Day Four—Gloria

In traditional mission trip fashion, we woke up on Thursday morning before 7, and made it to the service site only a few minutes late, but we weren't given the clearest start time. We arrived at the Paepae O He'eia taro & fish farm on the East side of the island. We had prepared for our service by packing clothes that we were willing to get dirty, and it's a good thing we did because boy did we get dirty. It's quite possible that my fingernails are permanently stained with mud. Taro is grown on mud islands surrounded by channels of water that irrigate the taro, and our job was to weed around it. This called for wading in the extremely muddy water surrounding the taro, and I don't think I've ever been so muddy in my life. Even after swimming in the ocean for over an hour, I still found mud behind my ears.
After wading through the mud, we switched to a slightly cleaner job, throwing large clumps of mud down a bucket brigade in order to let water fill in that area to create islands for native birds to lay their eggs. Then we were given a lesson about the fish pond that the taro farm surrounds. We learned that the farming practices used today are deeply rooted in the traditional methods of the native Hawaiians. We also learned that there is nowhere close to enough farming on the islands of Hawaii to feed all of the people that live there. If imports stop going into Hawaii for any reason, the people would run out of food in 10-14 days. Learning that made me realize how important the service we are doing is. Farming is a job that is often overlooked, but it is vital for survival and is a core part of Hawaiian culture.
After our lesson, we walked back to the van and attempted to clean ourselves off, but my clothes are definitely not salvageable, especially after Mike hugged me with his muddy hands. We ate our vanwiches and headed to Kailui Beach. After swimming for 10 minutes I got stung by a jellyfish, so I feel as if I have had the full Hawaii beach experience. Luckily, nobody got really sunburnt except for Jude. We picked up some frozen pizza from Safeway and headed home for an earlier finish. I got to go on a run and explored Camp Palehua. I think that Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. There is so much beautiful wildlife, and I am blessed to be getting such an immersed experience while I am here.