Kona Families

Yesterday, my friend Crystal and I were eating at Hayashis and overheard a conversation at the table next to us. Since there are only five outdoor tables at Hayashis and they are in a tight little spot, you tend to hear everything. It basically went a little something like this:

Guy with kid in his arms: Hey! Haven't seen you since high school! You still around here?

Girl with kids at table with her: Yeah been here ever since.

Guy: I moved to mainland, but I sure miss it here... just visiting family.

Girl: Is that your kid?

Guy: Yep, my girlfriend and I have been together for a year now. These your kids? Same dad?

Girl: Yeah, same guy - got married just after school and we've been together ever since.

Guy: Wow, congratulations!

Girl: I guess it's not the norm, huh?

It isn't the norm. Crystal and I looked at each other and later as we were driving discussed how broken families are here in Kona. That the guy would ASK if the girl's two kids were both from the same father... And be shocked to hear that they were.

We just realized the need to pray for families here in Kona all the more.

Teen pregnancies and single parents are the norm.

Kealakehe High School has a daycare for students who are also mothers.

All the boys that hang out and smoke pot at the church where I help with youth group...

they all come from broken families.

I love that the Apostle Paul used the imagery of God's reconciling work through Jesus being a repair in a broken family unit. We, as humans, have this broken family relationship between us and the Father (God) and it can only be and has only been repaired through the redemptive work of Jesus on the Cross.

So... if you think about it, pray for the families of Kona... well in Hawaii in general. God wants to repair families, but I think it has to start with a repair in the relationship with him first.

P.S. I'm teaching Colossians and Philemon next Wednesday and could also use some prayer, as I'm battling a cold and just general fatigue... really need some energy to push through in my teaching preparations. So, if you're the praying type, I'd soooo appreciate it!!!

Mahaloz!!!

Oh brother...

Just want to share a memory of my brother, Jeffery Wellman. (Click on his name to listen to some of his tunes on Myspace or download them.)

My brother loved adventure. His road trip around America in 2001-2002 is probably the best example of this. He was meant to drive from Washington to Colorado for a job, but decided it was too cold in Colorado and just kept driving.

At this time, I was living in Florida. This was before cell phones were as common as they are now, so when my parents got a phone call from Colorado asking why my brother didn't show up for work, they got a little worried. They called me, and then I got a little worried. We didn't hear from my brother for 2 weeks (when he had left Washington) and everyone was kind of freaking out.

One day, I get a call from the security gate at my apartment complex in Orlando - "We've got a visitor here for Jillian Wellman - he says he's her brother." I replied, "Let him in!" While thinking in my head, "I'm gonna KILL HIM!!!" After a quick reunion, I called my parents to let them know he was safe and sound. I was so happy to know he was okay... but so IRRITATED at him for not calling anyone! But I couldn't stay mad long, and if you knew Jeff, you know exactly what I mean. It was hard to stay mad at him. :)

During that same road trip with his buddy, Josh, my brother visited his friend April (Apes) in Vegas, stayed in Florida for a couple months (and ate my food), visited another friend, Michael, in North Carolina, then went on to work in Boston for a while. Eventually, the next year, Josh and Jeff made their way back to the Pacific Northwest... but had plenty of adventures along the way.

So, the memory that I want to honor and remember of my brother today is that of an adventurer. A bit of a turkey that stressed his mother out, sure, but an adventurous one!

Here's to you, Jeffery.

I love you,

I miss you,

And I can't wait to see you again...

In the greatest adventure of all!!!

Fiji & Samoa - A Request

I will be leading a team to Fiji & Samoa, and this outreach is only 2 months away! I've been so busy teaching and grading that it has really snuck up on me... Really? Only 2 months?! I just taught on Friday on the books of 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and actually, Jeff and Carol Loehr from Hockinson were visiting and were able to sit in on my lectures. I love my home church!!! Anyway, here are some photos:

Our Fiji/Samoa outreach team is meeting weekly in addition to our lectures and homework. We are providing extra training for the students going on outreach so they can learn how to teach what they are learning in the Bible more effectively. Some of the topics we will cover in the next two months during our outreach training times are:

• Using Biblical Storying to teach the Bible among illiterate groups of people.
• How to prepare and preach sermons.
• Teaching the Inductive Bible Study Method.
• How to give a Bible Overview.
• How to teach a book of the Bible in context among non-Bible-students

I am still teaching in the Asia Pacific DTS and in a weekly Bible study as well as grading homework and preparing teaching for Colossians and Philemon in the SBS, and connecting with our contacts in Fiji & Samoa and our travel agent.

So... I've been busy to say the least... but God is doing awesome things! But, with most of my time being taken up with teaching responsibilities, I have little to no time to work to raise money for outreach.

So this brings me to my request: I am in need of finances for outreach. Almost all of my monthly support goes to monthly expenses, therefore I need an additional one-time amount of about $2000 for my airfares. My students are also needing to see funds come in for this amount. We have a deadline to purchase our tickets by next Friday, May 13th.

Would you pray about giving towards this amount? If you are interested, there are two ways to give and both are tax-deductible:

• The first is through Hockinson Community Church in Washington. If you attend there, you can drop a check in the offering this Sunday with a note that it's for Jillian Wellman.
• The second is online through the University of the Nations Kona. Simply click on the link below and it will take you to my staff support webpage.

Thanks so much for your aloha and kokua (support) - it means so much to me.

Love you all,

Jillian