Da Jesus Book

Ken found a Bible translation at Borders in "Hawai'ian Pidgin." It's called Da Jesus Book. Apparently a lot of locals purchase this to witness to their friends. I was chatting with some very cute children while shopping for eye glasses the other day.

"Are you Hawai'ian?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Do you know how to surf?"
"No. It's hard. Do you know how to skate?"

And the conversation continues until I realize he is not talking about ice skating, but skate BOARDING! He's never even seen an ice rink, so he's somewhat impressed.

I left that place wondering why he and his sister had such poor english, but as it turned out, they were speaking their local dialect!

Jesus say, "God wen get so plenny love an aloha fo da peopo inside da world, dat he wen send me, his one an ony Boy, so dat everybody dat trus me no get cut off from God, but get da kine life dat stay to da max foeva. (John Tell Bout Jesus 3:16)

Church on the Beach

Ken attended church on the beach, just outside the Hilton Hawai'ian Village, on Sunday. He said it was Hawaii's version of the Good News Chapel. Except for the hula and lack of air conditioning.

See that tree over there? Yeah, that's pretty much it for shade.

It started with, "Please stand facing the flag and sing with us." First, God Bless America, then Star Spangled Banner, topped with America the Beautiful. It's inbred in Americans to stand and put their hand over their heart during these songs, so onlookers, sunbathers and the like were all standing and singing for church!

Miss Lillie found God at a Hawai'i beach chapel service...

I just wanted to tell you I got saved on Waikiki Beach when the Waikiki Beach Chaplaincy set up church around me and I just wanted to catch some rays. Well it was a time in a my life when the bottom had been pulled out. I went to Hawaii to escape and I found Jesus in 1976. Now my husband and I are serving the Lord full time with this (New Beginnings Home) ministry.

The beach chaplaincy ministry is alive and well. Faithful men and women brave the sweltering heat and have services, whether anyone comes or not! I went to an early morning chapel and no one else attended! I made a donation for an "Aloha Bible" to leave in the condo. I pray it will touch someones life.

Bodies... The Exhibition

WARNING: PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEEMISH.

SKINLESS CADAVER PHOTOS--

Ken and I had the chance to go to a limited engagement of BODIES The Exhibition while in Hawai'i. Not for the faint at heart, these plastinated human bodies and parts were fascinating and reminiscent of some kind of CSI episode.

I had a few favourites, such as a complicated and difficult dissection of a man's nerves, running from his brain. All you could see was his head, with the nerves coming out of them. I motioned Ken over and said, "This one's feeling a little nervous!"

He returned the favour:

"I have a split personality!"

"Has anyone seen my skin? I'm feeling a bit of a draft."

"Oh, there it is!"

Another favourite was the speciman where a body was cut up like a cucumber similar to what an MRI scan would observe.

All the bodies were displayed with respect and gave me an amazing education on the human body. Did you even know they have been plasticizing animals and man for years and years? In fact, the 14th Annual Plastination Conference is coming up in Germany next month. We've come a long way since earlier centuries of carving cadavers as quickly as possible in the race against rot.

In 2003 The Human Genome Project was successful in identifying the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA and in determining the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that comprise it. In the same year, Dolly the sheep was cloned and lived 6 years after giving birth to 6 lambs.

Consider this!! What is next in this exciting world the Creator has given us to discover?! While this exhibit left Ken somewhat creeped out, he did make a two word comment in the guest book afterwards:

Intelligent Design

No matter what your view on plastination, the human genome project, cloning and the like, you cannot deny that the more we know, the more evidence we have of a Creator.

Tropical Paradise

This webcam is attached to our beautiful Hawaiian condo. If you keep it on long enough you'll see Ken and I going back and forth to the beach all day long! Aloha!!

To view the page, go to:
http://www.mycampage.com/cheeseburgerlandwaikikibeach

Enjoy!

Dear Staff & Board,

Hello, Pardners!

Rebecca and I are coming to the final leg of our journey. This morning, in about an hour, Becca will be completing City Vision College. Hopefully you can all celebrate that with her at our July All-Staff Reunion. That is kind of an inside joke. We had "District Reunions" this year, and both Becca and I thought it would be snacks and fellowship, but it was rows of chairs and a meeting. Kind of a loss leader, don't you think?! Still, the first-timers got to share, and Rebecca was able to introduce herself. She's met a lot of new people, but of course, as is always the case when I travel with ya'll, the "20-somethings" are quite scarce at convention!

I have been so busy this year! Our board meeting went "overtime" and took the first whole day and evening, (which I had planned and left early for) then one of the free afternoons because we couldn't get finished. I taught a seminar. I had signed Becca and I up to be Rangers, which means you stand guard at the door, Mountie sytle, to make sure people aren't sneakng in who haven't paid for lunch! I was also able to meet a man who is just starting a mission in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and hooked him up with Gary in Expansion, and even had the priviledge of paying so he could complete the conference! I tell you, not to receive acolades, but because, really, the Mission paid, so all of us together are growing our mission family!

We have had a couple of VERY hysterical moments, such as when Rebecca displayed her super-strength powers and managed to open an elevator door with her bare hands, after it had already closed. Yes, folks, this, right before our very eyes! The secret of Super-Becca is out! Bill Butterworth is an asolute HOOT, to the point where I want to buy the CD and let you all listen to it. We nearly peed our pants, people! (Can I say pee here?) And last night was the night of corny humour and cowboy (complete with banjo & harmonica) music when the English Brothers treated us to a night of entertainment. If you want to hear their sound click the link and a little ditty will play. My FAVOURITE kind of music! One of them used to be with the Flying W Ranch, which Ken and I went to during the Dallas Convention, where I graduated from Rescue College.

And that leads us back to Becca. I wanted to let you know we are buying her the following gifts, which I will present to her this morning at the grad: a plaque that has a grad prayer on it and a picture of architecture of some sort, framed in black; a black leather-like grad promie book, complete with tassle; a RESCUE mug (this is kind of a joke because she won a case of these but I comandeered them for our fund raising department! Plus, of course, the trip out here to Dallas!

It would seem I have time for one more cup of joe, so off I go and I`ll see ya`ll real soon!

In Christ,
Michelle
xoxo

Dallas hosts national homeless meeting

By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News

Less than a week after Dallas opened a new homeless center, hundreds of leaders from shelters nationwide will meet in the city to discuss the latest ideas for helping people leave the streets.

More than 600 people are expected to attend the 95th annual Association of Gospel Rescue Missions convention at the Hilton Anatole. Meetings get under way this morning.

One of the group's goals is to move beyond the image of charities that simply provide a bed and a meal, said Bill Thompson, executive director of the Union Gospel Mission in Dallas.

The Dallas mission, for example, plans more outreach and to provide housing and extensive job training, he said. The charity is raising money for 30 single-room apartments for the homeless near the city's new downtown homeless center, The Bridge, which opened Tuesday.

Projects like the Union Gospel Mission's apartments are exactly what's needed to make The Bridge a success, said Mike Rawlings, Dallas' homeless czar.

"Now that we were able to build The Bridge, they [charities such as Union Gospel Mission] are evolving and looking at other ways to fill the need," he said. "People are realizing that's the right answer, that a lack of affordable housing is such a big issue in Dallas now – that's where we've got to focus our attention."

The Dallas mission also is working on a program of vocational training in carpentry, masonry, floor and wall covering, and auto mechanics, Mr. Thompson said.

"We realize how undersupplied a lot of the building trades are, and what would be better than to have schools that produce people able to compete for those jobs or even start their own small businesses?" Mr. Thompson said.

Phil Rydman, spokesman for the Kansas City, Mo.-based Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, said the shelters need to adapt to an increase in the number of intact families – mom, dad and children – seeking help.

"That's a big change for us," he said. "Certainly not all our missions are able to serve entire families."

More apartment-style homes are needed so women and children don't have to be in a separate dorm from the fathers, he said.

For more information about the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions conference, go to: www.agrm.org.

Wedding Bells

Ken and I had a great long weekend in Calgary, where he officiated at my brother's wedding. He and Tina have already been together for a long time, and have a beautiful daughter, Jacquie.

We got to stay with my oldest little brother, Richard, and his family, getting to know little Lexie, as we hadn't seen her since her "bobblehead" days!










My Aunties from New York and Edmonton, my cousins and their new baby, and my Grandma from Saskatoon were all there, so it really was a very nice little reunion. Rich had a huge steak BBQ at his place the next day, and we had a great time catching up and eating Suzie's amazing dinner. That night, once everyone was gone, the four of us had a WII bowling tournament, where Sue and I rocked!

I'm home now on the "flip flop," as Sherry Mebs says, and heading off to Dallas next week, where you'll likely hear from me again!

Presidential Treatment

So, Candace, President and CEO of Open Door Mission in Omaha, pesonally took us to this wonderful restaurant for lunch. Earlier, we had a tour of the ministry personally given by Karen Applegate. (I threw in the last name because... well, isn't it a great last name!)

We are in Omaha for a District Meeting. I'm up for President, so we'll have to see what happens. Imagine, a Canuck in charge.

Learned some great stuff today about raising funds on a shoestring budget (Karen APPLEGATE) and Beginning a Major Gift Program, by one of my mentors, Del Maxfield.

Sent back some liquor laced tiramisu at lunch but enjoyed the supper spread with Christian tiramisu for supper. Can you believe a RESCUE MISSION has a real chef and cooked authentic Italiano tonight? Way to go, Brian!

The weather is really warm. I think it's 20-something. And not a trace of snow. So far so good.