Quick Update: Life In Kona

I totally live here now...for the next three months at least.

Dang, I can't believe it has already been a week since I arrived here on a plane last Thursday. The Lord has honestly done so much in my heart since arrival day. Lots and lots of tears, lots of laughter, and lots of discovery.

I have already started to bond with fellow students in my DTS, and when I say bond I mean it feels like its been years of friendship in the making. I really dislike the heat and try my hardest to not be irritable, but all of that aside, here is a real quick overview of what I'm up to:

 

The University Of The Nations, YWAM Kona. 

I am overwhelmed by the amount of spiritual history and culture here. I am surrounded by different nationalities and languages. I think during my walk from my room to the prayer room here on base I overheard at least four conversations in different languages. 

My favorite thing is seeing the little missionary children (who probably have more stamps on their passports than I ever will in my entire life) playing and giggling on base. The amount of diversity here is amazing. 

Another thing I am loving is the plant and animal life (I know I'm such a geek). If you know me, you know my love for plants so of course I'm going to point it out. Everything is tropical, its Hawaii for goodness sake. The palm trees are gorgeous and they have some of the most beautiful, vibrant flowers. Something else that I've noticed is this little creature they call "Mongoose" which are pretty much the Hawaiian version of a squirrel. I love it all. 

 This is our cafeteria that happens to be right outside our front porch (as pictured below). This is where we eat all of our meals and enjoy lots of good conversation over coffee. 

We all lucked out because our DTS is so small (7 girls total), we have 3 girls in one room and 4 in the other. These rooms are made to fit 10 girls each with one bathroom...so know that we are grateful.   Like I said earlier, we have all bonded and enjoy spending time together in this shared community space. Please enjoy this picturesque image of our new rug and cascading hammocks.

Sadly, these rooms do not have any air conditioning except for the ceiling fans so I'm definitely trying to learn how to cope. First thing I bought on this island was a portable fan...

Something might be wrong with my sleep schedule because of the jet lag but I have been up every morning around 5:30am right before sunrise and have had the pleasure of watching the sun come up right behind this lovely volcano. I am enjoying every bit of being here and can't wait to sit down and process all that the Lord is doing in my heart. I am learning so much about community and the way that we are created to love one another and just the way that we should pursue Jesus in our day to day lives. It is honestly a beautiful thing.