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Lives Changed in Oahu…

It's amazing how quickly this week has flown by, and it's hard to believe that this trip is almost over.  It has been an incredibly busy week, jampacked with prayer, ministry and many opportunities for our team to interact with the local Hawaiian people here on the island of Oahu.  We have seen much fruit, and give God the Glory for the lives touched and changed this week!

Thursday (Day # 1) started in the Tin Cathedral with a time of ice-breakers, orientation and a time of introducing the upcoming week's ministry.  It was a fun opportunity for the Oahu staff team (Athol, Debbie and Cassie) to connect and learn a little more about each team member and their leaders, Jonathan and Jill. Included in the morning were also a tour of the YWAM base where we are staying, and an introduction to the Base Leadership.  After this Erin, a Third Generation Japanese American, who has lived in this area all her life, gave us a map of the valley, and then taught us all about the Manoa Valley history.  After lunch, we broke into teams and using this map, prayer walked through the valley, praying over many of its landmarks as we did so.This prayer stretched many well beyond their comfort zones, and was therefore a breakthrough in so many ways.

After dinner, we drove to the Ala Manoa Beach Park for an evening of not only enjoying the beach and glorious sunset, but also challenged each team member to meet and interact with at least one member of the local community.  Some were more enthusiastic about the challenge than others, but those who embraced it all reported an incredible encounter.

Friday (Day # 2) started immediately after breakfast, with us venturing to the town of Wahiawa, which is the highest point on the island of Oahu.  Here, we worked with a local ministry called "Surfing the Nations."  We divided up into smaller teams, some of whom prepared a meal for the homeless, while others moved furniture and deep cleaned an apartment for a missions team arriving this week.  We ate an early lunch and were then given an introduction and tour of the ministry and premises.  It was amazing to see how God has answered so many prayers and how quickly this ministry has grown as a result.  After lunch, some of the team went to serve the meal we'd prepared to the homeless, while the rest remained and finished up cleaning the apartment.

We arrived home hot, sweaty, and some even sore from the effort of cleaning and scrubbing, yet everyone pushed on and were ready for a teaching on Evangelism from Danny Lehmann, evangelist and YWAM leader for the Pacific Rim area after dinner.  After the teaching, we went to a local coffee shop ministry for the homeless, and put into action many of the things Danny had taught us.  The team had an incredible time, and were still talking about the experience over breakfast the next morning.

On Saturday (Day # 3), we returned to Wahiawa and Surfing the Nations.  This was a day devoted to serving this ministry, and they were really blessed by the positive attitude of the team as they worked hard, did yardwork, pulled weeds, picked up trash, and served in other ways on other smaller projects.  A highlight of the day was a 2 hour scavenger hunt of the town, involving prayer, finding landmarks, and interacting and engaging with the local community as we sought the meaning of many Hawaiian words included in the scavenger hunt clues.

We arrived home late afternoon and had a short break before dinner.  After dinner we teamed up for a game of volleyball and then sat around a campfire, making smores and enjoying a more laid back evening of fun conversation and team socializing.

Sunday (Day # 4), we went to a local church in the morning and played volleyball in the afternoon.  After an early dinner, we went to Waikiki Beach for Honolulu's most traditional 4th of July Parade.  As well as enjoying the parade was an assignment to meet, engage, and interact with other spectators and members of the local community.

Monday, (Day # 5) was the Fourth of July, and our goal was to incorporate a fun team day with prayer and evangelism.  We met as a team in the Tin Cathedral in the morning for a time of prayer and discussion, debriefing our recent ministry.  We ended the session by praying for each other, and it was amazing to see how the Lord spoke to many through the person praying for them.  After lunch, we packed the coolers and headed back to the Ala Manoa Beach Park for an afternoon of fun and evangelism.  The team loved the time on the beach, and really did engage with locals both on the beach and back near our picnic area.  It has been amazing to see the growth in these teenagers as they have embraced being stretched well beyond their comfort zones, and how comfortable many have become with sharing the love of Jesus with those (strangers) around them.  We took volleyballs and teamed up with some local Hawaiian Islanders, first playing as a team against them, then playing with them and building new friendships and relationships.  These games continued until the incredible fireworks display over the ocean, and we returned to base exhausted but exhilerated.

Today (Day # 6) has been another busy, but super-productive day.  We started out in the prayer room with a time of prayer, allowing the Lord to guide our morning ministry time.  We then divided into teams and followed the Lord's guidance for the ministry.  One team returned to a local coffee shop to pray with the owner and to meet and interact with the patrons.  Another team went to the Wakiki Beach Front to meet with and prayer for local store owners.  Again, it is so encouraging to see how quickly the team has become comfortable in praying for, and ministering to, others.

This afternoon, we went to the River of Life Homeless Feeding program and made over 300 PB & J sandwiches for the homeless.  It was also a wonderful opportunity for our team to interact with many of the homeless people in the area as they came to the center for their meal. 

We are currently back at base and getting ready for dinner.  After dinner, we will have a time of wrapping up and debriefing the week's ministry, before returning to the Wakiki Beach front area for another evening of prayer and evangelism.

Tomorrow will the teams' last day on the island of Oahu, and will be one of fun – sightseeing, hopefully touring Pearl Harbor, snorkeling, etc.  We are so proud of this team from Our Savior Lutheran Church in California.  Everyone has worked so hard this week, and really deserves a day just to revel in the beauty of God's creation, process their experience, and just enjoy themselves!

This has been AIM's first Mission trip to the Islands of Hawaii.  After leaving AIM 2 years ago and living on the Big Island since then, it has been so good for our family to be able to work with AIM again, and to serve this amazing organization in this way.