Here’s a change to check out some of my class writings from University of Hawaii Maui.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Saturday, July 15, 2017
VBS in Happy Valley
VBS in Happy Valley
This summer’s tweens and high schoolers camp we partnered up with Living Way church for the week. The theme was “Wonderfully and Fearfully Made”. We started each morning with worship with Calvin and the word by pastor Aaron. Soon after we went to the park up the street to do an afternoon filled with fun dynamic games and activities such as water slide kickball, water slide jumping castle, tie die wars, and many arts and crafts.
Here is a video Pastor Aaron made for you to enjoy:
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
April 25, 2017 Vlog #34
Friday, April 7, 2017
April 2017 Update:
“This generation listens with its eyes & thinks with its feelings.” -Ravi Zacharias
“Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” -Jesus
Aloha kakou! These past few months I have been on a journey of diving deep into the treasures that has been set for me from those who have gone before me. What a great inheritance and responsibility we have to stewart the very thoughts of an eternal loving God and manifest it in time and space. My hopes and prayers for you this month is for all fears, insecurities, and shame to be cast off you so that you will be able to walk into the authority, calling, and presence of God boldly with all wisdom into the places you have never dared to imagine you would go, internally and externally.
He’s calling you to follow Him but it will require leaving all your false comforts, natural understandings, and religious ways behind.
Here are some updates on what has been going on here on the island of Maui with my ministry here at New Hope Maui Church @UHMC:
University of Hawaii Maui College:
*Student Activities Council: This has been my first term on the council and has been a great experience learning how to budget, delegate funds, and create spaces and resources for our 14 clubs on campus. I am privileged to work with 7 other council members on campus to create and facilitate a healthy student life on campus. Being able to collaborate with the Maui community and small business has been a highlight because of the personal connections I have been making with incredible leaders in our administration and community. I love to meet with our members individually and pray together. To me this has been a great witness to myself seeing how many other “secret change agents” are within our community here on the island by simply stepping out in boldness and taking the lead.
*Christian Club 127: Representing your faith on a college campus really puts to test on whom or what you really have your faith in. I have come to see that more people have faith in their own understanding, or fears, or insecurities than in the promises and principles that Jesus taught. Learning on how to “fan the flame” of other christian brothers and sisters in Christ has been probably been more of a task for me this past year. Regardless I am finding that it is not by “might nor by power” but by the Spirit of God that things end up flowing together for His purposes. It is very encouraging to see the representation of people stepping out in faith 3 days a week on campus in our general public areas. We have a fellowship gathering on Mondays, an evangelism table on Tuesdays, and facilitate student life on Wednesdays. We are able to reach close to 50-70+ people every week sharing and living out our faith.
*Hawaiian Language Club: This term we started the Hawaiian language club on campus. It has been a highlight for me this past term learning the Hawaiian language. I am so humbled and blessed by our Kumu and fellow haumana learning together. It has really felt more of an ohana rather than a forced learning time. Within the Hawaiian language community I am learning on how to be even more effective in my communication skills within the people here of Hawaii nei. The Hawaiian langue club has helped me to learn how to train fellow missionaries and community leaders on how to be more culturally aware and sensitive in their “doings”. We host a free beginners class on Mondays and host Hawaiian speakers events through the months as well.
One of the things we do as a club here on campus is promote free cultural practice events and educational programs for the community members to join. So if you are looking to learn more about the Hawaiian language you can find us on Facebook at “Hui Kamailio”.
OTHER MINISTRY LOCATIONS: (more to come on another updates)
-Job Corps
-Hale Makana
-One Love Skate Ministry
Summer Outreaches:
-Honduras: END OF JUNE
-North Korea (DPRK): END OF JULY
FUNDRASING:
For the next few months I will be fundraising for these outreach locations that I will be attending with New Hope Maui. I have been to both places before so we have well established activities and contacts that I am able to function with. More updates on what I will be doing in future updates.
I will be fundraising by selling these t-shirts designed by (https://alohakeakuaclothing.com), “Aloha ke Akua” means God is love in the Hawaiian language. The t-shirts I am selling say “IESU” translating to Jesus in english.
So if you are wanting to support my summers mission by purchasing one of these tees or stickers please email me separate form this email for details. Tees are $25 and come in black and olive green. Stickers are $3 each. Mahalo nui!!!
- Features: Short Sleeve Tee, Ultra soft 50-50 Blended fabric,
- Iesū = Jesus
- 52% combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester (Machine Wash)
(STICKERS FOR SALE $3 EACH)
(last year in North Korea)
(Mariah and I)
FUNDRASING:
For the next few months I will be fundraising for these outreach locations that I will be attending with New Hope Maui. I have been to both places before so we have well established activities and contacts that I am able to function with. More updates on what I will be doing in future updates.
I will be fundraising by selling these t-shirts designed by (https://alohakeakuaclothing.com), “Aloha ke Akua” means God is love in the Hawaiian language. The t-shirts I am selling say “IESU” translating to Jesus in english.
So if you are wanting to support my summers mission by purchasing one of these tees or stickers please email me separate form this email for details. Tees are $25 and come in black and olive green. Stickers are $3 each. Mahalo nui!!!
-Sam
Thursday, December 1, 2016
September - December 2016 Update:
Sam's September - December Update
Aloha everyone! This is my update for this term. I hope you are encouraged and enjoy catching up through this reading.
It is written bullet point style. The names are mostly fake in these stories, but these experiences actually happened. Wanted people to catch up on all the things that were happening here on Maui this past term.
Going to type this out without edit, so excuse the grammatical errors.
“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.”
-CS Lewis
*UHMC:
FREE Coffee table :
I want to start off writing about being a part time student at University of Hawaii Maui Campus and what has been going on there.
For the past three years I have been on campus learning ways to be involved and influential within this system.
This year it was a privilege to feel tightly knitted within the student activities, student government, and existing clubs working side by side to create a lively community on campus.
One of the services we have been providing this term is free coffee from Wailuku Coffee Company and free baked goods from one of our amazing donors!
We set up every Tuesday’s for the whole morning and generate a welcoming lively atmosphere where we talk about life, meaning, purpose, and God to all the passer by’ers.
We also host small businesses like Aloha Ke Akua Clothing and One Love Skate to represent “kingdom” values though material items. We have given away t shirts, stickers, and many hats!
We serve close to 60+ people every Tuesday. It has been a blessing getting to know each person as much as we can. But the thing that sticks out to me the most is when I can pray for someone and it kick starts a deeper hunger and curiosity for God in them.
Most of all I am so surprised at the local church body and volunteers and their heart to serve the community by sharing their gifts. Thanks to you guys! (you know who you are)
*Week with Ravi Zacariahs International Ministries:
Two weeks ago we had a week long event with RZIM team where we dived deep into the intellectual questions the community had about God.
The week event was called the “Grand Narrative” suggesting that we are all part of a bigger story than our own, and we are connected to the author of it all through Jesus Christ.
It was a pioneering time for us and the team in the sense that this kind of even has never happened before. We had free lunch for students every day, and during the lunch time the talks were set up in the outdoor room where students could walk in and out observing the happenings.
The lunch time events lead up to a collective night time event on Thursday where the guest speaker shared about “Is true love possible”. We had 130+ people show up that night and it was a grand success in my eyes. We started off with some hawaiian music, then had pizza for diner, a great message by the speaker, and a time for questions within the audience.
It was so encouraging to see our friends from Oxford England come and join us here on Maui.
They even got to share in a professors room which I am hoping to see more of in the future. To me that was unheard of.
*Hele wau i ka papa olelo hawaii
Aloha! Pe hea oe?!
Hauoli wau no ka mea, hele wau i ka papa olelo hawaii. Lu’u hohonu wau i ka manao hawaii. Hele kakou!
This term I have been practicing and learning Hawaiian language which has been my favorite part of the year. O keia papa oleleo hawaii ka’u. Maikai no ka mea i ke kumu a me ka mau haumana.
This experience has helped me to ignite a better understanding of the culture here in Hawaii and realize things that I took for granted and never understood why outsiders never got it. (if that makes sense)
So many unbelievable opportunities has opened up because of this and am excited to share more as they bloom and produce fruit!
[ 1 Timothy 6:6-7 ]
*Neighborhood Outreach Location 1:
Every Tuesday and Wednesday a group of YWAM Maui volunteers and I run a two hour youth group where we do a park activity for an hour and then do an inside activity in the community center for another hour.
We have been focusing on baseball for the past two months with our group of kids, and have seen close to $2,000 worth of supplies and donations come in.
We have a youth group close to 40+ youth in the neighborhood that are just so willing to participate, grow, learn and also teach us volunteers.
It is also a great place for our volunteers to learn how to reach out and share their faith in a group setting of young youth. It is great because before the volunteers go into another country and work with youth they get to practice here with me first and I can help them to keep the focus relational rather than program.
At this location we also do house to house prayer and baked goods distribution. We get wagons full of baked goods, cakes, bagels, bread, etc. and we go house to house praying and seeing to families needs and their bread diets. It is incredible on how much you can do in a few hours.
One of the families are waiting for someone who can do a weekly bible study in their house. And I am foreseeing more and more of this kinds of opportunities opening up. So please pray with me for passionate people who want to share the word with families!!!!
One highlight this term is we now have enough funds for another t.v. and gaming system. We already got one flat screen t.v. and xbox. We for sure need another one with how many kids we have. The administration lady said we have enough funds last week so I am looking forward to purchasing more electronics.
*Side note: I wanted to share about many of the personal stories and events with individuals and just the joy of seeing different kinds of transformations within people but since this is a public post didn’t want to embarrass anyone by writing about them. So i didn’t, but if you see me and want to hear some cool stories let me know. I can tell you.
“The fire doesn’t make you what you are; it reveals what you were.” -Jack Hyles
Skateboarding:
This term I have been going out to skateboard at least once every other week. My body is heavier. But for some reason it gives me more incentive to land tricks because if I fall it will hurt more.
Our “One Love Skate” ministry is doing amazing! check out: www.oneloveskate.org for more info. I can’t believe how much over the years this ministry has grown. It is such a radical thing to be a part of with Josh M. and I know the influence has been major.
Cool update is now we have a merchandise page on the website where you can directly support the ministry by buying some One Love gear.
I have been doing skate lessons at Hale Makana once a week and the kids are loving it. My passion for skate coaching has been reignited and my heart to share skateboarding with the Nations has been reimagined.
I was talking with one of my friends from “Moke Life” and we came up with an idea to ask fellow skateboarders to donate their used parts so I can take them on my missions trips. So with that in mind I have been working on projects to accumulate skate resources and teaming up with developing countries strategies how we can use skateboarding to develop strong leaders.
This is my favorite project yet. Some countries on the line up for this skate project include Burma, Australia, and DPRK. So exciting things to come. Would love to get some of our island skaters in these places so keep us in mind and will be putting some stuff out and ways you can support this cause.
In recent skate news here on Maui, I am doing our annual skate clinic day Dec 17 @ Kihei skatepark from 9am-12PM. Past few years we have been giving away over $1,000 worth of skate things. But not only that we have snacks, drinks, music, contests, and skate lessons by me.
So if you want to learn how to skate come for a visit and lets have some fun!
Mahalo. Thanks for reading and taking some time to catch up. Looking forward to all the adventures this winter break and looking forward to the new year 2017!!! Greater things are yet to come.
Just want to say thanks to the New Hope Maui team, One Eighty, Jarred, Josh M., and the UHMC campus team.
-sam
Friday, September 30, 2016
mixed bag:
Ezekiel 13 [CEV] says:
**Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the prophets of Israel who say they speak in my name, but who preach messages that come from their own imagination. Tell them it’s time to hear my message. 3 I, the Lord God, say those lying prophets are doomed! They don’t see visions—they make up their own messages! 4 Israel’s prophets are no better than jackals[a] that hunt for food among the ruins of a city. 5 They don’t warn the people about coming trouble or tell them how dangerous it is to sin against me.**
We must learn to speak the truth, not make up words which are ear tickling and fanciful to please the listener. The word of God is good for correction, direction, instruction, discipline, as well as encouragement but not all words of prophecy, not all dreams & visions, are going to be ear tickling.
Trials are sent to build up our faith and teach us to trust in the God we now have a personal relationship with.
All believers have the Holy Spirit otherwise they have not been born again. If a believer has the Spirit, he has all of the Spirit, because God is not divisible.
However how we die to self and not be attracted to the world and the flesh, and cooperate in obedience to the Lord will dictate how much He can use our life.
Jesus promises John 7:38-39 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
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