Refreshing Tidings .

There are many things God has freed in me this past week - but right now I would like to write about some fun I've had the pleasure of having this weekend. It was my first free weekend since the beginning. God is a God of fun.


A truck load of friends and I drove up to Mauna Kea at 3am Saturday morning -a two hour drive from Kona. It's the highest mountain in the world from under sea level to top. We drove nearly five miles from the top (as far as Chelsea's small truck would volunteer take us) and parked under the spray painted starry sky. I have never seen a sky full of so many stars - and I'm from Texas! We laid in the bed of her truck snuggled with blankets, scarves, sleeping bags, and pillows galore. It was nice to be cold for once when you have many bodies in close proximity to keep warm, I suppose! 
(girlfriends who went: Chelsea, Rebecca, Kerry, Gabriella, Hannah, and Annie) 

Watching the sunrise over the clouds.
PC: Rebecca Hepner

Chilly Saturday morning at Mauna Kea 

 (Annie, Gabriella, Hannah, myself, and Rebecca) 
Some of girls laying the bed of the truck 
at Mauna Kea
watching the stars at 3am until sunrise.

inhale, exhale .

Shortly after we returned home Saturday morning, we all crashed in our beds and relaxed a few hours. Around noon on Saturday I went to the water with my friend Melody and had a picnic. The water was strikingly bluer than usual. 

The water was especially blue,
 I had to capture it.
Kona, Hawaii 

Saturday evening my friend Kesia (my roommate, fellow Engage Staffer, and dear friend) invited a group of girls to her family's house - where I like to go ever so often for a "home" environment. There we all baked sweet goods, played Twister and Apples to Apples, then watched a movie. 

My beloved friend Kesia - this is her family's house//
my escape home.
(the natural sun-rays blow me away)

Kesia and I playing a friendly,
competitive game of Twister. 

I could wash dishes all day
with a view like this! 

The small blessings:
getting to use a kitchen.

It's now Sunday morning and I am contemplating over a hot cup of Chamomile Tea in bed whether or not to go out today - or keep journaling, studying, & listening to podcasts on my fluffy cloud until our staff meeting this evening. 
What do you think?