First Maui Weekend

I've been here about 4 days now and I already feel at home, mostly. Still haven't unpacked all the way, but already have my 1st sunburn and have been to the grocery store once- talk about some sticker shock!! 2 bags of cereal, 1/2 gallon of milk, and 4 servings of yogurt = $18.56.Yikes! The church staff is treating us (intern group) to a trip to Costco this afternoon to fill our houses... no need to explain the excitement.

We've been warmly welcomed here, by the church mostly, but also the community. Yesterday (Saturday), the senior pastor, Craig Englert, took us paddle boarding in the morning. Try to stand up on a surf board and then start paddling... pretty difficult, but worth the effort to see sea turtles in the reef! Very clear water, and yes, it's stunning. :) I wished so badly for a waterproof camera out there, but you'll just have to come experience it for yourselves. It's worth it- I promise. After that, some of the interns and I went to "Big Beach" a few miles down the island to body board, then to a church family's infinity pool for our welcome dinner with the entire church staff. If you're thinking I stayed in my swimsuit all day, you're right. And, yes, I loved it! I put on sunblock all day, but 30 spf ain't gonna cut it here for this white chica.

So far, there are 3 female and 5 male interns. I live with Marissa, and she's from Wisconsin. I'm her 1st roommate, and we're having a good time together! The other 2 girls who will occupy the other room in our apartment will arrive sometime later. Jo and Len are married interns (first married interns for the church!) and they live in their own place. Very sweet couple who fed us the first few mornings. Ryan, Wes, and Jake live in the guys apartment, and the 4th guy intern dropped out last week, so we're looking for another one ASAP. All of us live in the same apartment complex, though, which is nice.

We have free use of 4 vehicles. The girls have a black grand cherokee jeep, and a white camry. The camry doesn't have a/c, and how iconic is it to drive a jeep in Hawaii??? So Marissa and I claimed that bad boy QUICK. :) The boys have 2 minivans- a honda and something else that doesn't work very well. Jason (my boss) says, "That's the joy of owning used cars... continual maintenance." But we also have bikes to use, and our feet, of course, as church is about a 3-5 minute drive away.

No internet, no a/c, and no washer/dryer in our apartments make for a small list of things to adjust to so far. But I like it. Lots of new surroundings to explore and the comfort of the beach to watch whenever I want. I can see it from my office desk right now :)

These posts could be pages long talking about all the things I'm encountering everyday, and as much as I'd love to write it all down, this time change and culture change is shutting down my brain too early every night :) Trying to absorb and be in the moment as much as possible. Feel free to ask questions! That will help focus my writing and avoid pages-long ramblings!

Blessings of this weekend: After paddle boarding, the interns and Craig Englert sat around a picnic table and shared our testimonies of our lives and how we got here. Took 2 hours, and was not extensive by any means, but my goodness, what a blessing to hear each story and bond in that way. Also, last night was our welcome dinner with the entire staff and some elders, plus spouses and kids. No, I don't remember all their names and positions, but how excited they all are to get to know us interns, support us, and watch us grow. I keep thinking, "Certainly after 12 years of interns (I'm in the 13th class) they'd be burned out on meeting new kids, and thinking there's nothing new about us." But no, they are eager to meet us and realize how unique we each are. They prayed over us last night, and I've gotten 3-4 real flower, handmade leis from them so far. How special I feel!

Mahalo and aloha- JM