Cornerstone Prep

We made it to Oahu. Ready to get the week started.

This morning we got to worship with our host church, Wahiawa Church of the Nazarene. We stepped out of our comfort zones early when we each met someone new in this church body.

We were able to be part of the sermon illustration this morning as Pastor Bob walked us through how deep and wide the love of God is. Such a powerful message and reminder as we walk into Holy Week.

Some of us tried new food…

Some of us stuck to what we know.

Some of us bought souvenirs…

Some of us saved our money for later.

Overall, we all enjoyed the experience at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet.

We had a relaxing afternoon at a beautiful beach on the east side of the island. We swam, shivered in the wind, watched some people get married and attracted some very friendly red-crested cardinals.

Every night we'll get to debrief on the things we see and experience. The purpose is for us to think through the day and have time to process before we move on to the next thing the next day. Today gave us many chances to experience some of the culture and see the real Hawaii as opposed to what we all pictured being in Hawaii would be like.

Today we are serving at Camp Agape which is an organization that ministers to the kids and families of inmates. They are located near a river, so with the flooding a couple weeks ago they lost quite a bit of equipment and have a lot of cleanup to have camp ready to bring kids in every week for ministry.

We started with cleaning and disinfecting inflatables, but stay tuned for more pics of what we get to help with.

Detailing all the mic stands, music stands, speaker bags… if it's equipment needed for holding equipment… we're cleaning it.

Pressure washing all the muck from the flooding out of the fans so they can be used for services.

We worked hard and got a little surprise with some shave ice!!

This morning we all went to a Kalo farm to help locals plant and harvest a Hawaiian vegetable. Sustainable farming and teaching younger generations about older Hawaiian ways are very important to locals and their culture.

This morning we led a chapel service for West Side Alive. Matthew did an an amazing job presenting the gospel and our team did a great job leading worship. After that we helped out with food and clothing distribution for the local community.

Lessons were learned today…

When a hike review says “easy but a little steep” or “30-40 minute 1.5 mile hike”, do NOT believe the review. It means easy and that time frame for someone in the best shape of their life.

Regardless, the views were beautiful and we all survived. Although Sheldon may or may not have lost decision making privileges for the remainder of the week.

Now we rest of so we can love on some kids tonight and share Jesus with them.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the Polynesian Cultural Center learning about all the different cultures in Hawaii and surrounding islands. We loved seeing how similar they all were, but also still seeing the distinct differences.

We ended the night watching a performance celebrating all the different cultures.

We spent the morning cleaning up and packing so we could spend time this afternoon at the beach. Our reward for all our hard work was finding not one, but TWO sea turtles at the beach!!

It's been a great week of hard work, changing our perspectives and creating memories, but it's time to head home. We can't wait to share more when we get home!!