Dear family and friends,
Jackson has safely arrived in Hawaii and although he was jet-lagged he had to jump right into the School of Biblical Studies as it had already started.
It was so great to see one another again after being apart for so long! Our room is really beautiful, sort of like a hotel room with private bathroom, mini kitchen and bedroom. This really feels like a house for us! We eat the food in the dining area on the campus where it is buffet style. We are enjoying the meals very much.
The first week of school was amazing. The information we learnt was the background and origin of the New Testament and we studied the book of Acts indepthly.
The speaker was a professor in archeology and history and he was able not only to give us the theoretical background, but also pictures of the archeological sites he had visited, worked at or led in Israel, Italy and Greece. It really brought everything alive so much.
On Saturday we had a nice break, going to the beach- a beautiful Hawaiian beach!! Blue water, white sand, palm trees and you could see al the fishes swimming even at several meters depth. There were dolphins and turtles who only a few were fortunate to see, but the pictures are beautiful.
Hawaii, even though part of USA has its own very distinctive culture, language and tradition. One of the things we witnessed was a welcoming ceremony for the Tonga princess here on the campus. The Hawaiians did the greeting in their local language and the girls did a “hula” dance. The Tongolese princess and her spokesman accepted the welcome and then this was celebrated. I have made some pictures which you can see on the site.
Right now a new week has started for us and we are looking forward to everything that is to come!
For those who want to write or call us here in Hawaii, we have a landline phone:
Call: 001-808-326-4400 then listen for instruction and press extension 4230 (please note there is a 12 hour time difference).
You can also write to us at:
Jackson & Anneke Ndecheck
SBS-I 2nd Quarter 2010
University of the Nations
75-5851 Kuakini Highway #273
Kailua Kona, HI 96740-2136
USA
Blessings,
Jackson & Anneke
