Hello friends that check out my blog. Sorry I am not very good at updating this thing. I feel like everything I do is the same everyweek. I don't know what to write about. I'm brainstorming of what I should write to tell you. I don't have it yet. But for now I do have my support letter that I am just going to put on here that does give you a little more information about what I am doing. It doesn't really have the juicy details of everything though. sorry! Hope all is well with you!


Aloha friends and family,
For those of you who don’t know, I have moved to Hawaii and am planning on being here until December. I am working for an organization named Surfing the Nations. STN is a humanitarian/missions non-profit 501(c)(3) committed to impacting local and international communities by meeting needs and changing lives of those around us. Here are some of the ways we impact our local community in Honolulu, Oahu as well as the international community:

o Feeding the Hungry Programs
o Weekly Surfers Leadership Training
o Island Youth Program/At-Risk Youth
o Surf Contests
o Surf Camps
o Local & International humanitarian/outreach trips
I would like to share with you two things that are on my heart; the Feeding the Hungry Team and going to Sri Lanka. I would also like to share with you how you can be involved in what I am doing here in Oahu as well as what I will be doing in Sri Lanka.
The Feeding the Hungry team feeds more than 300 people a week with food we get from the Food Bank. I have been on the Feeding the Hungry team for the last two months and have just recently taken over the homeless out reach side of the team. This means I plan our Friday outreaches to the people who live under the freeway. Let me tell you a little bit about this community and how we are involved in it. There are many reasons someone would move under a freeway to live. Frank lives under the freeway because he was in a relationship and his girlfriend’s mom paid him to leave. After bouncing from one place to the next he found himself making a home under the freeway. Tiari, an 18 year old who is living with a 30 year old man just delivered a baby and is in the process of giving the baby to her brother. Bella is a 60 year old Nicaraguan prostitute who has made her home into a little girl’s dream home with decorations all over the trees. Skip has had two cars, two divorces and a golfing career but somehow now finds himself living in a broken van. Although they were once accepted by society and the world, they now live in what they call “the underworld”, a place where the only people that come, come to fix the broken fences, tell them they are dirty and leave. There are churches that deliver food, fix up their wounds and leave, but no one who comes to hang out, talk story and love on them. When we first started visiting the community, we handed out food bags to whoever we came in contact with, talked story for a little bit and then left. We want to do more than hand out food and ditch so now we have a picnic where people can eat fresh food. We have activities for them to do so they feel more comfortable hanging out and there is more of an inviting setting. Last week we brought beads and made rings and bracelets with some of the ladies. I am hoping that my team and I will come up with more ideas as to how we can show the people under the freeway that Christ loves them. I am praying for money to come in so we can buy more fun things to do with them like painting and tie dieing. The reason I go down there is to show them that God has not forgotten about them and that there are people in the world who care about them. By donating money or supplies you can also be apart of sharing Christ’s love with these people.
This summer I am going to Sri Lanka with Surfing the Nations. Sri Lanka is a war and tsunami torn island to the south west of India. (Although it is war torn, we will be in the south east part of the island which is not touched by war) It’s four main religions are Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. We will be there June 7-July 2. The main place we will be is Arugam Bay which is a small fisherman town. You can watch movies on www.youtube.com documenting STN’s past trips to learn more about our involvement in Arugam Bay. The cost will be $2,200 which will cover airfare, ground fees, food and spending money. While there we will do post tsunami relief, build relationships, continue to pioneer/build & establish STN’s Surf Center, teach English and evangelism.
Here is how you can help me. I came to Hawaii with the intentions of staying with STN for only 3 months to do an internship, but God had other plans for me; I am now staying 7 months longer than I had intended. My work out here is purely volunteer and therefore have no means of supporting myself. Staying here is a step of faith into God’s world by relying on Him to provide for my needs. There are three ways you can help me live by faith. You can support me financially, prayerfully and with your network.

Here are some ways you can support me financially:
o Write a check/money order to me.
o Write a check/money order to Surfing the Nations or Surfers Church ATTN: Whitney Willett (Tax deductible).
o Donate online @ www.surfingthenations.com (Tax deductible)
Ø Click Contributions -> Click Make a Donation online -> Fill out required information-> Purpose of gift: Whitney Willett
(The "deadline" for me to get my ticket is May 10-but hopefully they won't stick to it that closely seeing that that is only a few weeks away!)

Here is what you can pray for:
-That the characters of a leader would be growing in me (especially patience).
-That I would be learning to hear God’s voice so I follow Him and not my own desires.
-Sri Lanka trip: For safety and that I wouldn’t get frustrated by working in a big group

I need you to help network with me. Please pass the word or this actual letter on to others who might be interested in supporting me. Money is important, but your prayers are even more important. My being here is the result of praying parents and friends. Inside I have enclosed a return envelope if you desire to financially support me.

Thank you in advance for your support.

In Him,

Whitney Willett