day one

i'm in bed.

it's 8 pm.

i willingly embrace the bedtime of a small child due to the 15 hours of travel yesterday, one of the earliest mornings i've had since high school, the immense amount of excitement & socializing among hundreds of us students, the humidity that hates my hair & melts my Lush products, the belly full of hawaiian food, and one of the most energized worship sessions i've ever experienced.

this calls for one good nights rest.

but before i sleep the hardest i'll most likely ever sleep, i thought i'd share the things i've witnessed already (my apologies for the choppiness or lack of cohesion, i truly am exhausted).

i made it to Kona last night around 9:10 pm (Hawaiian time, for you who live in the midwest, i'm about 4-5 hours behind you). immediately upon arrival, i met two people who know a very good family friend of mine back in grand rapids, and one of my dear friends back in chicago. talk about a small world.

i've met tons of people, seen hundreds of faces, all of them representing a different place they call home. i think i was told we have about 92 students in my DTS, and we're still expecting more! we have the most students this quarter than any other in YWAM history. we are representing over 44 nations, and we are all in love and hungry for Jesus Christ. there are so many families here! i think they said around 72 children are on campus. & they are all so BEAUTIFUL! a gorgeous little girl named Rosaline sat next to me tonight at the Luau and clapped, sang, crawled, laughed, ate crayons, and smiled at me with her big brown eyes as we watched the Hawaiian woman dance & men breathe fire. 

i learned of the speakers to come in these next three months. i can't contain my excitement:
andy byrd, taylor stutts, amy sollars, loren & darlene cunningham, heidi baker, tom & donna cole, jon & kinsey thurlow, charles stock, jonathan helser, corey stark, brian bennt, sean feucht, lou engle, susi childers, michael & angela pinkston, and tom osterhus.

seriously, my world is about to get rocked.

i also learned my address. if you'd like to send me letters, photos, packages, anything! please do! postage is the same as it is anywhere in the US. 

Ariel Frey

Fire & Fragrance DTS #429
75-5851 Kuakini Highway
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

this place is alive. 

everyday we greet one another with a kiss, with an "aloha".

alo means: front, face, presence. ha means: breath.

so when you give someone an aloha, you are acknowledging the mahalo, the divine blessing and presence that dwells and breathes life inside of them.

so you touch your forehead and nose to "kiss" the other person, just long enough to give them a breath & praise to our God above.

there is so much beauty there. may we acknowledge the breath of life in everyone daily.

here we grow.