Hello web community!

If you've been following you'll know that...
1. I've been accepted to a university program for my masters in public health (begins March 3)
2. I need to come up with $35,000 to pay for it. (update, I just received my first rejection letter! )
3. My days in Chicago are numbered, how many numbers I still don't know.
4. I'd like to work in an international environment.

OK, so to expand on number 3. I have the following "eggs" in my basket.
a. if God provides money for school then that's the first choice actually.
b. I've been offered a job at my old spot in so cal, in fact my old boss said, "I know you're like me Darren and money talks so we'll make it worth it for you, so you don't have to go backwards"
c. I'm in the process of submitting my teaching application to the Hawaii State Board of Education. There is a really nice lady in the Kauai county office that is keeping an eye out for me. I just think it would be nice to go back.

Basically that's it. So really there may be decisions to make but then again there may not be, if I don't get money for school then I can't go this year...if Hawaii doesn't have any positions then I don't go there, which leaves California!

So that's where I am right now, and on the eve of a 2 week trip to sunny Thailand and of course a few days in freezing Japan because temperature doesn't affect sushi.

Anyway, I'm in a holding pattern right now. I hope to spend some time reflecting and in prayer while I'm away. Your prayers for direction are also appreciated. More important than any of this is that I'm where God wants me to be and doing what God wants me to do.

Thanks for reading...

OK, so I just got back from my trip home. 
The welcome I got when I returned to Chicago was a wind chill of 24
degrees and a forcast for snow, ice and rain...I can see I'm not
welcome here.    Well, the memories are still warm and pleasant.  Here are some pictures of my old stomping grounds...

Waimea Canyon

Old Cane Mill

Skinboarding fun (MB)

OK, so these "nephews" were 6 and 7 years old when we met, these incredible young men are now 19 and 20.

Check out the clouds this day, amazing...

Big Island, Hapuna

The Little Church, Kailua-Kona

Pololu on a cloudy day

A Jackson we found in the yard

My favourite flower, the hibiscus.  


Well, thanks for reading and sharing my pictures.  

So I think the roosters' internal clocks are jacked up.  They are crowing all night, not just at daybreak.  I went to bed last night at 1am and they were already crowing.  Maybe it's the full moon?  Anyway, they didn't stop either, even after daybreak, cock a doodle doo!  Sounds of home, good to hear.

So the college acceptance process is really two part.  The first part is getting accepted in the first place by the university.  The second part is you accepting the acceptance.  So I got accepted to grad school, now I have to decide if I will accept the acceptance.  I say that not because I don't want to go but, rather, I don't have the money to go...yet.  I need to apply for grants but the timing is short.  The term begins on March 10.  My prayer now is, Lord, do I accept or do you have other plans?  I'm putting a fleece out, if it's wet (I get funding) then I go!  Please keep that in prayer for me.   Thanks!

...at home in the Islands, at home in the Islands, at home in the middle of the sea...

-Makaha sons of Ni'ihau

So when you move around all the time you have many "homes," places that you live.  There's another "home" and that's the place your heart is, the place that you long to return to, the place where culture and heart converge...

I've come home.  It's been two years since I've been back, and it's been 12 years since I've had a permanant address here but I felt it when the plane touched down and I got off and felt that warm, humid sea air.  Hawaii.  I didn't spend much time in Honolulu, came right over to Kaua'i, the place I started out so long ago, but the Island that i've lived least time on.  I love it here and dread returning...no need to think about that now, I'm going to drink this in.

I am staying with some friends that I've known for 13 years, incredible.  Times are good.

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.  Go shopping!

Thanks for reading

I was sad and appalled that the parking lot where I work now has Christmas decorations.  It's not even Thanksgiving yet!

What the freak?? I can't believe that I go so long between posts. 
Anyway, we skipped fall entirely here.  It went from 90 degrees one day
to 70 the next to 50 the next and we skipped the 60s entirely.  Now the
highs are just in the 40s.  I still wear flip flops though as I am
protesting winter and of course trying to stay true to my roots!  I'm
afraid that that bold statement will too come to an end very soon. 

Warning!!  I'm about to step up on my soapbox!  Seriously this has been
bothering me this last couple weeks as I've been passing the signs...

So I have a problem with Christianizing everything.  A recent example
that has infiltrated a town near you is the Harvest Festival, which if
you ask anyone they'll tell you it's a "Christian" Halloween festival. 
What the hell is different from a Harvest Festival vs a Halloween
festival except for the fact that there are rules as to what kind of
costume you can wear...and what if a neighborhood kid walked in to the
Harvest festival with a gory costume with fake blood all over it? 
Would you send them home?  Would you take them to the side and say
that's not an appropriate costume?  OR would you embrace the lad like
Jesus would.  Of course some people would but plenty others would be
thinking, "why did that kids mother allow them to dress up like that." 
Why can't we just celebrate Halloween with the rest of the
neighborhood, give out candy have fun, EAT candy, and just freakin'
call it Halloween.  You know the Bible says that the Earth is the Lords
and everything in it and that
everyday is the day that the Lord has made, NOT everyday except October
31st.  So why can't we take back that day in the name of Jesus.  We
can't keep doing our own thing, we need to infiltrate the world with
the love of Christ and not have our own little exclusive clubs.

Now what about the Christian cafe?  Why can't it just be cafe?  And don't even get me started on Christian movies!    

So even though we skipped fall, there was still some fall foilage that I got a couple pictures of..

ok so i do have more pictures i guess i forgot to download them so i'll post more later

thanks for reading!

It's been an interesting October. I started thinking about how I can get out of Chicago muy rapido. I want to go to grad school and started looking at schools overseas and some of them start early in the year so the thought of starting in Feb sounded too good to me...it's just too quick a turn around especially since i want to get scholarships and I need to give myself time for that to happen. I've been learning a lot lately as God is dealing with me in some areas of my life. I'm relearning what it means to be a...Christ follower. I'm trying to center myself again in who Christ is. My prayer again is that Christ is at the very depths of my heart. That what is important to Him is important to me. That what gets Him excited gets me excited. I want to love people, all people of all cultures, even the cultures that are right here where I am.

Fall is here. Last week started out at 90 degrees and ended up at 50. This week is rebounding. I ran at the forest preserve yesterday in a t-shirt as it was 75 degrees. I thank God for the wonderful gift. If only it stays nice through the 23rd, my birthday. I haven't had a cold birthday in ____years!

OK, thanks for reading. Oh, one other thing, I caved in and got Facebook, so maybe I'll catch you there.

darren

Just finished Harry Potter, the final book.  In a word...brilliant.

Did a ropes course and climbing wall last week with a group of students from school.  The challenge I had for myself was to climb the wall, blindfolded.  I did it, all the way to the top and then glided back down, also blindfolded.  I am happy to have conquered my challenge.

That's me on the left in the brown, only halfway up.

I know I've been out of touch lately, sorry.

thanks for reading!