ALOHA!
I made it to Maui!
I have finally arrived!
This is what I chose to do for this trip to Maui. So after a day of road trip travel, and a half a day of air travel (with a 4 hour time change from my city of origin), I arrived on Maui a bit jet lagged but very excited to spend the week in such a beautiful place.
When I make these art ministry trips, in order to have a more authentic experience and also to keep the trip costs down (as you know, I raise the funding for my trips on my own through various creative means), I stay with those who I am traveling to serve through art ministry. With this trip I am coming alongside the pastors of Ke Aha Vineyard church in Kahului to creatively minister to their family and congregation, so I'm getting to stay with them.
This week is a big one for them, as their son is getting married and many family and friends are coming from the mainland to celebrate with them. Part of what I get to do this week (along with painting live during their worship service next Sunday evening) is help out with preparations for the wedding and join in the celebrations with them.
Once landed on the island I was given the opportunity for a quiet and relaxing afternoon to acclimate (with a great view of the ocean and Haleakala volcano and the Iao mountains from where I'm staying). The island isn't that big...so you can see a lot of it from certain spots. It was beautiful sunny blue skies with some clouds and a bit of a breeze. The temp was 88 degrees F (perfect!) but I am having to adjust to the humidity.
One of the things I really enjoy about what I get to do on these trips is being able to experience a slice of local culture and every day life with my hosts. I love that I get to enter into the conversations that God is having with them as I learn about how they are ministering, how they're ministering to others, and what is happening in their lives. Life can be messy and life can be hard and life can be sweet and life can be healing. It's all there, and God is in it all. It's those unplanned unforced rhythms of grace that we get to experience his love. I look for those. They bring about the best moments of entering into the conversation. God is good and I'm already getting to hear how He is moving within their stories. Maybe I'll get a chance to share some of those stories with you this week.
Blessings to you my friends, from a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Much Aloha to you!
It Takes A Tribe
So one of the main reasons I'm here on Maui this time (along with painting live) is to experience a Hawaiian wedding taking place within the Ke Aha tribe. And I'm not just attending the wedding...I'm getting the opportunity to join in with the tribe and help out with the preparations. As with any wedding..It's a lot of work for all involved. This has been fun getting to experience the work within community. This is a time where everyone (family, friends, young, older, men, women, locals, and those of us from the mainland) gets to pitch in and create something really special for the bride and groom. Everyone gets to play. And let me tell you...this is gonna be a big wedding Hawaiian style!
Over the last few days I've been able to attend the bridal shower and I've been able to help out with the preparations for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding reception. My "guns" have been utilized to load and unload (several times at various locations) tons of groceries and cookery and heavy stuff, along with some house cleaning work at a location for the rehearsal dinner (and I'll also help with set up at the wedding reception location). And you know...it's been worth every sore muscle. This tribe sure knows how to celebrate and love and be inclusive and spread Aloha. They're so much fun and pure joy to be around.
And believe me...compared to everyone else I've barely done anything. I can't even do justice in this post to describe the amount of celebration work that everyone (especially those who are immediate family members and in the wedding party) has been doing. Truly it takes a tribe!
I've attached some photos of the festivities the last couple of days...sorry a bit heavy on the female side of things...
me and my friend, the beautiful bride Kylee at the bridal shower held up in the Iao Valley.
so the last time Kylee and I posed for a photo together was last year when she had taken me surfing off Lahaina...and now here we are a year later and...she's getting married!
lots of wahines (women) at the bridal shower
time to embarrass the bride with questions and gifts
the bride and her bridesmaids (she has 12! and the groom has 12 groomsmen!)
the location of the rehearsal dinner
my friend Erica is one of the bridesmaids
rehearsal dinner and reception dinner preps
working hard with Aunty Shelley
there's a funny story behind this pile of chairs...it contains some buckets, a pool, a brush, and a lot of stairs.
these plaques are hanging in the Ke Aha house
Indeed!
A Day In Paia Town
Today everyone was gone doing wedding rehearsal stuff up in Kula and over in Wailea. So I took the day off, took some time for myself and went exploring. The possibilities were endless of what I could do, but I already had my plan. There is a small hippy/artsy/surfer town near the beach called Paia that I had visited last time I was on the island and had fallen in love with and I wanted to go back. So today was my chance! I chose to take the bus and spend the day on the beach and meander around Paia Town.
I hadn't taken the bus on the island before but I was able to get the deets from one of the guys at the house and then found the schedule on-line. I purchased an all day pass for only $4 from the bus driver. I took the Wailuku Loop #1 into a main hub where I transferred to the Haiku #35 and that took me to Paia. It was roughly about 40 minutes altogether.
Paia basically is 2 streets that T.
The shops, restaurants, galleries, and coffee shops are all fun to explore.
I love this surfboard fence!
This turtle mural is on the side of one of the buildings near a coffee shop I sat down at.
I got my lunch at a taco truck (a red snapper fish taco for only $3). It was HEAVENLY!
Oh and I also purchased a can of POG at one of the gas station food marts. The Hawaiian lady who served me was really friendly and we shared in some laughs. In fact, I have found that everyone I chatted with today at the shops were very friendly, full of Aloha spirit, and ready to talk to me. I enjoy those moments when I can share in a bit of convo with people, wishing them well and spreading more Aloha.
I took some time at a Paia Bay Coffee to sit and journal and do some painting. This was relaxing and also refreshing (I had an iced latte).
The beach at Paia is beautiful! It's one of my favorites! It's within a couple minutes walking distance from the T and breathtaking to enter.
I spent quite a long time here on the beach...I let the water wash over my feet, I wiggled my toes in the sand, and I sat and watched the tiny sand crabs scurry about while I listened to the sound of the surf nearby and felt the warm sun on my skin and the cool breeze blow.
There were a few people boogie boarding and swimming. But these 2 guys came ready to surf.
a taste of Maui for you...hit play to watch and listen
I've enjoyed every day I've been here on the island. But this day was truly good for my soul.
If you zoom in on this photo and look closely at the graffiti on this surfboard you just might be surprised at what you read. It's a bench at one of the bus stops in Paia.
I eventually made my way back to the house in Wailuku...taking the #35 Haiku bus to the hub and transferring to the Wailuku #2 to go home.
Paia didn't disappoint. Once again I came away convinced that if I were to live on the island I would want to live in this happy little place.
Much Aloha!
The Wedding
Mr. & Mrs. Waiau. photo by Erica Primak
I got to experience a really cool wedding that combined flavors of the Pacific Northwest and Hawaiian culture together. Leo is from Hawaii and Kylee is from Oregon. Together (along with much help from the Tribe) they had a really beautiful ceremony and fun reception that felt very Kinfolk-ish. With a nod to both of their families they created their own style together.
The ceremony was held in a tiny traditional Episcopal church up in Kula on the Haleakala volcano, with mountainous tropical forest overlooking breathtaking views of the island.
They included friends and family as much as they could. 12 bridesmaids and 12 groomsmen, along with Leo's 3 adult sisters as flower women, surrounded Leo and Kylee in a semi-circle of love and support. The church was small so it was packed and many people stood outside watching through the numerous side windows surrounding the building with even more support and aloha. It was a beautiful picture of how much this couple values community and relationship.
At one point in the ceremony everyone sung a hymn in Hawaiian in honor of Leo's heritage.
Click on the video to watch and listen.
The reception was set out on a large field surrounded by trees over looking the island. The rows and rows of long tables were decorated with mason jar candles, fresh greenery clippings, driftwood, and succulents. The area was given ambience with lots of hanging lights and lanterns from the trees.
Leo makes his own home brews. There were many to try (my favorite was the oatmeal stout!)
As the sun went down the lighting became almost magical.
Leo being lifted up by the crowd on the dance floor. photo by Isabeau Walker
They hired a DJ for a dance party to celebrate the occasion well into the night. I've been to a lot of weddings over the years (and many with dances at the receptions) but I've never experienced such a well attended wedding where a majority of the attenders participated in the dance party from the first song to the last. Everyone was enjoying themselves and celebrating together in community. And I had an absolute blast! You know how much I love to dance! That was a fun party!
Leo & Kylee with the painting that I painted them as a gift for their wedding.
It's called "The Risk". It's acrylic on canvas.
The next morning the Waiau's had their traditional family brunch at the house together. The whole family came to eat and continue the celebration. And yes...even Leo & Kylee were there!
This family is all about community and relationship.
It truly was an honor to be here to experience with them this milestone in their lives. I have felt honored all week to have been able to help out with whatever I could, as part of the Tribe. And let me tell you...it really does take a village (or a tribe) to carry these kinds of events/moments in life. So many people helped out throughout the week, before, during, and after the wedding. It was really cool to see how many people pulled together in love and support of Leo & Kylee and of the Waiau family.
During the family brunch hang out time at the house, amidst all the conversations taking place throughout, I captured a moment of Uncle Kaleo, Dawn, and Isabeau impromptu worshipping. It's a normal thing for members of the family to sing and play together like this. Jesus is always the center.
Click on the video to watch and listen.
Ke Aha Vineyard
Ke Aha means "the gathering"
Ke Aha Vineyard church meets at 5pm on Sunday nights. For years they rented and met in the back of a Carpet Warehouse (setting up and taking down each time) giving them the freedom to be grassroots and mobile. That's where they were when I was last on Maui and had the honor of getting to paint for them 2 of the Sundays I was on the island. Currently they rent space from another church in Kahului. The venue may be different, but Ke Aha is still the same inclusive loving community that I had met a year ago. Tonight I was able to join the worship team once again (led by Leo & Kylee, Joey, and Sonny) to paint live with the music and singing.
Before I left Idaho I spent time in prayer about what I was to paint for Ke Aha. I believe God gave me the imagery, Scriptures, words, and message (I scribbled them all into my travel journal) and it has been percolating within me throughout the week I've been here.
I love how God loves us. He has a way of speaking something specific to several people (without them connecting with each other ahead of time) and then having that message come through loud and clear when those people are brought together. That is what happened tonight during the service.
God had spoken something to me in Idaho to paint for Ke Aha. At the same time God had spoken something specific to the worship leaders about which songs to choose to have us sing. And at the same time God had spoken something specific to a guest speaker (who serves in China). And Uncle Kaleo talked at the beginning of the service about how God is conversing with us all, all the time...so each of us can listen and hear Him. All of this converged together tonight.
The word from our speaker was about God calling us
The message within my painting was about Jesus calling us "Come and See...Follow Me"
The phrasing within one of the songs was "Come and See"
All of this spoke loud and clear to us...God is calling Ke Aha to take the next steps, to follow Him wherever/however He calls. I love it when stuff like this happens...when we're all there with our mouths wide open in awe...when we're brought to tears and smiles go from ear to ear. It's those moments when you know in your knower that God is THAT interested in us.
"Come and See, Follow Me"
22x28 mixed media on canvas
c. 2015 Lisa Marten
I had another situation take place tonight that was just as awe inspiring.
So on these art ministry trips I make sure that I'm responsible for purchasing all the art supplies needed for whatever creative ministry I will be doing on the trip. Monies for the art supplies are raised through creative ways and several different channels. I'm always faced with a decision at the end of a trip. What do I do with the unused art supplies? Depending upon the trip and it's specific make up, depends on how that question is answered. Most of the time I enjoy giving the supplies away to my hosts or an artist that I know could use them.
Before I left Idaho I asked God to direct me to the person who I was to give around 20 large tubes of acrylic paint and 2 large drop cloths to. It wasn't until just as we were all leaving the building tonight that a friend of mine introduced me to someone whom I hadn't met yet. This person had actually just arrived (having missed the entire service and thus missed my painting and the message). So upon meeting her I showed her the painting and began to explain stuff. Her responses to it were very receptive. At that moment I was listening to the conversation God was having with her and I was compelled to ask, "by any chance are you an artist? do you paint?" With hesitation she answered, "yes, why?" and with excitement I blurted out, "how would you like to have some new paints?" She squealed with joy! She quickly let me know that she had just been having a conversation with Him and felt she was to paint a specific painting in a specific place, but she didn't have any paints currently. I immediately grabbed my bag and handed her the paints and then grabbed the drop cloths too. She squealed again with joy! It was an answer to her prayers...and mine. I'm telling you...what just happened was a type of miracle that God loves to give. It's not just about the paints she wanted or the paints I wanted to let go of. It's about the both of us receiving His love through someone else. That's the miracle.
I love it when God does stuff like that. When you know in your knower that what you just experienced was Him loving us so much. It's about learning to listen. And when you hear...learning to trust Him by responding in obedience with confidence. He knows what He's doing. And He loves to give us moments like that where we get to be a part of the story. He is that interested in us.
Tonight was a beautiful night for Ke Aha.
The gathering had LOVE in it's midst.
Come and See
I'll Be Back
photo credit: Erica Primak
My last day on Maui was filled with Ohana Aloha.
The house was busy with Ke Aha Tribe preparing to head out to celebrate Leo's birthday, all getting their hugs and goodbyes to me. Beau played me a song that she wrote on her guitar as a farewell for me (which made me cry and feel so loved). There were hugs and selfies with Uncle Kaleo and Aunty Shelley, Beau, and Dawn. And there was a lovely breakfast out at a local spot in Wailuku with Erica.
And just before I headed to the airport, Erica took me to a local beach that Ke Aha usually goes to for many of their beach gatherings. I was able to enjoy the sand and the water and the sun one last time before heading back to the mainland. We waded in the water and let the surf speak peace. We beach combed for bits of coral and let the sand speak comfort. We stood and watched the water out on the horizon and let the sun speak rest.
Maui you have captured my heart.
You have given Aloha and spoken Love.
I will miss you.
Mahalo.
No comments:
Post a Comment