October 24th

I've been sick for almost 3 full weeks now. I thought I was getting better, but last night took a turn for the worse. I have an awful cough and I'm so congested. Just my luck since I had an interview this morning. My interview went surprising well, despite my cough. The manager was super adorable and nice. He told me to come in for a second interview later with the head manager. I met with him in the afternoon and that went well too. After my interview I took a math test and a personality test. If I pass both of those, I'll have a job! When I went to take my math test the manager from the prior interview turned to me and said, "Hey, just a hint. There's a lot of math problems on there so you can just go ahead and use your phone to calculate." Shocked at him I blurted back, "Are you trying to tell me to cheat?!" He could only stutter and reply with a sort of "no." When I came back to turn my test in I said to him, "By the way, I didn't cheat." "Good, it was a test." I don't know if it was really a test and he was testing my integrity or if he was covering his tracks. Either way, he's still adorable...and I was totally flirting. The head manager talked a little about if I'm good at my job, I'll get moved up and then he mentioned something about an assistant manager position opening up. Not going to get my hopes up, but I can actually see opportunity for growth here where I couldn't at Jakes. God is good!

October 22nd

And the LORD continues to be great! Got a call this morning for an interview at Jungle Fun. I turned in my application Saturday and not even a full two days later I have an interview. I'm so stoked and just awed at how awesome God is. I'm super scared for the interview though. I haven't had an interview in two and a half years when I first applied at Amazing Jakes. This is going to be an interesting experience, especially if I get the job. Amazing Jakes is the only job I've ever known! I know that if this is the job God has planned for me, I will get it no doubt.
After that start to my day, nothing could get me down. I ran into a man at the bus stop after school. When he started talking to me I was a little uncomfortable, but then I realized he just needed somebody to talk to. He informed me of a good Mexican restaurant to eat at and the times I need to go there to get the good chef. I'm not sure if he was homeless or not, but he was a great little character. You never know who you'll meet or how God will use you to impact their day or even their life. Always be ready and willing to talk to even those who don't look the most appealing to the eye. Let Christ shine through you and be the light to the world.

My Weekend 10/19-10/21

This weekend started off with church Friday night. The theme was salad, so being super creative I came up with an m&m salad made up of all the different flavors of m&ms, a skittle salad comprised of all the flavors, potato salad, and fruit salad. Naturally, the m&m and skittle salads were a hit. Who eats salad to be healthy anyways? At CORE group we discussed the devil and his evil schemes. How he's a liar by nature and a murderer. It's so cool to go through struggles and then hear God's word aimed directly at where you're struggling. Since I've been in Hawaii and have been on my own, many of the devil's flaming arrows have seemed to be aimed directly at me. Yet God always comes into the picture and reassures me and guides my path.
Friday night I spent the night at Allison's house and then we woke up bright and early the next morning to participate in the Walk-Run to End Hunger. A two mile walk or 5k run to benefit the River of Life Mission House and the work they do with the homeless. It was such a great experience seeing all the people come out to praise God and support putting an end to homelessness.
After the Walk-Run, Allison went back to my place to crash. After a nap we decided to explore Downtown Honolulu. We found all sorts of awesome spots to take pictures and swing from Banyan trees. There's so many random things be found in Honolulu. My RA suggested I take a picture with every statue on the island and create a blog about it. So I started one. You can see all my statue pictures here: http://themanystatuesofoahu.blogspot.com

After spending lots of time in Honolulu, we went to the University of Hawaii volleyball game. We were terribly misinformed that UH was going to be playing Hawaii Pacific, so we showed up in our HPU gear. UH was playing a school with Pacific in the name: Stockton Pacific. So basically we looked like fools but had a great time anyways!
Sunday brought church and Gaby's birthday. After church I went to the mall in desperate search for a birthday cake. Found a macadamia one and it turned out to be freakin delicious! Gaby's 20 now and the old fart out of my room.
Sunday also brought an answer to prayers, the 3rd one since Wednesday! I've been stressing out about going to Guatemala over Christmas break and trying to decide of it's really where God wants me at that time. I've sent emails to the pastor of the church down there and haven't heard anything back from him, so I was assuming it wasn't going to work out. Well, Sunday I got a Facebook message from him and it looks like I'm going to Guatemala the first two weeks of January. If everything works out that is. Which I'm praying it does.

Homelessness and the Christian Faith

I wrote this essay for my writing class today:

Christianity is the largest religion in the United States with 246,780,000 claiming to be from a Christian denomination. Currently, there are 643,067 homeless people on any given night in the United States as well. With so many claiming to be part of a faith where Christ himself commands believers to love the “least of these,” why is there such a disconnect between what Christ commands and what is actually being done? The Bible clearly states the believers’ duty among the poor and needy, so much so, that Christians are without excuse for their lack of convictions and wanting to help.

As a Christian, I, myself, have seen first-hand the great responses many Christians have towards the homeless. Their hearts lie in working with and ministering to them. I have worked beside fellow believers collecting clothes for a clothing drive and I have seen great organizations that have been put in place to help the underprivileged. But this isn’t enough. While many want to help, there are far more who are pleased with their comfortable lifestyles, unwilling to go out of their comfort zone and get a little dirty.  They seem to have forgotten that Christ himself claims in Matthew 8:20, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head.” Christ came to minister to the world and didn’t have so much as a futon or blow up mattress. He also traveled many miles through the desert without arch supporting sneakers. 

Christ says in Luke 10:27 that the second greatest commandment, after loving the LORD with all your heart, is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Many people take this verse to mean that you need to be kind to everyone, but the job goes well beyond that. To truly love someone, more responsibility is needed and required than just being nice to someone. Followers of Christ are called to defend and care for their neighbors. In Psalm 82:3, the believer is told to “defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” Furthermore, in Leviticus the LORD spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai and gave many different laws that the Israelites were to follow. Among these, the LORD commanded in Leviticus 25:35,  “If any of your fellow [neighbors] become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.” The LORD doesn’t just suggest helping your neighbor, he commands it.

Throughout the Bible, the LORD states that rewards will be given in heaven to the righteous ones who lend care to the poor. God offers incentives to do the work individuals all around the globe should already be doing for their fellow human beings.

Proverbs 19:17 states that “whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” In Luke 14:13-14 Christ tells his followers to invite the needy to their social events: “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Christ interacted with countless numbers of people who were poor, needy, and outcasts in their own cities. He wasn’t concerned with how foolish he looked dining with and serving the lowest in society. He wanted to connect with them on a more personal level. Christ wants his followers to relate with the needy the same way he did. Inviting the homeless to dinner may seem drastic and unsettling, but Christianity isn’t about being comfortable; it’s about serving. Christ wants his followers to dine with the lowest of people to create a more personal relationship that might otherwise not occur by simply handing the man sitting by the gutter a few quarters.

God is described as the God of the weak and needy many times throughout scripture. Isaiah 41:17 states “the poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.” Later, Luke 6:20-21 says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” And finally, in James 2:5, James writes that God chose those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised. Looking through these verses, it is apparent that God cares for and loves the poor. As His disciples, it is among the Christians’ responsibilities to have that same love and care for the poor as God does, to look after the least of these.

The Bible clearly states that it is within every Christian’s responsibility to help the weak and needy. While there are many people who are intently involved in helping the homeless, so many of the needy still remain without hope. If every Christian were following the Bible and doing their moral obligation to help the poor, homelessness wouldn’t be an issue. Currently there are about 384 self-professed Christians for each homeless person in the United States. Why then are there those without a meal tonight? Why are there women crouching in the musty corners outside of abandoned buildings? Why are there men suffering from addictions with no one there to help them? There is no excuse except the unwillingness to step back from one’s own luxuries and see the need that is surrounding them. Everyone is guilty to some degree. It’s easy to get caught up in work and school, to simply forget that there are people whose suffering is greater than putting up with an awful boss or a challenging teacher. Christians need to take a step back from their busy lives and look at what the LORD instructs his followers to do for the homeless and needy. To love, to clothe, to feed, to serve, to invest in them on a personal level: this is what the LORD commands.

Living with Roommates

10/17/12

I wrote this as a journal for my writing class:

The prompt:

Describe an argument you have been involved in or witnessed recently. What was the issue? What claims were made on each side? What support, if any, was used for these claims?

Recently, I witnessed the most terrifying and idiotic argument of my life. It almost beat out last night's presidential debate. Living on the first floor of the Ohia in dirty Waikiki, you'd expect to have some un-pleasantries. Not only must my roommates and I listen to the sloppy drunks out on the street late at night, but we must also go into epic battle against cockroaches every morning and evening. They use guerilla warfare and wait until we are most vulnerable to attack: groggily wandering to the bathroom in the morning or crawling half-asleep into our bunks at night. We are well equipped with roach spray and traps hidden around our room, but their numbers are still many. 

The other night, my roommate Chelsie spotted one. He was scheming to crawl in bed with Gaby, my other roommate. He sat there, gripping onto the wall above Gaby's bed, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Gaby crawled up the ladder to the bed to get a closer look. After a five-minute stare down, Chelsie exclaimed, "Are ya gonna kill it?!" The look on Gaby's face could only be described as one of horror. She crawled down from her humble abode and go a tissue. After retrieving my Puffs lotion-filled-amazing-for-sore-noses tissue, she made her way to the battleground. Another five-minute stare down, a lunge, a retreat. Repeat. 

Chelsie exclaims, "Kill the bug!" (With some explicit words removed)*

Gaby replied in her soft little Mexican accent, "I'm scared."

"Of what?!" Chelsie shot back, "It's a bug."

Gaby went on to explain that this wasn't just any cockroach, it was a super duper dangerous cockroach that was magically going to hop out of the tissue, crawl down her arm, up her body, into her mouth and down her esophagus. 

"Gaby...kill the bug." (More explicit words removed)

About fed up with this nonsense, I jumped in with the loudest and scariest voice a girl with a sore throat can have: "GABY, KILL THE BUG! IT'S NOT A FREAKING TYRANNOSAURUS REX! IT'S NOT GOING TO RIP YOUR ARM OFF! NOW KILL THE BUG BEFORE IT CRAWLS AWAY."

"I don't want to. I'm just going to leave it there."

After convincing Gaby the cockroach had plans to snuggle with her during the night and then crawl into her mouth and plant its eggs, she caved

"I'll kill it," she said, voice shaking. Another five-minute stare down. "I'm going to get the roach spray."

"NOO!!!" Chelsie and I both exclaimed. "There's a gap between your bed and the wall. It’s going to fall."

"No it won't," she claimed.

Confident, with roach spray in hand, Gaby approached her opponent. She let her spray loose and the roach fell into the dark abyss beneath her bed and between her dresser and the wall, never to be seen again.

Currently, he is a survivor of Raid and is putting together a large militia to strike back. He's recruiting them from near and far. They will attack. Gaby won't be ready.

*This is a simplified version of the story. The argument really went on for about 20 or so minutes.