-fresh start-

"Since before time began
no one has ever imagined,
No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you
who works for those who wait for him.
You meet those who happily do what is right,
who keep a good memory of the way you work."

-Isaiah 64:4-5 (Message)

I am so incredibly blessed to be starting another year as an intern at Hope Chapel in Maui. Part of me still feels a bit crazy for signing on for another challenging year. But out of all the things I learned last year, it's that the most growth happens when I am stretched and challenged. I switched ministry departments, and I am now serving alongside 3 wonderful men in the worship ministry. Things have been completely busy, as usual. We just celebrated our 30th Anniversary last weekend and had our service out in the "backyard" of Hope. It was a blast! Over 700 people attended! I was able to sing in the choir, do copious amounts of folding booklets, and I learned a lot about what chords plug into what instruments! We were all pretty exhausted by the time the service was over, and the interns were able to relax a little and eat out in the courtyard. I am honored to be here during this season.

4 of us interns stayed for another year-
-Alyssa: High School intern
-Jena: Children's intern
-Steven: Worship intern
-Me: Worship intern

...and we also have 4 new additions!-
-Ryan: Junior High intern
-Martin: Young Adult intern
-Blake: Children's intern
-Lisa: Small Group intern

It's been great getting to know the new interns. We have a lot of fun together!! They all have such servant's hearts. I'm pretty stoked to see what the Lord does in our lives this year. A lot of us are living off fundraising, since the church is struggling financially right now. It will definitely be a year of relying and trusting in the Lord. Already, we are seeing provision in cool ways! I will be working on Saturday's in the bookstore.

I am still in awe of the fact that I live in Maui. It is beautiful here. The people are beautiful here. I have a wonderful ohana here that I just cherish so much!

Risa

logos and rhema

At Hope right now, Craig is going through a sermon series based on Hebrews. Last week he was preaching out of Hebrews 4 and talked a lot about the Word of God. A couple things he spoke about really sparked my interest and I thought I would share it with you :)

Logos- Word of God
There are two primary Greek words that describe Scripture which are translated "word" in the New Testament. The first, logos, refers primarily to the total inspired Word of God and to Jesus, who is the living Logos.

Examples of the logos of God:
-John 1:1
-Luke 8:11
-Phil 2:16
-2 Tim 2:15
-Heb 4:12
-1 Peter 1:23

Rhema- the spoken word
The 2nd primary Greek word that describes Scripture is rhema, which refers to a word that is spoken and means "an utterance." A rhema is a verse or portion of Scripture that the Holy Spirit brings to our attention with application to a current situation or need for direction.

-Every Word of God is inspired (2 Tim 3:16). It is the Holy Spirit that illuminates particular Scriptures for application in a daily walk with the Lord.

When God gives us a rhema to act upon, He often confirms it by a 2nd rhema, that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word [rhema] be established" (2 Cor 13:1)

Examples of rhemas:
-Luke 5:5
-Luke 1:38
-Luke 2:29
-Luke 3:2
-Acts 11:16
-Matt 26:75

How can we get a rhema?
-In the regular course of our daily reading of God's Word (logos), we need to ask God to speak to us through His Word and give us insight into it. The Holy Spirit can cause certain passages to stand out with significant meaning or application for our lives. These are the rhemas of Scripture that should become part of our daily thoughts and actions.

My rhema for today:

"See, I have refined you,
though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another."
-Isaiah 48:10-11

IT'S ALL FOR HIS GLORY.

I meet weekly with a woman that I admire and love so much and while I was telling her about my week she was telling me how the Lord is refining me and that it is all for His glory. Then I was able to explain to her how I had asked the Lord to give me a rhema that day, and that she had confirmed it by talking about refining. It was so cool! My challenge is that you all could be in God's Word daily, consistently asking the Holy Spirit to reveal something new and personal to you.
On Monday night, Craig and Kathy invited the interns over for dinner and they made us a wonderful dinner of prime rib and baked potatoes and salad and brownies and ice cream for dessert. They had amazing coconut coffee for us too :) It was so much fun! We had a time of worship and then prayed and played games. We have been so blessed by them. I am very thankful for their ministry and the way that they love Jesus and love others.

Risa

catch up

The past three weeks have gone a little something like this:

The Crochet Brigade was created. That involves Christy, Alyssa, and I buying Walmart out of yarn. Gummy worms (they taste amazing when you keep them in the freezer!). Swing dancing class at Hope. Tanning oil. Lots of laughs. Friends Season Three. Helping lead worship on a Friday night. Bought a ticket to Canada for a week to visit Christy and the Rendalls. I've finished 3 books. Talking/connecting in the court yard on Sundays. Maui Lovin' nail polish on my toes. Katherine had a baby! Taylor Anne. She's precious and I wish I could experience more than just the photos.

Movie night at Jake and Toni's. Sabrina. Processing. Sweet trip to town with Jenny to buy 100 dollars worth of neon pool toys for her job. Great talks with my mentor, Jill. Meeting with Joy and chatting on the beach for hours. Learning what a van does when it over heats....3-4 times a day! Eating brazilian coffee candies on the floor of Jake's office whilst soaking up his knowledge. Taking pictures with glow in the dark glasses with Christy. Sneaking the children dept's animal crackers with Lyssa during green time--and inviting Jake to come with us. Only using the second to last stall in the church restrooms. Worship with Jenny in the car on the way from Kahului to Kihei. Verona coffee. Attempting to change the air conditioning filter with Alyssa to no avail. It's tough being a grown up! :) Esther Bible Study is rocking my world.

I've done a lot of dying to myself over the past month. Gal 2:20. I've learned that anytime God calls us to die, His purpose is to reveal larger life. The one who has the mind of Christ doesn't necessarily understand all the mysteries....maturity is the ability to carry the unanswered question in faith, holding to the word by which we live. I'm still floored by the Lord every morning when I open my eyes and realize I'm living on an island. This internship ends in three short weeks. And some of my best friends are leaving. And then I embark on another exciting and growth filled year in a place that I've completely fell in love with.

Psalm 62:7

refining

Hello!

I think I'm struggling to want to blog recently because God has been doing a lot of refining in my life lately. So it's hard for me to write things out and share when I'm in the middle of processing, growing, and learning.

I've been reading through Psalm 119. A chunk of verses every day. Reading it, writing it out, then praying it in my own words. At first, it felt like it wasn't applying. It was routine. As I was praying or reading, they were just words on a page. As I've continued doing this same process every morning, I have been in awe at the way that God's Word is ALIVE! I went back and re-read previous verses and prayers and was shocked at things I had written down so flippantly that seemed earth shattering a mere week later! My heart is changing without me even noticing. And the coolest part is that Psalm 119 is ALL about God's Word, following it, and always choosing His Word over our feelings and emotions. Some of my favorite verses are these from the Message.

"I set your instructions to music and sing them as I walk this pilgrim way. I meditate on your name all night, God, treasuring your revelation, Oh God" Psalm 119:54-55

"And let me live whole and holy, soul and body so I can always walk with my head held high." Psalm 119:80

"In your great love revive me so I can alertly obey your every word." Psalm 119:88

I've just been really challenged to allow God to work on my heart and let His words transform my mind. And His words show me where I am going. They cast light onto my dark path. I am in this for the long run. When things fall apart, God stitches everything back together. He festoons us with His finest sayings. I want to learn. God's promises are mine FOREVER. What a gift! I'm overjoyed! My concentration is on obedience. And it always will be.

On another note :)
Some things on my summer list are:
1. Take test to get Kama'aina so that I can officially have proof that I'm a resident on Maui!
2. Buy soft top rack for our van so that paddle boarding can become a regular part of my routine.
3. Focus on the church body of Hope Chapel and meet their needs like Jesus would.
4. Continue to let God's Truth sink directly into my heart and transform me from the inside out!

Aloha,
Risa

adventures in hana, and beyond!

Christy and her parents picked me up at 7:30 and we headed to Paia to eat breakfast at Charley's (the place Willie Nelson owns!). Macadamia nut pancakes, french toast, home fries, and coffee. Drive on. Bamboo forest. Wicked. I love it in there. Huelo Lookout-kinda lame. Eucalyptus rainbow trees. Beauty. Kae'nae. Mango, banana, and guava. All growing on trees. Photos. Mango shaved ice. Owl City tunes. Ching's Pond. No jumping it today. Black Sand Beach. Names on the sand. Wainapanapa cave. Freeeezing water. Good talks with the Rendall rents. Turkey and lettuce sandwiches. Diet Coke. Hana. Cloudy. Hasegawa. Drive on.

Venus pools. We trek through the barbed wire and make our way down to the water. A woman follows us down to the cliffs and she's alone. A solo vacay. Ilsa (ill-sa) is her name. We try to convince her to jump off the biggest one. "Just doooo eeeeeeet! Gooooo!" She's hesitant. I ask her if she wants me to go first. Yep. Cliff edge of doom. Dominated it. Oh hey salt water in my nose. Ilsa takes a breath and follows me down. Christy jumps off a cliff too. Done. On to 7 pools. Very touristy. The fresh water is refreshing. Ilsa is there too. Warm black rocks + people watching= amazing. Time to embark on our way around the island. Longer than I remembered. But good. Beautiful drive home. Completely wiped out by the end.

My favorite memory from this past week was when the Rendall's invited us over for dinner on Sunday night. We had a delicious meal and then Steven busted out the guitar and we sang music from the 90s and Christy's dad got his little shakers out and we just had a blast singing and laughing. A quick swim in the pool and hot tub. Good conversation. God is so great.

My current music playlist this week: Bon Iver, Iron and Wine, Brandon Heath, Kari Jobe, and Album Leaf.

Love you all!

Risa

re-amped!

My page needed a facelift. And an update! It's been over a month!

Things I've learned in the past month:
-God loved us first.
-Making s'mores over a fire pit under the bright stars at Laperouse with friends is the ultimate way to spend an evening!
-Mind set on the Spirit= LIFE and PEACE.
-Being 22 is waaay cooler than being 21 :)
-My family on Maui was borderline EPIC!
-The sun rising from the top of Haleakala was stunning. Also, at 10,000 feet high, the frigid weather can be compared to a Canada winter!
-Having a good cry is always worth it. Vale a pena.
-If the West Maui Mountains are burning, don't drive to Lahaina. It took us over 4 hours to go around the west side of the island (the only way back to Kihei!) but we had a blast! And the sights weren't bad either :)
-Being a tourist on Maui is much much different than living and working on Maui.
-Arrested Development is the best show ever!
-Shaved ice from Local Boys is 38429 times better with ice cream.
-Flying to Oahu for a day to see Pearl Harbor, eat Baja Fish Tacos at Dukes, window shop expensive/high end stores, and ride in a limo is completely do-able :)
-The Lavender Farm Upcountry is the ideal place to mellow out and chill.
-Pens, in fact, can explode and get all over you. In church. And dye large chunks of your hair blue. So be careful!!
-Bocce Ball with family and friends on a summer's night will be a precious memory forever.
-My trust IS the Lord.

AGAPE.

Reese

almost summer :)

I am back from Brazil now, and jumping back into Maui life! It is such a good feeling to fly into Maui and call it home during this season of my life. I am truly thankful. And very stoked to be staying for another year as the worship intern at Hope Chapel!!

As for Brazil, it rocked my world. I learned a lot about God's heart for the nations and I asked Him to break my heart for what breaks His. He showed me some pretty miraculous things! So if you didn't get a chance to hear what we were doing down south, check out this blog!!

http://brazil2010mission.blogspot.com/

Right now, we are gearing up for summer. I am looking forward to an action packed next few months. My family is coming to visit the first week of June!! All of the interns are having the opportunity to have parents and family visit here in Maui. The junior hai and high school groups will be headed to Hume Lake in California for their summer camp. The children's ministry is bustling with activity for the summer as well. God is doing BIG things on this island!

I will update more soon :)

In Him,
Risa