Hunger, Healings and Faithfulness

My parents don't usually like to tell me what is going on with my dad, especially when I'm gone they don't like me to worry...

Tonight I was able to go to the hungry feeding downtown Kona and I ended up sitting with two guys (Matt and John) who were all about their spiritual journey to finding true "enlightenment". I seem to always find myself in situations where people are usually on these types of quests. Anyways, after the feeding was over myself and two other girls felt we should stay behind and talk more with theses guys and I felt that I should just sit beside them but just be in constant prayer.

After a long talk, listening to them talk about what they believe, one of my friends mentioned to Matt that she can actually hear from God and He can talk to her on a regular bases, so he asked if we could ask God to tell him something.

Long story short we were praying and received a few things for both guys, and one thing really hit home to one of them, we even prayed for Johns foot to be healed (he recently hurt it, it was swollen with a fairly deep laceration and had to go to the hospital to get it looked at) I'm not going to lie, I've prayer for years for my dad to be completely healed of his disease and I've seen it go back and forth all the time, so praying for spiritual healing is something I tend to get discouraged about, but I felt that we really should pray for this guys foot.

After about 3 attempts of trying to pray for healing for this guys foot and seeing nothing really happen, I felt a little discouraged that it wasn't one of those moments where God heals right on the spot but it was encouraging to hear how amazed they were that three people would take time out of their day and speak, pray and just listen to them.

I'm committing myself to pray for both John and Matt on a regular bases, that they will one day know Jesus as their saviour and that I will meet them again one day in heaven.

I love how even though God doesn't answer prayers they way we want or think it should happen that He is still God and is still in control, and will always leave us with a hope that He is still a God of Miricles!
Even thought John's foot wasn't healed tonight, I saw a message on my moms facebook concerning my dad that read:
PRAISE THE LORD!!!! In Dec/2011, the doctor dilated Ernie's esophegus & duodenum (this was his 3rd procedure) but he was still suffering & even a sip of water was causing him great pain. The doctors were considering feeding him intravenously, but they told him that because of the hardening of the stomach, from the scleroderma, the fluids may just sit in his stomach and still cause him pain. "Is ...any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and Lord shall raise him up" James 5:14,15 Today, Ernie Williams is enjoying his meals and now weighs 167 lbs. THANK YOU JESUS.!!!(To read a little more of what my dad has gone through please check out an older blog entry: http://mel01.blogspot.com/2010/02/just-adding-this-now.html)

I just want to end with, no matter how bleek things look, don't give up praying and trusting in God to work through things, He's the one who seees the big picture. Tonight I was able to step out in faith and pray for a guys foot to be healed, and even though it wasn't healed on the spot, I know God seem my faithfulness in stepping out, and praying. I really feel that God blessed me for that, and showed me that He is still in control with what happens with my dad and I need to keep praying stepping out in faith because if I'm faithful to God, He will be faithful to me.

Matt and John

Fires from LA to Hawaii

UofN fire 2012 .

Video from: YWAM LA, October 12, 2008

I can't give much detail about the fire here at the Kona Campus but I can say that it brings back a lot of memories from the YWAM LA fires in 2008, just the thougths of wondering which way the wind is coming from, if people and houses are ok, or if it was going to hit the base but mainly made me remember just how God spared our little LA base.

I remember being woken up at 4am being told "Hey girls, sorry to wake you but we are being evacuated in 10mins and can only pack on bag". This is the same time I realized how superficial I could be, I packed my WHOLE wardrobe, hair straightner, blowdryer and makeup, somehow forgetting my camera and cellphone!

We were all headed to Denny's at 4am and feeling uneasy wondering if our school and our home would still be there when we got back. We could see the fire move close to the base as we looked out the Denny's window... I remember just being told to pray, and from 4am till 6am thats what we all did... Finally a group of us went outside and started sing and worship God even in the midst of the unknown, and it was during that time that we really saw God's hand over our community, the winds begun to change and the fire went back up the foothills.

This time we were fortunite that it was far away, things didn't spread down the hill and that there was no need to be evacuated. I guess watching and listening to everyone's reaction to the Kona fire today reminded me of how good God was back in 2008 and spared that community, but also reminded me that God is still good and He again spared another home to me here in Hawaii.

  University of the Nations Kona February 8, 2012

Whales and Dolphins and Sharks, Oh My!

After a full week of being sick, I was debating going out on the paddleboard again, but figured that I should go out since Jeremiah week would suck out any chance of fun out of my life.

Last week we were sooo blessed to be paddleboarding with 200 dolphins, so I couldn't see how this week would be any better, but I still love the ocean and it brings me a little sense of home; resting on paddleboards while soaking up the sun feels like summer in Muskoka.

Next thing you know i'm paddleboarding through (what I thought) pollution, and was feeling pretty disgusted, later to find out that it was whale blood (placenta), which freaked me out even more with the possibly of attracting sharks. (I should mention a few weeks back we were above above a tiger shark, luckily I didn't know this until after our fun day was over)
So of course we paddled out out of the placenta that was scattered all over the ocean, next thing you know Kiamana (a local friend) saw a whale WAYYY far out, so were all getting excited to see a whale, but when we looked closer to us we saw a bunch of fins... Not being able to make it out for sure, Kiamana told us to "go to shore, wait... stick together.... bang on your boards, don't bang on them, and if you seem anything... don't scream" than he told us to come quick because they were dolphins!! So I paddled my hardest to see these dolphins and all of a sudden this MASSIVE thing emerges from the water right behind Kiamana and back under and directly below him letting us view his full size, only to hear Kiamana say "Guy's I think there's a whale here!" hahaha He was waching the dolphins escorting the whale at the front to even notice the humpback whale was OUT OF WATER behind him!
Needless to say that was the weirdest, scariest, craziest experience I have had! to know that you are only on a paddleboard in the middle of the ocean surrounded by animals that are a billion times bigger than you, kind of puts into perspective just how amazing God's creations really are.

Later on that day we were able to go whale watching on a boat, and that really made me feel at home with the waves rock you back and forth while you hear the sound of the waves hitting the side of the boat, is always a comforting feeling to me. I am so truly blessed to be studying Gods word and gaining a greater foundation for my own life, and experiencing God's beauty out here in Hawaii.