I landed in Hawaii yesterday afternoon to meet some ordination requirements at my home church here in Honolulu and noticed many differences in the last 14 months. I walked down into Waikiki and hardly recognized the area as almost every store has been torn down or remodeled. I couldn't believe the amount of construction in that short period of time. It seems that the culmination of a vow to clean up the tourist areas is almost complete. Additionally, I noticed a really encouraging trend in the larger number of street performers in Waikiki. They all seemed to not really harass the pedestrians as with other big city performers. I really enjoy these performers as they add life to the city and add some interesting diversions as you walk.
Another change was noticeable at my home church. Late last year most of the young adults left to plant another church near downtown. This was distinctly noticeable last night at the young adult gathering at my home church, there were only 15 people there as opposed to the 200 or so that met weekly before the church plant. Their leaving was not a wholly bad thing, just some thing noticeable as I only recognized three people from the previous group. I am curious to see what the makeup looks like at the worship services on Sunday.
All this has me thinking, what has changed in me over the last year(besides gaining weight). I am not even sure if I would notice the changes as I am constantly and slowly undergoing the changes. Really, most change is subtle and slow such that it can only be observed from a distance. Looking at the results of the changes in Waikiki from that distance and seeing what a bunch of little changes can do, imagine what could be done in our own lives and the community over time through small and meaningful changes. Just a thought.
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