Iosepa Article from BYUH May 30, 2008

Checkout the piece done by Mike Foley.

There are some great pictures here as well...

Aloha!

Awaiting Word....

First off all thanks to Kamoa'e and Uncle Kawika and the rest of the crew for allowing me to join them on Memorial day to do some repairs and refitting for Iosepa, it was a choice experience albeit a very tiring one for my out-of-good shape body. I hope I did more good than damage.

Thanks especially to my love Kieiki for allowing me to go on the wa'a as well...it was a treat. I haven't been on Iosepa since June 2005. And like some of our crew members, I have yet to sail on board. But as was mentioned on Sunday night and to paraphrase President J. Reuben Clark, "it's not where you serve, but how..."

It was nice to see Ana, Sir William, and Keali'i on Iosepa. Whenever I see members of the first crew, I always remember the special times we had.

As a compliment to the current crew (of about 10 students) I was told by one of our leaders that "great leaps" have been made in our program. This is a credit to the crew and to those who have sacrificed and prepared the way for us to participate and hold shares in the ways of Hawaiian culture and the way of the Wa'a.

I believe that further strides will be made and can already tell that the future is bright for Iosepa. There will be storms, but we will weather them.

As we await permission for Iosepa and his crew to sail to Kawaihae, the most important matter is that we are pono; Pono to receive whatever outcome is given to us, pono to be prepared and helpful for any circumstance. In this way we will always be right to He who calms the storms or he who calms the voyager.

Aloha

New Additions to these blogs

Aloha,

There are also more pictures on the Iosepa Photo Blog and the Wa'a Kaulua blogs. You can visit them by clicking on the links.

New Pictures on Iosepa Photo Blog

Check out some pictures of Iosepa at Hukilau.(click here) More are being uploaded and will be shared soon. Please send your pictures or other media to share and document.

Announcement: all who wish to dance for Iosepa at the Halau Dedication at PCC are invited to practice on Wednesdays at 8:30pm in the dance studio at BYUH. More kane are needed, so please come out!!! Uncle Cy said at practice last night that we need more of our community to support and dance.

Iosepa is in the Water!!!!

Its so wonderful to see Iosepa in the water. It even gives me chicken skin writing about it. Its a beautiful day and I plan to go and jump in the water. I will post more pictures later, but if you have the chance come down. Apparently the plan is to have a couple sails the next few days and then prepare to holo to the Big Island.

Yesterday I learned some pretty interesting things from Sister Hartmann. She talked about how Iosepa is the only indigenous canoe in Hawai'i which is launched from indigenous waters. She also talked about one of her great grandfathers, Benjamin Franklin Johnson aka BF Johnson was an advisor to Kamehameha III and also a member of the Mission Presidency when Joseph F. Smith came on his mission to Hawai'i. She also said that he assisted in setting then Elder Smith apart as a missionary. She related that experience of her Great Grandfather to what she is doing now to help Iosepa move forward.


Aloha

Feki