Quick Update: Back In Honolulu After A Weekend Trip To The Big Island

Jess's dessert.  Hualalai Pie from Hugo's on the rocks.  

Aloha everyone.  We have returned to Honolulu after a weekend on the Big Island.  

The Details You Want To Know | Hawaii 2013

Our friend Maureen is visiting!  She wanted to see another island, so we went to the Big Island this time.  Last year when she visited we went to Maui and to Lanai.  

It was fun to go back to the Big Island, I spent 9 months there in 2008-2009.  Jess spent 3 months there in the fall of 2008.  So even though its been 4-5 years everything felt familiar.  

We got to see some friends that we haven't seen in a while.  We stayed with our friends the Blossers who were AMAZINGLY hospitable to us.  We were so appreciative of their hospitality.

We got breakfast with Dennis and Jo Fahringer.  Dennis was my school of photographer leader, and Jo his wife is an amazing woman who works with the School of Biblical Studies in Kona.  They have been with YWAM since '77 I think they said.  It was great to sit and glean from their wisdom and experience.  

Sunday we went and worshipped at St. Juvenaly.  We had spent some time worshipping here in 2008.  Fr. John did his DTS here in Honolulu and got engaged to his wife Jenny in the gazebo.  I still have no real clue what's going on in the Orthodox services but I sense the presence of God and I find it beautiful.  It was refreshing.  

We drove 700+ miles this weekend, we went around the whole island, I got to show Jess and Maureen the volcano steam vents, and volcano tube.  We looked at the stars on Mauna Kea, we went to the black sand beach and we stood at the southern most point of the United States.  It was fun playing tour guide, I kept us busy.  And of course we got Hayashi's sushi.  

I got to get Jess a Kona Mud Pie, which Honolulu cannot reproduce.  Jess was excited and ate it all.  It's a giant slice of ice cream cake, with kona coffee ice cream and mac nuts and a cookie crust.  While that slice of pie is amazing in itself, its great to sit at a restaurant with your feet in the sand and be right on the water.  

We returned to Honolulu and I realized I booked the dates incorrectly for Maureen's stay in hospitality.  I asked for reservations for August 1-3.  I don't know what I was thinking.  But Maureen is being gracious and being like a good YWAM-er, being flexible and is keeping a good attitude about my mess up.  She's staying with us in our apartment for the last few days she's here.  

Jess and I hit the ground running yesterday.  We got back to Honolulu and Jess went and taught the historical and cultural background information in the Community Inductive Bible Course, and I had a worship practice for Wednesdays "Aloha Day" where we welcome the new students for the new quarter.  

I entitle these updates "quick" but lately they've been kind of long.  

Anyway... that's what's been going on with us!  

Engage:  Have you been to the Big Island?  What was your favorite memory from that Island?  Let us know in the comments!