help lead others - the students - toward a deeper knowledge and experience of Jesus Christ. From what it looks like now, it's going to be an exciting three weeks!

Well, tonight I'm going to begin reading in my required reading book - "How Now Shall We Live" by Charles Colson. I have to read seven chapters by tomorrow night, in preparation for discussion on how worldview affects our lives as Christians. We only got it this morning. I love being here.

Much love.

Johnny