So not as many pictures or things to report today. We stayed in bed and just hung around the cottage most of the morning. Took a nice long, hot bath. Church was at 11am about a half an hour away so we ate lunch and then headed out. It was fast and testimony meeting here today. For those of you unfamiliar with what that is, it is a once a month occurrence in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when in place of the normal talks (or sermons) the members are given the chance to bear their own testimonies of Jesus Christ and aspects of the gospel they have found to be true due to life experiences and happenings. It is normal within the LDS culture. The wonderfully strange thing today was that everyone began their testimony here with "Aloha". It means hello and goodbye in its most vague forms but it also is a way of expressing love. In its deeper meaning it is being a part of all, and all being a part of me. When there is pain - it is my pain. When there is joy - it is also mine. I respect all that is as part of the Creator and part of me. I will not willfully harm anyone or anything. When food is needed I will take only my need and explain why it is being taken. The earth, the sky, the sea are mine to care for, to cherish and to protect. This is Hawaiian - this is Aloha! At first it was just nice, people saying hello, then expressing love but soon it became evident it was more than that. It is strange being among the people here. When the whole congregation spoke Aloha back one could feel the spirit of the deeper meaning. When a person from Hawaii says Aloha, they mean to be in unity and harmony with your real self, God, and mankind and you can feel it in their voice. It is the strangest feeling to describe, yet when it is said you can feel it none the less. It is a feeling of warmth and love. The ward (congregation) was friendly and warm, inviting. A great mixture of people and for the first time since we have been here we felt like they were all together like a family, working together to make life better.
After church we went back to the cottage and got a bite to eat and then back out to the National Park.
We stopped here yesterday and it looked so different. There was a haze over everything yesterday that made it difficult to see. It was eerie and lonely. Matt says it is how he pictures hell to be. Today it was different, sun shining and beautiful - but desolate.
Some ancient petroglyphs or carvings in the hardened lava found from the people of long ago.
Weird how this lava formed around in a circle
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| So after a while on a hike back from viewing the petroglyphs I started matching animals and such to the different lava formations much like we would clouds back in the states. I thought this one looked like a lizard. Matt kept telling me I needed some water but by the time we got back to the end of the trail even he was coming up with objects or animals for the strange lava formations. We could especially imagine our younger girls having a blast running around the old lava flow shouting out, "look I see a ........., over here there is a ............" |
This is an arc made from a lava flow that is being attacked by the sea - Holei Sea Arch
This is so strange to see. The different types of lava right next to each other. The hardened lava on the right looks like dirt that has been turned over but as you get closer you see it is hard rock that isn't at all little pieces but one enormous rock that has a crumbly looking top - really rough stuff. I have been here 7 days now and the ever changing terrain is still most amazing and extraordinary. One minute you are looking at rough rock, then smooth, then rough, then rain forest. Just unbelievable.
Summit of Mount Kilauea
As it gets darker you can see the glow from the lava below.
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