Beachin' It

I have been meaning to write this post for a few days now. I guess it is better late than never. The school is going well. I recently asked a friend why it seems so much easier this time and she reminded me how crazy and out of the ordinary my last school was. The students are so much fun and a joy to be around. They are growing so much in their faith and knowledge of the Lord and I am growing too.

Our school leaders have tried to create opportunities for fun outings on the weekends. There are so many amazing things to see on Maui but it's difficult for students when they don't have cars. Last weekend we went to Ka'anapali, which is the tourist side of the island. This is the place people think I live in Maui with fabulous beaches and resorts. This is not true. I definitely like going over there to play tourist. When I was on staff before, my friend, Amy and I would hitch all the way over there. It usually took about 3 hitches and 2 hours to get there but it was worth it to pretend we were on vacation.

This time most of the students and some of the staff went. When we got there, we saw a large cloud of black smoke and heard fire trucks. The outdoor restaurant at the Westin had caught on fire. All the grass canopies above the tables were burned up and still smoldering when we joined the gawkers.

We all hung out on the beach and had a great time. There is a part of the beach called Black Rock where you can jump off cliffs into the ocean. I didn't jump but I did get some good pictures of people jumping. Nick, one of the leaders, ended up splitting his board shorts when he jumped. Then he walked down the beach unashamed with his butt exposed to the world. It was pretty hilarious! Overall it was a lot of fun.