Sailing on Salt Water with the SALTS!

Ahoy there!

Well, it has been about two days since I got off the "Pacific Swift" with the SALTS (Sailing and Life Training Society), and I still find myself swaying while standing or stumbling to find my balance after sitting down for more than a few minutes. The last day we spent on the boat was incredibly rocky and only a handful of us Kaleo kids were left unaffected. I've woken up at a few random times in the last few nights because I'm no longer being rocked to sleep.

It was an amazing trip. We didn't do too much actual "sailing" because the winds were basically non-existent, but I was content being propelled to each destination (because those sails take a lot of hoisting)! The trip got off to a great start; after the first few hours, a pod of porpoises decided to join us for a few minutes and swam and jumped at the bow of the boat...we could tell it was going to be memorable from the beginning.

The crew was composed of five members. Drew was the former leader of the Quest program at CBC for the last ten years, and it showed how much he loved ministering to youth through the way he interacted with us. He reminded me a lot of myself, or at least the kind of man I'd like to become. Whether he was giving us instruction in sailing or games or presenting something, he had some ridiculous shtick that went with it. Our cook, Christina, was super cool and she even taught some of us a form of dance called "Gumbo". I'll see if I can't attach a video of it on here later. All of the crew were musically talented, so when it came time for singing with 35 people packed in such a confined space, the experience could be pretty moving.

After each jam session, one of our leaders would open up the floor for a time of sharing. During these times we've been given opportunities to share about things from back home, our fears for the program, encouragement about others and hopes for the year. It's been pretty incredible how quickly the group is opening up. It's so comforting to know that while the people in this community are for the most part my age or younger, that most of them are so evidently searching for a deeper faith. I'm excited to hear more about the other student's lives and share my own experiences with them as well. I thought that the rate of sharing in this group might just be a "Kaleo effect", but even my leader Jim is surprised by how quickly this group has opened up.

A lot of my experience on the boat was really quite poetic. It's funny, while reading good books, images will pop into my head. While taking in my surroundings on the boat, however, words popped into my head. How the boat went from gently rocking to violently bobbing up and down...how the vast expanse of the ocean seemed to swallow our tiny boat up...the deep blues and greens of the ocean...the ridiculous sunset...the fantastically thick fog during anchor watch...points in the morning when both the moon and sun were up and we seemed to be chasing one while being pursued by the other...how the constant crashing of the waves against the outside of the boat was so close to what I imagined happening with the food I had just eaten inside my stomach....uurp...It was a surreal experience.

I love God. I don't feel like I've been spending nearly enough time with him (I HAVE been doing homework almost 24/7 since I came back) and yet I'm finding that every need and desire I can think of is being fulfilled. I read recently that God graciously hides spiritual growth from our eyes so that pride doesn't come along and stunt that growth...but I've recently discovered some things that have been taking place in my heart over the course of this year since I started praying for change in my life...and I'm just so gosh darn elated and thankful for this more-than-perfect being we call God! I feel a little sketchy writing that because upon the discovery of "growth" a prideful guy would tell everyone what's happened...but I'll try to shrink this head of mine if you guys promise to keep this to yourselves.

With a ton of overflowing and ready-to-be-used agape love,

Kev