so it's been a while since i updated.  sorry guys....i know i'm really bad at this, but i'd much rather talk to you all in person than type out what's been going on in my life.  so it's been about 2 weeks since i got back from SD.  it was soooo refreshing being back there and seeing everyone!  wow...i really missed you all so much!  thank you to everyone who took time outa your schedule to spend with me.  the eating, swimming, surfing, talking, sleeping over, and randomness were great memories!  but most of all, it was great being with brothers and sisters that i could pray with and study God's word with.  i praise God that even though i am miles away, that i am still united and bound together with my ohana through Christ Jesus.  i know it's only been 2 weeks since i saw you guys, but i already miss you and i can't wait to visit again.  i accumulated a free round trip to the west coast from my hawaiian miles, so i will probably come for a visit again sometime soon!  and...don't forget september 23-27, i will be in Anaheim!  i vote that you should all take a field trip up to Disneyland! 

as for school, it kinda sucks.  i love my classes, but i hate the whole concept of commuting to school. last monday i spent 4 hours in traffic and looking for parking.  it was ridiculous because i spent more time on the road than in class.  tuesday and wednesday was also crazy because the wrong classes were posted on my schedule, so i went to the wrong class and that class posted another class for me to go to.  thursday, it was raining, so i slipped and fell and ate it.  hahaha...i scraped my elbow and knee and got a bruise on my hip.  i think that's probably more adventure in one week of school than in my two years at USD.  hahaha....but yah...my classes are interesting.  i'm taking 3 sociology classes and 3 english classes.  i'm taking sociology of gender, women and work, sociology of the chinese cultural revolution, world lit, lit of the pacific, and women's lit and culture.  on thursday, i also went to this international students association and i met lots of international students.  it's so amazing how many international students there are.  i met people from hong kong, thailand, china, japan, singapore, mexico, russia, taiwan, etc.  maybe i can share Christ with them sometime!  after that, i went to IV, and i met other people as well. 

i guess you could say that it's weird in this new environment, but at the same time it's exciting because i get to meet new people.  if you could, please pray for patience with my ajustment here and for fellowship and accountability.  things are getting better.  i know it's going to take time.  i think i have decided to work with my college group here in hawai'i.  please pray for leadership at my church and for direction and guidance!  the good news is that my walk with God has been very good.  My quiet times have been very consistent and because I am forced to wake up early to commute to school to find parking and to catch the lighter side of traffic.  i usually get to school early, and i just do my QTs in the my car.  i am currently going through Job and Proverbs.  i think God wants me to be more aware of the things I say because it could be used for both good and bad.  also, the long drive to school gives me time to worship God.  sorry for the brief update, but i have mucho reading to do.  please email me sometime to let me know how you are and how i can pray for you!  take care and  love ya lots!

so much has happened, that i can't even remember exactly what happened.  it's all a blur in my mind now.  lately, i've been so tired and stressed.  sometimes i just wanna stop and take a break, but i can't.  so many times, i have felt so lost and alone, yet i know God is with me every step of the way.  i truly praise God for how He abundantly pours out His unconditional love and grace, even as undeserving of it as we are.

i praise God for getting me through a crazy busy week!  i finally finished my prereqs for lifeguarding classes.  yay!! i can be a lifeguard soon!  summer school is going well.  it's really interesting!  earlier we were reading this book called "YOBO".  it's short stories written by koreans in hawai'i.  it's really sad to read about the comfort women (Korean women that the Japanese soldiers forced to become prostitutes).  although class is interesting, i can't wait for it to be over with.  it seems like i've been in school FOREVER!  i really need a break soon!  i can't wait to go to SD!  i miss everyone so much! 

church is also crazy.  my talk at youth jam went pretty ok.  i was really nervous and not as prepared as i should have been.  it was God who got me through that one.  i talked about how God gave us a body of believers so that we could become more like Him.  i shared about how we can see and experience God through other people.  although i gave it my best, i thank God for His grace because i know that i can't live up to His standards.  the hardest part was struggling through spiritual warfare.  many times i would question whether or not i was taking things our of context or presenting it the right way.  i can only pray that what i said was pleasing to God.  august 1 was the last day of my internship with church.  the whole church was invited to the water park.  hahah....go figure.  who's gonna pay to the water park in hawai'i, if the beach is free?  since i went to "watch" the kids, i got to go for free.  it was pretty fun and a good time of fellowship!  it got old kinda fast though.  once you go down one slide it's the same for all other slides.  although i'm gonna miss the high schoolers, i'm glad the internship is over because the church politics and people's expectations of me was kinda stressing me out.  i am still praying about where God wants me in the future.

monday and tuesday i had orientation for UH.  it was good because i got to see some friends there, but it was too long.  2 days of orientation from 8am to 4pm is draining.  not only did i have orientation, but i also had summer school to go to.  it was also kinda lame since i have been going to summer school there for two years already.  i will be able to register for classes august 10.  i am praying that i will be able to get the classes i need.  something neat i learned about UH is that UH has the biggest language department in the world.  hehe...so if anyone wants to learn many different languages, come to UH.  hahaha...  monday was stressful because i had orientation and a midterm.  the midterm went well.  on monday, i also met up with my friend who taught me sign dance to the song, "i hope you dance".  it was fun!  ok well i need to study now so i'll finish updating later.  so much has happened i can't think straight.       

God, i stand in wonder of your love and grace.  Truly we are so undeserving, yet, you still pour it out abundantly to us.  so as you recall from the last entry, i made the stupid mistake of missing a month of summer school, and i thought i screwed myself over.  well on thursday, God took care of that worry and blessed me with so much more.  the first praise for thursday is that my pastor asked me to go to the youth specialties conference in anaheim from september 23-27.   i really feel that this is a big door that God is opening up to me, yet i'm really not sure what God is calling me to.  if i go to this conference, it's a one year commitment to youth ministry, and i don't mind working with the youth, but what if God has something better in store for me?  what if He wants me to work with the college?  i am currently seeking God's will for this part of my life. 

another praise for this week is that everything with the summer school worked out.  my teacher let me into the class even though i missed a month, and it turns out that i didn't miss much.  the weird thing about the class is that it's called racism and ethnicity of hawai'i and you'd think it'd be about racism and ethnicity in contemporary hawai'i, but instead it's like a history class that focuses on native hawaiians back in the king kamehameha days and the missionaries.  and...the other ironic thing about the class is that it's not even taught by someone from hawai'i.  that's UH for you!  but it turns out that the professor doesn't give tests and all i have to do is write a paper, so i guess it's great because everything worked out for the better. 

this weekend, i went to a women's retreat with my church.  it was a great time of fellowship, getting to know the women in my church, hearing their stories and advice.  it was also a great time of relaxation and refreshing spending time alone with God.  my days are always filled with so much busyness, running here and there.  when i get home, i am sooo tired, and my quiet times have suffered as a result.  this retreat has definitely convicted me to become more intimate with God, and it has definitely given me more of a desire to share God with my parents.  although prayer is important, prayer without action is unfruitful.  if i want my parents to come to know Christ, i must strive to live more of a life like Him.  i pray that just like the speaker said at retreat, that i may leave that place as a changed person, that i may truly live out what i believe.  

i really wished i could've stayed for the whole retreat, but i had to leave early cuz i had to take the high schoolers from my church fishing at ho'omaluhia.  it was super fun!  i caught 4 fishies!  the best thing about fishing with the high schoolers was getting to know them better, and seeing them work cooperatively.  it's times like those that i really praise God for every circumstance He places me in. 

ooookkkk...sorry for another long one....back to studying.  take care everyone!  love you!   

congrats to me because i've reached my 5th entry!  i didn't think i'd make it this far.  hahaha..jj.  so anyways...things have been quite fun and interesting for me.  God has been throwing me many different obstacles here and there, but it's been good because it's been helping me to rely on Him and trust Him more.  Through my struggles i have been able to experience more of His faithfulness and grace.  

so on friday, i was relieved because i finished my first session of summer school.  i was so happy because i don't have to wake up at 6:40am anymore.  it was the first day i was able to sleep in and have a good quiet time in awhile.  it was a good thing i had a good quiet time on friday morning because i had a pretty hard day after that.  i found out that i missed a lifeguarding class, but the good thing is that i can make it up.  also, i found out that i missed a month of summer school.  don't ask me how that happened, and i don't know where my brain was, but i swear my class started on july 10 instead of june 10.  hahaha....i was flipping out.  and the best part about this is that when i tried to get in touch with my professor, i was told that he's not a regular faculty member so they didn't have his contact info.  That's UH for you!!  the good thing is that i was given the professor's contact info later in the day and even though i couldn't get in touch with him, i was told that i could get a full refund back, so i knew that God was already providing for me.  i really think i need a break soon because my brain needs a rest.  haha....

saturday was another busy day.  i tutored this boy in reading at my church.  then i had a guitar lesson, and then i went to scout out the maunawili hike to lead the high schoolers the next day.  it was super muddy and i fell down on my butt.  haha...it's better than almost falling off a cliff.  i was also super happy because i got to catch up with some people that i hadn't talked to in awhile. 

sunday was 4th of july!!!  happy late 4th of july, everyone!  happy birthday mj and john yao!!  sorry i can't be there to celebrate with you!  on sunday, i was late to church again....7:45 am for church is too early!!  the message was good though.  it was about how everyone should participate and get involved in church so that we can more fully experience God's glory.  the high schoolers, some college folk, and i went hiking again on the maunawili trail.  it was muddier this time than the day before, but the good news is that i didn't fall.  some of the kids did fall, but praise God that no one got hurt.  the bad news is that i got this super big scratch on my leg.  i am praying that i don't get leptospirosis.  after the hike i went to my grandparents house for a potluck.  it was a going away get together for my cousin who is going back to school in seattle.  the food was super ono!  i think i am gaining some weight being at home with all the good food.  after that i went to watch the fireworks at ala moana.  it was super pretty, but michele parked in a reserved stall and she got a $55 ticket.  after that we went to pick up adam's friend who is going to UH for summer school.  she is a kewl chica! 

monday was a pretty chill day.  some church friends and i went to the beach and had a dunch/bible study togther.  it was nice being out enjoying God's creation.  i really wanted to watch the sunset, but we will do it again sometime later.  

today was the first day of second session summer school.  it was pretty good.  i went to the bookstore for nothing because my books are at another bookstore.  the good thing is that i got to see carolyn, my old time buddy from wrestling.  it was kewl catching up with her.  i also love how no one knows where any buildings are at UH.  i went to at least 5 different people who directed me to the wrong building before i found my class.  the good thing is that my professor didn't really care that i was late.  the class is super interesting.  we are learning about the japanese, chinese, korean, filipinos and hawaiians through literature.  the bad thing about the class is that it's a super small lecture class with a billion people in it and the lighting is so bad that i can't see a thing in there.  i will try to make the most of it in spite of everything.  hey....it's a good chance for me to meet other people.  the one thing i am not looking forward to is traffic.  traffic is NOT KEWL.  i think i'm gonna stay in town and work out/surf/study until the traffic dies down.  it's not worth is to stay in traffic for an hour/hour and a half doing nothing except driving. 

ok...sorry for sucha long posting...i know you guys are probably bored.  i miss you guys lots!!  i'll be in SD in about 6 weeks!  can't wait to see you guys!!  love you!!  here's some encouragement/words of wisdom:

Happy moments...praise God.  Difficult moments...seek God.  Quiet moments...worship God.  Painful moments...trust God.  Every moment...thank God.  :)

so it's been almost a year since i wrote in here.  i've come to the conclusion that i'm really bad at writing in online journals, but the thing is that i've come to realize that it's one of the best ways to update everyone.  so it's been almost 3 weeks since i've been home.  home is home!!  i didn't realize how much i missed it until i got back.  i missed my friends and family, but i also missed the ono foods (everyday i've been eating fish), the clear blue skies, the warm weather, the mountains, the sparkling beaches, and the great surf.  i've been pretty busy these days with summer school.  i also have been having lots of fun, surfing, hiking, running, swimming.  in fact...on memorial day, my church group and i went hiking and i almost fell off the cliff.  praise God i didn't die.  i also got an internship at church for a second year in a row.  this year will be less stressful, so i'm really looking forward to it.  this past weekend i took the youth to see the new harry potter movie.  it was kinda scary.  i will probably update you more on that later.  the latest news is that i will be taking classes to become certified as a lifeguard. 

although things may sound very happy, it has not always been easy for me.  sometimes i feel very lonely because the friends that once came to my church, do not come anymore.  i am lacking fellowship and accountability.  however, i know that God will provide as He has shown me numerous times before.  i know that it'll take some time for me to get to know the people in my college group.  however, this weekend was very exciting because our college group (me and 2 other guys) met up at our advisors house to plan the future of our college group.  we talked about what our group wants to do and where we would like to see it go.  we planned a vision and the funny thing is that after each of us was brainstorming, one of the the guys actually pointed out the same theme verse for our college group.  how trippy is that???  hehe....i praise God because i know that with much prayers, that this is a beginning to something...        

the hardest thing about being back is knowing that my brothers and sisters from CEC aren't here with me.  To my brothers and sisters at CEC:  i really miss you guys!!!  it just isn't the same without you here.  it feels so strange not seeing you every friday and sunday.  but i know that God wants me here, as much as he wants you all there.  i'm so happy for all of you who have been chosen to serve next year.  i know that God is going to do great things in each one of you!  i'm sad that i won't be able to see each and every one of you grow, but i know that God is good and i will see you soon.  in fact.....i'll be in SD august 13-20.  i think you are all wonderful people and i am blessed that God gave me a chance to meet each and every one of you guys.  as i reflect and realize that fellowship is what i am missing here, i can smile because i know that i have experienced true fellowship.  you have all made such a huge impact in my life and never will i forget the times i have spent with you.  hope you are all doing well with finals!  i am praying for you!  also...please feel free to call me or email me any time. (roxysurfachick45@hotmail.com)  also...for those of you moving into apartments, please email me your new addresses.  and if any of you just so happen to be in hawai'i, just know that my home is always open to you!  i love you guys a lot!!!  :)  take care and God bless!