Surfing the Nations Internship

Sherry

UPDATE #2 - 9/10/09

Aloha again!

Man, so much has happened within the last few days that I felt like I should write again. I have continued to have awesome conversations with people here, and learn more and more about how God is working in their lives, and their Walk with God now.

I got to surf the North Shore on one of my days off and got beat up. That day at the North Shore, it POURED rain while we were surfing, hehe, pretty cool. Yesterday, we got to teach some kids from the homeless shelter how to surf in Waianae (a very poor area in Oahu). 

Today, we put on Feeding the Hungry (which we do twice a week), where we distribute food to hundreds of people (this is what I did last week when I got off the plane). I got to have some great conversations with the locals there getting food. One who stood out to me is a woman named Gloria, who came from the Philippines 2 years ago to work in the elderly home in order to make more money for her church back in the Philippines. She's losing her job at the end of the year, and is praying that she and her husband will find work. She came out here because God called her and they're barely making ends meet. Even in her situation, she asked that I pray for her to find a home church, not so much on finding a job! Her faith is awesome.

I have so much to write and so little time! I still can't get my internet working. Did I say that we get our food from the food bank as well? Some days, we run out of food, and now I know what it's like to live under the poverty line. We spend hours praying for other nations, and I've learned through others how much God provides for them when they are in need, just as you have provided for me! Because of your support, I'm able to go on a second missions trip to Maui and Lanai 9/24-10/5 (on top of my missions trip to the middle east for a month). We'll be serving churches there on those islands. If you can pray for the people of Lanai, 9.5% of them are under the poverty line. 

Again, I can't thank you enough for your prayers!!!

Sherry

UPDATE #3 - 9/18/09

Aloha!!

 

I don't even know where to begin with this update. I've only been here 15 days and I feel like my life is changing before my eyes! I found out the other day that where I live (other than the street being the 2nd most dangerous on the island) is the largest impoverished area IN THE UNITED STATES! That made my heart break so much. The coolest thing I did this week was on Tuesday when I got to hang out with my neighbors in Wahiawa in the park nearby. These neighbors don't have homes. We hung out and talked and prayed with them. It totally reminded me of what we do with Steep, except, IS IS MY JOB!! Well, I don't get paid for it, but it's what I do! I expressed wanting to be more consistent with this team. Well on Fridays, in order to visit with them, you have to MAKE them lunch!! So I was assigned to making them lunch and it was a complete FAIL, haha ... but God still provided with a huge drop off of KFC and Cheesecake Factory leftovers! So we went again today and I got to hang out with a man named Mike who has liver cancer and is accepting his death. He's a believer and we prayed together. I thought it was hilarious that God made me on a team that has to COOK in order to spend time with these people. But it made me remember that God equips the called, not the equipped. (Although we failed this time, hehe).

 

Anyway, aside from our usual Feeding the Hungry, teaching kids to surf, and teachings (I have tons of tests I'm going to have to take), I get to have fun too. On Saturday, I surfed in one location in the morning and then drove to another location after lunch to surf in another location. That was so awesome! We also attend Surfer's Church on Saturday nights in a house on North Shore. It's such a blessing to be able to worship with other surfers. On Sunday, after church, a couple of us went to hike the Ka'au crater. It was pretty intense in terms of it being super jungly on the side of the cliff. We literally climbed ropes up waterfalls. On one of them, I slipped and fell on my butt. Ouch. Anyway, one of my friends stayed at th first waterfall to swim in it and she slipped on some moss and hit her head and blood was spilling everywhere! We hadda hike back 1.5 hours to the car and take her to the ER. She got 5 stitches, but she has such an upbeat attitude.

 

We fast on Mondays, which is crazy to me cuz I always have to eat and I rarely fast, so this is going to be a major challenge. Please pray for me about that! What's cool is we break our fast with Ohana night dinner and eat together and invite our neighbors too!! What a way to live in community. I love it.

 

Oh yeah, I'm being mistaken a lot of being a local! I sometimes get to use that to my advantage especially when gaining the respect needed to take waves here. =) Please pray for me with where God wants me to be after this. I'm getting pretty intense conversations with God, I think, and I'm scared outta my mind. Also, if you were praying for me and our eating situation, THANK YOU!! Yesterday, we were blessed with SO MUCH food from the food bank this week. We praised God over and over again. It's interesting to be excited for something you once took for granted! Like Mike, the homeless man though, he says God has already provided so much for him, he can't ask for anything more. He lives in a tent in a bush. Oh yeah, and please pray for spiritual warfare cuz 2 girls already have been spiritually attacked and it was INTENSE.

 

Anyway, sorry this email is so long and scattered. I have so much to write and I feel like these updates don't come frequently enough even though you probably think they come too frequently, hehe!! So much to say. I miss you guys so much! I talk so much about you guys to everyone! Thanks for praying for me and writing back! Lemme know if I can pray for you and/or update me on your life, k?

 

Sherry

UPDATE #4 - 9/22/09

I've been continuing to get to serve more of the poor, today at Barber's Point who live in transitional housing. I got to talk to the manager of one of the houses, who said that the govt took these abandoned army barracks and turned them into transitional housing for about $400/month. I thought that was really awesome. Also, continue to to pray about where God is leading me. I had a crazy vision on Sunday and was reconfirmed from another intern on Monday about where God wants me (Monday is our fasting day). We had, like, 45 minutes of worship and I was weeping from the very first line, just about God being our King. And the tears just wouldn't stop. Dude.

 

Anyway, I'm also writing cuz I'll be going on a mini-missions trip from 9/24-10/5 to Maui and Lanai. We'll be leading bible studies and working with local churches. Also, Lanai has a 9.5% poverty rate. Oh, I'll also be giving my testimony on 10/3, so please pray for that. I don't think I've ever shared my testimony before. Thanks and thanks for your continued encouragement!

 

Sherry

UPDATE #5 - 10/8/09

Aloha!

I have so much to tell you about my mini-missions trip to Maui and Lanai. It was been CRAZY!!!! I can't tell you ALL THE STUFF that God did in the 12 days that we were gone. I hope that you can make it through the email or just jump toward the end, haha. To start off, I'm so much closer to the people I went with! We bonded so much. 

We flew to Maui first and connected with a local church there, New Hope Maui. One of the members was a recent widow and we worked on her 3 acre yard (about 2300ft in elevation and overlooking the ocean). I mowed the lawn ... the first time I ever mowed a lawn, hehe. 3 acres of it, haha. We also helped work on the Iao theater that the church meets at. We worked at a fish pond by moving stones that King Kamehameha once touched! We also helped out with New Hope Maui's baptism in the ocean! We helped out with a youth Bible study, including premiering our documentary on surfing the nations in Bangladesh ... check it out at www.gumformyboat.com. We were also able to bless the people that let us stay with them by cleaning their houses. That was another thing ... we got to stay at 2 houses!!!! This is huge cuz we live in an apartment that's in really bad shape (as you've read earlier) with cockroaches and bed bugs. Having the share a bathroom with 6 other girls instead of 13 is so nice. I slept in a comfy bed and carpet felt SO GOOD under my feet. I am SO GRATEFUL for things I used to take for granted. 

We also go to check out the island a lot. We saw YWAM's base in Maui. They live in Haiku on a mountain with some HUGE cockroaches. We went on the road to Hana (gorgeous), surfed about 4 times, twice in one day even cuz I woke up at 5am to surf 2 days in a row ... TIRING! We canoed (so much fun!) ... that one day we canoed, I surfed in the morning, lifted heavy rocks for 2 hours, canoed, then surfed again in the afternoon! Then the next morning, I surfed again!!! Needless to say, my arms felt like falling off. We went on a wave pool ... so crazy!!!! If you could only see people's gnarly falls off the board. By the time we hadda leave for Lanai, I didn't wanna leave!!!!

We went to Lanai by ferry (appx 9 miles from Maui). Lanai is an island that has less than 4000 people and really just one city, in the middle of the island. Most people living on the island are blue collar workers. Gas is close to $5, but almost 70% of the population is unemployed, so I'm not sure how they get by. A gallon of milk was $6 ... it's really hard to get things onto Lanai. We stayed at King's Chapel ... in their sanctuary. It's unfinished and has been under construction for at least 5 years. Everything is voluntary work, so not a lot gets done, I guess. We spent time a lot of time with members of their church, especially the kids. We put on children's church, helped with their services, and did a lot of construction on their building. There was no kitchen, but to save money, we cooked food and washed our dishes with a hose in the front yard. There's also no showers, so the first night, I showered in my bikini in front of the church at night with the hose. Haha, the following days though, we went to the beach and showered. We helped out with their movie night that they put on once a month. One of our staff gave a message before the movie. Since Lanai is so small, a lot of people come out. We passed out fliers to each house and it reminded me of when Steep went door to door ... so much of what Steep has done has prepared me for so much here at Surfing the Nations! Before that, I was so uncomfortable, but when I went this time, I was incredibly comfortable and loved meeting people. 

I also gave my testimony for the first time that ended in tears because I ended with my struggles. Words of affirmation are always given after each person's testimony, which I had, but was also challenged to verbally speak out my struggles and give them up to God, placing my full identity in Him. It was really freeing, but I was also super encouraged by each person's affirmations. 

The most significant thing that happened though, was the last night we were in Maui when we had Bible study with the pastor of New Hope Maui. We had an awesome time of worship that was led by our team, and the pastor encouraged us to ask God what we need to be rescued from. He gave prophecies for each person on our team! It was super specific. I was awe struck, and trying to hold back tears. This occurred with EVERYONE on our team. We all left in awe at how accurate he was and how much God was speaking through him.

Needless to say, I have a lot to think about. Before leaving for this trip, I was praying and had a vision of me standing in Wahiawa (where I live now, in the middle of the island) looking north and seeing red points to cities to the west, where a lot of the poverty is. I felt like God speaking to me in where He wants to be after STN. Also, lately, when I run and pray for each person I pass, my mind doesn't wander as much and I'm able to stay focused with every person in Wahiawa and on the hwy and the buildings that I pass, like I'm meant to serve them. In the last two days, 2 messages were given about listening to God and walking in faith. Psalm 119 says that He is a lamp unto my feet, which only lights up a few feet in front of the person holding the lamp. That's how God wants us to see ... not the entire path to the end, but just a little bit at the time, otherwise, how much faith would we really need? But I'm also thinking about not leaving teaching ... I get reaffirmed a lot about my "teaching skills". I'm not sure yet how to decipher my own wants from God's, but I do know that if I don't TRY, I'd never know. So I should take each step little by little ... maybe God wants for me to do both. So please pray for me with that. Also, please pray that I won't be bitten by mosquitoes! I get bit SO MANY times a day and the room next door in my apt has been having a huge bed bug infestation. Pray that it will stop!!! =( 

Thanks for all your encouraging responses and let me know how I can pray for you too! I have dreams about being home SO MUCH!!! I miss you guys so much, you have no idea!But I also wish that you guys could experience what I'm experiencing right now!!! (Not the bug bites though, hehe). God is MOVING!

With lots of love,

Sherry

UPDATE #6 - 10/23/09

Aloha Friends!

 

Man, the weeks are going by faster and faster. In exactly 1 month and 3 days, I will be done with the internship and on my way to the Middle East for a month! I guess this will be a short update (I hope!) with where I'll be after all this and with a couple prayer request regarding our community here.

 

As you know, I live in Wahiawa on a street filled with drugs, prostitutes, and homeless. We have a friend that comes to visit us once in awhile .. he's pretty young, maybe in his early 20s. On Monday, we found out that his twin brother committed suicide. We're not sure if it's foul play, as they say they used to be involved in a gang and drug related activities, but are not anymore. Police are investigating if it was really a suicide or homocide. As a result, though, 2 other people committed suicide (one person failed and survived). Pray for the surviving brother, who has been living in foster care since he was 6, and for their who family. Their biological dad came by the other day to talk to one of our people who was friends with his sons. This street is just really dark ... I can't say I've seen so many apparent prostitutes. And an apartment next to us has a sign that reads: No drug activity in the parking lot. I feel so blessed to live right in the middle of all this and that we can be a light to these people. Pray for wisdom with actions and words to say to them and to fill us with even more compassion.

 

As for after the Middle East ... I've been praying and fasting a lot about what God wants me to do after. I can't say I know what He wants me to do way in the future, but I've felt God telling me to stay at least for now. For the past 3 weeks, I've been asking God to give me confirmation, because so much of my flesh wants to return to the comforts of home, to live with you guys (I miss you all SO MUCH), to have the convenience of a car, to eat foods that I want to eat, and have a house to myself. But just yesterday, one of the staff members came up to me and told me that during her quiet time, God told her I should stay. WOAH. I guess a big part of me also wants my parents to understand why I'm staying. I feel like me not being at home is making me miss the opportunity for me to minister to them, but my prayer is that they see the Light in my life that they want to seek after God too.

 

On a side note, Surfing the Nations wants me to run a 5K in the Walk-Run for Hunger. The rest of the crew will be volunteering for the race. They think I'm a pro runner, aaaahhhhhh .... not sure how to explain to them that a 5K race is so different from a marathon. Oh, I also got to volunteer at my first surf contest last weekend! Exciting. I miss you guys so much!!! HUGS!!!

 

Sherry

UPDATE #7 - 10/26/09

Hi again!

 

Yes, I know this is so soon, but I wanted to update you on the brother situation. It turned out that it wasn't a suicide, but a homIcide made to look like a suicide. We think it was a drug deal gone wrong. I will continue to update as we know more.

 

It was a super crazy weekend for us. We usually get Saturday mornings off and Sunday afternoons off, but we just worked through the entire weekend. Surfing the Nations was volunteering for the Walk-Run for Hunger Saturday ... we all left at 5:15 and my friends here had to volunteer until 10. I got to run though! Everyone had such high expectations and I was so scared I would disappoint cuz a 5K is so different from a marathon! Plus, I had a 2 week notice before knowing I would run this, so interval training was kinda outta the question. I just kept up my usual longer runs. So the night before, I just prayed and told God that I didn't know how this race would be used for His glory and just gave it up to him. The race was so hard cuz I hate sprinting, hahaha, and my was gasping for breath, which I never do! But I heard 40 STNers all over the course cheering for me, so just I just kept on moving. I was aiming for 22 minutes, but found out I came in 20:55, a huge personal record for me!!! The icing on the top of the cake was ending up getting 4th place overall, and being the 1st woman!! Woohoo! I even got a neat little trophy. I give God all the glory whenever people asked about it, cuz it's just another miracle in my life. Praise God. I spent the rest of the entire day surfing!! Haha ... I love surf hopping and being able to enjoy surfing at both ends of the island, south shore AND north shore, in one day! God is good!!!

 

On Sunday, Surfing the Nations also volunteers at something called Once a Month church. This is a church that meets outside on a beach park where mostly homeless people come. I was on the evangelism team. We basically pray for people who come to the prayer tent and then go up to pray for people when they give the altar call. I got to meet a lot of people struggling with hating what society sees of them, hates that they're shunned, and some in need of shelter or safety. But the one that stuck in my mind was one girl who was just completely lost ... she kept talking about 'energy' and 'the cosmos' and all that Diving Mother Earth stuff that we encountered in Maui one night, haha. We prayed for her HARD, for God to cast out all demons in her and for her to stop thinking that it's all the same! She was in tears. I dunno, words can't describe all the stuff that was going on. Anyway, SO many people were up during the altar call and I got to pray for a 78 year old woman named Felicitas. What a privilege!! Afterward, we fed them a homecooked meal ... these people came in the hundreds ... but there was more than enough food for us!!

 

Thanks so much for praying you guys!!!

 

Sherry

EGYPT, ISRAEL, JORDAN - 11/3/09

Aloha! 

Just 3 more weeks until I leave for the Middle East on missions! Here's a short preview of what they did last year: http://www.vimeo.com/2803349. I leave on 11/25, the day before Thanksgiving and leave Tel Aviv, Israel on 12/22. While in Israel, Egypt and Jordan we will be traveling to hese locations: Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Amman, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to name a few. Our month long trip will focus on the Muslim and Jewish cultures in this area of the world. 

As you know, Surfing the Nations is a humanitarian/missions non-profit organization committed to impacting local and international communities through the sport of surfing by meeting needs and changing lives. Our goals that will be accomplished will be: to learn about Biblical history, evangelism, build relationships, and surf. While in Alexandria, we'll be putting on the 2nd Annual Surf Contest ... last year, they had 30 contestants and 100 spectators. This year, we're expecting 60 contestants and 1,000 spectators! If you know of any companies who would love to sponsor or donate any products/prizes to the surf contest, let me know! It will be advertised well literally across the world!

Here's a prayer list if you get a chance! Pray for:

• Me to be used by God in Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
• For the team as a whole.
• For team safety.
• For lives to be changed in Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
• People to come to know the love of Jesus.
• Finances for all team members who may not already be fully funded.
• Additional finances to bless those in the nations where we will be traveling.
• Housing.
• Wisdom for the Leadership.
• The Egyptian, Israeli, and Jordanian governments.
• Surfing The Nations ministry here in Wahiawa.
• Your family.
• The friends STN has made in the past.
• That God would open old and new doors.
• The Egyptian Christians and Messianic Jews.
• Missionaries who are stationed in these nations.
• Trip planning and logistics.

 Again, thank you so much for your support and responses! I will continue to update up until I leave for the trip. Also, thank you so much for praying for the mosquito, bed bug, cockroach infestations. I'm still getting bit by mosquitoes, but better than bed bugs. I found one on my pillow ... BLECH. But through your prayers, I have yet to been bit by them, praise the Lord! The cockroaches are still here, blech.

Love,
Sherry

UPDATE #8 - 11/18/09

Aloha!

 

I am so grateful to get a new laptop and finally have internet of my own! Praise God! =) In just a few days, I'll be graduating from the internship (Monday, the 23rd) and then leaving for the Middle East on Wednesday, 11/25.

 

God has been continuing to work miracles here. For the past few weeks, I've been searching for a really cheap surf board to bring out to the Middle East. The plan is to surf it there and then leave it at our last stop in Tel Aviv, where they need the boards the most. The reason why I wanted it for cheap (and not to bring my own board) is cuz it costs $100 of airline fees PER board! So for me to have to bring back the board would be another $100. Anyway, I've been searching everywhere and God kept telling me, "Sherry, you will get a board donated. Do not worry." Well, on Friday, a friend took me to look for a board. One place offered a totally beat up long board for $50 but needed so much repair. We decided to leave and go to 2 other places. At this third place, Surf Garage, the owner blessed us with a short board, already in surfable condition!!! My friend just did some touch ups to the board the next day. What a blessing. This really showed me how much more trust I need to put in our God! I took the board out for the first time this morning (early morning ... 6 to be exact). It was my first time going out with a short board. I was so humbled. Now I know how newbies feel when they first learn to surf!

 

On a side note, I go out dawn patrolling at least once a week on a weekday. I think last week, I was out surfing and it was a perfect picture of paradise. I sat out waiting for waves under 2 complete rainbows with the sun rising behind me. Then it started drizzling and I could hear the sound of the rain hitting the ocean. Then a huge sea turtle came up right next to us. I almost thought I was gonna see a unicorn, it was so picture perfect. God knows how to paint the perfect picture! The icing on the cake, of course, was the awesome surf we had that morning.

 

Anyway, back to preparations ... my Middle East team went to a Messianic Jewish church. This is in preparation for our trip to Jerusalem. Fun fact: Hawaii is considered the "ends of the earth" from Jerusalem. The Messianic Jewish Church is committed to building 12 prayer towers all over the world by 2012. There is already a prayer tower at "the ends of the earth" in Honolulu! I haven't visited it yet, but that's so cool.

 

I've been busy doing our usual work with serving the people here. I'm almost done with the 7 tests we have to take, and I had already finished reading 2 books that we had to read on the Heroes of Faith series. I chose Eric Liddell and Gladys Alward. We're packing for the Middle East and I'm in charge of putting together a devotionals schedule and curriculum for each day for each person on the team to teach. I also learned how to judge a surf contest! As you know, we'll be putting on the 2nd annual surf contest in Alexandria. The Triple Crown contest just started, which is huge for us cuz we live at the "gateway" to the North Shore. At this time of year, there will be a lot of pro surfers from around the world coming in. What a perfect way to minister to them! (I was at the T&C factory last week .... again in search of a board ... and these pro surfers came in and took about 10 brand new big wave surf boards, probably totaling $10,000).

 

I will update again soon. I miss you guys so much. I am so encouraged by what's going on at home, and continue to go out and be lamb among wolves! One speaker reminded us as we ministered to our neighbors (mostly homeless) that we are so afraid to be eaten up by the wolves, but what the wolves really want to do is eat WITH the lambs. (Remind you of a Steep challenge? Hehe).

 

Love,

Sherry

UPDATE #9 - 11/25/09

Hello!

This will be my last update before I leave for missions in the Middle East tonight. After that, I'll be spending Christmas and New Years in Spain and Portugal with family before returning to the US. I'll be home for 2 months before returning to Hawaii, as I have taken another step of faith and committed 1 year to being on staff at Surfing the Nations, aka a missionary. I never thought I'd ever be in that position, not making an income, but having to rely on support alone. But I get to do God's work 24/7, as my job! Stoked. I think the turning point for me for staying here was the pride that I had. There are times that I felt like my education and career experience was going to waste as I was scraping off paint off railings or cleaning up smashed M&M's off the parking lot after feeding 500 people. But then I thought about Jesus coming here on earth and being the lowest of the low ... he was God! and he was able to give that up, humble himself, and live with the poor. It made me wanna smack myself upside the head, haha. Anyway, thank you so much for your prayers and support and I hope that when I return, I can share all about the beginning of this entire adventure. =) I miss you guys so much! I talk about my community to people here so much and share with them the God-sized things that were done and are being done back home!

Love,
Sherry

Clouds Rest, Yosemite

This was my 3rd time to Yosemite this summer. The other 2 times was to hike Half Dome. I've done a lot of Half Dome hikes in the past few years and decided it was time to do a different hike. So a group of us drove more east on Tioga Rd. to the Sunrise Trailhead west of Tenaya Lake to hike Clouds Rest. So, to compare the specs of each:

Clouds Rest: 9,926ft in elevation, starting elevation: 8,000ft, total hike: 14 miles, views: more of Yosemite, including spectacular views of Half Dome seen 1,090ft below
Half Dome: 8,800ft in elevation, starting elevatin: 4,000ft, total hike: 17 miles, views: Yosemite Valley

Clouds Rest is said to give the best panorama of all. It rises higher than anywhere to the west, is over 5 miles away from taller peaks in the east, and there is nothing to block the 360 degree vista. It's a little less strenuous and shorter than Half Dome, but possible altitude sickness may occur while hiking Clouds Rest (this I learned the hard way when I hiked Mt. Dana in Yosemite, starting at 10,000ft and ascended to 13,000ft ... altitude sickness is NOT fun). What's great is that there aren't as many hikers on this trail as Half Dome!

So we drove up Friday night and stayed at Housekeeping Camp (again!). Then we woke up at 6am to this gorgeous view of Half Dome.

L: When I saw this, I thought ... 3 weeks ago, I was at the top of that at this exact time watching the sunrise! R: We drove 45 miles on Tioga Rd. to the Sunrise Hike trailhead. We started at 8:30am and took our time hiking up while eating coca candy so that we would not get altitude sickness.

L: Some people hike Clouds Rest and then Half Dome in one day! I wanna do that! R: I'm guessing this is Tuolumne Peak?

L: Eric thought we could push this boulder over. So wrong. R: Getting closer!

This chipmunk posed funny.

This must be Sunrise pond?

And closer!

Such a scramble to the top!

v

And we made it! Time: 12:30pm

View from the top! L: Mount Clark R: Tenaya Lake, where we started!

L: The chipmunks were just as vicious as the squirrels on top of Half Dome. They like to steal our food. R: View of Half Dome 1000ft below us. If you look closely, you can see the cables with the people climbing up.

L: Trying to be artsy fartsy. R: posing in front of HD

L: Steve and Candace took naps! R: Storm clouds rolling in.

We hadda walk on these rocks that were, like, 1ft wide ... I'm not afraid of heights, but today, I was!

Man, it's awesome literally being on top of the world!

We prayed at the top of Clouds Rest. On top of praying about God's goodness, we also prayed for a safe trip back down. Last time Steve and I hiked Mt. Dana, we got stuck in a hail/thunderstorm and thought we'd get struck by lightning at 10,000ft+. As we headed down, it started to sprinkle. But because we prayed, that was all ... the rain stopped!

We had spent an hour at the top and got down in 3 hours. We went into Tenaya lake at around 5:30pm. It was freezing cold! Glacier water! And what I thought was cool was that the bottom of the lake was a complete rock!

L: Glacier water is great for inflamed muscles. R: Ok, this is gross. See how dirty my legs got from the dirt? It looks like I have really hairy legs!

L: Compare to how clean my foot is here. The day before, when I was surfing, I cut my feet up pretty good on some rocks cuz it was high tide. (That's a whole other story too ... yesterday's waves were pretty vicious. I got whiplash, so my neck hurt, along with my lower back, which I think was also from the pounding of the waves. It's been almost a week and my back still hurts!) After the hike, dirt got stuck in the cuts and I hadda use a needle to pick them out. Ouch. R: Sunset on the drive back home.

Overall: I like Clouds Rest a lot! It's not as well known, so you don't get a billion hikers who are lined up at the cables, which is great. The views are gorgeous, and I didn't end up getting altitude sickness!

Half Dome #6 (at midnight) & LA pics

Alright, to set this Half Dome weekend up for you (8/1/09), lemme explain what happened the week before. On Sunday, 7/26, I ran a marathon and retwisted my left ankle that had been previously sprained severely 2 years ago. I rested on Monday. On Tuesday, I went to the gym and swam. On Wednesday, I ran. On Thursday, I lifted weights and rockclimbed. On Friday, I went surfing. So needless to say, by the time we drove to Yosemite Friday night and got to the trailhead at midnight, I was relying on adrenaline and muscle memory.

Friday, 7/31: We got to Yosemite Village at 11:30pm and started our hike at exactly midnight on 8/1.

At Curry Village getting ready.

L: At the trailhead. There were a good handful of people also hiking Half Dome to watch the sunrise too! In this case, a drunk man was at the trailhead to take our pic (after several tries). He didn't hike it obviously. I thought he was gonna fall off the cliff though. R: Here we are at the bottom of sub-dome.

I didn't take very many pics. I've hiked Half Dome 5 times and Justin had hiked it 4 times. Patrick hiked it one other time and Albert and Vinod were noobs. I felt very responsible for their well-being, making it to the top, not leaving anyone behind in the dark, and my biggest fear, getting lost. You'd think that I wouldn't get lost after hiking it just a month prior, but it's so different in the dark. Thank God we only got lost once, and it was only a 5 minute confusion, but I almost panicked. Whenever I saw another group, I decided to follow them cuz I really didn't trust my own judgment in leading the way. The footing is a bit difficult too and slowed down our time, but I allowed for plenty of time to make it before sunrise. It definitely worked. I think we may have pushed the noobs a little too hard, but they made it in one piece and not hating me, so I'm happy about that! The good thing about hiking at night, though, is that the temperature in the summer was PERFECT!!!! I have to tell you the truth though, I have a wild imagination and I was pretty scared about what I couldn't see, but I didn't let anyone know that and tried not to think about it, hehe.

L: Here we are at 5am at subdome, the base of Half Dome. R: These are the little headlamps of other people climbing the cables.

L: This is my fave picture. R: Group shot! Minus me!

This is right before sunrise at 5:30am, when we made it to the top.

Pre sunrise made the sky look beautiful and it made Yosemite more beautiful than ever!

L: Pre sunrise pic on the diving board. R: Weee!

I love these pics!

Here comes the sunrise!!!!!!!! Time is approximately 6:11am.

The sunrise overlooking Cloud's Rest. That's where I'll be next weekend!

L: Group pic! R: Patrick, don't jump!

Posing at the top of the diving board.

L: Dangling my feet off of the diving board. R: Justin and Patrick were crazy enough to climb down a little to the side. I decided to take this with my feet dangling to show you where they were.

So pretty!

After taking a ton of pics and eating breakfast, which also included a scrambled egg sandwich courtesy of some college kids who cooked eggs at the top and offered some to us, we took a nap from 7-8am. I could barely sleep. Granite does not make for a good mattress, even after only 2 hours of sleep the day (I can't say night) before. Actually, it was all the talking that kept me awake.

L: Rock piles made my people (or aliens, wooooo). R: Heading down.

L: Here I am at the top of hte cables. R: Here I am near the bottom. We got down to sub dome at 9am, and already there was a line forming on the cables. It was also super hot already.

L: Group pic! R: Here we are at the top of Nevada Falls, dipping our feet in the ice cold water. Haha, it kinda looks like I can just push Justin right in, haha.

L: Feet dipping. R: Vinod and Patrick slept AGAIN! Man, they can sleep anywhere. I wish I could do that. We spent almost an hour resting here.

L: In this pic, you can see Half Dome waaaaaaaaaaaay in the back. R: Posing on JMT in front of Nevada Falls.

L: In front of Vernal Falls. We're done! Time: 2pm. We rested and slept a lot. But time It took minus all the rests was about 11 hours. R: We saw a mom and baby deer at Curry Village.

SIGH ... I really love Half Dome! I like this pic cuz you can see the diving board form here!

This past weekend, 8/14-8/16, I went to LA to visit high school friends. I drove down with Emi Friday morning and hung out with her and her cousin. Then she dropped me off at the Sherman Oaks 24 Hour to work out while I waited for Georgie to get off work. That 24 Hour is huuuuuuuuuge. I'm talking about tons of cables, tons of benches, like 3 sets of free weights, a million cardio machines ... the list goes on and on.

Then Georgie picked me up and we ate in Encino at Midori Sushi.

After, we went to Georgie's in Thousand Oaks and drank his homemade beer and played Rock Band. Check out his contraption.

The next day, I was gonna go surfing in Malibu, but saw that the water temps called for wetsuits and that's something I can do back at home. The waves were also mediocre and prices for renting a board were so costly compared to SC! Instead, we hiked at Solstice Canyon in Malibu.

You're sposed to be able to see the ocean from here, but it's too hazy to see.

We hiked to this burnt down house that burned down in 1982 and there's a little waterfall.

The house was built in 1952.

L: Burnt kitchen R: This was a bathtub?? So small.

Afterward, we leisurely drove around Malibu and then went to eat at Brent's Deli for my fave, BRUNCH!!! Topped with a brownie sundae.

Yummy! Later on that evening, we fought LA traffic to go to Hardy's back in LA. Everytime I go to LA ever since college, we'd eat at C&O's.

Guess what we did after this? Play Rock Band. This was only the 2nd time in my life that I've played Rock Band.

The next day, I hung out with Hardy and Ruby at their friend's place for brunch. Then I ran from their place to Marina Del Rey/Venice Beach, dodged people as I ran along the beach, and then ran back, in time to shower and catch my flight back home.

My 12th Marathon - The SF Marathon

So ... I didn't PR, but I did get my highest ranking in my division and highest ranking in women to date, but that's cuz there were only 396 women in my division, and only 1723 women overall. It was a small field.

Full Marathon

Runner Details	Race Results	Split Times
Bib: 3488 Name: Sherry Gender: F Age: 27 Hometown: Fremont, CA	Overall:  699 out of 5093 Women:  101 out of 1723 F 25-29:  25 out of 396 Age/Grade:  61.54% Place: 586 Finish:  3:40:04 Pace: 8:24 Tag Time:  3:40:04 Gun Time:  3:52:25	7.6 Mi:          1:03:07    Pace: 8:19 Half:            1:48:16    Pace: 8:16 20 mi: Pace:

I drove up to SF the Saturday before race day and went to the expo. Then I met up with Dave and Jeff (my high school buddies) for dinner. Dave was running his very first marathon! We carbo loaded at Amici's and Jeff joined in on the fun. This was the second marathon that Jeff came with me to! Refer back to the Boston marathon on 4/20/09 for the last time he came. We stayed at Dave's in SF. I slept at 9pm, worried that I wouldn't be able to sleep cuz the night before, I couldn't fall asleep. I did fall asleep though, so I was happy.

Here's a pic of me and Dave courtesy of Jeff's picture taking skills.

At 4am, I woke up and got ready. I woke Jeff up at 4:45 to drive me to the start line. Poor Jeff had stayed up until 3am working! I got to the start at 5:15ish and dropped off my bag check and waited in line for the port-o-potties. I was afraid that I would be late for my wave that started at 5:41. Thankfully, the lines weren't TOO long and I met 2 friendly runners ahead and behind me. I think the wave starts is an EXCELLENT idea. Not only are you stuck behind a bazillion people, but you don't have to wait in line at the porta potties as much, the aid stations don't overwhelm the volunteers, and the Golden Gate Bridge wasn't as packed as I used to remember it being. The weather could not have been better, although the dense fog across the GGB made everyone wet and cold.

What I didn't like was the random mile markers cuz I didn't know my pace at mile 1 cuz I didn't know where mile 1 was!!! I ended up starting too conservatively and with all the up and downhills of SF, it made it really hard to make up for lost time from the beginning. Plus, sometime after the halfway mark, I stepped into some road ditch or something and twisted the ankle I had severely sprained EXACTLY 2 years ago!!!! Wow ... interesting.

I really tried to push at the end, but I really didn't have any excuses. No pain, maybe just in my right knee, but I just didn't have it in me? I dunno ... I thought my speedwork and hill work was sufficient. My lack of long runs due to the major heat the past month really got to me, I guess. I finished in my 3rd fastest time, which I am satisfied with, although if I had the chance to rewind time and do it over again, I would in a heartbeat. Even mid-race I thought about the loss of time in the beginning and how I shouldn't be regretting it cuz I could do something about it RIGHT NOW. So I tried and I couldn't and it made me think about how much life is so much like that. Oh well, life goes on!

Sadly, I will name the SF marathon the loneliest marathon I have ever run. There were SO FEW spectators that it made me feel a little bit sad that this is a marathon that represents where I'm from. Plus, there were so few full marathoners that after the first half marathoner cleared out, I almost didn't even realize I was running a marathon since even the runners were scarce. The start for the second half marathoners was lined with cheering runners waiting for their start an hour early. Haha, which goes to show, runners make the best spectators too! When I got to mile 25, I thought surely the streets would be lined with people, but nope, I'd say it wasn't lined until about the last 2/10ths of a mile. I was on the look out for my parents, but I didn't see them. This was the very first full marathon they've ever come to watch!

They just missed me, though, and I saw them just as I finished my race and my medal was being put on me.

I got my ice pack. Got my goodies.

Pics with my parents with the Bay Bridge in the background.

Muscle Milk provided foam rollers and free Muslce Milk. It was disgusting.

L: Eating a banana. R: Stretching the hip flexor.

L: me and my mom R: Thanh came out to meet us for brunch!

We walked over to the Ferry Building to eat at Marketbar.

I loooooooooove breakfast foods, especially after a marathon. I especially love coffee. I had 3 cups that day!

And now, for my mile dedications and what I prayed for during my 12th marathon:

Mile 1: God - As always, God makes everything, even my love of running, possible. I always get goosebumps when I run across the start line of a marathon!
Mile 2-3: My parents - They were so excited to come meet me at the finish. I'm really happy that came out to show their support, even if it's after the race. I prayed for their faith and how thankful I am to have them as my parents.
Mile 4: LA/SD/Sacramento - These are significant cities. LA was where I ran my first full marathon back in 2005. SD was where I qualified for the Boston marathon in 2008. Sacramento was when I had my biggest jump in PR and finally realized that it WAS possible to qualify for Boston in 2007.
Mile 5: Yosemite - I always imagine being there while I'm running cuz of just how gorgeous it is. God made that!
Mile 6: Fremont - My hometown and training grounds. I never thought I'd say this though ... this month, I actually got sick of running circles around Lake Elizabeth.
Mile 7: Hawaii - I prayed about what I would be doing there and how God would use me. I also imagined myself there surfing, of course.
Mile 8: Surfing the Nations - I prayed about my journey there and why God has called me there. Mostly, I prayed about what kind of stepping stone it would be, what I'd learn, and kept asking WHY?
Mile 9: Emily and Ryan - My cousins are like my siblings and I thank God for them!
Mile 10: My students - I prayed for their future and what they are currently doing.
Mile 11: GrX Fremont - I prayed for its future, for what the church will do for God, and how grateful I am for the community that I've found there. I will be so sad to leave it!
Mile 12: Steep - Man, my small group is awesome. I prayed for how we will be living our faith actively and for what we have already done. I prayed for the upcoming core, I am leaving Steep in good hands!
Mile 13: God - As always, for allowing me to make it to the middle of the race.
Mile 14: Bill, Vera, Sunshine, Lupe - Again, the people Steep and I met on the streets of San Jose. I prayed that they would get off the streets, know God, and for us to be able to help them get back on their feet.
Mile 15: Lorraine and Cozi - The Masonic Home residents that have left an impression on me. I pray that their optimism would continue and that they would find God.
Mile 16: Cambodia - I prayed for the orphans that I played with the last 2 years, and for their future. I prayed for the country and what it is becoming. I especially prayed for the organizations that GrX Fremont is partnering with and for the people that we'll be helping.
Mile 17: Christina - I prayed for your future in school, thanked God for what you've done for Steep and for what a friend you've been in my life! I hope that I can aspire to be that person who never just settles, but challenges others with more. And if Justin ever wants to be in that backpack thingy on a hike, I'm so there! Hehe.
Mile 18: Erin - I prayed for your future, the struggles you're going through, and also thanked God for the friend that you've been not just to me, but to so many people. I hope that I could be just as caring as you are!
Mile 19: Amy - I prayed for you coming on core and the amazing things that you'll be doing and already have done for Steep. I really cherish our funny g-chat moments!
Mile 20: Diana - I prayed for your upcoming school year and your dedication to Steep ... you are always there, even though you're not "officially" on core. =)
Mile 21: Steve - I prayed for your future, your dedication to GrX Fremont, and to Cambodia. I thanked God for our friendship and our back and forth banter, haha, hilarious.
Mile 22: Davebucks - From Sher* (that's not a typo), I prayed for your future and thanked God for our friendship. I also prayed that you would become my marathon buddy again someday!! Just keep running!
Mile 23: Thanh and Eling - I prayed for you guys and your walk with God and community. I also though about the delicious breakfast we were gonna have when I finished! Eling, sorry you were sick and couldn't make it!
Mile 24: Salina - Dude Sal, you know I thank God SO much that we have the friendship that we do. You are always so encouraging and you continue to remind me that it's ok to be me! I really dunno where I'd be without you. I am so proud of you that you're gonna run your first marathon in October! I wish I could train you to the finish!
Mile 25: Jeff and Dave C - My high school buds ... I chuckled a little when I thought about senior year social studies. I thanked God for our friendships and Dave, I prayed for you to finish strong while I was running. I even looked out for you when there were miles that crossed each other! And Jeff, you are one heckuva good friend and you know it! Hahah ... thanks to the both of you for making today possible!
Mile 26: God - Of course, for taking me across yet another finish line. It is so amazing how God built us, physically and mentally.

Fishing and Crabbing 7/18/09

On a hot Saturday, a few of us decided to go to cold Pacifica to go crabbing and fishing. I do not believe in crabbing nor fishing, unless you decide to do this for fun and throw them back in alive, but I wanted to be with my good buddies on a Saturday. Man, the things I do! Hehe, jk jk! I ended up being their official photographer and feeder (cuz all their hands became contaminated with fish guts, worms, and raw chicken.)

L: Steve knew everything there is to know about crabbing and fishing and taught all the noobs the ropes. R: Look at all these people on the pier murdering fish.

L: The raw chicken for the crabs. R: Amy and Erin pose before they drop the nets down.

This was sick. Even after cutting the parts of the worms, they STILL wriggled for a good 15-20 minutes!!!

L: Within 5 minutes, the noob Matt caught the first fish of the morning. R: I was FORCED to hold this fishing pole for a few minutes while Chris or Erin or someone went to do something.

L: Fishing is a lot of waiting. R: Steve caught the next fish, but it was too small, so I was happy when we threw it back.

Our first batch of crabs. We caught sooooo many dungeoness crabs and couldn't keep them (yay), but we did catch a rock crab and kept that one for them to eat. I named her Crabby.

L: Dungeoness crab R: Amy is a beast! She has no fear with grabbing the crab and throwing it back in.

L: Steve caught this fish, that's #2. R: Chris caught fish #3

L: Steve caught fish #4 R: More dungeoness crab!

L: Fish #5 R: Fish #6

L: More crab R: Fish #7

L: This little fish was given to a kid to kill and have fun with R: Apparently, someone didn't know that we were going fishing?

More dungeoness crab

L: This little fishy got thrown back R: Fish #9

L: These fish were too small and were thrown back. R: And finally, Amy caught a fish to make it fish #9!

L: These are the fish we caught and brought back. R: Chris's mom teaches them the way of scaling, gutting, cleaning, and cooking the fish. I look on with disgust, but major intrigue.

Amy has no fear. I think she's enjoying this.

Hmm ... maybe not Erin though ... check out those fish guts.

Matt gets a hand at the gutting.

L: fish getting beheaded talking to the fish across from it: "Mommy?? Is that you?? I just wanted to eat something, like you taught me! How did I die??" =( R: HIIIII-YA! KARATE CHOP!

L: This is the picture of the night. It's awesome. R: This is Crabby. Dead and ready to be consumed.

The fish got cooked in different ways.

Finished product. I ate the veggies and the leftover burrito I had from lunch. Very yummy!

Cheers!

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