Next SBS starts April 2nd, 2012!

The Hawaiian Islands School of Biblical Studies will be starting in Honolulu on April 2nd and I'm gearing up to head over for staff training on March 10th.

We have 18 accepted students and many more still in process. These students are coming from all over the world - Switzerland, China, India, Ghana, USA, The Congo, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Samoa, Nigeria, Korea, and Indonesia. Yeah, I guess you could say it's going to be a diverse mix! :)

I've mentioned before that this is my first time working with a traditional SBS (non-Chronological). I'm getting really excited about starting out in the New Testament, and while I still feel somewhat like its cheating or giving away the end of the story, I am excited that our students will get to study the Old Testament through the eyes of the New. Though I think I'm still biased towards the Chronological approach, I want to understand more why others choose to study and teach the Bible starting with the New.

My first books I will be teaching are Ephesians and Colossians. I'm looking forward to both, as they are some of my favorite letters written by Paul.

But, I still have about 3 weeks until I head to Honolulu, and in the meantime here are some things I have been and will be doing in Kona before I leave:

* Helping with student applications and visas

* Volunteering for Snorkel Day *Tomorrow!*

* Hospitality for a week of meetings being hosted in Kona for the U of N Advisory Board

* Worship team at my church, Central Kona Union Church

* Teaching Sunday School for Filipino Youth on Sunday nights

* Putting together lesson plans for the Filipino Sunday School for while I'm away

I also want to share an awesome blessing I had last week. My cousin Vikki was able to come and visit for a week and it was perfect timing because I have few pressing responsibilities at the moment. We were able to go all over the island (mostly beaches!) and I know had she come during a school, I would not have been able to spend as much time with her as I did. The photo in this post is of her and I at the Pololu Valley lookout. We decided to do a "tourist" day and drive to some pretty places, but upon seeing the trail, Vikki insisted we hike it in our cute clothes and flip flops. It was definitely worth it!

If you ever want to come for a visit like Vikki did, give me a call or shoot me an email! Even if I don't have the free time like I did for Vikki's visit, I can always point you in the right directions and give you some local advice!

- OR - If you're interested in volunteering in Hawaii, check out the Mission Builders program.

I think that's about it for now. Thanks for taking the time to read my updates!

Akua Ho'omaika'i Oe!

Jillian

2012 - so far, SO good!

My neighbors and roommates in Kona welcomed be back with a delicious BBQ!

... And Lucas and Isaac made signs. Melts my heart!

Aloha from my lanai in beautiful Kailua-Kona!

I’ve been back for about 10 days now and I’m starting to resettle into life here. Most of you know I will be staffing the “Hawaiian Islands” School of Biblical Studies (SBS) this year, starting in April. The school will study the New Testament in Honolulu for 4 months and then relocate to Kona for 5 months studying the Old Testament. This means I’m not fully settling in here in Kona because in about 6 weeks I will fly over to Honolulu for staff training at the YWAM Honolulu base in Manoa before the school begins on April 2^nd.

The leader of this SBS, Plamena, has already relocated to Honolulu with her husband Eric, which means I am the Kona representative for the school before it starts. I was able to meet with Plamena and Eric before they left and they were able to delegate some responsibilities to me and we were also able to share and hear one another’s hearts for the upcoming school. I am excited to be responding to emails from prospective students and also talking to a few locals who’ve shown interest. One student I’m particularly excited about is Kesia, the daughter of my former leaders and good friends, Ben and Ali!

As staff, we’ve already chosen books to teach for the New Testament and I am excited to teach two books back to back: Ephesians and Colossians. I’ve already started studying Ephesians! It’s a powerful book about identity, the grace of God, and living as believers. Colossians is also a powerful book - if Ephesians is about the identity of believers, Colossians is all about the identity of Christ! Since the historical background of these two letters is similar, I’ve been asked to teach them in two consecutive days. Pretty awesome!

I’ve also been wrapping up details from the outreach I led to Fiji and Samoa in 2011. I’ve debriefed with both SBS leaders and Pacific leaders. This has been very helpful and encouraging personally, but it also is helpful to all of us who have a heart to see Pacific Islanders equipped and released into world missions. The more we talk, process, and pray, the more strategies seem to appear.

In my free time I am volunteering with Deep & Beyond, a ministry my friend, Annamari pioneered that reaches out to people in the community through various outdoor adventures. One example is this Friday I will be in the water assisting “Snorkel Day” participants! I’m really excited to be able to help out with this ministry part-time as I see it bless the community of Kona, especially (but not limited to) those with disabilities.

Mom & Dad got me a waterproof camera for Christmas! I will definitely use it to get some good photos of snorkel day!

Oh, and I saw Darlene Cunningham at church on Sunday and after exchanging comments about my new hairstyle, she asked if I had any time this quarter to help with hospitality. I jumped at the opportunity and said I’m pretty available this quarter, let me know how I can help! So, I’m looking forward to being able to serve with Darlene as she serves and opens her home to people from all walks of life. For those of you who don’t know Darlene, she is the co-founder (with her husband Loren) of Youth With A Mission, the family/movement/organization that I have worked/served/lived with since 2003.

So... besides lounging on the beach, I have found quite a few things to fill my days. ;) I suppose that’s all for now, but please do keep in touch and pray for the upcoming SBS in April! Also, please let me know if there’s anything you need prayer for. I’m always available to pray!

Bridget, me, and Stephanie - roommate beach day!

Akua ho’omaika’i oe! (God bless you!)

Jillian

2011 Recap

2011 was a year of natural disasters, political uprisings, revolutions, and more headlines from around the world. Because of my line of work, many of these events occurring on distant shores hit close to home for me... Flooding and Cyclones in Queensland, Earthquakes in Christchurch, Political Revolution in the streets of Cairo & Alexandria, a Tsunami in Sendai Japan which also affected Kona... I have friends in all of these affected places. It was a year to really thank God for life and ask him to help us make the most the lives he's given each of us. In 2011, I took every opportunity to teach the Bible so I could grow in this area more. I also had many people from Washington come to visit. It was a year of challenges but a year of blessings. But, I'll be honest: I'm looking forward to 2012!!!

Here's a [brief] recap of my 2011 in Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, and finishing the year here in Washington.

January

- Staffing 2nd quarter of Chronological School of Biblical Studies (2nd half of Old Testament)

- Angela & Ryan visit

February

- Taught Zephaniah in SBS

March

- Tsunami in Japan (Damages to property in Kona but no loss of life)

- Taught Esther

April

- Staffing 3rd quarter of Chronological SBS (New Testament)

- Started teaching Inductive Bible Study in the Asia Pacific Discipleship Training School (DTS)

- Started leading Bible Study for friends with Island Breeze

- Chans visit

- Loehrs visit

- Taught 1 & 2 Thessalonians

May

- Taught Colossians & Philemon

June

- Whites visit

- Chronological SBS Graduation

- Left for Outreach

July

- Led SBS Outreach Team to Fiji (Other 2 teams went to Brazil & China)

- Team taught the Bible in Churches, YWAM Base, Bible Study Groups, & Methodist Deaconess Training Centre

August

- Outreach Team in Samoa

- Team taught Inductive Bible Study Seminars in various churches and the Samoan Prison

September

- Stayed in Samoa after team left

- Taught for a week on Inductive Bible Study for the Samoa DTS

- Got Samoan Drivers License and Drove for YWAM Base

- Helped lead Worship & Intercession for YWAM Samoa

- Rugby World Cup began

October

- Drove for YWAM Samoa, visited families in Aleipata (where the 2009 Tsunami hit)

- Rugby World Cup finished - New Zealand All Blacks are the Champions!

- Taught Bible Study using Stories

- White Sunday (Children's Sunday - a national Holiday in Samoa)

November

- Visited YWAM Los Angeles & Tijuana (en route from Samoa to Washington)

- Came to Washington

- Friend, Jerry Tamanisau passed away

- Shared at Hockinson Community Church about ministry in the Islands

December

- Cousin, Gayle visited - she and I chopped our hair and donated it to Children with Hairloss

- Friend, Patrick McCleery passed away

- Dad went back to work after being laid off for 5 months

- Lots of quality time with friends and family

- Sat down to write a blog update for the end of the year...

Home Sweet Washington

Hey everyone. I realized I haven't written for a while. But, I'm going to keep this short. I'm back in Washington, where I will be until January 8th when I head back to Hawaii.

My 3 months in Samoa were definitely a learning experience and though it was challenging at times, I do miss my friends I made there and I do hope to return someday.

For now, I'm enjoying some time with family and also catching up with friends here and there. If you're in the area, I'd love to see you.

My next step will be back in Hawaii. In April I will be staffing another School of Biblical Studies. However, this one will not be Chronological, but will start with the New Testament and then move to the Old. Something different about this particular SBS is that four months will be spent in Honolulu studying the New Testament and then five months will be spent in Kona studying the Old Testament.

And since this week is Thanksgiving, might I add that I am so thankful to God for the life I have. For my family and friends, both on earth and in heaven; for the opportunities he's given me to live life all over the world; and for his amazing provision which never fails... but most of all I'm thankful for life and hope in Jesus. Kind of trumps the rest.

What are you thankful for this year?

Life in Samoa

I taught in the Discipleship Training School (DTS) on the topic of Inductive Bible Study last week. It was a fun and busy week. We went through an overview of the Bible, did some skits and activities, and then we went through the book of Titus, using Inductive Bible Study (IBS.)At the end of the week we prayed for the students and staff as this was their last week of lectures and now they are preparing to do the outreach portion of their course. I was again reminded of the value of IBS and why it is so needed in the Pacific. Young people in the Pacific are not taught to think for themselves. They are not taught to ask questions. Quite the opposite, really. If they question their pastors, teachers or parents, they are seen as rebellious.So, as you can imagine, trying to teach these young people to ask questions was quite the challenge. But, as we practiced asking questions in class together and practiced using context and historical background to answer the questions… something clicked in them. I gave them homework, unlike other speakers. Not the best move if you’re going for popularity points. But, surprisingly, they loved it! They felt challenged to study God’s Word for themselves, but they also felt encouraged that they could, in fact, do it.

I realize some of my readers may have no idea what I’m talking about… this whole Inductive Bible Study thing. I’ll give you a VERY basic outline of the IBS steps. You can use these steps to study any book of the Bible. If you want to know more, send me an email… I’d love to help you in your study of the Bible however I can.

INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY

1. Pray! We need the Holy Spirit!
2. Read the book aloud in one sitting. (Titus has 3 chapters and only takes about 10 minutes to read… Genesis on the other hand, takes about 4 hours. It’s doable.)
3. Consider the type of literature. There are four main types in the Bible: Historical Narrative, Prophetic/Apocalyptic, Wisdom, and Epistle (Letter.)
4. Research the Historical Context. For this step, look first in the book itself for clues.You can also look in other books of the Bible. After looking in the Bible, you can look at reliable “external sources” like Bible Dictionaries. Try to avoid Study Bibles and Commentaries. Here’s some questions to ask about context.
1. Who is writing? Who is the story about? Who are the original readers?
2. Where is the story taking place? Where is the author? The readers?
3. When was the book written? What is going on in history at that time?
4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the original readers?
5. Observation. Look at the facts. What does the text say? Use color-coding to look closer.Look for commands, contrasts, figures of speech, repeated words or ideas, progression of thoughts or author’s logic, etc.
6. Interpretation. This step is not about us… its about the people to whom the book was written. Turn your observations into why questions. Why did the author use this command? Why was this contrast significant to the original reader? Etc. Then answer the questions using the historical context you compiled.
7. Application. The most important step of Inductive Bible Study. We should be doers of the Word and not only hearers! (Thanks, James.) Look at your interpretations and ask, “Is there anything I can pull out from this that is true for all people, places, and times?”This nugget of truth is called a Timeless Truth. Once you have a Timeless Truth, now you can ask, “How can I apply this to my life?” And answer this question prayerfully.

So… that was last week, and that’s the Inductive Bible Study Method!

This week…

I have been leading worship and intercessory prayer for YWAM Samoa. I’ve had fun introducing a few new songs and learning some Samoan songs as well. My favorite is a song called “E Lelei Ieova.” My roommate, Lina helped me write out the words for the Samoan slides.

I’ve also been fighting some sort of a cold or flu since last weekend. I’ve had various symptoms from runny nose and sore throat to fever, dizziness, and nausea. Not all at one time, and none of them super severe. I thought I was getting better yesterday, but I woke up today with my throat sore again. And I’ve just been tired… fatigued. So… I think I’ll visit the doctor tomorrow to make sure its nothing serious. Please pray for me to get my energy back and to get over this silly sickness once and for all! And yes, Mom, I’ve been taking my Emergen-C and a clove of garlic a day. And I’ve been drinking hot water with lemon, honey, and ginger… you should be so proud of me! J

Oh, and one more exciting piece of news: The Efakasa Church in Moata’a was a church (I mentioned in previous updates) where we taught an IBS seminar. The Pastor has since spoken with Fono and Sose, the leaders of YWAM Samoa and shared how valuable this teaching was for his church. He said this is just the sort of training he wants to have for the teachers who are teaching Religious Education (RE) classes in the schools. Since Samoa is a Christian nation, they study RE in public schools. He said so many of the RE teachers come in with their opinions and theologies instead of letting the Bible speak for itself. They teach their Pentecostal doctrines or their Catholic doctrines, or even their Mormon doctrines… And so each class looks very different. He said he wishes they all taught the Bible because then students can make up their own minds about it. Now comes the cool part: this Pastor is the guy who oversees all of the RE teachers for Samoa! He has the ability to make things happen, and he saw the value of IBS. So… I’d say God is up to something here! Pray with me that God will continue to open doors in Samoa for people to know His Word and know Him more because of it!

And now, for your viewing pleasure… here are some photos of life in Samoa.

RUGBY WORLD CUP FEVER

Dressed up in Blue for the Manu Samoa Game against Namibia... GO MANU!!!

The DTS at YWAM Samoa - made up of 2 Fijians, 2 American Samoans, and 6 Samoans (from Western Samoa) and me... the palagi (pronounced paw-long-y) in the middle!

Fatty Patty's is CLOSED???

When did THAT happen??? Maybe this is old news, but I just found out. News doesn’t travel so quickly in Samoa… well, not unless it is related to the Rugby World Cup, anyway. Go Manu Samoa!

Anyhow, I know some people don’t think as highly of my favorite Battle Ground establishment as I do. They claim that it’s too greasy, that there are too many health code violations, and that the décor is too tacky.

But… I will miss Fatty Patty’s. I will miss their infamous “Slop” with dippy (over easy) eggs on the side. I will miss going there with friends. Mainly I will miss the memories the place held for me. Jeff and his chicken fried steak smothered in country gravy and pools of Tabasco, me and my Slop… all the problems of the world eclipsed by the fusion of hash browns, grilled ham, green peppers, onions, cheddar cheese, sausage gravy, dippy eggs, and green Tabasco.

To you, Fatty Patty’s may be a thing of the past.

An eyesore.

A heart attack waiting to happen.

No big loss.

But to me, it was special.

And the Slop wasn’t what made Fatty Patty’s special, though it will be missed.

It was special because it was our spot.

My brother’s and mine.

So, thank you Fatty Patty’s for all of the memories and tasty food.

I will never forget you.

week one of staffing - earthquake!!!

As I write this, I can see the sun shining through my window. I can also hear the percussion of rain on my corrugated tin roof. Ah, Samoa. I took a shower to cool off, since the wind must be on holiday today, an unfortunate side effect of the rain and sun combo. But, now that I’ve put some coconut oil in my hair and sat down with my laptop and instant coffee, I suppose it’s time for an update!

It’s been just over a week since the team left. My understanding of Samoan culture is still… growing. I seem to learn new things every day through observations I make, or mistakes that are corrected. My role on the YWAM Base is not fully defined yet. I am what they call “Base staff” which basically means I am not staff for a particular school. But what I do varies from day to day. A few things I have done…

• I have been asked to help offer tips for hospitality, so I’ve created a cleaning checklist for the Guest Fale (house) then cleaned and prepared alongside the hospitality staff, Mariana.
• I’ve been asked to help with organization in the kitchen and purchasing of food, so I’ve sat down and planned a week’s menu with Apelle, the kitchen manager, and we’ve gone to Apia for grocery shopping.
• I’ve been asked to just help out wherever I see a need, so I’ve weeded in the taro patch with Lina, another base staff. I might mention that weeding here involves machetes, a lot of elbow grease, singing, and frequent “breaks” for papaya and coconut. It’s glorious.
• I’ve also cooked breakfast and helped cook a few dinners.
• I’ve joined in with worship, playing guitar mostly as I am not quite confident in leading the Samoan songs yet. Perhaps next week.
• Since I will be teaching in the DTS next week, I have been also preparing for my teaching, which will be 3 hours a day, from Monday to Friday.

Despite this list, I must say I’ve still had a lot of free time. Free isn’t quite the right word, because I’m not quite free to do whatever I want. Down time… that’s a better phrase. Fono and Sose, the base directors, have said they will sit down with me this week to give me some more responsibilities, which is very exciting. But in the meantime I will just continue doing the little tasks asked of me and helping out however I can, and trying to learn the Samoan art of putting the relationships before the tasks.

Speaking of the relational culture here, I have a new friend, which is wonderful! The School of Missions (SOM) from YWAM Samoa was on outreach in Fiji and Vanuatu, but they just returned on Tuesday and graduated on Friday. One of the graduates is a girl named Emily from Missouri. She will also be base staff now that she has finished her course. I think I have been cautious to not be exclusive or only hang out with the other American and I have been very intentional in building relationships with all of the girls on the base. But… it is so nice to have someone who is from the same culture and speaks English well. Plus, she’s been in Samoa for over a year now, so she’s been great at brushing me up on some of the language and cultural subtleties.

I do have a few prayer requests mostly from what I’ve mentioned above:

• Please pray for my teaching next week in the DTS and for my preparation time this week… I really want these students to grasp the value of Bible study and a passion to know God’s Word for themselves. In a church culture where self-study by lay-people is discouraged, this is a huge prayer point.
• Pray for my role for the next 7 weeks with YWAM Samoa and for clear communication and relationship between Fono and Sose (the Base Directors) and myself. I want to be a blessing to this place and these people!
• Pray for Samoans to respond to God’s call on their lives. I was so touched when Fono shared about the School of Mission’s time in Vanuatu. In 1841 Samoan missionaries went to Vanuatu and were martyred. They were cooked alive and eaten by the locals. Believers in the island where this atrocity had happened so many years ago welcomed the SOM team as the first Samoan missionaries since those martyrs. They had a powerful time of reconciliation and the Samoan students were particularly challenged as they thought of their own forefathers’ sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel and the fruit that came because of their sacrifice. Not white missionaries. Samoans just like them. Pray that many more Samoans would count the cost and take the Gospel to the nations!

Well, the rain has stopped and sun is setting, so I suppose it’s time for me to wrap this up. I wish I would capture the night sky on camera to share with you… dusk in Samoa is simply stunning. As the moon rises above the coconut tree silhouettes and the stars appear… the Southern Cross, the cloudy stretch of the Milky Way… I can’t help but be amazed at our great God who created it all. And for some reason, a song from “An American Tale” comes into my head every time I see the moon and think of my family who sees the same moon from where they are. Just at a slightly different time of the night.

* Side note… I wrote this yesterday before there was an earthquake! It happened about 11:50 pm and the first one felt like someone was moving furniture in the room next to mine… then the second one started shaking everything, complete with the things on top of my bed moving quite close to the edge and a long enough time for me to consider moving out from under the bunk, then deciding against it because the frame is metal and my roof isn’t exactly going to crush me if it falls on me. Haha… it wasn’t that big of an earthquake, just lasted a long time. When it eventually stopped, I opened my door and called out to the boys in the fale next door (I don’t have a roommate yet.) “Did anyone else feel that???” One of the DTS boys, Mark, said, “Yeah, but you don’t need to be scare, its only a little!” ...“Okay, I’m glad it was a small one, I’m going to sleep!” And that’s my Samoan Earthquake experience from last night. :)