Football Team

This is my football team I've been coaching for a while now.  We're all pretty stoked after stomping Kekaha 39-12.  Good to be apart of a winning team again.  We had a car wash last weekend to help raise money for the team to play a mainland team over on Mauai.  It was a blast playing around, washing cars, and connecting with the community.  This is a great opportunity for the kids to travel because, much like inner-city kids, the Westside is all they know.  It is the only world they know due to the cycle of the poverty.  I would love to travel with them to Mauai, but my parents are coming that weekend.  It will be good to see them again and show them around the island and capture the vision out here.

A New Car?

Here is my "new" '96 Honda Accord. Complete with zip tie door handles, one working window, and a green evertree freshener.  I can now get around the island to the places of our ministry.

Younglife Leadership Conference

Last weekend went to Oahu for a Younglife leadership conference.  The people I am with are high schoolers that Ward has already had a huge impact on.  This event was high energy and eye opening.  Our ministry is "Incarnational." Meaning that we go to kids where they are emulating these qualities of our Savior---love, caring, gentleness, acceptance, and patience.  Our conduct and words can, and do penetrate all their prejudice and preconceived ideas of Christianity and reveal to them life with Christ. 

It is a sin to bore a kid with the gospel!  At Younglife we create an environment where strangers meet and begin to feel more comfortable together by having a crazy game to play or watch a weird/funny skit.  The conference had groups from all the islands meeting. Each island had to do a skit.  Ward and I couldn't think of anything so we bought panty hose and choreographed a dance.

First Impressions

Flying up to the island of Kauai had me pretty stoked to see such a beautiful place.  So I grabbed my camera like any tourist would and snapped this shot really quick hoping that I didn't look like that big of a malihini (newcomer) since I plan on living here for a while.

Hey I'm Adam Dirks.  Life has been a roller coaster, so cliche I know, but I found out that going back to the basics of my faith in God is where real life is at.  I've been hooked up with an opportunity to live out God's ministry in Kauai, HI.  Some say that it must be really easy to follow God's call when you're called to serve in Hawaii.  Words cannot do justice to the need of a real hope here in Kauai.  A quick snapshot of the mission here: This is the wild frontier of mission work (especially toward youth) outreach is rare.  Only a small percentage of the island is the typical "paradise."  The people here live rough lives.  It is a similar situation that one would see back on the mainland except the lack of people here sold out to spreading the good news.  Ward Niccore and his family have been here for over 4 years establishing a strong rapport with the locals and connecting with the youth of Kauai and showing them who God is just by living their lives out and being intentional towards others.  A door was opened for me to come alongside Ward and his vision to begin a more intentional ministry called Younglife.

Niccore family and I: day off at Queens Bath. (Left: Ward, Kepler, Canyon, Me, Ky, Jen is taking the pic)

It has been a blessing to be apart of the Niccore family.  Ward has an amazing heart for the lost people of Kauai and his family, Jen is the engine that makes this family run smoothly,  and the kids are always down for an adventure.  In our neighborhood, schools, and area of reachout, we are the minority, haoles (white people).  Haoles are mostly looked down upon in this culture.  As we are preparing for our reachout I like to reflect on these verses that help us be as Jesus was: Walk in wisdom toward them that are without (Colossians 4:5) Have a good report of them that are without (1 Timothy 3:7) That you may walk honestly toward them that are without (1 Thessaolonians 4:12)