Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Back from Hawaii




Aloha! I'm back from my vacation in Hawaii and thought I would share a couple of photos. The first photo is on me at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It's sort of a theme park with educational displays about Hawaii and other Polynesian cultures. The lei I'm wearing is made from plumeria flowers. I remember making leis from this same kind of flower when I live in Hawaii as a child.
The second photo is of The Lutheran Church of Honolulu where I attended the service on October 7th. Carl Crosier is the Choirmaster and his wife, Katherine Crosier, is the organist. It was a fantastic service. The prelude was the Grave and Adagio sections from Mendelssohn's Organ Sonata No. 2. The postlude was the Fuga from the same work. Within the service, the choir sang a setting of Psalm 37 by Peter Hallock that was gorgeous. Most impressive was that I understood every single word. The Gospel Acclamation, I Will Proclaim Your name to My People, was written by Carl Crosier and I enjoyed it very much. At the musical offering, O Lord, Increase My Faith by Ricard DeLong was sung. The communion music was the best as the choir sang O Rest In the Lord (from Mendelssohn's Elijah) and Kate Lingley, soprano, gave a beautiful rendering of He That Shall Endure to the End from the same work.
This congregation has a unique way of saying "welcome" to its guests. Guests receive a lei made from ribbon and adorned with a kukui nut. There is also a card with directions to the church and service times. I will hold onto my lei. The church's Pastor is Reverend Jeffrey Lilley. I've already received a nice letter from him inviting me to visit when I'm in Honolulu again. If you find yourself in Honolulu, I heartily recommend a visit to this church!
I had a picture taken with Carl and Katherine, but something happended to my camera and I lost all of my pictures for that day. I had to return later in the week to take the picture above.

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