#caiteek

LU’AU

This past weekend, our university held our 16th annual Pacific Islanders Organization Lu’au. At Azusa Pacific University, there are a variety of ethnic organizations to be involved in. The groups create space to fellowship, share, learn, and celebrate culture and cultural diversity on campus. Each year, Pacific Islanders Organization, commonly known as PIO, puts on a lu’au to share and celebrate Polynesian culture with the entire community. Students, friends, and family from all over attend, and this year the organization was able to sell out with over 1400+ tickets.

For months, students from Hawaii, of Polynesian ancestry, and other students who have a desire to learn about the culture practiced weekly to prepare for the event. There were a variety of dances from multiple Polynesian islands, ranging from Hawaii to Tahiti to Samoa. Colorful prints filled the stage, as attendees were given leis, and Hawaiian food was served. Over 150 students participated, transitioning in traditional dances and chants.

Through dance, we as students were able to share culture, but also share a way of worshipping our Savior, Jesus Christ. There is great pride in the production and “ohana” that we created over the last few months. Many of us say, that this has been one of the best and most spiritual experiences of our life. I hope you have the chance to one day celebrate with us!

NURSING

“Hi my name is Caitee, and I’ll be your student nurse today”. These are the words that I’ve said once, twice, or even three times a week, every week over the last four years. Being a nursing major at Azusa Pacific University has been an honor and a privilege. The program is competitive to get into, but some have rated Azusa’s nursing program as one of the best in the nation.

Starting from freshman year, students begin clinical shifts in various hospitals in Los Angeles. For each specialty, whether it be medical-surgical, pediatric, oncology, or community nursing, students are placed in well-known hospitals in the area. Unlike many other schools, I have had the opportunity to be in various clinical settings for well over 1,000 hours. In addition, Azusa Pacific’s School of Nursing has taken me to serve in India, South Africa, and Mexico. Study abroad options for nursing majors include other options such as Haiti, Norway, China, and Kenya.

Every day with patients are a gift. They hold wisdom, love, and courage that inspires me daily. In some of the hardest moments of life, being a nurse has given me the space to share the love of God. As I leave the hospitals of LA and walk towards graduation, I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving for all that being a student nurse has taught me. Here’s to a new nametag and new adventure ahead!

Signing off for the last time as the student nurse,

Sacred Spaces

Here is my desk. A piece of wood, standing on four legs.  However, this has been much more than a desk to me. This has been the space that I have pumped out hundreds of pages of paper, studied hundreds of hours, and have laid my head down and accidentally fallen asleep. It is the place where I have read good books, eaten delicious meals, and have spent intimate time with the Lord. This desk has been a place where I have sat and had deep conversations, and a place where I have looked to see a collection of memories and reminders.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

The word “joy” has been profound to me, and a daily reminder in my room. In the long nights working and the good memories, I rejoice that God is continuously at work in my life. I hold joy because in the hard things, God is busy working to make me mature and complete. I am not the same girl in the pictures from years ago, and I am not a finished work. God is continually at work, and so I keep going, one day, one paper at a time. As we near the end of the semester and I prepare to graduate, it is time to pack up for the last time, but I am forever grateful for these sacred spaces.

Spring break means road trips, airports, mission trips, family, friends, and home. For some who are local to the area, students drive home to be with their families. Other times, flights are booked to go on a great adventure. For those who aren’t able to go home, friends, classmates, and even professors have offered take them in and share home with them.  In addition, Azusa Pacific offers a variety of options for students, ranging from backpacking trips in the Catalina islands to serving across the border in Mexico. Opportunities are endless when it comes to where to spend your break.

Being from Hawaii, I have always been one of those from far away who have been unable to go home. Over the last four years, I have been blessed to serve in Mexico, go home with friends, and visit extended family. This break, I was able to cross off a lifetime dream and go with friends to explore the Pacific North West (PNW)! We began in Washington at my roommate’s house, where we enjoyed mom-made meals, hiked in the forests, and sat by the fire. After a few days, we drove down to Portland, Oregon where we visited more friends and explored all of the nature around us. Our break included friends new and old, in long-time homes and brand new cities – with each person intentionally and specifically set to be exactly where they were meant to be. Although school is tough sometimes, and break was so sweet, at the end of the day I knew it was time to come back. Because perhaps too, we are exactly where we’re meant to be. Forever grateful for the laughter, breaths of fresh forest air, and grand memories of spring break 2017.

                                                   The Descent

Graduation is right around the corner, can you believe it?! Four years at this amazing place is quickly coming to an end, and there are so many feelings running through me – excitement, fear, and joy. I am about to be launched out of this place that has been home, out of this place full of support, love, and friendship. I am about to return back to my island home, where so much has changed, and the uncertainty about the future and lack of jobs are frightening. In it all, I am leaving this place different. I am leaving grateful, knowing that God has used this place to change me, mold me, and deepen my roots. 

Coming to Azusa Pacific University, an ocean away and against all financial logic, has been the scariest, and best decision of my whole life. I have been immersed in a place where thousands of people my age are seeking Christ passionately, a place that is prayed over, and a place where God is present. Over the years, I have met intimately with tons of people, attended hundreds of chapels, and have prayed thousands of prayers. The last four years have been the best and most formative years of my life.

I think Oswald Chambers says it best in his book, My Utmost for His Highest, when he says “We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain”. In this time of descent, there has been so much temptation to stay, but I know that I cannot. There is no doubt in my mind that this time in University has been a gift from God – a time to learn, and seek His face, and see the world. Now it is time to return home, and be a true APU difference maker, wherever I am placed. I am eternally grateful for Azusa Pacific University, and all that God is doing in and through this place. I will never be the same, forever.

With love,

let it snow.

This week, Southern California has had the most rain since 2004. In other words, the rain storm that we had this weekend has been the biggest storm in thirteen years! For many of us in this season, that means time to pack up the car and head to the mountains!

Believe it or not, it snows in Southern California too. The beauty is that you have a choice to see snow if you desire. For some students coming from Minnesota, it’s time to go running to the beach because the weather allows it. For Hawaii students like me, I am beyond excited to race up the mountain and be a part of the snowy winter! Half an hour up the road, Mount Baldy is filled with families and puppies throwing snow balls and sliding down the slopes. For others looking for more of an adventure, Big Bear is located two hours away. If you choose, you can spend the day skiing, tubing, or snowboarding, or you may even get a season pass while you’re at it!

In the craziness of life, there is always something so profound about going to the mountain. Fresh air and green trees make my heart slow down; crisp air cause my lungs to breathe deep; and the quiet world pierced by the sounds of birds singing clear my crowded mind. On top of it all, the fresh piles of snow remind me that there are new beginnings and space to grow. We are human, we are messy, we are redeemed, and God still has so much more for us.  Praise God for weekends on the mountaintop.

Home.

Home is the place where honus (sea turtles) line the beach, shave ice is sweet, and bathing suits are always under your clothes. Home is the place where strangers are called “aunty”, dogs are everywhere, and 70 degrees is freezing. Home is full of honis (cheek kisses), and rich culture from all over the world. Home for me is Hilo on the beautiful island of Hawaii.

Home has always meant a lot to me. The word is full of so many connotations – smells of the salty ocean, tastes of Hawaiian food, and warmth of Mom hugs. My heart has always been full for my roots in Hawaii – I love my family, the people, and the pidgin dialect. Leaving was one of the hardest things that I have done in my life. Although opportunities opened for me to stay with a full-ride scholarship to a local university, God had whispered for me to go – and so I leapt, all the way here to Azusa, California.

 Freshman year, the theme of our hall was “home is where the heart is”. At the time, I was a little defensive about where I called home. Slowly but surely, this foreign land of jeans at the beach and 50 degree winters and handshakes has become my home. As the days and years go by, I feel in the deepest parts of me that this is the place where God has grown me, rooted me, and taken me everywhere. This is the place where God has revealed Himself in the darkest and best days. Here, at Azusa Pacific, I found home.

d r e a m i n g .

Guys, guys, guys, I’m writing to you from South Africa! I’m still deciding if this is a dream or not. After over 48 hours of traveling, and 25 hours in the air, we have arrived in Pietermartizburg, South Africa! It’s absolutely breathtaking here. Each semester, Azusa takes 40 students to Pietermartizburg, South Africa, and another 40 to Cape Town, on the other side of the country. This semester will be the 18th group of students studying abroad in this beautiful nation, and it’s especially exciting because APU now officially owns both campuses! We’re the first batch of students using the new campus in Pietermartizburg (shown in the pictures above – it’s gorgeous)!

We spent the day drinking sweet guava juice, hammocking among the trees, and getting oriented to all that the semester holds. We watched the mysterious animals that pounced across the yard, and listened to the unfamiliar birds that sing loudly throughout the day. I look forward to the adventures that Azusa Pacific International has set up for us, but am more excited about all of the friendship and growth that this semester holds. We’re just at the beginning, and I have no idea what the Lord has in store yet, but I stand with arms wide and heart abandoned. He’s up to big things, and I’m so thankful to be a part of it.

In Awe of Him,