Holiday Happenings

There were multiple Davis family Christmas happenings with both parents in the morning, Gill's family in the evening, Davis family two days later, more relatives in after that, in all a week of festivities!

It is so rare to get my brothers together and the cousins to meet. I am determined to get a weekend together another time in the year.

Christmas gets sooooo hectic, hard to keep Jesus in it at all!

Hawaii Day 5 Bonus

Hawaii Day 5. I'm up at 5am reading through Luke 8 and challenged about how well I'm 'hearing' as Jesus says this is all important and I will 'have' or 'not have' according to my response to his words. I'm keen to have another go at Waimea and the surf is meant to 'only' be 15'-20'.

Eric fishes out an old 9'4" of Occy's saying Occy didn't want to know about it, and I'm wondering if I should either! Jogging in the dark round to Waimea I realize it still offshore, perfect and way smaller, like the day of the warmup. This time there's not 60 out, there's...None?! Mmmmm is there something going on I should know about? I'm praying about the sense of this. I spot one guy stretching. We jump together and he gets washed back in.

Now I'm alone. Well, not really as I arrive to find Jeremy from Maroubra out there alone (oh yes ok technically Jesus was out there too but that doesn't count in my frame of mind). A familiar "G'day mate" and he tells me he's been out the last two afternoons! We get a few waves - his large, mine small and feeling comfortable.

A dark line approaches on the horizon and we all start paddling for the channel. The stand up paddle guy (yes even out Waimea!) next to me is paddling for his life as I am, and a sun drenched blue walled 20' wave bears down on us with one guy taking the drop. We make the shoulder, I've never been that close to such a big wave. Paddle into a few big shoulders and happy to take off on what feels like a two storey building watching others bottom turning on 30' of face.

Walking back I bump into Andrew, a pro photographer who I met at check-in at Sydney and took his excess luggage. Later I discover he is also a Christian and one of Abe's best contacts! We head to west side which is only 6-8' sets and surf Makaha. I'm amazed at the tent shanty town that has grown up here since I was last there in 1999, must have been a community of over 200 tents and shacks of homeless people.

Great to get to know Abe and Lize some more. We visit the Surfing the Nations mission base, incredible to see a full time surf ministry training school. As amazing as it is I just don't have vision for this and challenge myself about being more intentional about empowering our global network of volunteers.

Eating Mexican food after a long surf is one of life's sweet pleasures. We visit Eric's factory and talk some more. Check in at Pipe event where it is stormy and unrideable. Great to see the instant recognition the surfers give to Abe. Last night we were up late talking about how to do mission more effectively on this international crossroads of surfing.

Hawaii Day 6. Abe picks me up at 5am, say goodbye to Scotty, all full of bedhair. Final debrief with Abe in the car and easily on the flight. I'm catching up on emails, writing reports and this BD Blog to you. It's been an action packed 5 days and my last trip of the year.

Overall I've done 36 flights to 12 nations and been with all our key leadership. Thanks to those who pray and support and those who believe in this mission. See you soon. BD

Hawaii Day 4 Eddie Contest Runs

Day 4 - Super Tuesday. Up at first light and the wind has groomed the giant swell like giant furrows in a field. It's clear skies and in the dark already the roads are jammed solid. Many are wondering if it is big enough as sets are far apart, when suddenly a perfect 30' set gets ridden. I'm not going anywhere, you can't get in or out and smart locals are riding bikes.

We start watching from across the bay and see Kelly Slater annihilate his heat even pulling into a 25' tube. Spectacular gladiator stuff with the Waimea colosseum packed. The crowd is baying for blood. If surfers make the outside and ride inside to the killer shorebreak they can connect another section there. Time and time again surfers go and do the unthinkable before a screaming cheering crowd. Without the jetskis there would have been serious drownings.

We end the day across the other side on the edge of the point as close as one can passing through wet rocks to the sounds of warnings from lifeguards that we are on dangerous ground. Some sets blow spray over the people in front of us. But we are close enough to see surfer after surfer throw themselves off moving four-storey buildings of water.

Highlights:
Shane Dorian's free fall wipeout on a 35 footer
Greg Long's 100 point winner
Chilean Ramone monster take off backhand
Kelly pulling under the lip again in his second heat.

So many times I'm staring open mouthed at Scotty and Chris saying, "Can you believe what we are seeing!"

Contest over and sets are pouring in and barely anyone out. It seems to be smaller on dusk and I note two girls!!! with rather large testicles, waxing up with the rest of the post contest crew about to paddle out. "Maybe it isn't really that bad, maybe I could paddle out and watch?" I kid myself as we walk up the hill. A closeout set marches through and decides for me.

Poor Eric arrives home from Brazil having missed it all. I'm meant to go home in the morning but with decreasing swell and perfect conditions I suggest staying another day. I just want to acknowledge I have the best wife in the world who texts back and says, "Of course you should stay and make the most of it xxx." Gill I love you!

I go online and rebook. We watch news reports, eat expensive ice cream and talk theology with Eric. Great to be around a godly man and a godly grom in Scotty.

Hawaii Day 2-3

Day 2 Sunday. Off to North Shore Christian Fellowship church and spoke in both services about CSI mission and the way this church has partnered with us. They stood by us for our first two International Conferences back in 1993 and 1995 and with Pastor Mike as the Triple Crown Chaplain, Eric Arakawa joining Board of Directors and Butch and John on the CS Mexico board - they continue to do so. Liselle Wilsnagh, the women's chaplain joined us, then out to lunch with Mexico surf missionary legend Rocky Rynn (I know he would never call himself that). Saw many old friends...and some renewed ones as Chris Richardson comes over to meet up, having met him in J-Bay in 2003.

I meet further with some of the missions board and line up more meetings. Another couple of hours at the Foodland Starbucks with Liselle, debriefing how women's chaplaincy has gone in our first year. It's been tough for Liselle on many fronts but she is an amazing and Godly woman who is persevering and seeing breakthroughs.

This the best part of my job, meeting and hopefully encouraging so many inspiring people and helping them in that calling. Scotty has been waiting all arvo as I arrive home on dusk so we sprint round to Waimea Bay to surf into the dark as it's barely breaking. The Eddie scaffolding is up and we eavesdrop organisers briefing the staff that the greatest surf event in the world is about to go down. As we look down over the relatively flat bay it's hard to imagine.

Day 3 Monday. Next morning up at first light one can sense the excitement. People have camped out overnight to secure good positions. Traffic is already bumper to bumper as I go to collect Liselle to take her to the airport for her next event at Maui. A quick look at the Bay and it is an untidy messy 25', not the 'biggest swell since 69' hysteria the rumor mills have been churning out.

We meet Abe and Lize at the airport, along with Mike Stangel, Triple Crown chaplain and debrief chalaincy together. It is unimaginable to think that somehow CS has been trusted to help mobilize chaplaincy to the elite of the sport. Slow going, but going forward.

Jesus had provided such wonderful chaplains, support, finances, favor and ever so slowly the trust of the Surfers. The kingdom of God is advancing. Back at the church office I meet up with two more on the missions board to discuss their involvement with Mike Albutt in CS Mexico. How good it is to partner with a keen local church.

It takes a good hour to crawl along the Kam Highway home instead of 10 minutes. Sand had been thrown across the road at Lani's. Crowds of people have come out to see the huge waves but they hold off the contest till tomorrow. Scotty and I check out the late session and on dusk see 3 close out sets that send the pack paddling for the horizon. 25, 30, 35, 40' it is huge. I get to take Abe and Lize out for dinner and debrief some more.

Tomorrow the Eddie will run for the first time in 4 years. I'm so thankful, God's extra little blessing to be here for these 4 days.

Hawaii First Day

Day one Hawaii was rather short lived as I arrived to get a standby flight only to find 10 other staff all bumped off. Would have got on if they didn't wait for late Perth flight. This has only ever happenned 4 times in 7 years of flying. Not standby but 'faithby' I call it.

Day two Hawaii. A new Jetstar standby ticket and I'm straight over. The buzz is maybe 20' waves and the Eddie contest might run. This event  commemorates the loss of life of Eddie Aikau who paddled off in the middle of the night to get help for his friends. We have used the same story in the 'Surfers Bible' to illustrate Jesus laying down of his life. However we weren't friends but enemies so makes his sacrifice all the more amazing.

'Eddie would go' is the catch phrase and as I contemplate seeing the biggest waves of my life I'm happy to say 'Brett will stay' ashore - my 12-year-old also made me promise the same.


I'm picked up at 8am by ministry staff guy Tripp who, upon driving over the hill at Haliewa, casually announces that I should surf those 15-20' waves at Outside Himalayas. Giant swells are pounding the North Shore. It's sunny, offshore and, suprise, there's hardly anyone
out...except Waimea Bay. 'The Bay', every surfer visiting Hawaii knows which 'bay' that means.

Staying at Eric Arakawas house means there are no shortage of boards and already Eric has given me directions to an old yellow 9'6" board of the late Ronnie Burns lying under the house. After a quick check with my travelling buddy Scotty Warren, I figure it won't get any easier. 'Easier' is a relative term, as is 'small Waimea' as you see Waimea doesn't really break till it is 20'. So with 'small Waimea' before us at 15-20' sets and the Eddie crew warming up I suggest we paddle out for a look.

I know I promised India I wouldn't go out on big waves and also told Scotty's mum I'd look after him, but remembering 'small Waimea' I figured I wasn't violating any promises. So with a yellow 'airplane wing' under my arm and a 24-year-old North Shore rookie by my side we had a go. Waiting for the horrendous shorebreak we then run and paddle your heart out. Then there's the can't duckdive 'airplane wing' negotiating some wash, and suddenly we were out there. Sunny, blue, offshore mountains of water with a perfect channel and 3 jetskis for safety. I told Scotty all we would do was watch from the channel and I'd sit by his side. I lied.

Come on, first time out at age 50 you have to have a go. So after drifting onto the edge of the 60 strong pack of the who's who of big wave surfing I caught a couple of tiny 10'' shoulders. Figuring I had enough time to get out if the way I ended up way inside hoping for a smaller one. When the whole pack started shifting for the channel I had my chance to grab the first smaller wave of the set and flew, semi-weightless down the face on my wing...and a prayer...hoping I would not be caught by the following waves. I turned around to see Shane Dorian drop into a 20' wave, easily the biggest thing I had ever seen from the water. It was like watching someone surf a building! Scotty suggested it was time to paddle in, good idea.

We negotiated the infamous shorebreak and safely on shore. We meet up with wonder woman Micki Bridgeman then headed west to check some campsites. Spoke at the new Surfers Church that night and caught up with some old contacts. Sharing my testimony about being an ordinary surfer that has trusted Christ and what He has done. I'm passionate about the verse where John the Baptist responds to concerns from his disciples that "everyone is going over to Him/Jesus," and says so confidently, "He must increase and I must decrease."

Oh that there would be more of him in my life, my family, my church, CSI. It's not about building our own kingdoms but His - there just isn't room for the both of us. What a first day, welcome to Hawaii.