THE FINAL POST ON OUR TIME AT YWAM. "Sorry for the delay on this last post...complications, ay!"

Our flight home from Kona, via Honolulu, went very well; in fact it was the best five hour flight I’ve ever been on. On it I wrote my last blog posting, watched a true story movie and started reading my newest book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” the true story of how doctors stole this dying women’s cells without her knowledge, or compensation, these cells are called HeLa cells (look up HeLa cells for the whole picture). Our flight was especially blessed by having three seats between us, Buck always likes to sit in the window seat, I always like the aisle seat, which I never get because we like setting together, so because of the window situation, I get the middle, usually next to a wonderful stranger, but this flight was light with many open seats, so when the plane took off I almost had an apoplexy of joy.  

Sitting on the isle has many advantages, like quick and easy access to the lavatories, visibility of food carts coming, leg room, and a sense of superiority, as well as being able to put my computer on my seat table, while using the middle seats table for my mouse, snacks and drinks (soft & diet). Everything would have been super special had it not been for the minor discomfort of set row width, the lassie sitting in front of me, decided, quickly after take-off, to recline her seat for a five hour nap, which put my table, which was attached to her seat, squally in my belly button, and my computer in my spleen, typing was tight, but crisp.

Gratefully I had been conditioned through two months of YWAM in dealing with surprises of pain, YWAM’s motto is “Concreted in Flexibility,” so I muscled my way through sleeping beauties surprise slumber.

Five hour flights on American Airlines are thin on the food pyramid, only drinks, but we beat the airlines stinginess by bringing our own food pyramid consisting of Lay’s Original Potato Chips, Lay’s Cheetos, Maui Crisp Potato Chips, and dessert (a bag of Bit-Sized Butterfingers), as well as our own bottle of water (we didn’t trust plane water for health reasons). I started writing first, watched the movie second, and started my book forty-five minutes before landing at LAX; by the way, three chapters takes forty-five minutes to read.

A few final thoughts on YWAMs impact on the two of us:

Two months was a very long time to be gone from normal, but short in the rear view mirror.

I want to live in Canada if all the Canadians are like our Mission Builder friends Ron and Sharon, Karen, Ed and Ruth, Mark and Brenda, the real Tozers and the fake one, as well as Lester and Marie. They are all very fun, funny, hard working, flexible, trustworthy, spiritual, bright, and great servants for God’s kingdom. Canadian women are bossy, in a good way, and competent; the men are all Alpha Dogs in a good way, my assumption for these make ups, that the cold weathers affect on decision making, I think everyone has to be a take charge person or they’d freeze to death in the outdoors if they were indecisive. 

YWAM is full of wonderful, deep, prayer believing, God listening, joyful people who are the cutting edge type people of the Kingdom. They are world beaters, demon destroyers, faith builders and sacrificial. By working in the kitchen and serving food, as well as cleaning up after everyone, it gave us Mission Builders the privilege of coming across all the students, young and old, and the results were both refreshing and inspirational.

God answered all our prayers we offered up to Him before we went to Kona. We met super new friends, had the most amazing experiences, our days were full of laughter, we were challenged in our faith, and inspired to want more of what YWAM has. My knees survived, I lost weight, and I felt very strong and content. Our bond with one another crew even closer, we contributed to God’s work in a real way, and we were full of praise for God and grew to want to hear Him more clearly in our future.

You can thrive on less than 1000 calories a day.

Hard physical labor is good for the soul.

Two months in a spiritual incubator clears one of bitterness.

Dean Martin said of his parting ways with Jerry Lewis, “Meeting Jerry Lewis was the second best thing that ever happened to me, the first best thing was leaving him.” For me, being out of ministry is greater than being in it, and being in it was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.  I am so full of joy and peace on this side of ministry; all the while I pray that all my experiences can be more useful to others, as well as God’s Kingdom in the future. I praise and thank God for my thirty years of service, it has been a great joy, but the future seems even brighter now. God is very good.

I really, really, really like writing.

Buckwheat is a star wherever she goes, everyone couldn’t stop talking about her outer and inner beauty, she exudes trustworthiness, wisdom, gentleness, and joy and service were ever she goes. She is the most respect person I know, and it doesn’t take her any time to be known, which is funny coming from such a quit person. Buckwheat is a world class listener, which is felt by everyone who meets her. To see her interact with everyone and see the respect from everyone was truly a blessing. She is the most amazing women, full of grace and beauty.

Huggo’s “ON THE ROCKS” restaurant, on Ali’i Dr. was the best place to sink your feet in the sand, have a coke or coffee, watch beautiful Kailua Bay, and talk. Simply beautiful. Great moments of togetherness. We need a Huggo’s here.

Watching the closing night’s ceremony with all of our Polynesian friends dancing in the pouring rain was the most inspirational time in Kona, simply breath taking, so much love and appreciation to the dancers and from them to the audience for staying in the down pour. Plastic chairs held over the heads as the rain came down were priceless. Going on stage as we were leaving to say high to the boys was special.

Being friends with all the wonderful young people from Finland, Sweden, Germany, South Africa, South Korea, Norway, England, and the United States was a treasure chest full of precious moments. They all filled our hearts with so much joy, and we feel a special connectedness to their futures. What a joy they all where, what a special privilege to know them so deeply. God is so awesome. Thanks to all the young people for including people old enough to be their grandparents, you made us feel special and young.

Brenda Gieser was the most special and inspirational person we met, and we met a lot of special, inspirational people. Brenda carries a special weight and a special faith; she has transformed Buckwheat and me, Brenda and her daughter Audra, filled our hearts with deep, deep, love and faith.

Working for YWAM was one of the great opportunities of our lives, we want to do it again, next time in Switzerland, and a goal would be to go to a different base every year. Each base would have different work for us, when we talked to the leaders of Mission Builders International, they said with my background as a Pastor and ours as a successful marriage, we would be very helpful in Switzerland’s base that deals with missionaries coming out of war torn areas, we could be used for counseling and reentering into normal life for these under siege missionaries. We are offering this up to the Lord.

We want to hear God more clearly and serve Him more faithfully.

It feels really, really, really good to be home. God is faithful, and is to be praised and glorified.

• This is my final Kona Khronicle post.
• My new blog is WorthWriting, which can be found at www.itisworthwriting.blogspot.com

Thanks for being a part of our work at YWAM these past two months.