3rd Week in Hilo

What a week it's been! It rained a lot the first part of the week, but the last half has been beautiful. The photo above is from a nearby picnic area. Hilo area at its best!

I preached my first sermon at the Church of the Holy Cross.

I ended the sermon with a story about a teacher, and found out there are quite a few teacher-types in the congregation. (I got extra points for that!) Then we participated after the service in the Mardi Gras-type lunch and activities for the congregation. Tom Olcott, senior pastor, is a magician, and performed some fun magic tricks. It was fun to watch the childrens' faces. We all made masks and tried our gift of ventriloquism -- not so hot! Then each of the tables participated in some Minute-To-Win-It type games. We told them that Guy Fieri, host of that TV show, lives just a couple of miles from our Santa Rosa house. (Not sure they were all that impressed!)

On the last day Kristen and Jason were both here, they wanted to be outside in the sun. We tried to have a bbq in one of the parks Sunday afternoon, but it was raining off and on. John tried to get the bbq lit, but it was just too soggy. So we sat with our wine and snacks looking out at the ocean. Then we started seeing blow spouts. Then whales--right in front of us -- 5-6 of them--breaching! It was worth sitting on wet benches! Came home and cooked our delicious fresh ahi, with mud pie for dessert. (My kids favorite!)

Jason left early Monday morning. It was still raining most of the day, so no sun tanning for Kristen's last day here. Instead we went to the Lyman Museum, which included a tour of the original home of some of the first missionaries. Interesting.

John and I went up to Volcano National Park late one afternoon, hoping to see the eruption.

Unfortunately, the only way to see it is from the air. We stayed until dark to see the glow in the crater near the museum -- created by the hot lava below and steam above. But it wasn't very impressive that night, and we were cold, so didn't stay long.

The excitement of the week was the tsunami alert. We had been to a lovely dinner meeting Thursday evening, and soon after we got home, got a call warning us about the alert, but assuring us we were high enough we didn't have to evacuate. Five hours before the tsunami was to hit they started sounding the sirens. There's no way anyone could miss them--they are loud! It's so interesting to have so many hours of advance warning. Not like the instant havoc of an earthquake. People went out to get supplies, gas, etc. We collected water in whatever container we could find; washed clothes; boiled some eggs; e-mailed friends that we were okay. We had no idea if we would have electricty, water, or phone service afterwards. The news kept saying, "Prepare for the worst; hope for the best." Hawaii was lucky -- we got "the best." Very little damage. We drove to the waterfront the next day and could hardly tell anything had happened.
The concern, of course, is with the Japanese people. Many of the people at the Church of the Holy Cross are Japanese, so the concern is heightened. We keep them in our hearts and prayers.

On Sat. John and I took a picnic to another park area north of us, and walked through a beautiful rain forest. I had no idea there were so many varieties of palm trees. Gorgeous plants.

Sat evening we went to a Vine & Jazz event at the Imiloa Astronomy Center on the University of Hawaii -- just across from our house. The music was great. Several different wines (the best was a cab from Chateau St. Jean in Santa Rosa area!), and great food. A fun evening.

And, oh, yes...I have worked some! I still call it ministry-lite, although next week the senior minister will be on the mainland, so it's up to me to take care of the church!

FYI -- Hawaii does not go on Daylight Savings Time, so we are now 3 hours behind California time.

2nd Week in Hilo

This was a special week -- Kristen & Jason visited. We have so much fun as a family, and this was another great time from start to finish. Jason landed last Sunday afternoon in a downpour -- the first daytime rain we'd had since we arrived. He left early this morning in a downpour. We seem to be in the rainy season, but it only dampened our plans a little.

One day they rented a car (convertible) and drove to the Volcano National Park, --they got a sunburn to prove it was sunny that day. Lava is flowing there again as of yesterday and some of the roads are closed now closed, so it is good they went when they did. I had to work the day they went (yes, I really do work some of the time!), but they had a great day.

Our big treat was to go to the Kona side of the island where there are better beaches, better snorkelling and more sun. We stayed at a wonderful Sheraton resort, and it was lovely, even if it was a bit cloudy part of the time! It was also partly a celebration of John's birthday; we had a couple wonderful dinners out.

Went to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau (try saying that!) National Historical Park--the "Place of Refuge" which is the most complete restoration of an ancient Hawaiian religious sanctuary in Hawaii. Saw two large turtles sunning on the rocks on the path. Fairly good snorkelling nearby, but it started raining so we left.. Saw a lot of Kona coffee orchards and sampled some of the coffee on the way.

On our way to and from the Kona side of the island, we made several stops. We walked around on the lava fields. Went to a resort area where they advertised swimming with the dolphins. (Didn't take a picture but we finally found the place in a fancy Hilton resort.) Nearby we found a beach with green water -- no green sand, just green water. There was a wonderful coral beach area nearby.

We took one day to drive around the most eastern tip of the Big Island, stopping for gorgeous ocean and vegetation views. (pictures below) Our first stop turned out to be a "clothing optional" beach. We had to go down a fairly steep cliff to get there, and John hadn't changed into his bathing suit like the rest of us. We urged him to go "natural" but he was afraid I'd take a picture and post it on the blog or Facebook!

We had our picnic lunch overlooking a beautiful blue ocean with waves crashing below us. Then we found the large thermal pool and picnic grounds. It was almost like swimming in a hot tub. Jason and I took turns laying out on an air mattress. I loved looking up at the palm trees, the sunny, blue sky (it was raining back in Hilo), and feeling the warm water lap around me. Paradise, indeed!

First week in Hilo

I have been welcomed and introduced to the people and groups of the church in various ways this week. My part-time Visiting Associate resposibilities include participating in the 3 Bible study groups, attend meetings, special functions, and visit the parishioners. This first week there were 3 special events with big meals. (I really am going to gain weight at this rate because they also send plates of food home with us.) We also went to one of the Rotary meetings as a guest of the senior minister, Tom Olcott.

The Church of the Holy Cross (UCC) is largely a Japanese congregation, along with Hawaiians, and people from the Micronesian islands, primarily from Pohnpei and Chuuk -- two places I had never heard of before. Two of the events this week were celebrations -- one a wedding reception of a Chuuk couple, so it was beautifully decorated. Another was a celebration of the first year's anniversary of the Ponpei worshiping congregation who are an extension of our church. One of the meals had a whole roasted pig and lots of other meats; two of the three meals had raw fish and fish heads, poi and various other foods that we weren't familiar with. Lots of desserts. Lots of music and entertainment, including hula dancing. Tom & Lois Olcott and John and I were presented with shell or woven yarn leis. At another meeting of the Senior Ministry I was presented with a gorgeous intricate floral lei -- I didn't get a close up, but I am wearing it in the picture with the Pearsons (below.)

I've also attended a Trustees meeting -- they are very careful in all the details they manage. And John and I both went to the Sunday School class where they are reading William Sloan Coffin's book, Credo. Short, but great discussion.

We enjoyed having Ginnie and Larry Pearson and their friends visit us one day. Ginnie is another retired United Methodist pastor, who has just finished a 2-year assignment serving a church in England. They were staying in Kona for a week of vacation, and drove over the island to join us for lunch. We picked the Pesto Cafe, and found out after the fact it is one of the really good local, more historic restaurants. I unfortunately picked up a cold during the week, and that was one of the days that I really wasn't feeling that great, but it was still fun to see them.

We have had a wonderful first week in Hilo, both exploring the area, and getting acquainted with the people of The Church of the Holy Cross. The photos below are of a short hike to Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls, both near Hilo. The vegetation is beautiful, with ginger plants, bamboo, banana, and any number of other flora and fauna.

Greetings from Hilo, Hawaii

John and Gayle were greeted by Rev. Tom & Lois Olcott and Sue Smith (minister and lay women) from the Church of the Holy Cross when they landed in Hilo, HI (the Big Island) on Monday, February 14. Gayle will be starting a 3-month part-time associate pastor position at this church on Tuesday, February 22.

A 4-bedroom, 2 bath parsonage (house) next to the church has been lovingly furnished by the congregation and provided for us. We feel blessed to have this opportunity. We have driven around Hilo a bit in the last couple of days and are starting to get the lay of the land. Not so many sandy beaches on this side of the island (Kona, on the other side, has more), but lots to do. We're looking forward to having time to explore.



Before officially starting the work, we took a several day trip to Kauai for a vacation. We love the snorkeling and beaches, the flora and fauna on that Garden Isle. My favorite beach, Ke'e, is at the end of the road on the north side of the island. Very crowded and overcast the day we were there, so not quite as idealic as I remembered. Not very good snorkeling, either, unfortunately. The snorkeling was best near where we were staying at Poipu area.

I didn't remember so many wild chickens. They are scavengers on the beaches and parks, like sea gulls might be in our area. We learned a new term for the hazy atmosphere -- "voggy." It has to do with the ash from the volcanic activity on the Big Island, we were told. The weather was mostly good, but cooler and cloudier than other times we've visited. The trip to the Waimea Canyon alternated between foggy, filtered sun and downpouring rain, so the visibility was not as good as we would have liked.

All in all, though, a wonderful way to begin our time in Hawaii.