A MAGICAL TIME.

Our time here in Kona, Hawaii, as Mission Builders has been filled with some very special times, through some very special friends, doing some very special things, seeing some very special sights, but none of it has been magical, until tonight.

There have been some physical trials, but never spiritual ones.

There have been some questions regarding our mental stamina, but never to the point of despair.

Our time has been trying regarding the long haul of it all.  The disconnect from family has been the hardest, at my age, with my past stroke scare; there is a panic to my time here. I haven’t said anything to Buckwheat, but I’ve often been in a state of silent, momentary panic regarding never seeing my family again, and was this wise to do, will something happen to me while I’m here, like what happened in Mammoth Mountain?

Within all the amazing times, there have been little bleeps of doubts, as to whether all of this is worth anything at all, and wouldn’t I have been wiser to have just stayed home. Of course when one writes about something like this people are going to blow it up to mean more than it means to me, so, let me say quickly that it’s been worth it.

We have made some extraordinary friendships; in fact I’m friends with Elizabeth and Tim Tozer for crying out loud, these very fun people are from Moosonee, Canada, just across the Moose River from their neighboring town of Moose Factory. Here are some facts about our new friend’s home:

Moosonee is a town in Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximatel 12 miles south of James Bay. It is a mispronunciation of a Cree adaptation of Anglo-Norman etymology. Moos- Marsh(Moose River), on-corner, ee-[one who lives there]. It is similar to Mus- Marsh, Kog- Koog or Cake[tract of land], ee-[one who lives there]

Moosonee is the railhead on James Bay of the Ontario Northland Railway where goods are transferred to barges and aircraft for transport to more northerly communities. Moosonee is not particularly far north, being located at 51°N—which is roughly the same latitude as Saskatoon, Calgary, London, UK, and Berlin—but is isolated due to its lack of road access to the rest of Ontario. The community was the site of a fur trading post set up in 1903 by Revillon Frères, competitors to the Hudson's Bay Company which later bought out Revillon.

Tim is my kitchen body and he is a Bush pilot in Moosonee, he is a Cree and lived on the Cree Reservation before he met Elizabeth. Time flies in supplies to outposts. He’s a Bush pilot for Pete’s sake.

Tonight was our final Mission Builders Tuesday night meeting. The Mission Builders leaders threw us a party up here at Hale Ola, with clam chowder, Sushi, Spicy Chicken Wings, Long Noodles, Kimshee, rolls, some kind of Korean fruit-soupy-veggie type of dish, with dessert. We were very touched by Glory, Buckwheat’s Korean friend who put a lot of work into it for us all.

The night was filled with fun, laughter, birthday singing (we sing happy birthday in all the languages), good by prayers for departing Mission Builders, fun, crazy singing, and praise. But for me two special things stand out, no three special things.

The first one is Jennet, a Hawaiian women from Oahu, who taught Hula to Tabea, the German, and Elizabeth Tozer from Moosonee, Ontario, Canada, and Katrina Tozer, Elizabeth’s very, very cute and smart young daughter, she’s maybe eight or ten. With Jennet leading they sang and danced to Melekelkimaka. It was pure delight with flash cameras piercing the nights black, truly wonderful.

The second was having all the Mission Builders who are leaving within the next two weeks coming up for prayer, there were maybe fifteen of us, as people prayed, tears filled the silent parts of the prayers, holding hands with all of my young and old International friends was very moving. Think of saying goodbye to newly built friendships after one week of camp, than times this by six.

We have been together for almost two months, day and night, living, praying, singing, laughing, traveling and eating together. Leaving meant feeling everyone’s love.

This was very tough.

The third thing was when Elizabeth Tozer from Moosonee, Ron from Canada, Uta from Germany, Joann from America, Michelle from Korea, and Audra from America sang some Angels are watching over you song to us. The nigh was moving and filled with emotion as you gazed out over all the nations and ages of all of these wonderful friends.

Tonight put the whole YWAM Mission Builders thing into perspective. We’ve been so touched by so many people. We know we’ve formed lasting friendships, and are deeply shaken to have come to the realization that we will not see most of our friends again, the best we can hope for is to keep in touch through email, and Facebook.

Buck and I took Sara from South Africa out to dinner last night, Sara is the most beautiful twenty four year old girl, she is very smart, very funny, and very mature, she to is leaving and asked Buck and I to pray for here as she heads back to South Africa and an uncertain future. Having three daughters makes me very protective for Sara. Buck and I prayed that if she needed anything that we would be there for her.

Tonight was a magical night of spirit and soul. Buck and I are grateful to God to have been privileged to have served Him here, and be a part of these wonderful people. Their accents, twangs, lilts and efforts with English will stay with me, even now at night on my blog, I’m full of whimsy and sadness as I think of them, and they will never know how much they mean to me, especially all the young girls.

Magic time has turned into Sandman time and another day of work.

Thank you Lord for calling us here, and calling them here, it’s been MAGICAL.

A Week End In Hilo, Body Surfing at Hapuna Beach, & Kitchen Picnic.

First stop, the Country Christian fair, Buck bought some awesome ear rings from The Masters Hand



Phyliss the ear ring maker and her best customer



The Christian Hawaiian Country Fair Band





Two Newfies at the Hawaiian Botanical Garden





The Leanig Tower of Buckwheat




A very big Banyan tree





Lester swinging on one tiny Banyan hanging root/limb




Our Hilo hotel room. Don't ever stay in Hilo...nothing to do, no beaches, sights, or pretty little things.




Opps, there are two pretty little things after all.




The most amazing little beach park on the road to Waimia



A local Hawaiian family living in the beach park, fresh water, tents, bathrooms, grass, beach, fishing...ONO!



Waipio Lookout. A Hawaiian homestead until a Tusnami wiped them out. Now, a local beach. Only Four Wheelers can make it down. The very steep road starts to my right.



Luki, Kevin, Ron and Robby (Chef Vern's very fun and cool son), cooking chicken, steak and playing music



Princess Buckwheat



Starbuck looking for Moby Dick, or is it Moby Dick looking for a Starbucks?




Sunsets, always pretty, all the time.




The WooChing family, Hero, Shannon, Psalm and Luki




Shannon, Hero and Luki's birthday cake





Buckwheat, Christina (German), Jueng He (Korean), Tabea (German) , Christin (American)



New Mission Builders, Gordon and Jennifer (Washington)



Two old Mission Builders, I mean old as being here for a long time, oops, what the heck, this is Ron and Sharon.




Two WooChings, which one, that's the question?



Chef Vern an Karen, preparing and hauling everything for the part, and this is having a day off from us, I don't thing its enough. Take tomorrow off Vern, take a trip to Hilo.

Nothing To Write About, but Buckwheat Made Me Write About Anything Anyway.

Wednesday was not a day to write about. I know you can say each day has something to write about, but what I mean about writing about is something you can get your teeth into. Yesterday would cause considerable strain to make something out of nothing.

First off, I’m writing about Wednesday on Thursday because our Wi-Fi at Hale Ola is as temperamental as someone else’s wife. Wednesday she decided to be ornery for no just cause.

So, today I’m writing at “Island Lava Java” on the seaside road of Ali’i, this coffee spot was my son-in-law Zhenya’s favorite local haunt while he and my baby Heather did their DTS here, they have free Wi-Fi, super cool writing, thinking, meditating music, great coffee and huge, mammoth muffins, and the Lord knows I’m a coffee and muffin man who likes to think about cool things. Wednesday I got a Samoan tattoo.

It’s 4:36 P.M. and we are looking seaward, and Northward up Ali’i, the place is crawling with cars, going both ways, I’m not sure who they are, or why they are on the street, but for really cool thinking you need fewer cars.

A Tattooed waitress is picking up trash around the tables around us, this helps the setting a little, but not enough to offset the traffic.

I like certain tourist around my setting, but not others, I know this is racial profiling, but there are people who look like they’re from places I wish they weren’t from.

Vog makes me cough.

I’ve been vogging for four weeks now.

I didn’t want to write because I’ve got nothing to talk about yesterday or today, but Carol insisted.

She’s reading to my left, her back is in a corner and two whales just breached in front of us but she didn’t notice because she’s reading a romance novella.

Last Wednesday a Cruise Liner was in Kailua Bay, which happens every Wednesday, but this particular Wednesday was a Gay Cruise Ship. Please don’t ask me how I knew this was a Gay Cruise Ship.

Last night ten of us old people from Mission Builders went to Oceans, a half off the menu pricing for all items. The place is always filled with missionary, cheap people.

But Oceans pulled a Tsunami on us, when we go there we noticed they’d changed the sign to read “1/2 off all items on the menu for Hawaii residents only.” This caused quite a stir, some YWAMers left, the really poor ones, the DTS ones, but the rest of us stayed. Buck and I took just enough money for ½ off, so when it wasn’t ½ off we had no choice but to eat the cheapest thing on the menu, which was a build your own Ocean burger.

We had meat and a bun, tomatoes were extra, as was onions, cheese, lettuce (not kidding), but the sauces were free, we could chose any sauce we wanted, so, I ordered all of them for volume.

Its 4:57 and we have to make a choice, we either sit here looking at (wow, a really large man just eclipsed my ocean view carrying the cutest little dog, I'm not sure which I'm more impressed with), sorry for the sudden side track, let's see, choices yada yada... the views, drinking coffee, listening to the really cool music, watching my bride read, or head back up to the base for free dinner and worship.

Time passes fast when you write.

I want to stay, I'm in my writing about nothing rhythm, and the tranquility is stronger than my coffee.

Buck wants to go back to the base for free dinner and worship.

Long two and half hour pause..................................................................................................................

Worship tonight was awesome.

Today Was Our Day Off from Work:

Once a month every Mission Builder has a day off, it's not really a day off though, becasue they say you have to attend a DTS, which is mandatory for all Mission Builders.

A DTS stands for Discipleship Training Seminar, each student goes through DTS for twelve weeks, we are asked to join one in the middle of their schooling, so we are somewhat out of context. They had three we could choose from, COMPASSION, JUSTICE, or CROSSROADS which is for 26 yrs. and up.

We consulted the Hopkins, who are over all teachers brought into YWAM, to where they recommend us to go to get the most out of, and they suggested there was one we should stay away from, then she suggested that we attend one she suggested, but sit on the outside in case it didn’t fit us she said. She was very sweet and had a discerning spirit. She suggested that if it doesn’t fit then slip out and have a nice day.

We attended Compassion, and at first we sat outside because it had already started, there are often people sitting outside because of the weather or for other reasons, we didn’t want to cause a scene, due the fact thatthere weren’t enough chairs for us. So, with our friend Brenda, we sat outside until we felt we could move our chairs inside, and not bother the speaker or kids, as well as getting out of the hot sun.

The speaker was in his late 50s or 60s, and started off by saying he didn’t know where this was going to go today (not a comforting idea). So, he winged it for an hour and a half suggesting that everyone in the tent needed cleansing from some kind of abuse of one kind, or another.

He then had open mic time, allowing the kids to come up and vent or share their abuses. About six kids came up to share some type of hurt from a coach, a dad, or a teacher.

After about two hours the teacher told everyone to take a break, so Buck and I did.

We walked back home and tried to catch the dollar trolley to Target, Target was a really big "to do" thing for Buckwheat, and Target is a long ways away. Sane people would wait for the trolley, but we missed our trolley due to our taking too much time to walk back home from the base.

So, Buckwheat suggested that since we had all day, we should walk to Target, but on the way we should split a mid-morning brunch/lunch at “Bun in the Sun.” We split her new favorite sandwich at her new favorite eating place.

Then we trekked up to Target, a mighty walk in the mighty hot sun. I had no hat, hoping that sunscreen would get us through the next five hours of walking. I think it did.

We went over to Ross, which was across the street from Target,then back to Target, then over to the Kona International Market Place, which was a total surprise to find on a side street along our way. This was all Hawaiian stuff, clothes, some of the most beautiful wood carvings I’ve ever seen, made into Dolphins, Turtles, Whales, all very large pieces that would dominate a room; some were going to have class tops for living room tables. I wished I had throw away money, I would have thrown some to them, everything was so beautiful.

We then walked a different way home, down a steep street to Kuakini Blvd. down to Ali’i by the sea.

We sat on some steps in the shade and shared a Shave Ice as we watched the ocean waves crest over the sea wall and crash over the side walk and on to the street. Splitting a Shave Ice is dicey, sense the ice melts and sides are hard to delineate, one half Cherry for Buckwheat, and one half Root Beer for me. I cheated some Cherry over to my side when Buck was startled by the waves and the leaf blower.

We walked home and took a nap.

We arose and sat outside our building and read and kibitz with people. Sense we were visible some girls came up to Buck and asked for a hair cut (she’s famous for her free haircuts here).

Tabea, a German little gal we both really love, asked Buck for a trim, and she brought me some special German Carmel Coffee, delicious.

Buck cut, I put down Hemingway, which is becoming easy to do, and I ate my Lunchable. She was still cutting hair, and I came here to blog.

It’s Tuesday night and our mandatory Mission Building Meeting is about to start. Its 6:00 PM.

The meeting just ended, its 8:29 PM, and Buck just walked in and told me two more people came up to her after the meeting to ask for haircuts (free of course), apparently all things done on the base are to be free, its a missionary thing, even if these people aren't missionaries, they are cheap like missionaries. Never the less, Buckwheat is in seventh or eighth heaven. She loves to serve, help, talk and be the big shot.

Over here in Kona, Buckwheat is in high demand, and I'm invisible. Its a good thing I have this blog thing.

HEY, IS ANYONE CLEANING THE FISH TANK WHILE I'M GONE, LOOK AT HOW DARK THE WATER HAS GOTTEN. FEED AND CLEAN THE FISH AND THEIR HOUSE.

Monday Was A Typical Work Day, With A Super-Duper Walk Home.

Monday was kind of typical work day; I was assigned to work with Luki and Ron in the cooking part of the kitchen, a first for me. We made a huge vat of potatoes and then somehow I soon found myself fixing stuff, this lasted all day, which included a drive off campus to a kitchen supply business to try and fix a dish washing nozzle, they didn’t have a clue what was wrong, so after an hour and a half, I headed back to the base, but on the way I figured out how to fix a hose problem that was part of the nozzle.

Between Luki and me we fixed the nozzle and I fixed the hose. This is the most important part of the kitchen, everything else has multiples, but the dish washing area has one nozzle, if this is not working, everything comes to a hazards stop. Not good, as this would affect service, this is the hub of the kitchen, all pots, cooking utensils, chopping blocks, scooper's, etc. are used multiple times a day.

You can’t fix this during working hours, this can only be attempted after all work is done, then you only have a small window to fix it before the next crew comes in.

This is the third time I’ve been asked to fix something on this dish washing area. A lot of pressure on a semi-fix it guy that has to have time to look, try, fail, look, try, fail and try again. People cannot be hovering over me because I can’t think straight. I need to be alone, with a lot of time to fix anything, I’m not talented, but I can usually fix things with duct tape, wire, etc. none of which are good with water.

At the end of the day I walked away feeling successful, like I’d contributed something to the kitchen on a permanent bases, but not working at the usual, sweating, break neck paced, leaves me felling like I didn’t work very hard.

I never saw the cooking side of the food prep again.

Buck and I had the greatest walk home. We went down to “Huggo’s On The Rocks,” the only  place you can put your feet in the sand restaurant in Kona. We got our favorite table on the sea wall, took off our tennis shoes, and sank down into the sand, wonderful.

A cruise liner was out in Kailua Bay, tiny sailing boats all around, a Hawaiian singer in the back ground, and the best Diet Cherry Pepsi I’ve ever had, along with the tiniest sliders, two little three dollar hamburgers with the tiniest bits of fried onion rings, and some sauce on them.

We had two each, separated and spread out over our two hours as we talked about YWAM stuff, our spiritual lives when we get back home, the results we’ve taken from our time here, and what we are still looking to gain.

Most of you know that I’m blind in my right eye, so when I sit someplace the positioning for me is critical, I need to have my right side turned to a wall, I can’t have sights or people to my right, it makes them not present. So, today at Huggo’s I found the ocean to my right, I was aware of this all along as I sat down, but I wasn’t there for the sights, I was there for time with Buckwheat.

The view was breath taking.

The talk was precious, deep, meaningful and extensive.

A beautiful spiritual presence was with us.

We started to walk home along Ali’i Beach Drive, but we soon stopped and sat on the sea wall, talking some more as we watched the sun set, this was going to take about twenty minutes so we called Keri Posthill and told her how much we missed she and Mark, and then we made her feel bad as we described out setting, we made it sound as wonderful as it was, and of course was kind of rubbing it in. “This is where we are, and that is where you are,” type of thing.

We walked very slowly all the way to the pier, and then up the steep street to our little shopping area, we then went to “Sack and Save,” which means you put your groceries in the sack and save money.

We bought some lunchables (they are fewer calories than eating the free base food, only 340 calories, I love them. I can take them to the gym with me and workout and eat at the same time, and don’t feel sluggish. I haven’t eaten base food in four weeks, I feel better and have much more energy, and I’m still losing weight, which has made my knees feel much, much, much better). We also bought cereal for eating in our room before going to the base. The shopping was fun and we walked home on a pitch black road leading back to our little home at Hale Ola.

The whole afternoon was one of the best we’ve had, and we’ve been having a lot of them lately, we’ve figured out what works for us, and that is walking home every day and decompressing as we talk about our day, our friends, our family and our future.

We are hoping to keep this same Kona behavior back home.

I can’t wait to write as my new ministry tool.

I can’t wait to be home and start my retirement.

I can't wait to start my new ministry interaction with my grandchildren.

Our time here has been well worth all the hard work and loneliness for home.

Sunday at the Hilton Waikoloa Beach Resort Hotel.



The Grand Entrance. You enter from the ground and the first thing you see are boasts ferrying people to their rooms, pools, or shops. Then you go down these massive steps on either side of the boat launch and descend down, way down to the Beach Lagoon and Dolphin swimming. Very impressive, one of the first things you see above the lagoon is this massive water falls.




Boats are going left or right, this one is going to the left, we waited for the one going right, because we wanted to take it, not to a destination, just to take the free, boat ride that looks over the Lagoon and the Waikoloa property.




We're on our return trip from the farthest reaches of the hotel, the Lagoon, Beach, Dolphins, Beach Bar and open ocean are to are right, way down below.




Once off the boat, we descended down the steps and walked toward the water falls, hoping that we could walk underneath them. Here's the falls, theirs the little Lagoon water crafts, swimmers and snorkelers. Pretty cool, huh?




Before hitting the beach lounge chairs that are placed all over the beach, we watched the Dolphins and their handlers. They have four pools for the Dolphins and about 20 Dolphins.




The view of the Lagoon and beach from the tree, flower, grass lined walk way to and from the beach and hotel.




We've almost arrived at the Dolphin pools, this is a look back toward the boat launch and Hotel foyer, the water falls are to the right of the palms, the Lagoon sweeps left.




We said goodbye to the Waikoloa, it was a great eight hour day, we stopped to have a sunset dinner at one of the cliff dwelling restaurants but the menu didn't fit our wallet. So we found a little cafe on the grounds, which we had to drive to, and ate a wonderful and wallet sized Chicken Picata, Buck's favorite. We always split meals, today was Bucks day and food choice, we also had lunch on the beach, Chicken and Avocado sandwich, another of Bucks favorites.



Saturday Was A Newfy Kind Of Day.

We have a car for the weekend, Luki, the kitchen captain, asked me if I would do him a favor and take him to the airport Thursday after work, so he could see his son Psalm, play football on Oahu Friday night, and would I also pick the whole family up on Sunday night? I said I would be pleased, and honored to help out. Then he said "you can use my truck the whole time, no car rental fee, just gas it up when you done."

Wow, we had planned to rent a car for this particular weekend, and now this. God honors us in so many funny ways.

So Buckwheat and I asked Lester and Marie if they wanted to spend Saturday with us.

People from Newfoundland call themselves “Newfys,” I’m not sure of how they would spell it, but that is what it sounds like, the other Canadians often kid about “Newfys” speaking a whole different language than proper Canadians do.

After spending a whole day with Marie and Lester on a trip around the Island, I can tell you that their language is not a problem, their pronunciations of their words are not a problem, but their habits, and the things they think about and do, are.

Not a problem really to Buckwheat and I, but they are very unique to interact with throughout the day.

These two beautiful people from New-Found-Land, as Marie says it, are without guile, they are so pure in their innocents in their New-Found-Land-Ness, that they are foreigners in any land but their own. They both have a stunningly rich sense of humor.

Being with them for the day was pure delight.

Buckwheat and I went to bed with sweet memories of the day and arose laughing as we stated some of their idioms, or situations from yesterday.  Priceless

The places we went were so beautiful, the day was crafted by a serendipitous hodgepodge mentality between the four of us, anything  anybody wanted to see or do was agreed to almost immediately so much so, we had to turn around on the highway to “Turn around, did you see that, let’s go there,”shouts.

We had no agenda but fun. We found it at every tick of the clock.

Great sights, great beauty, great people, and a great rhythm to the day.

This is the type of day Buck and I truly love.

All except the vision I have now in my mind, which will never go away mind you, of Lester and some of his “personal bathroom habits” which were shared serendipitously over breakfast, out of nowhere.   I’m eating Portuguese sausage and almost spit it across the table at Marie as she shared these insights.

Marie laid down the law when she and Lester got married (this carried through for her boys as well), you will not be allowed to “Pee” all over the place, and then explained how she expected things to “go”.   Lester was O.K. with this arrangement, and has been complying with her wishes ever sense, but this method takes great humility and concentration.  

Since this was told to us early in the day, the rest of my bathroom visits where filled with visions of Lester.

I now laugh every time I go to the bathroom, which is O.K. I guess, unless there are other men in the men’s room.

The only thing that topped Lester and the bathroom scene, which is embedded permanently in my mind, was Lester giving us driving directions. He had an excellent sense of direction but slaughtered the Hawaiian language, much like I do with Russian or any language for that matter. But hearing Lester trying to explain the cities we needed to go to in Newfoundlandness was a riot, every time, all day. A pure, laugh out loud riot.

There were many highlights to our day and it was completed with a visit to the Pakini Grill for dinner in Waimea and meeting “Aunty Betty,” you can see her pictures and story below.

We have made plans to do this again next weekend……. too much fun.

This was a great “Newfy” kind of a day.

Sunday is beach day up the lava coast. We will play at the very grand Waikoloa Hotel, they welcome the public on their spectacular property, you can use everything but the pools. They have a very cool snorkeling lagoon. So off in the truck we go, the day will be just the two of us.

First, Church, then the Waikoloa. Then Luki and family.

This is Larry, the very local banana leaf basket and hat weaver. Larry is the sentry to the Black Sands Beach



This is the Black Sands Beach, one of the most beautiful places I've seen so far on the Island.




The Black Sand is more like black beads than sand, really soft and more square than round.

There were giant sea turtles all over the beach. Signs ask everyone to stay 18 ft. away, most people like me, stayed a respectful 8 ft. They couldn't jump or anything, so 8 ft. seemed reasonable, maybe when they were younger they could jump 18 ft., but now I think their max jump would be 6 ft.



This was the Black Sand Beaches back side, as you stood and watched the turtles on the beach, these ducks were at your back. This marsh pond was spectacular. What a setting, bridges arched over the pond leading you from the old parking lot, to an old abandoned restaurant, hidden deep in the marsh. Seeing it, we ventured passed the "DO NOT ENTER, PRIVATE PROPERTY" sign nailed to a tree, then climbed it's lava rock walls to see if we could see yesterday.




 

The pond from one of the arching, wooden bridges, as it looks back over the beach.
It's railings disappeared long ago with the restaurants customers.





This is Roxy and her kids fishing for shrimp, with man made fishing poles, it works.



Deep in the jungle leading to the old restaurant are these massive Banyan trees with their massive roots. Click the picture to see how young I look in comparison to these old roots.

A beautiful tree lined road leading to Hilo.



The funnest and funniest Newfoundland couple we know. What a hoot of a
day with Marie and Lester. Great, great people, at a great restaurant in Waimea, which is high up on Parker Ranch in the middle of the Island.



This is 81 yr. old "Auntie Betty," the hostess at Pakini Cafe. She has this dark glasses shtick. She has over 800 pairs, trying to make 1000, she's been written up in fight magazines and is proud to show them to you.



All customers must have their dark glasses on that she gives you to wear for a group photo.
Customers come and give her the sunglasses. The food was great, the service was great, and the shtick was worth the drive around the Island. This was the perfect ending to a perfectly fun day.