intern retreat 2010!

It's so beautiful in Keanae. God's majestic ocean was my front porch. The interns piled into a 15 passenger van and wound our way around the winding road to Hana. We made many stops along the way. Here's a compacted version of our adventures:
DAY ONE:
Bamboo forest hike. Clambering through clanking bamboo trees. Sleeping grass that wilts when you touch it! Breath taking cliffs. Rainbow trees with colorful bark. Beautiful sights off another hike. The Keppler home. FOOD. Nap time. Awaken to another adventure calling our names. Rainy walk to where we took the junior hai girls. Jason fearlessly jumps in with his snorkel and blazes the trail down around the corner. He was also the first to demonstrate vine swinging on our 2nd hike of the morning. He is a stud! A group of us swam to the end of this fresh water lake right next to the ocean to a waterfall. It was beautiful! But freezing. We had to navigate our way around rocks and fight the shivers. More bonding time. Warm sweats. The weather on this side of the island is completely different than Kihei! Northface. Talking. Shrimp Scampi. It was UHmazing. Worship with Steven. Heart check questions. Next, an "aggressive and obnoxious" game of Craig! Which is a game that Craig, our head pastor, invented in which he makes up the rules. It was a blast! Hanging out with Janna, Craig, and Jason was so refreshing to my heart.

DAY TWO:
Equally amazing as day one. After my quiet time it starting to rain, so I came back and fell asleep to the lullaby of raindrops. We awoke again to sizzling sausage. And coffee, pancakes, and eggs. We packed up and busted out Beach Boys, the Beatles, and IZ for our drive to black sand beach. We climbed up in a cave that opened out right onto this gorgeous beach. Tons of pictures. We trekked back up and around to the Wainapanapa caves. Legend has it that a Hawaiian princess hid from her warrior prince in the cave. It was actually so cool. We jumped into the water and it was frigid! Then, the men led us into a dark and freezing cavern and we tried to find our way in a tunnel that was mostly underwater. I was able to swim through some of it. What an adventure! It was eery. After the frigid caves, Jake led our team to Hana. We wandered around a famous general store in town, Hasegawa. We drove by the house where Charles Lindberg lived before he died. (First man to fly across the Atlantic!) I loved hearing the stories of Jake and Craig. We planned on going to the 7 pools but it was too rainy. We made one final stop at mile marker 17 to jump off a cliff. Jason just pulled his shirt off, did a rebel yell and jumped right off the edge! Out of control! It's like 30 feet high, and you have to aim where you jump! So I'm watching the boys start to prepare to jump and even though it's raining and cold (and I feel like I could be sick with nervousness!) I'm unzipping my jacket to jump with them! I just walked up to the edge, looked back at the crowd of people collecting to watch, shoot the shaka, and leap off the cliff edge of doom. Trust, obedience, faith. Fearless. I jumped. It was such a thrill. God provided. My adrenaline was on full speed this weekend and I loved every second of it all! Back at the cabin, we showered and warmed back up. Steven and I jammed on the guitar, and I had some solid chats with the girls. Noopsing, Wrestle Mania 2010 ensued. Dinner. Craig made mouth watering prime rib. Worship. There is nothing like Your love. Prayer. Cool evening breeze. More deep heart questions. Fears. Regrets. Excitements. Funny stories. Then the most hilarious game of telephone pictionary happened. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt! Playing that game with two pastors and a seminary grad was priceless! Sweet bedtime :)

DAY THREE:
I had my quiet time perched on a stone wall right on the edge of the ocean. The sun rose and colored the sky the most beautiful colors you could imagine. Breakfast. Magical mystery pancakes with m&ms and oreos. Janna's creation :) We cleaned the cabin like it was spring cleaning. Piled into our lovely van, and the sun was shining and wonderful! We pulled off on the side of the road at a seemingly random field, where Jason shimmied through the barbed wire and lead us on a path down towards the ocean. But it veered off and cleared into a GORGEOUS cove called Venus pools. The rocks were white washed and the water was the most stunning color. A group of locals was there and Jason, yet again, took off on the highest jump off the cliffs into the water. I like his style. We got a chance to take the leap of faith. I did quite a few different jumps. It's such a rush, I love it! We swam around for awhile, enjoying the sunshine. Next stop: 7 Pools. We ate a delicious lunch of snack food and leftovers at the campgrounds of the 7 pools park. Favorite. Our van wouldn't start, so we had someone help us. God provided. Back to the fun! It was pretty windy at the park. But the sun was perfect! It was quite the tourist attraction. Most of the other stuff we had done was off the grid. We explored the cold waters and climbed up to the top pool and swam right under a huge waterfall! Then, more jumping off cliffs :) Queen Rock and King Rock. Cannon ball challenge. Belly flop challenge. Goodbye beauty. Hello warm/dry clothes. Van restarted. Charles Lindberg's grave. History lesson. The adventure continues by driving all the way around the Haleakala side of the island. It was amazing. We drove right along the edge of the old volcanoe. The sights were incredible. Indescribable. Bonding. Stories. Sunset. Dropped Janna off Upcountry in Kula. Windows down, feet on the dash. Home.

"God is a safe place to hide,
ready to help when we need him.
We stand FEARLESS
at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains."
Ps 46

BE FEARLESS.

lana'i 2010!

Hello friends!

I am back from our island get away on Lana'i. The theme of the weekend was Encounters: Mapping your Spiritual Journey. It was a refreshing time for me, and I totally saw the Holy Spirit at work in a BIG way there! We were able to hear messages from other Rise Leaders, and break into small groups to share and discuss what we were learning. I just love the Lana'i beach next to our campground. It's probably my all time favorite beach. The dolphins are jumping almost every morning! Saturday night, we heard from Leslie about the parable of Jesus feeding the 5000. We were challenged to look at which person we related with: Philip, Andrew, or the boy that gave up his lunch. I felt like I really related with the little boy. He had his lunch to give up, even though he didn't know what Jesus was going to do with it. I feel like I have my passions and gifts, but I have no idea how God wants to use them. The best part is, that all I have to do is obey Him when He asks me to give them over, and He will do the rest!! Then Jesus multiplied his meager gift and it spread and grew!

Christy, Alyssa, and I wandered up to the Four Seasons and splurged on delicious virgin pina coladas. That was what made it seem like a true vacation! It was wonderful.

We had a bonfire with smores and reeses cups (so gooooood!) and made sure to avoid sitting in the grass. There are cockroaches EVERYWHERE at night. Creepy crawly and scary looking! Four of us girls were blessed with a huge tent so we were able to spread out and sleep well! I woke up the next morning, and Alyssa and I made french press coffee and headed to the beach to start off my morning with a quiet time. Rise brought paddle boards so it was cool to watch everyone paddle out in the early morning. I read in Romans 12. Embracing what God does for me is the best thing I can do for Him. Readily recognize what God is wanting from me and readily respond. God always brings out the best in me.

We spent a lot of time on the beach Sunday afternoon! I adored every minute of it! There were new faces on our trip so it was great getting to know everyone and laughing and having a good time. Here is a picture of everyone who came on this retreat:
There were quite a few couples (married and dating) and even 4 little kiddos and I really enjoyed having the family aspect of it all! We got drizzled on towards the end, but it felt great on all of our sunburns :)

Te trip home was choppy and rainy, but we got to see a baby whale breech a bunch of times and that made it worth it! I loved the weekend, but it was great to get back to Maui.

Love you all!

Risa

whale watching

Friday mornings, I've started giving guitar lessons to a junior hai girl. We really hit it off on the purity retreat and so it's been so good getting to know her and spend time talking and playing guitar with her each week. She is such a great student! Then Friday afternoon, Leslie and I grabbed 808 Deli sandwiches to go and headed to the Monacai beach to talk and soak up some sun rays. She is so precious to me. We were able to secure the ever elusive lounge chairs that are NEVER available, so we stayed up on the grass and chatted while the waves hit the shore. Friday night, I was able to help sing worship. I have only sang on the Sunday worship team, and for Afterglow (which is after the service on Friday nights) so I was really stoked to be a part of that team.

Saturday, I slept in and it felt amazing! Christy was up making her fantastic cupcakes for Jena's birthday extravaganza in Lahaina that night. The girls hit Kamaole Park 1 to meet up with our neighbor Jenny and some other girls that are friends visiting Maui. Jenny had two paddle boards with her, so I was able to go out with her and paddle. We had a great conversation about what God has been teaching us lately. I love where her heart is at.

Saturday night, we all carpooled out to Lahaina (the 45 minute drive is a deal breaker for a lot of islanders) to get BJ's pizza and eat on a grassy knoll overlooking the harbor. We were able to go around and share what we love most about Jena. I am so thankful to have Jena in my life. She is mellow and chill, and her heart for her ministry just glows. She always has a kind word and is always encouraging and uplifting! It was so refreshing just hanging out and talking with all of the people there.
Sunday's sermon was so great. Pierre spoke on Getting to the Heart of Generosity. He presented a very solid gospel message that was convicting and powerful. Usually, I sit with other interns during whichever service I attend, but I was the only one at the 8:30 service. At the end of the sermon, he challenged those who didn't know the Lord to stand up and accept Him. And he also challenged those who had made a "wrong agreement" with Satan, or who were not walking with the Lord and needed His forgiveness and grace right now. The Holy Spirit was PUMPIN in there when Pierre was praying. And after the 10:30 service, I was informed that we ran out of Bibles! Praise the Lord! What a great problem to have!

The interns gathered together again and carpooled to Lahaina for the 2nd time to go on a whale watch! It was pretty incredible! It was such an adventure. My eyes were glued to the horizon for any glimmer of a fin or water spraying out of a blow hole. They are majestic creatures. We were able to hear the song they sing by putting a microphone underwater. Brandon told us that all of the male whales sing the same song, but they start and stop at different times so it never sounds in unison. Isn't that fascinating? The sunset was beautiful, and I was able to make some new friends on the boat as well! We ate in Lahaina and then headed home.

Please be praying for my visa. I have been really anxious about getting it all together, since it is my first time. I mailed it yesterday and I'm just giving it to the Lord, and trusting that this whole experience is in His strong and capable hands.

This is the Word I meditated on this morning:
"But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!.....And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes." Jude 1:20-21 & 24-25

How can we have our arms wide open, eager to receive His mercy? I always want to be right in the center of God's love!!

Risa

TSUNAMI DAY 2010

5:14- Alyssa and I are woken up by phone call from a frantic Jena. Earthquake. Chile. Tsunami. Pack up and head Upcountry.

5:16- I turn on my phone, and it is flooded with voicemails from a wide array of people.

5:20- Alyssa wakes up Sissy, and I call the Kim's in Washington to figure out the next step to take. It was a really tricky situation, because two of our kids were at friend's houses, so Alyssa and I had our work cut out for us.

5:30- Our plans change every 10 minutes. We're going to Kula. Then we're not. Picking up Hea. Then he's being dropped off. Putting gallons of water in the car. Canned corn and peanut butter getting thrown into a box with a broken bottom. Basically, straight up chaos. Talking with parents, neighbors, friends, trying to decide what the best thing to do was.

6:09- We're in the car with Sissy and the sirens go off. It's eerie. And still dark outside. I realized I forgot to brush my teeth and start to feel like it's going to be a loooong day. But all of us our together and we decide that home is a good place to stick until we actually know what's going on. Chris and Whitney came over to help with the kids and watched the news for a bit.

6:47- We are at a little over a half tank of gas, so I decide to brave the crowds of Kihei and see if I can get gas. After waiting in a line 0f 18 cars for 45 minutes, I shake my head and laugh at the craziness of it all and go back home. Jake called and asked if I had called my mother yet.

8:13- Leslie calls and says her Pampered Chef party got canceled due to it all and that we should bring the kids up to Maui Meadows (which is well above sea level) and eat the food she was going to make. I think that is a marvelous plan! We pile in to the car with all of our tsunami survival tools and head up.

8:20- It was unnerving at what a GORGEOUS day it was. I mean, one of the prettiest I've seen in my time here yet. Hot, but with a great cool breeze. We hung out at a friend's house for the morning. Dave put in Robin Hood, and we ate amazing food that Leslie prepared for us and just plain enjoyed Tsunami day.

10:43- We are beginning to anticipate power and water being turned off, and start planning to get up on to Cory's balcony and see if we could watch the shoreline. I live on the side of the island that wasn't where the action would be directly happening.

11:18- Keola put his duck floatie around his waist and we strain our eyes to see if we can see anything. But we couldn't. We get word that Kahului Harbor had a large amount of water recede, but other than that Maui was untouched.

11:35: In the meantime, we decide to swim in Cory's pool and relax. Tsunami Day didn't have to be all stress and no play. The power never went off, although Eddie works for the Electric company on Maui and they shut down a power plant and moved up, which is a big deal. So there was a lot of build up. Maui actually got the biggest swell, 3 feet, out of all of Hawaii.

12:30- Jena, Christy, and I realize we have to work at 1:30 and that we still have to go, despite this extreme crisis. Roads were shut down, but we made our way back to our condo to change and go in to help hospitality at a funeral at the church.

5:00- We leave the church, with some extra money in our pockets, and invite some friends over for dinner and a movie. After swapping stories with our guy friends (they live right on the ocean, and decided to stick it out at their place, and watch the whole show from their lanai) we were bushed. I looked back at what my day was supposed to look like and smiled, thinking how we never know how God is going to work out. I was going to sleep in, spend the morning with Sissy, work at 1:30, and then go to a UH volleyball game in Kahului that got canceled. This day was a surprise!

God thunders across the waters,
Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness—
God, across the flood waters...
God's thunder spits fire.
God thunders, the wilderness quakes;
He makes the desert of Kadesh shake....
Above the floodwaters is God's throne
from which his power flows,
from which he rules the world.
God makes his people strong.
God gives his people peace.

-Psalm 29 (my favorite parts)

Thank you for your prayers. God sits enthroned above it all! He calmed the waters. All the glory goes to Him! I am so thankful for His faithfulness in my life!

Risa