Welcome, New Year

The holidays have been fantastic, full of adventure of all sorts. My parents and youngest brother visited me in Hawaii for Christmas and I toured them all around the island. For the first time in forever I finally have a house that's big enough to have people stay with me. Seriously. I've never been able to have people visit me and actually have room to put them up. Friends/family are usually forced to spend uncomfortable nights sleeping on couches or the floor.

I loved showing off the island to my family and having them see my life ("and here's the beach I go to, and here's the mountain I climb, and here's the Walmart I shop at, and here's the church I go to"). I hope they enjoyed themselves... I know I certainly did!

My parents left Christmas day but my brother stayed on for the week after. We flew over to Honolulu (which I've never been to!) and watched 2013 arrive with a sky full of fireworks shot off a boat beyond the Waikiki beach. I felt my three most-recent cultures collide on the streets of Waikiki: Hawaiian (which is definitely a culture of its own), Japanese and American. I've NEVER seen so many Japanese in one place outside of Japan! And then to mix in the Hawaiian culture overlaid by a thick spread of America was really crazy. I was fascinated.

I was also fascinated by all the tall buildings and pretty lights. The Big Island is just so... remote. The biggest city here is Hilo with the grand population of 40,000. Walking around the streets of Waikiki reminded me of Vegas. I must have looked like a complete hick wandering the streets, mouth agape, staring and pointing at all the cool shops and hotels. It was super fun.

And now on to 2013!! But I do wish I had time to write an ode to 2012 and reminisce about the year. So many good things happened that I don't want to forget about, and hard things too, but that will have to be another blog for another time.

Starting yesterday, I am now official staff for a YWAM Discipleship Training School called Voice for the Voiceless. I decided to sign on as staff for a couple of reasons. First, after a year of taking a sabbatical, reflecting on life and doing some school, I wanted to take what I've learned and actively pour into other people's lives. The timing didn't seem right to go out there and launch an entirely new project (I always have project ideas spinning around in my head). The framework that this DTS provides was attractive for where I'm at right now.

Second, the Voice for the Voiceless DTS (fondly referred to as The V for V) is not your typical DTS. It involves training people to use media tools such as photography, video and writing to bring awareness and action on injustices around the world. Sounds right up my ally and a great way to use my film training, love of photography, passion for justice and desire to get others involved in bringing justice. Super cool.

I'm going to finish by posting a video the V for V people made last year. It's prettier than reading words typed on a page and does a pretty good job of explaining things.

Happy 2013 everyone!