discos

It's been quite a while since I've posted....and so much has happened in the past week! Things are getting busier and busier here, and I already feel like I'm running out of time on this island. In the midst of our work, we've had some time for fun in the last week. We were invited over to a church members' house for lunch on Saturday. The woman that invited us over is one of my favorite people here. She's from Cuba, and speaks rapid-fire Spanish with sarcasm and flair. She's so much fun!

We headed to her house around 12, and she began pulling jar after jar out of the fridge. Our assignment was to bring lunch meat, so we showed up with deli turkey, and added it to the growing pile on the counter. She then told us how to doctor our hamburger buns with wasabi mayo and mustard. We went down the line adding meant, cheese, pickles, jalapenos, and olives to our sandwiches, making sure that nothing overflowed from the buns. As we finished assembling our sandwiches, she pulled a crazy-looking metal contraption out of the cupboard (see below), led us outside to the barbeque, and fired up the grill. She added butter to the metal, and squished our sanwich in between, roasting it for about 10 minutes until it was crispy and browned. This, my friends, is a traditional Cuban disco (pronounced "dees-co") sandwich, and it was to DIE for! Soooo good, and so much fun to make!

Even better than the food was the company. We sat on the front porch talking story for a few hours, and finally left around 3:30. It was an afternoon well-spent. I love hearing peoples' stories and sharing life with them. I hope I never forget that as I get older. The best thing I can offer someone is to do life with them, and to do it well.

holiday weekend

Well, after an eventful and exhausting furlough friday, I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend. We had several fun things planned, and wound up having a few adventures and one near-death experience.

On Saturday, the Lanai Cultural and Heritage Center had its grand opening ceremony. The center has existed since 2002, but they just moved into a brand new building, and had a big event to celebrate it. The cultural center is run by a haole man that came here as a child and was raised by missionaries. He married a Hawaiian woman, and they run the center together. They've collected artifacts and histories of this island from people all across Hawaii. A man of many talents, this guy can play a traditional nose flute, is fluent in Hawaiian, and composes songs for hula. The ceremony was a great celebration of the island, with traditional dancing and traditional food. We had a great time sampling the local cuisine!

On Sunday after church, we went to the beach to relax and catch the sunset. Our biggest adventure, however, came on Monday. We borrowed a jeep from the guy who lends us Bubs, and took off for an off-roading adventure on the north shore of Lanai. Now, as you know, I'm a pretty cautious adventurer. I like to experience new things, but I'm too much of a worrier to be too extreme. I told the other girls that I was content to sit in the passenger seat of the jeep and not drive. I'd rather not mess with it. So one hour later, after an incredible drive through all sorts of terrain (with fantastic views of other islands), we made it to Polihua Beach. This beach is really windy, and the current is so strong that no one can really swim in the water. It had a crazy shorebreak and with a dangerously heavy wave, and so we watched and kept our distance. On the way home, though, or real adventures began! We decided to pull off on the west side of the island for some hiking. We made our own trails through the brush and encountered a herd of Lanai's horned sheep. They were running across the hills, and we turned and watched each other warily from a distance. Kelsey also accidentally surprised the heck out of a giant wild turkey, which took flight a few feet in front of her and gave us all heart attacks!

The last leg of our trip was the few miles from our hiking site to home. I was feeling brave at this point (probably because I knew the worst roads were behind us), so I offered to drive home. The road was all dirt, but it had two sections separated by some grass in between. Haoles that we were, we figured that the grass acted as a barrier between northbound and southbound traffic. So we stayed on the path to the right, and sped down the smooth dirt road towards home. A few miles in, the road we were on became more and more treacherous. It dipped in the middle, leaving uneven bumps for us to drive across. I slowed the Jeep down, and considered crossing over on the wrong side of the road to continue, but I didn't want to ruffle any local feathers. So onward we went until I came to a certain dip that looked impossible and stopped. I was a starting to panic, realizing that there was no way the jeep could make it over the next bump. I considered backing up, but that way was pretty ominous as well. Kelsey, Brooke, and I consulted, and Kelsey thought we could make it if I went slow. With her confirmation, I inched down the bump, and we tilted sideways & got stuck. Now, this wasn't just any kind of stuck. I'm talking two wheels more than a foot off the ground, evacuation necessary kind of stuck. Kelsey bailed carefully out of the high passenger side, while Brooke and I slowly followed from the low side, making sure to keep our weight in the rear passenger side. The jeep was balancing on two wheels, and I stood on the fender to keep it upright while Brooke and Kelsey pushed from the other side. Now, needless to say, we were all terrified at this point, and adrenaline was racing through our bodies. Not only was this a borrowed car, but this was a deserted road and we had no cell service. Talk about adventure. Of course this would happen when I drove! We pushed the car into a little better position, with three wheels on the ground, and then we heard a jeep on the road next to us. All three of us went running and screaming up the hill to catch the drivers' attention, and thankfully he stopped for us. We were relieved to see he was a local and seemed experienced in jeep-handling. He immediately recognized the car as borrowed from our friend (so much for getting away with this), and hopped in the drivers seat to steer us to safety. After a few worrisome lurches, he pulled forward and got us un-stuck. I have no idea what this man's name was, but he was our guardian angel. We all hugged him, said thanks, and slowly drove back home.

furlough fridays

Due to budget cuts across the state, Hawaii has designated all state employees to take a certain number of unpaid "furlough" days off this year. This plan helps the state save money, but it also means that public schools are forced to take days off as well, with no teachers there to run classes. As a result, 2 Fridays per month have been designated "Furlough Fridays" and kids have free three-day weekends.

As a student, I would have been ecstatic about the extra time off, but as an adult I'm devastated for the kids. Hawaii's public school system already ranks in the bottom 5 in the nation, and the school days is shorter than in most states. Furlough Fridays are not helping the situation, more like kicking the kids when they're down. I know something has to give when the money runs out, I just wish it wasn't this.

On Lanai, only one school houses all the children--Lanai High and Elementary School (LHES). The high school kids have been going early to class to make up for the hours they miss on Furlough Fridays, so they will be able to graduate. I was told when I arrived here that the graduation rate is about 50%, and LHES has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any school in Hawaii. Now I'm not saying the school is awful or anything. From what I've seen the teachers and support staff love the kids and do the best they can to help them get through school. I think the issues stem from an island that has been oppressed by one man (Either Dole in the 1900's or Murdock presently) for so long that they have trouble dealing with things like the rest of the country. Not their fault, but they definitely live with the consequences.

LBC has partnered with the school to provide activities for the kids during Furlough Fridays. Yesterday was the first FF we were in town for, and the pastor and his wife were gone. So we, along with help from a few faithful volunteers, organized activities for kids from 8am to 2pm. We had 15 kids show up, and we did a mix of educational games, puzzles, reading, and outdoor activities.

Our last activity was a scheduled lesson with the tennis pro on the island. As we were waiting for him at the tennis courts, one of the kids came running to me yelling that there was a knife on the roof of a nearby shed. I walked over to investigate and stopped another child who had climbed the fence and was just about to grab the handle of the knife, which was hanging over the edge of the roof. Of course all the boy thought it was "so cool" and wanted to get a closer look. After ushering them all onto the tennis courts and closing the gate so they couldn't get out, I climbed a few feet up the fence and cautiously grabbed the handle of the knife. Only it wasn't a knife. It was a 2-ft long rusted machete, which sent chills down my spine. I can't imagine what would have happened if the child really had grabbed the handle with all the kids watching unsuspectingly below.

I didn't know what to do with it, since I couldn't leave it in a trash can for kids to find and certainly wasn't about to put it back on the roof. One of the advantages of living in a small town, however, is that everything is close. The police station was 300 yards away, so I walked the machete down the street and gave it to one of the officers. She recognized it as belonging to the park maintenance guys, which was a relief because I had pictured it being used for more sinister purposes. She said she would talk to them about being careless with their tools. I say handcuff the jerks, but that is just me. OK, not really, but still I hope they understand how dangerous that was.

So, besides the machete incident and near-disaster, my first Furlough Friday was great! I'm looking forward to the next one. Hopefully no deadly weapons next time.

re-FUELed

This weekend, the pastor and his wife went back to the mainland for a conference. On Tuesday (before they left) they asked us to run FUEL--the mid-week youth group meeting--while they were gone. So last night we geared up for a crazy night of teenagers, games, and fun. I was a little nervous, because I've heard that the youth are pretty quiet and don't like coming out of their shells. We prepared as best we could, and prayed for a good night...

And last night turned out AWESOME! We started with a game that went over really well, watched a short film that went along with the theme of the night, and ended with small-groups. We used the curriculum we were given by the pastor, which was about "honoring your parents." It was so incredible to watch the kids open up to us. I think they really liked it, and we left feeling encouraged and excited!

At FUEL last night, I felt a passion that I haven't felt since I was involved in Powersource (the Jr. High youth group at my church in Huntington Beach) 3 years ago. I love doing ministry, and I love seeing kids grow in their lives and faith right before my eyes. God is good!

whirlwind week

So, up to now, you've probably been thinking that we really don't do any work. All my posts have been about the beach and dolphins and the misadventures of bubs, but I promise I'm really (attempting) to do some work here. This week we've started to settle into a routine, so let me tell you a little bit about this internship:

We've decided to split up our time at the school, so the three of us get a little individual time with our supervisor. Since we first made an appearance here in November we've been known collectively as "the interns" or, more endearingly, as "the girls". While I have no problem being associated with my wonderful colleagues, we're all itching for a little bit of individualization. So each of us will rotate one day a week exclusively at the school. This week I went in on Monday, Brooke went in Tuesday, and Kelsey went in today. Our days will switch each week so we get to participate in different types of meetings on different days.

Monday was a fantastic and exhausting day. My supervisor is a school-based clinical psychologist, and we get along great! She's from southern California, so I think we just understood each other right away :). I spent the day shadowing her doing classroom visits, sitting in on meetings, and even doing a little bit of counseling with some students.

The past two days I've spent doing church-related social work. We work from home in the mornings, because the church hosts a preschool from 8:30-11:30, and it gets a little loud and distracting. It's great to work from home, and I get lots of research done. In the afternoons we assist with Homework Help, which is a fairly new ministry of the church. HH is a program that all of the Lanai kids are welcome to attend, where adults help them get their homework done. We provide a snack, get to work, and kids then get to play educational games on the newly-purchased Mac computers. We're currently working on a grant to help fund Homework Help, as well as other child-related ministries of LBC. I'm also putting together a resource for Homework Help volunteers about how to best understand and assist children living in poverty. I'm excited about all the church is doing in this community, and love having the building come alive with childrens' voices each day.

Thats all I have for now. I've tried uploading more pictures, but something on this site isn't working right so check out my facebook for some photos.

Peace & love,
Bree

bubs

one of the church members at LBC has been kind enough to rent us one of his cars while we're staying here for 3 months. it's a little white ford aspire that he calls "the bubble car" and we've affectionately nicknamed "bubs." despite his outward appearance, bubs is quite the little engine that (mostly) could. he has has a bit of trouble going in reverse, and a nasty habit of lurching forward every time he switches gears. i also have a sneaking suspicion that he might fall apart if i drove him over 50 mph. luckily the speed limit on the island is 20-35 mph, so i won't get to test my theory.

bubs' personality is actually quite endearing, and i'm really starting to like him. we are so blessed to have a car! our latest adventure with bubs was driving on the winding-mountain road to the beach. it's about a 10-mile drive, and bubs doesn't like to go uphill. so it's an adventure each time.

yesterday and today have both been beach days. we had most of Friday off, which i think might be pretty rare for us, so we seized the day and played at the beach both days. yesterday, as we were soaking up the sun, Brooke looked at the water and squealed. Of course, my mind jumped to "where's the cockroach??" but she pointed towards the water and we watched as spinner dolphins leapt out of the water in the bay. it was incredible, and i wish i could have taken a picture of them jumping. this will have to do. the beach days have been good for my soul--relaxing and just what i needed. plus, i'm seeing hints of a tan line, and am so excited!

last night, we were invited to the pastor's house where the Kokua Lanai board welcomed us with a Mexican food dinner and game night. Kokua Lanai is the nonprofit organization started by the church aimed at helping the children on the island ("kokua" is Hawaiian for "help"). Once again, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the people here. I had so much fun playing games (though this picture may not show it!) and "talking story" with everyone. this church is really something special. I'm happy to be a part of it.

Towards the end of the night, the pastor's wife (Cindy) came out with a cake and everyone sang happy bithday to Brooke and I. This birthday is the longest lasting one i've ever had! As I thanked Cindy and gave her a hug, she said that she had daughters about my age, and she hoped that if they were in our situation someone would do the same for them. She really touched my heart in a way words can't truly express.

well, i think that's all for now. i'll post more pictures next time, promise!

birthday bash

Today was Brooke's birthday. In order to start her day out right, Kelsey and I decided to invade her room at 6am and serenade her. She awoke to melodious sound of our off-key voices, and i honestly think it made her day!

We went to church at 7am today, because on Wednesdays the church serves breakfast for school kids and their families. This is the best example of community i've seen, and i loved watching the kids grab their backpacks and walk down the street to school after eating their chocolate chip pancakes. This church really gets it. so cool.

We spent the day in meetings and working, and then Kelsey and I "kidnapped" Brooke and took her to the beach. Before leaving, though, we stopped and grabbed a pizza from Pele's and a piece of their chocolate cake. We arrived at the beach about 15 minutes before sunset, and enjoyed our food while watching a bunch of teenagers rowing in their outrigger canoes in the bay. We goofed around taking pictures for a while, and then met one of the men from the church, who invited us to his soccer game. We sat in the gym for a few hours watching them play--so intense! on the way home, a moth attacked Brooke. As I was laughing at her, it dropped from the ceiling onto my lap and i jumped, screaming, onto kelsey in the back seat. what a day! i'm exhausted, but loving this place more each day. i'll post the pictures from tonight as soon as I have a reliable internet connection. Peace for now.

Sunset at Hulopoe

Be patient with me as I figure out this blog thing. Here's a picture of the sunset at Hulopoe beach. God is so creative!

leaving on a jet plane

I never thought this day would come. Honestly. I told everyone that I would never start a blog. And yet here I am, filling the page with my thoughts. I thought this would be the best way to keep everyone updated on my Hawaiian adventures. So please read, enjoy, and make comments!

I left on Saturday (January 2) for Hawaii, after a busy and memorable Christmas break in California. In the days leading up to my departure I was nervous about living in such a remote place, but more pressing was the question about what to pack. 3 suitcases and 5 shopping trips later, I was finally ready to leave. Physically, anyway. Not really emotionally. I had quite the send-off party however, as my mom, sister, and a friend drove me to LAX at 6am. After the goodbyes, I was off to face the dreadful security lines. My flight went smoothly, and I even ran into one of my supervisors (the pastor at Lanai Baptist Church, or LBC) in the Honolulu airport.

Getting off the plane felt like arriving home. This island made an indelible impression on my heart when I first visited in November, and coming back was like a breath of fresh air. Everything about this island is breathtaking, from the towering pine trees to the sweeping valley, the striking mountain ridges to Hulopoe (the local beach). And the people here are even more beautiful than the landscape, both inside and out.

I’m living in an apartment near the outskirts of town with the two other Baylor interns (Brooke & Kelsey). We have become great friends since meeting in August, and I’m enjoying being their roommate and colleague. Our apartment looks out over a sweeping valley, completely empty except for the horse stables next to the road. Last night we walked the short distance (1/2 mile or so) to the Four Seasons Kohele Lodge and took pictures of the horses grazing in their pasture. More pictures and posts to come. Stay tuned!