Hawaii: The 50th State

“In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” -Isaiah 42:4

Hello Overcomers! Happy New Year! As you know, last spring I finished my blog project for our lower 48 states road trip. We came home from our trip exactly two years ago last month. It’s hard to believe it wasn’t that long ago when we were driving across the country for 100 days. One of the goals of that trip was to see what God was doing in each state, which I wrote about in every blog post. However, we have 50 states in our nation, not 48. I’ve been thinking about Hawaii and Alaska and wondering how to include them, since I don’t like anyone feeling left out. Gabe and I have been to Hawaii multiple times before, but we have never been to Alaska. We hope to make it up to Alaska sometime soon so we can say we’ve been to all 50 states. The timing hasn’t worked out to get up to Alaska just yet, but we had the opportunity to go to Hawaii again this year in September. It had been at least a couple years since we’d had a real vacation and we were feeling tired and a bit burned out. We normally go to Maui, but this time, we wanted to explore a new island we had never been to before. Other than Maui and a day trip to Lanai, we hadn’t been to any other islands in Hawaii. We debated whether we should go to Kauai or the Big Island based on numerous factors, but we finally settled on the Big Island and absolutely loved it!

The week leading up to our trip, there was a Category 4 hurricane named Kiko barreling for Hawaii. Hawaii almost never encounters major storms and I honestly didn’t even think hurricanes occurred in the Pacific. It was set to hit the Big Island the very day we were flying there on September 9th. This was incredibly stressful considering we chose to go to Hawaii instead of other places because they have nice weather year round and don’t really have a hurricane season (so we thought). In light of all this, we started praying. The storm began to downgrade. The night before we left, the hurricane was a Category 1 and by the next morning, it became a tropical storm. When we got on the plane, a flight attendant announced that the storm had literally disappeared and was not even on their weather radar! It was a miracle and a total relief! It’s amazing that God would even care about our vacations, but he does. He works things out way more often than we realize. Our flight to Kona was mostly smooth and we stayed in a condo resort area up on the northwestern coast in Waimea for nine days. It was just the perfect amount of time to relax at the beach and go on day trips to different parts of the island. The Big Island is huge compared to Maui. I know it sounds obvious to say that, but when you drive around there, you start to understand you are not just on a small island where everything is close by. It can take a couple hours to drive from one end of the island to the other. Something else that surprised us were the lava fields… and the herds of wild goats everywhere (and feral cats)! You can drive for 45 minutes through nothing but barren black lava rocks with the blue ocean in the background and then see goats randomly climbing around on them. It’s not exactly what you picture when you think of Hawaii, but it adds an element of surprising adventure to the Big Island, which makes it a fascinating place.

Even though the primary purpose of this trip was to unplug, relax and have an adventure, I still wanted to know what God was up to and what he had to say about the Big Island and the state of Hawaii as a whole. After we got settled into the condo, we had some time to relax on September 10th. While I was spending time with Jesus in prayer, I asked him to speak to me about Hawaii. As I listened, I heard the Holy Spirit say that Hawaii is the baby of the U.S. (the 50th state) and everyone loves the baby. The Big Island is the baby (youngest) of all the islands of Hawaii. It’s the crown jewel of America. They are part of the Ohana (family) of the U.S. This felt like such a special word from the Lord. The Hawaiians are very family and community-oriented, so it was amazing that God showed me how they are part of the family of the United States and that they are so loved and not left out. I just love how God speaks and shows how much he loves us. Even though I received this incredible word that day, it was also a sad day for our country. Since I had my phone on airplane mode during the trip, I didn’t see that Charlie Kirk was assassinated the same day. Gabe did not have his phone off though, so he saw everything, which made the trip difficult in some ways. I encountered once again a strange phenomenon that’s happened to me several times throughout my life: finding out someone has died (usually a family member) while I’m on a trip. This means I have spent some time grieving while on family trips and vacations. In fact, earlier this year, I lost my aunt while I was on a weekend trip with Gabe’s side of the family. It’s always a test… trying to rest and rejoice while grappling with grief. While on this trip, I also got the sense there is some witchcraft happening on the Big Island. I had a really scary nightmare that same night where a Hawaiian woman was doing witchcraft against me (I will spare you the details). Usually when I have dreams like this, the Lord allows it so I can be aware of what’s going on spiritually and pray. Weird accidents kept happening to me multiple times a day like constantly spilling things (like my whole hot tea all over myself on the plane), dropping things and hurting myself. I am not normally this clumsy, so it became really clear something was going on. These accidents happened every day of the trip and then they continued for multiple days after I came home (I almost got in a car accident near my house). I kept praying and thankfully, the attacks eventually stopped. I am learning just how important it is to have other Christians praying for you when you travel, apparently even while you’re on vacation. Life is a mixed bag sometimes and thank goodness Jesus helps us through it all.

Whether you’re on a Hawaiian vacation or not, life is not perfect, but we definitely had fun and made the most of it. We explored the town of Kona, although it was a little more run-down than I was expecting. The Kona Farmers Market was fun, with plenty of fresh produce, crafts and souvenirs. After shopping, we ate lunch at Huggo’s On the Rocks, which I highly recommend for delicious food right on the ocean. The tables and chairs are on the sand, creating a fun and interesting experience. The Ali’i Quesadillas with kalua pork were legendary! As we were leaving the restaurant, a homeless man approached me asking if I could spare any change. While I was getting out my wallet, he said, “It’s all I have.” Then I asked him if he knew Jesus and he said yes! I gave him the little change that I had and said, “Then you have all you will ever need.” I grabbed his hand and said, “Bless you brother.” He smiled warmly and said thank you. Even though I wasn’t really looking to do any ministry on this trip, God often brings opportunities anyway. As Christians, we are kind of always on the clock. This happened right in front of the shops that were advertising a LGBTQ Pride celebration for the very same week. God is moving everywhere. We then crossed the street for some famous Kona coffee at a place called Kona Heaven. This shop happens to be owned by Christians… and yes, their coffee is heavenly! They also own the farm that produces their coffee beans. We enjoyed sipping our coffees on their deck as we drank in the ocean views!

Since the Big Island is the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, there are not as many sandy beaches there as compared to the other islands. Rugged lava rocks cover much of the shoreline, but that also means there are more tide pools, lagoons and great snorkeling spots right off the shore. We snorkeled at a couple different beaches (both were at resorts, but all beaches are public) and enjoyed a gorgeous variety of fish so close you could almost touch them. The huge and gnarly-looking black sea urchins were everywhere, so you have to watch out for those. The Hawaiian man-made lagoons are full of beautiful fish and eels, so there is no swimming allowed… which is tempting, minus the eels! You can also find remnants of ancient Hawaii scattered along the coast, such as grass huts that make you feel like you stepped back in time. The blue-green ocean on the Big Island has the clearest and warmest water we have ever felt in Hawaii, so swimming there is delightful. We went to multiple beaches, but the three best we visited are Kauna’oa (Mauna Kea) Beach, Hapuna Beach and ‘Anaeho’omalu Beach (A-Bay for short). The beach at A-Bay has somewhat coarse salt and pepper sand, which is really pretty, while the other two beaches have really fine, soft white sand. A-Bay beach is not great for snorkeling since the water is less clear, but the other two have very clear water. A-Bay also has a really fun and yummy restaurant called the Lava Lava Beach Club that everyone recommends because it has such a lively atmosphere on the beach with ocean views. There are giant lawn games and a walk-up bar in the waiting area. Many of the tables are actually in the sand and it’s all open-air dining with live music. Over at Hapuna, the parking is really expensive compared to the others, but it’s one of the best beaches on the island (although it was cloudy the day we were there). I was so happy to see Nene walking around the park at Hapuna! I’ve been longing to see a Nene (native Hawaiian Goose and the state bird) ever since I did my state report on Hawaii when I was in fifth grade. I have never seen one before until this trip and at Hapuna, there were several of them walking around in a group and they let me get within a few feet of them… I was overjoyed! Mauna Kea Beach is a bit secluded since you have to go through resort security to get to it, but it is a hidden gem… shhh, don’t let the secret get out! Overall, each of these three beaches are wonderful in their own way and you really can’t go wrong with any of them if you are looking for a great place to swim, sunbathe or enjoy a sunset.

For our first day trip, we took a drive over to Hilo to see the rainforest side of the island. The Big Island is very mountainous, so to get over to the other side, we had to drive up into the misty clouds. We passed through the local town of Waimea, cattle pastures and forests until we could see the ocean on the other side again. On a whim, we stopped at a little local bakery called Donna’s Cookies that makes a variety of shortbread cookies. The Butter Coconut Cookies were particularly delicious! The highway weaves through dense vegetation with cliff side ocean views and passes small towns and waterfalls. If you have ever taken the Road to Hana in Maui, it reminded us of that, but it’s distinctly different. As we were nearing Hilo, we decided to spontaneously take a scenic road, which just appeared to lead us through local neighborhoods. However, to our very pleasant surprise, we stumbled upon one of the greatest discoveries on the whole trip: a tropical paradise called the Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden. I love gardens, but this place was much more than we expected! The garden is full of nice winding paths through lush foliage with exotic flowers, but it also has an orchid garden, waterfalls (although none were flowing while we were there), a koi pond and breathtaking ocean views. In fact, the trails take you right down to the rocky beaches so you can explore parts of the shoreline and watch the rough ocean waves crash onto the rocks in Onomea Bay. It was also an incredible hike, so I don’t recommend doing it in flip-flops like we did, but it can be done! If you are ever in the Hilo area, this garden is an absolutely must see! After hiking around in the heat, we were really hungry, so we drove into Hilo and tried the original Loco Moco at Cafe 100. This simple island staple of white rice, a hamburger patty, brown gravy and a fried egg was invented by the man who started this cafe. It’s tasty and worth a stop if you’re in the area. Hilo is known for rain, but we were blessed with a nice sunny day. It was fun to see all the local families out enjoying their favorite beach spots, swimming and picnicking on their Friday evening. The ocean over in Hilo is much colder than it is on the west side of the island. It felt too chilly for us to comfortably swim, but many people were happily swimming and we even saw several sea turtles basking in the black sand. Hilo has experienced a number of devastating tsunamis, but nothing major has occurred in the last 50 years thankfully. As we drove around the city, it was clear that Hilo hasn’t really recovered well and feels depressed. Hilo needs revival… and Kona does too. They need to be refreshed. After we left Hilo, we encountered a beautiful sunset on the horizon as we drove over the mountain pass on the slopes of Mauna Kea.

We took our second day trip toward the end of our vacation down the west coast of the island. Gabe loves going out for breakfast, so we drove south of Kona to a well-known local favorite spot called The Coffee Shack. The restaurant sits high up on the mountainside and has the most incredible panorama of the ocean you can imagine. They serve delicious 100 percent Kona coffee, bakery goodies and high quality food for breakfast and lunch. We savored our divine coffee and gourmet breakfast while breathing in the heavenly views. If you ever visit the Big Island, you absolutely have to eat here… but just make sure you call to get your name on the list an hour in advance since they are extremely busy at all times. After breakfast, we made our way through Kona coffee country, forests, lava fields and cow pastures as we traveled to the Southernmost Point of the United States. The area around the Southernmost Point feels like you have fallen off the edge of the world. The surrounding landscape has mostly grassy fields on farms and pastureland that leads right out to sea cliffs, where you can find local Hawaiians fishing and perhaps some people cliff jumping as well. It feels wild and rugged, but is somehow also refreshing to the soul to watch the waves of the ocean crashing up against the rocks in such a barren place. We walked along a dirt trail to the farthest south you can go and found a beach entirely made up of large pieces of smooth white coral. The coral beach leads out to some smooth black lava rocks that fall gradually into the ocean. It’s a spectacular place of unusual beauty. We were only a short distance away from the Green Sand Beach, which is one of the most rare in the world (there are only four). We wanted to see it, but unfortunately, it’s really difficult to get to. You either have to walk two and a half miles each way or pay a local $20-$30 cash to ride in the back of their truck while hanging onto a metal bar. The drive is extremely treacherous from what I’ve heard because the dirt roads have ruts about as deep as the trucks! Needless to say, we were not up for either option to get there on this trip, but I did find little patches of green sand at the Southernmost Point, so I felt like I got a small taste of it. The color is definitely green and very beautiful. Our last stop of the day was at the famous Punalu’u Bake Shop in Naalehu for some Hawaiian donuts called Malasadas (originally brought there by Portuguese immigrants). This is the southernmost bakery in the whole United States! We tried three of their Malasadas: the original with just sugar, a chocolate and a strawberry filled. They were soft, sweet and so rich! These treats were the perfect way to end our day before we hit the road for a couple hour drive back to the condo. If you are looking for a unique and memorable experience on the Big Island, I recommend taking the drive all the way down to the Southernmost Point. We found it to be fun, interesting and refreshing!

On the last night, we ended on an up note with the Sunset Luau at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort. We’ve been to a couple other luaus before on Maui, so we generally know what to expect, but this luau was unique because the dancers demonstrated traditional dances from Tahiti, New Zealand and Samoa as well as Hawaii. This made the entertainment particularly fun and fascinating. As the name implies, the luau starts as the sun is going down, so you get to enjoy a beautiful sunset over A-Bay while you are eating dinner. The food at this luau has to be some of the best quality and variety that we’ve had and one free beverage of your choice is included as well. Of course, kalua pork is on the menu, as well as steak, fish, multiple vegetable sides and desserts. It was an epic feast that ended with an impressive Samoan fire knife dance, which is always so exciting to watch. Even though this luau was spendy, I do highly recommend it for the great assortment of gourmet food, gorgeous sunset views over the ocean and one of a kind entertainment.

We were so blessed to able to get away to rest, relax and have some fun in the Hawaiian sun. From all my travels though, I’ve learned that real life still happens no matter where you are. Jesus is always with us and Satan never takes a day off! As our trip was coming to a close, I started dreaming about revival coming to the Big Island… especially to Hilo and the other small towns. God began to fill my heart with the desire to minister to the Hawaiians: going house-to-house, having family meals together, praying for them and seeing the Holy Spirit refresh, revive and heal them. We have no plans to go back anytime soon, but we do want to visit again, and I truly hope we will get to help bring revival to the island when we do. God is moving in America and our 50th state is a special one… they will not be left out of this revival. I know the Big Island is less popular than Oahu, Maui and maybe even Kauai, but I feel like we found a huge hidden treasure that most people don’t even realize is there. I am looking forward to coming back someday and I can’t wait to see all that God wants to do. There is still so much to see and do that we didn’t have time for, like visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and go watch the sunset and stars come out at the Mauna Kea Observatory. If you are dreaming of your next Hawaiian vacation, consider going to the Big Island, especially if you want to go on an adventure. It’s such a special place!