Week 2 at YWAM. Jenny on the blog again! This one is long!

You might be wondering why I am writing the blog?  Well, this is what our days look like.  We get up at 6-6:30 and don't have to make our beds.  It is so hot we do not need any blankets or sheets.  We head up to the cafeteria  and get in line for our breakfast.  My first blog entry I feel was critical of the food.  I take that back.  The food is really good, nutritious and portion controlled so you always feel satisfied but never stuffed!  And considering bread cost around $8 a loaf we are eating barely any bread!  It's awesome!  So by 7:15 we are back at our apartment packing up for the day.  The kids love Foundation School and their classmates.  They both have around 12 kids in their class and Ryan has 3 helping teachers.  Both of the kids have made some good friends.  Right across from our second level apartment is the "Ark Park" which is where Ryan is once he has done his homework.  The kids are busy between their "home" school work and Foundation School.  They both have to do 2 book reports as well as learning the same things Barry and I are.  Speaking about us, we head off to "school" at 8am and listen to a guest speaker until noon.  We have one speaker a week!  We eat lunch at noon and then head back to class from 1-2:30.  Barry has just enough time for a 15 minute snooze before he has to go to his work duty which at the moment is cleaning toilets! (I told him today that before he takes his gloves off he might as well do ours!).  He works between 3-5 and at that time my job is helping Ryan with his school work.  I have discovered the 2 air conditioned buildings on campus: the library and the Prayer Room.  Right now, I have to admit I have no idea where Ryan is.  I made a quick glance over at the Ark Park and didn't see him and then I scuttled down to the library to try to update our blog.  So then, at 5pm we eat and then it is time to start our homework which consists of reading the entire New Testament and write a three sentence summary of every verse, reading Loren Cunningham's book (he's the founder of YWAM), or working on our 6 page journal assignment each week.  This week we are starting our weekly goals and record of our quiet time.  So as you can see we are kept hopping here at YWAM.  

My last post was written in a hurry in our first few days here!  We have now been here for 12 days and already it feels like home.  They collected our passports today so we will probably find out where we are being sent in a week or so.  Most of the other classes (DTS classes) already know.  As you saw from some pics on FB, this weekend was all about the Ironman!  Tonight is the "Thank you to the 4000 volunteers" dinner put on by Ironman at the King Kam hotel.  If Barry has the energy to make the 2km hike down the hill, he will go but he just might be too tuckered!  Tonight I will catch a shuttle to Walmart to get a few supplies.  The shuttles go every Monday and Wednesday from 6-8pm.  Ahhh!!  Air conditioning baby! 

I alluded to some amazing God stories last post.  Two families in our DTS are here because of their employer.  The owner of this company (a big multinational company) did Crossroads DTS a few years ago with his family after visiting YWAM Kona for the grand opening of the new cafeteria.  His company was involved in the build.  The experience transformed his family and he went home and said that his goal was to make it possible for 100 employees to do what he had just done.  Take 5 1/2 months off work and learn about God and His calling on their lives.  The company guarantees their jobs back upon their return and makes it financially possible by paying their mortgages and helping out however they can.  The two families that are in our DTS are the 7th and 8th families to take him up on his offer.  The other stories are all similar in the way that coming here to do this was not easy for many people but all of the obstacles or circumstances that made this seem impossible all faded away and here we all are.  There are Danish people, Norwegians, Americans, Koreans, Germans, Italians, Canadians, Hungarians and Chinese people in our group!    There are families, couples and single people both male and female who are all here for a variety of reasons.  We get to spend every day together worshiping, learning, praying and seeking God's will in our lives!  

I want to make a shout out to Carla who was so encouraging when I told her of coming here.  Until I had talked to her I was unsure of the whole thing.  It was also Carla who told me about YWAM in the first place.  She makes me laugh so much (that tight jean jacket en route to Orlando still makes me laugh today!).  And it was Carla who, days before we left, got me on "The Facebook" which has been awesome because we simply do not have time to be coming up with clever and witty things to entertain you on our blog as often as we have in the past!  So thank you Carla!  What is also funny is that I am sure Carla doesn't even read the blog because it is too long!  She likes a pic and a caption!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We miss you all and we will talk to you in a week!  Okay, now I have to find Ryan!!!!  Hee hee!

The Cafeteria

Our apartment block! We are on the second floor in front of the tree.

Ohana Court where we worship and the kids play

Ryan and his necklace trying to keep cool!

The Ironman Security Team! Barry his his arm up.