Saturday meeting with CSUS staff Dean Plumlee and Daniel Felton along with our CSI regional leader Cal Fisher saw 20 people hosted at North Shore Christian Fellowship meet to discuss the future of CS in Hawaii. Surprising to many is the fact that CS has never had a long standing mission in Hawaii, partly due to the fact that surfing is not a subculture there, it is the culture! It also requires some solid local people to lead as the area is so localised.
That night we joined with Tom Bauer at the Haleiwa Surfers Church and I was stoked to see it grow from Richard and Gloria's loungeroom to deck to backyard. They're still packing the surfers in!
Sunday was church meetings at Haleiwa and also Sunset Beach with 'The Mission' church plant and Tripp and team seeking to build a church on the solid foundation of prayerful seeking of Jesus! I was inspired and their midweek prayer meeting is the most important meeting of the week.
Monday Cal and I visited a couple of Conference centres to check out suitability for the 2012 International Conference and I am happy to say Camp Mokulaia is the place! We will have to erect a marquee and have overflow camping but its a beautiful beachfront complete with turtle and monk seal. Dinner out with Abe and Lize was great to thank them and hear about their chaplaincy on the ASP World Tour.
Tuesday was chaplaincy day, and good to debrief with Liselle Wilsnagh, chaplain to the Women's World Tour, and then have all three chaplains together including Triple Crown Chaplain, Pastor Mike Stangel. With the death of Andy Irons this year, it has been a heavy time, but such times are when the chaplains become all the more relevant.
Wednesday the surf picked up and Laniakea was pumping! I was out there in the crowd and nearly beyond my years in the solid 10' waves. The swell was a nice north and the Pipe Masters ran for the day at Backdoor. Even better was the chance to have lunch with our Brazil founders Dario and Susana, and what a treat to see Dario miraculously recovering after a potentially fatal stroke earlier this year.
Thursday...I was supposed to be home, but with the prospect of seeing the Pipe Masters run, I was keen to hang around. God bless my wonder wife Gill who said, "Come on, you stay a few more days and surf and see the contest!" It didn't run, but the swell was still on, so after checking out Eric Arakawa's factory I was surfing some great waves. Dinner that night with ASP Chairman Richard Grellman and Abe and Lize was a treat and I so appreciate the calibre of the chaplains as Richard commented, "The chaplains have exceeded the expectations of the ASP, I am amazed at the reception they have had."
Friday was an early pray, then surf with Eric. I was off to Honolulu and had a great visit with amazing church plant 'One Love' with Waxer and then forever faithful Dave at Surfco. That night caught up with Poiman and family for dinner and took in the Haleiwa community Christmas parade then talked mission to Tahiti. What a gem of a family, very humbling when they insisted on washing my feet and praying for me. Thanks guys.
Saturday was another early start and a short detour to Walmart to buy some USA sweets for the kids and off to the airport. I arrived with no boards and was leaving with 6 for friends and family and a nice Arakawa 7'4" gun for the christmas sack for BD. Reading through the book "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" I am so challenged at my lack of prayer and calling out to God, I want to hold a quiet but determined resolve to put more of this into practice. Arriving home that afternoon Gill met me at the airport and it was sweet to see her. A big week of changes. Jackson moving out of home, Taylor working on his music and social security? India finishes her first year of high school.
Im tired but thankful for this last trip of the year, and excited that tomorrow Gill and I have a Sydney city treat with two nights alone in a city hotel as a belated 25th anniversary celebration...and my phone is off...
