"me... a missionary....to hawaii? God, you've got to be kidding?!?!!?"
those were the first words that i uttered out of my mouth when the option to move to hawaii first came up (January 2011). for those of you who have been following my blog/ fb/ twitter... you already know that me and my son left our family and friends behind in LA as we answered God's call in our lives to move to Hawaii to become missionaries to help out a church and see what God has in store for us and why He would call us to move to an island. (August 2011). He called. we obeyed. it's as simple as that.
i know what you're thinking... you can just see it now... me suffering for Jesus while swimming in the tropical blue waters with a mai-tai in hand. you know what i always say: Jesus loves you but im His favorite ;) heeeeeeey!!!
i really have no clue what it takes to be a missionary/minister. i have has no idea what i'm doing but im crazy enough to obey and GO. all i know is that i love God and i love people. the reality is: i'm just a nobody, trusting a big SOMEBODY to tell everybody else about His love. that's it. that's why i do what i do.
and the crazy part about it is....i moved from a church in LA that had about 350+ people.....and i'm now working and serving in a church that's about 30 people big. i swear, only God would do such a thing.
so while it is easy to fall in love with hawaii (the location), i had asked God to give me eyes to see hawaii the way He sees it. He then began to give me a burden and a heart for the people of the land. i realized that just as there was sin in the garden of eden, there is much sin in paradise as well. here are a few stats about hawaii to show you why the state needs our prayers:
- hawaii has the highest per capita meth/ice usage in the whole nation. YES. the worst in the US! meth users and abusers often end up living lives filled with violent crimes, child neglect, and domestic abuse. there is also ofcourse marijuana use as well. lots druggies live there.
- hawaii also has high alcohol abuse problem. in 2005 (6 years ago), there were 70,000 estimated individuals with alcohol dependence. apparently druggies and alchies like paradise.
- prostitution is big business in paradise. with it's high turn-over tourist population, waikiki and the the rest of the islands are ripe for sex and human trafficking circuits.
- the hawaiian islands have 22,000 to 28,000 homeless people, with 10,000 of them living in the island of Oahu.
- there is a huge demographic of single parent homes due to alcohol and drug abuse, as well as the island being a military base.
- because the islands are made up of asian communities, issues such as domestic and sexual abuse is hardly talked about because in the asian community, it is made sure that people do not "defile the family name".
- because the islands live a "laid-back island" mentality, there is a sense of apathy with the people who live here.
"Proclaim His Praise in the Islands" [Isaiah 42:12] is my promise and my mandate. my task as a missionary, is to proclaim His praises to the people in the islands. it seems that God has given me a heart to reach out to a people and a place who remind me of me before He saved me. a druggie. an alchie. a person who thought sex was nothing. a single mother. an abused child. He saved me from all of that. He freed me from all of that. and now, part of the story that was written through out my life will be used to declare His power and redemption to help free others from the shackles of rebellion, hopelessness and despair.... and i get to share to others how crazy fun it is to be a disciple of Christ. after all, He did call me to be a missionary in paradise right?!?!
so yeah...that's why im here. to read more about how hawaii came to be and my crazy adventures... click here. otherwise, please say a prayer for me and the husband and the lil one if God puts it in your heart to do so... your prayers are much appreciated and coveted. mahalo.
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*update (feb 2012): since i got here, God has added a new member to our family. meet John, my husband. =] i went here to change the world... instead God changed my heart. John is the worship pastor at the church i attend here and that's how i met him...he was part of my prayer team when i was just praying about moving out here. who would've thunk that God would surprise me and my son with such a great gift. I'm telling you - it's crazzzzzy fun to be a disciple of Christ. you'll never know what He has in store for you once you walk in the fullness of His will.
