Leaving Hawaii

Looking back on our stay here in Kona, Hawaii, the first thing I think about are the people. Almost all the people I met here are crazy Christians, and have a very interesting stories to tell. I've met native Hawaiians, Koreans, Africans, a Kazahkstan woman, Chinese, Norwegians, Germans, Americans and Canadians. I've met a person who wanted to do high-jump in the Olympics, several (almost) professional ping-pong players, and a person who used to play ping-pong on marijuana! My best friend here can juggle five balls anytime, and on a good day can juggle seven. His little brother is even better but practices more. A lot of the people here are simply living on money that God provides, including my teacher who hasn't gotten a paycheck in eight years! (Most of them have sponsors though.) Two people I know simply asked God for a MacBook Pro, and both of them got it. (I've prayed for a MacBook Pro also; still waiting for results!)

I'm sorry if I appear to be bragging about them to you, but believe me, I brag about you to them. (How intensely good hockey and soccer players my class was, the good times we had in Cadets and Catechism, and such.)

As Hawaii was a port for ships, a resting place before the ships sail into the rest of the world, University of the Nations is like a port for people interested in missions. People have come here from all the world and are going into all the world. Kona is a place where they can rest and be trained before spreading out. (We are going to go to India; we will be working with an orphanage among other things.) In on of the assemblies called the 50th (a huge celebration with thousands of people coming from all over) there was a roll call of the nations. Over 100 countries was called!

Anyway, it's December 20 today and yet the weather's warm. I think I'll go take one last beach trip...