9th week in Hilo - Easter Week

One of the most exciting adventures of the week was the Earth Day Field Trip I organized for the members of our church. Almost 30 people went with us for a tour of Geoff and Lyn's 2 1/2 acre organic, eco-sustainable farm -- about an hour away with part of it over a very bumpy dirt road. (Geoff and Lyn were directors of the Harvest for the Hungry Garden at the church I served in Santa Rosa -- Christ Church.) They bought this property in Hawaii nine years ago. It has been an extremely labor intensive operation as they had to clear the area of overgrowth and lava rocks, and work with the soil for it to become productive. It has been turned into a beautiful example of what is possible. The commitment of Geoff and Lyn to live off the land, and to leave as little a carbon footprint as possible, is an inspiration. Most of us went away in awe of their determination and energy. They are so knowledgeable about plant life, medicinal qualities of the plants, soil composition, composting (see worm compost below) etc. They even treated us to food they had cooked in their solar cooker, plus fried sweetbread fruit, and juice they had made from their fruit, herbs and rain water they collect. They had a display of products they have produced (mostly for their own use) and cooking equipment they use without electricty or gas. It was such a great afternoon.

But mostly our week has revolved around church activities leading up to Easter. I helped (more like observed) with the installation of the paper cut lilies for the sanctuary. We were also part of the Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service. John was asked to do a reading from the King James Version, a stretch for him!

On Saturday there was an Easter Egg dyeing event -- lots of fun. It was even more fun watching them find the eggs on Easter morning.

Easter Sunday was a full worship service, with the Chuuk choir (Micronesain group) and the Church of the Holy Cross choir, along with great organ and trumpet music. I did a fun Children's Sermon, cracking an egg that hadn't been boiled on one of the kid's heads. (I had blown out the inside, so it was "safe.")

A special event during the week was the performance by the preschool of a program that featured the history of the peoples who came to the Hawaiian Islands -- complete with music, dance and costume. They were adorable. Afterwards, a traditional Hawaiian meal prepared by women of the church.

We did have one afternoon to explore more of the area with James Yoshiyama, a member of our church, who loves to take people hiking. We went to the petroglyph area in Volcano-- a place he knows well because he helped map the area when he was in college. He is a wealth of knowledge about the environment and culture.



We had a short visit this week from my brother Kim and sister-in-law Jeanette, both on their Easter break from teaching in Visalia and Dinuba, CA. They needed R&R time, so we only did a little touring in the Hilo area, but did manage a trip to Volcano National Park and the orchid market. I'm always amazed at the variety of landscapes in the Park -- from fern groves, to interesting patterns in the lava beds, sometimes with little plants emerging from the lava, the lava tube, and seascape, including the road that was blocked by the lava in a more recent lava flow -- one I think I witnessed in 1991, walking on that same spot when the lava was flowing nearby.

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The island continues to amaze us with its diversity. We can hardly believe our time here is coming to an end -- we fly home May 12. One more set of visitors -- Stan & Karen Johnsen from Palo Alto -- our Sierra Club friends who have led many Sierra trips to the islands. They are coming in large part for the Merrie Monarch (Hula) festivities that take place this next week. It's a huge deal here -- more about it next week!