Online version of Transfomations Magazine
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Hearing the voice of God
My personal favorite story from outreach in the Line islands was Katawa.
During lecture phase of DTS we all read Loren Cunningham's book "Is that Really You God?" I would recommend this to anyone. We all have plenty of opportunities to practice hearing God's voice on a personal level. This story was a faith builder for our whole outreach team.
During a morning prayer session Aurore got the word Katawa. When she went ashore on Fanning Island that day she asked everyone she met through a translator "Do you know this word Katawa?" Someone told her Katawa is a man who lives in the next village. The next morning we did a program at a Protestant church. We asked the interpreter where Katawa lives. He pointed in the general direction then he went on his way. Four of us stopped to eat our lunch near the beach. As we were preparing to leave we began to worry, "What if he doesn't speak English?" We prayed and then asked two young boys to show us Katawa's house. We were led to a small shelter and met Katawa there. Katawa was sitting on a mat on a concrete floor. His right leg is amputated above the knee due to complications from Diabetes ( a common problem among the Islanders.)
Katawa spoke English and he was very happy to have visitors. We explained that we were with Youth With a Mission and told him the story of receiving his name during prayer. He told us that he had taken the ship to Christmas Island last year and had the surgery there. His kids stopped by to bring him food, but they stayed with his wife further down the road. We shared stories and sang some songs which he really enjoyed. Then we prayed for him. When we left he asked if we could get him some books in English so he could remember English.
Three weeks later I returned to Fanning with a new outreach team. After church on Sunday Christine went with me to visit Katawa. Bruno lent us two bikes and we enjoyed the ride on the dirt road alongside the lagoon. I found the place where Katawa had been and he was not there. We asked where he was at a nearby house. A man told us he is two houses that way -to the North. At that house a man said he is 5 houses to the south. At that house a man said he is at the house past the maneaba to the north. Finally we found the son and he took us to Katawa, who was in a new shelter near the lagoon. With his wife and kids. He said, "I am working now, helping with the seaweed." He was happy! His wife and children welcomed us and brought us drinking coconuts. I would like to think that our prayers and obedience to God helped Katawa to be reunited with his family. Katawa asked for some pants for his 20 year old son. I was able to drop off some clothes for the whole family a few days later.
I look forward to returning to Fanning and seeing Katawa again.
Where are you going?
This is a fun picture with Caroline and Rhonda pointing out the Line Islands on a map at Port YWAM Kona. The second map shows all of Micronesia. Hawaii Aloha's next destination is majuro in the Marshall Islands.
Sailing down wind
Our new 27' whisker pole has made a huge difference for down wind sailing. We made 8 knots sailing from Christmas Island to Fanning Island with just the poled out jib and Mizzen. This picture also reminds how much new crew needs to learn with all the standing rigging and running rigging.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Fanning island
We had a great trip to Christmas Island. We had a crew change and now we have 18 on board. God is opening lots of doors on Fanning Atoll.
Line islands outreach written 1/23/14
I was unable to post this earlier.
Hi Friends,
I am getting 2 days of rest at the villages Hotel in Christmas Island. I know many of you have not heard from me since I left Kona over a month ago. This voyage has taken living by faith to a whole new level. We had a rock and roll 8 day reach from Kona to Christmas Island. The crew was fantastic. Our 4 days in Christmas Island were taken up with administrative tasks to make a quick turn around. 4 of the crew flew back to Kona including our engineer, then my DTS outreach team came aboard and we set sail for Fanning island. Thankfully I had been able to get some Local knowledge from Brad the captain of the Kwai, and we were able to follow him in through the channel into the Lagoon. the anchorage in Fanning is well protected, so most of us were able to go ashore each day for outreach. What an honor it was to be the first outreach team to ever visit Fanning Island. We did programs with singing and dramas at several churches. We also taught about hygiene and did some wound care. We had 3 nurses on the team and they were able to provide a lot of support to the medical clinic. They were able to pray with the nurse who had just been through a difficult time watching a patient die because there were no vessels to take him to the hospital in Christmas Island.
Fanning was uninhabited until the late 1800's when the British set up a copra plantation there. In the 1980's the government if Kiribati gave incentives to families to move to the line Islands because the main islands (Tarawa) were overcrowded. Fanning does not have the same feeling as other islands in Micronesia where everyone takes care of each other, because no- one is from there.
We left Fanning in the afternoon and used our new whisker pole for the first time making a fast down wind run to Washington Island. A little too fast. We arrived before dawn and discovered that our chart was not correct. We know God was taking care of us because we came way to close to the fringing reef! The people of Washington were waiting for us. they had a big Welcoming Celebration planned. Most of the DTS team and a few of the crew were able to go ashore and enjoy the celebration. It was too rough to anchor. There is no lagoon here so the only anchorage is on the fringing reef fully exposed to the ocean. We stood off for the day under sail, picked up the team before dark and stood off for the night. the next morning we sent a team of nine ashore for 5 days then took the boat back to Fanning. It took twice as long to get back to Fanning. We were motoring straight into the wind, waves and current. We had 3 days of crew meetings in Fanning then returned to pick up the rest of the team from Washington. I loved hearing the stories of all the ministry and teaching the team was able to do on Washington. This island is the remotest of remote because there is no safe anchorage. The conditions were very challenging but the team was so excited about how God used them on the island.
We had a slow, rough five days again motoring against the wind, waves and current to get back to Christmas Island. Fortunately our experience returning to Fanning convinced us to allow for extra travel time and we made it back in time for everyone to catch their flights on Jan. 22.
I was on an emotional roller coaster the last week because I was hoping to be able to fly with my DTS outreach team to Fiji. News about a relief Captain coming was on then off. The day before I was scheduled to fly, God made it very clear to me that I should stay with the boat. So I am taking my two days of rest and it looks like I will continue as Captain for the second outreach to Washington and Fanning islands. I am getting lots of practice in feeling my feelings, living one day at a time and trusting God. God is so faithful.
I have a new Granddaughter! Sophie Alice Waioli Kapahu was born on January 16. I am looking forward to pictures and maybe even FaceTime while I am here. I am sad I was not there for her birth, but I will have so many God stories to tell her when she grows up.
I look forward to hearing from all of you.
Love,
Captain Ann
I am getting 2 days of rest at the villages Hotel in Christmas Island. I know many of you have not heard from me since I left Kona over a month ago. This voyage has taken living by faith to a whole new level. We had a rock and roll 8 day reach from Kona to Christmas Island. The crew was fantastic. Our 4 days in Christmas Island were taken up with administrative tasks to make a quick turn around. 4 of the crew flew back to Kona including our engineer, then my DTS outreach team came aboard and we set sail for Fanning island. Thankfully I had been able to get some Local knowledge from Brad the captain of the Kwai, and we were able to follow him in through the channel into the Lagoon. the anchorage in Fanning is well protected, so most of us were able to go ashore each day for outreach. What an honor it was to be the first outreach team to ever visit Fanning Island. We did programs with singing and dramas at several churches. We also taught about hygiene and did some wound care. We had 3 nurses on the team and they were able to provide a lot of support to the medical clinic. They were able to pray with the nurse who had just been through a difficult time watching a patient die because there were no vessels to take him to the hospital in Christmas Island.
Fanning was uninhabited until the late 1800's when the British set up a copra plantation there. In the 1980's the government if Kiribati gave incentives to families to move to the line Islands because the main islands (Tarawa) were overcrowded. Fanning does not have the same feeling as other islands in Micronesia where everyone takes care of each other, because no- one is from there.
We left Fanning in the afternoon and used our new whisker pole for the first time making a fast down wind run to Washington Island. A little too fast. We arrived before dawn and discovered that our chart was not correct. We know God was taking care of us because we came way to close to the fringing reef! The people of Washington were waiting for us. they had a big Welcoming Celebration planned. Most of the DTS team and a few of the crew were able to go ashore and enjoy the celebration. It was too rough to anchor. There is no lagoon here so the only anchorage is on the fringing reef fully exposed to the ocean. We stood off for the day under sail, picked up the team before dark and stood off for the night. the next morning we sent a team of nine ashore for 5 days then took the boat back to Fanning. It took twice as long to get back to Fanning. We were motoring straight into the wind, waves and current. We had 3 days of crew meetings in Fanning then returned to pick up the rest of the team from Washington. I loved hearing the stories of all the ministry and teaching the team was able to do on Washington. This island is the remotest of remote because there is no safe anchorage. The conditions were very challenging but the team was so excited about how God used them on the island.
We had a slow, rough five days again motoring against the wind, waves and current to get back to Christmas Island. Fortunately our experience returning to Fanning convinced us to allow for extra travel time and we made it back in time for everyone to catch their flights on Jan. 22.
I was on an emotional roller coaster the last week because I was hoping to be able to fly with my DTS outreach team to Fiji. News about a relief Captain coming was on then off. The day before I was scheduled to fly, God made it very clear to me that I should stay with the boat. So I am taking my two days of rest and it looks like I will continue as Captain for the second outreach to Washington and Fanning islands. I am getting lots of practice in feeling my feelings, living one day at a time and trusting God. God is so faithful.
I have a new Granddaughter! Sophie Alice Waioli Kapahu was born on January 16. I am looking forward to pictures and maybe even FaceTime while I am here. I am sad I was not there for her birth, but I will have so many God stories to tell her when she grows up.
I look forward to hearing from all of you.
Love,
Captain Ann
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