Aloha! School Starts Tomorrow!

Aloha my wonderful ohana and hoa makamaka (Hello my wonderful family and close friends)! I made it to Hawaii on Monday night. I had the opportunity to earn a free flight voucher on my way out here by giving up my seat on a flight. So, knowing that it I can use it to visit my family and friends next year , I decided to delay my arrival in Hawaii by a few hours. The cherry on top was that the later flight chased the sun. I watched incredible sunset colors out my window for two hours!

Exhausted from a long day of travelling, my senses were awakened when my friend, Ericka, picked me up from the airport with a lei in hand. It was all beautiful, white plumeria flowers! Fresh plumeria exude the most incredible, intoxicating smell :) Mmmmmmmm. We came back to Gordon and Kim Dong's home here in Kailua-Kona. They are a wonderful couple who invited us into their home for the few days before school starts. Thank you so much for your incredible hospitality and loving home.

Yesterday, Ericka and I woke up and enjoyed Kim's fantastic banana, macadamia nut pancakes with raspberry syrup. Wow, I am spoiled. After filling our bellies, Ericka and I went to the beach for a few hours of swimming, talking and enjoying God's glorious creation. So incredible! Running into the water was incredible - so I wanted to share the experience with you.

Today was also wonderful. We joined the woman's small group this morning at Kim's home and discussed the importance of interdependence versus independence and lessons in submission and following the lead of a husband. One of my continued prayers is for the Heavenly Father to prepare me and mold me for the day he brings me my husband.

After the woman's group, we went to the high school that Kim and Gordon's sons attend. They had chapel time today, so we listened to the sermon from the visiting pastor from India. The lessons there patience and obedience. Also incredible.

Tomorrow we check-in for the school. I am so excited to get started! I know that God has wonderful things to teach me. I am going to be in a very safe atmosphere for letting down my walls, showing my wounds, healing and growing.

One last thing for today. I have a prayer request from all of you. Ericka and I were talking today and I realized that I am holding on to pain and need to forgive someone. I would like to ask for your prayers in my complete healing regarding this situation. I can sense that I have built up a wall and pretended that everything was okay. Pray with me that God will tear down my wall and heal the wounds in my heart.

My bags are packed and I am ready to go!!!

Praise GOD. I am up before my alarm and filled with joy. I leave for the airport in 45 minutes. Praise GOD for this beautiful day and new adventure!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane, Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again

The time is finally here! I have one more night in the beautiful state of Colorado before I head on an adventure with my Lord. My parents will wake up in the dark tomorrow to drive me to Grand Junction where I will catch my 8am flight to Kona, Hawaii (via Pheonix and Los Angeles). My wonderful friend, Ericka, who is going to be in the same DTS as me, is going to meet me at the airport. She flew out to Hawaii last week to spend a little time enjoying the island before we check in on Thursday. I too am hoping to enjoy Kona a bit before I dive in to life as a student again.

I am so excited to be part of such an amazing community of believers all stepping out in faith to grow closer to the Lord and to show His love to others. Our school is a very diverse group, which is something that I have been praying for. Last I heard we had 46 students accepted into the school. We come from around the world: USA, Canada, South Korea, China, Russia, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, India. This is going to be so incredible!

Here is a bit more info about campus life from the U of N Kona Website:
Typically, there are between 250 and 400 students living on campus each quarter. We often have another 100 to 200 on overseas field assignments plus an additional100 children enrolled in campus schools. We may have as many as five focus DTS programs each quarter. Each focus DTS could have between 20 and 80 students, sometimes more.
Other schools running at the University of the Nations Kona -- such as the School of Biblical Studies (SBS), Introduction to Biblical Counseling (IBC) and School of Digital Filmmaking -- typically have smaller classes ranging from about 15 for SDF to 35 for SBS.

I am so blessed! I am so thankful to the Lord that I was able to spend the last three weeks with my parents. We shared so many meals, conversations, and time together. I will miss them, and I am sure they will miss me too. Hopefully these last three weeks will make it easier when I am away. I think the hardest part for them is that I bought a one way ticket, and don't know when I will be back in Colorado. It is a little scary for me too, but I really feel the Lord calling me and I want to dive into His arms without anything pulling me back. WOW. What an incredible opportunity He is giving me. :)

The leaders feel the theme verse for the Compassion DTS comes from Micah 6:8. I love it!

"He has shown all you people what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Art Festival with Mom

Last weekend my mom and I participated in the "Render the Rock" Art Festival in Crawford, CO. We arrived Friday evening and set up our painting camp in a hay field with about 30 other artists where we would all spend the next few hours and most of the following day creating art inspired by Needle Rock and the surrounding landscape.

Saturday all of the entries would be judged and then auctioned off. My mom and I had a great time painting in beautiful Western Colorado and did our best to win a ribbon in the judging round. Unfortunately, our pieces didn't quite have what it took for the ribbons this year nor to be purchased. This is the painting that I did on Friday night - I love the late evening sun and the way the shadows and colors come to life.

I left one of my other paintings out to dry while we went to the artist reception and auction. Unfortunately while we were there, a huge storm went through town and when I got home, most of the paint had been washed off my canvas. Oh well! I guess I will just have to paint another one someday. Thanks for a very fun weekend, Momma Mia :)

Family Time in Montrose

The countdown till my departure is 11 days 14 hours! I am super excited to meet the rest of the students in my DTS and to focus all of my time and energy on learning and growing closer to the LORD.

In the meantime, I have some wonderful time to spend with my family. I am staying at my parent's house in Montrose. This allows me to do advertisement sales here in Montrose for a couple of weeks for the Go To Guide Telephone Directory. The Lord has blessed me with fantastic clients down here. I wasn't ready to leave them yet, so my bosses agreed to keep me on for a few weeks of this selling season. I am also learning (when I tell my clients of my YWAM plans) that the high majority of them are fellow believers. So amazing! Thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement

On the weekends, when I am not doing the 8 to 5, I am hanging out with my parents. For Labor Day the three of us went up to help my sister and her boyfriend build their cabin just outside Powderhorn, CO. It is in a beautiful location out in the woods away from everyone. Here are a few pictures from our construction day on Monday. When we got there, we had a few planks in for the foundation and when we left we were already placing in the third layer of logs. Way to go team!


Update on my finances for the DTS. I currently have raised $7,764 for my DTS. I have been drawn to Proverbs 13:5,6

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

God is so good! That means the entire tuition is taken care of, and I only need about $2,400 before November. If you are interested in supporting me financially, please mail a check to:
Logan Marlatt
7023 Old Relay Rd.
Ridgway, CO 81432

Also, thank you for your continued prayers. As I prepare for my DTS, please continue praying:

• that I would rest in the Lord's arms, trusting Him fully with my life
• that I will become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His promptings
  
• that I will learn our Father's voice so that I may obey and live my life according to His will
  

Thank you all so much for joining me in serving our Lord. Your support and encouragement are appreciated more than I can express. Thank you!