Do you have a favorite place or people you go to in order to ground, recalibrate, process, find your compass? It could be an actual destination place or places (near or far) that you travel to or it could be a person or group of people that just by who they are give you that feeling of "home" no matter where they are. Place or people...the chance to breathe again, be refreshed, relax and just "be" right where you need to be in that moment so you can begin to come alive once again in a safe space (in my opinion) is important for all of us. I consider myself blessed to have had various places and people like this throughout my life. You just know in your knower when youʻre "home".
One of those places has been Maui, Hawaiʻi and some of those people have been my Hawaiian Ohana of 257-Ke Aha. Though I had lived on the Hawaiian island of Oahu as a child (1978-1980) I had never been to the island of Maui until 2014 (after I had met some the Ke Aha tribe originally in 2013 at a Vineyard USA conference in CA). I started traveling over to Maui regularly to do art ministry with Ke Aha Vineyard and eventually (after years of prayer and conversations) I was led to move to Maui temporarily to live at 257 with the family Ohana and minister alongside them full time in 2018-2019. The global pandemic years and consecutive years after caregiving for my aging parents (who experienced some major health setbacks), sent me back to Idaho and halted my art minister travels (at least in the way that I had gotten used to traveling regularly).
Maybe it was Maui. Maybe it was the ocean. I think perhaps because of Godʻs timing and my multi-cultural travel experiences and the way we met (something about that Vineyard DNA) and our mutual intentional relationship building through conversations, living life together, ministry and worship...the people of Ke Aha (which means "The Gathering" in Hawaiian) had become my safe place (home away from home) and they too expressed how much my presence (grafted into their tribe) became a safe place too. Along with my Art Ministry Commissioning Group located in Idaho, Ke Aha became my sending church for ministry travels. Not being able to travel regularly to them for several years has made my heart long for reconnection once again.
Health and emotional-trauma issues with my parents thankfully settled down (Thank you Jesus for the healing from our dark days that spanned 2022-2024...for the healing of my mama from almost dying of multiple utiʻs and sepsis infections caused by multiple falls and a cuncussion that had rendered her immobile and incontinent...and for helping her progress so well in her healing to be fully functional and walk once again ...and for bringing healing to my dad from back surgery and kidney stones and helping him find spiritual healing with You oh Lord...and thank you for healing my body from covid in ʻ22 and also from pneumonia in ʻ24, though not connected they were sicknesses that kept us struggling more when I was not available to help...and thank you for bringing continued healing in my parents marriage and my family as we work towards complete health within physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually...we give you glory oh God). As my caregiving responsibilities at home lightened it opened up the possibility that I could travel once again. I was able to make the plan to take a trip to Maui to be with my Ohana there (January-March 2025). The timing of this trip endedup being Godʻs timing in so many ways (and not just from my perspective).
As I had experienced years of struggle and hard things on my end, the Ohana at 257 and within Ke Aha also had been experiencing their own struggles and hard things with so much uncertainty for so many (individually, as a family, as a church, as a community...including the Maui fires of 2023). The timing of this trip actually allowed many of us to process our (individual and community) grief-traumas one-on-one and together.
To be seen, heard, understood...itʻs to be given safe space to land softly...itʻs important for all of us as humans. Where do you go? Who do you go to? Iʻm thankful to God for His loving arms that are my first safe space to call "home". God is my everything and His love is vast and lavish. He is creative in how He loves. Iʻm thankful that He has also allowed for loving places and loving humans to be vessles of His love when we need that tangible experience. Maybe this is why I value the metaphor of being a fisher of people that paints on peoples lives. I get it. Human to human...right in front of you...Godʻs love loving you through their kind eyes, their listening ears, their smile, their laugh, their tears, their hugs. You have a place at the table with them. Sharing a coffee, a meal, a walk together. Side by side.
Makes me wonder if itʻs Godʻs way of walking with us as if we were walking with Him in the Garden once again.
Yes I got a lot of rest and beach time in, walks and talking story with people, sharing of great food and coffee, hanging out and playing games, everyday things like meals and laundry and going to the store and doing errands, along with God filled conversations, worship and prayer time together. Part way through my trip I had some friends of mine come and stay at 257 with us for a visit (a couple that Iʻll be traveling with June-Sept 2025 to multiple countries in Europe doing art ministry as they minister). And those of us from Ke Aha even had valuable talk story nights getting a time line written out of family ministry and Ke Aha through the years (spanning 45 years altogether). Priceless.
I love what I get to do and I love how creative and unique each trip is from another. This trip wasnʻt like other art ministry trips. Thereʻs a lot that took place and a lot of people I connected with over the weeks I was on Maui. I wonʻt write a play by play with this post. I didnʻt paint live on a big canvas during a worship service or facilitate a collaborative painting with a small group. I didnʻt pack clay for a 3D interactive Bible lesson or pull out the colored pencils to share a creative healing word from God for someone. But numerous past paintings of mine created in studio and live in worship were hung throughout the house as memories of creative messages still speaking and stacks of painting postcards were given out like love notes when Holy Spirit prompted as an encouraging word for someone. This trip was more about being present in the conversations and allowing each of us to process the past, come to terms with the present, and help each other lift our heads to hope for the future. The "being"...not the "doing"...aspect of ministry. We all needed to be in the healing conversations...myself included. Iʻm so thankful.
One really cool and fun take away I learned from this trip...itʻs okay to not know whatʻs going on, it is important to speak your needs and have a lot of grace for yourself and others. After a day when I was feeling tired and a bit overwhelmed within myself, I found myself unsure of what to do and what to say to add in to conversation or decision making. When asked by Aunty Shelley how I was doing, I was quoted to say in a very slow monotone voice "I have no idea whatʻs going on". Then it became clear to us all..."you need coffee donʻt you, Lisa?"...."Yes I do" was my honest answer. And soon I had a cup of delicious caffeinated coffee in my hand to sip with peace and come back to life with and all was well in the world. My quote has become a fun memory for us and reminder that itʻs okay...God is with us and even when we are uncertain of what is going on...Heʻs got us. Iʻm thankful for people who he has so graciously and lovingly put in my life to walk with me, who get me and help me navigate this crazy life. Thank you Jesus. I have no idea whatʻs going on...but You do.
Walking together.
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