Different Doesn’t Mean Wrong…

Different doesn’t mean wrong.

In fact, at times, different is exactly what God desires for us.

This year, we had intended on traveling to our original four separate destinations, despite the looming world pandemic. The closer the fly out date came, however, the more obvious it became that flying internationally was not going to be an option. As the days dwindled down, different ideas were thrown around for possible destinations. Yet every time, the destination would fall through and anxiety began to creep forward in my mind. With only two weeks before the intended departure day, we were empty handed and praying for God to come through in an incredible way.

I was sitting next to my husband in a Pack Your Bags church service one night, when all of a sudden, he turned to me in the middle of the sermon and whispered “I just remembered, I know someone in Hawaii”. I stared at him, shocked, as he rushed out of the service to make the call, and five minutes later he was in contact with an old friend from a mission trip seven years prior. Twenty minutes later he was in contact with a board and a director of a christian program in Hawaii, and this different alternative to an international destination took off. Our fearless director Mary Beth King made connections with a YWAM location in Oahu who was willing to take in our eager group. Before we could even blink, our plans were set. We had obtained insanely reasonable priced room and board, transportation, opportunities for children’s and sports ministry (two of the main focuses for our original destination ministries), and local christian contacts in a matter of days. What usually took many months to plan, fell into place when our group willingly set aside what we thought was “right”, and fully accepted God’s different yet ultimately perfect plans for our group. 

To this day, I am still in awe at the testimonies that came from Hawaii. As a leader of a group such as Pack Your Bags, I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was worry in the back of my head during this process. I constantly pondered “Will my students experience enough culture here?”, “Are they going to get the same ministry opportunities that they would have in our international location?”, or most haunting “Are they going to regret doing this program?”. Yet despite how clearly I may have heard these questions in my head, without a doubt, the loudest voice that remains to this day, is the belief and the knowledge that I serve a good and mighty God. 

God knew this group needed to be in Hawaii this year. He knew our students needed to meet people like Daniel Rich and Pastor Abbi. He knew the connections they’d make at sports clinics with Hawaiian athletes. He knew the tears that would be shed and the chains that would be broken in a tiny Philippine church. God knew something as simple as moving rocks and dirt by hand, would be enough to call a local Hawaiian woman back to Him. God’s plan looked completely different than anything anyone could have imagined, but it was humbling and honoring to lay aside what I wanted for my students, and allow God to move in ways only He can. All I had to do was to step aside and acknowledge different wasn’t wrong, it was necessary. 

Here are a few testimonies from our students about their Hawaiian experience:

Emma Bartz

“Pastor Abbi is such an incredible person and I knew it the second we met her. The fact that she moved her family to a homeless encampment for two months just because she felt called to, is absolutely insane to me. I don’t think I would be obedient to the Lord in that situation, I feel that it would be incredibly difficult. She made such an impact on all of us, especially with how her relationship with the Lord is…”

Paige Danzl

“What surprised me the most about Hawaii was probably the amount of culture we experienced. I didn’t expect Hawaii to be much different from the mainland because it is still U.S. territory but the diversity in race and the Hawaiian culture was amazing to see and hear about from native Hawaiians we met, like Jared who spoke very unclear Pidgin, to Paulette, a Japanese woman who had lived on Hawaii her whole life. Also, the most rewarding experience for me, was to see the success and turnout at the Olympics event we held at the Ranch. Starting from so little, a few students and parents every week, to hosting an event for over 50 students and 30 volunteers was very gratifying. The event was also a kickoff to seeing more people come to the clinics, and putting FCA in the minds of  more students and future leaders…”

Jonathon Olson

“Over the past four weeks I have had a life changing experience in Hawaii. Although it wasn’t the place I had originally planned on going, it was definitely the place God had wanted us to go. God had spoken to everyone in different ways and he was very much there from start to finish. When I found out it was Hawaii, at first I was super excited for the wrong reasons. All I was thinking about was the beaches, Elvis, hikes, food, all of the touristy things. It took me a day or two to realize how much God had really put his hand on this trip and then I started to get excited to see what God had planned and why He went to drastic measures to make sure we ended up in Hawaii. I have seen God use me in Hawaii in many ways. When I was handing out boxes of food to people in the middle of a rainier day at the food pantry and just being wet and uncomfortable and double masked up but still being so happy to see the smiling faces of people receiving their food knowing there was nowhere else I could be getting that joy from…”

Austen Hasche

“What has surprised me most about Hawaii is the welcoming and open atmosphere of the people and its culture. I didn’t expect anyone to have any pure connections with us during our time here. But Auntie Blanch’s, Daniel, and the people at the food pantry proved otherwise. They were very kind to us and treated us like we were one of their own, like when Auntie Blanch made a special lunch for us that one day, or when the pantry people had ice cream and doughnuts for us at the end of our shift. God has spoken to me to remind me of where my heart is now. Some days, I have felt down and discouraged about being homesick and not having a great day. He reminded me about what I am here to do and take delight in it. After taking some time to reflect on my thoughts, the downy feelings went away a lot sooner. I am so glad that I did Pack Your Bags. If it weren’t for that, I would have not met a wonderful group of people that have become my close friends. I have gained new experience for me to use later on in life and grown in my journey of getting close to Christ…”