2009 in Review
Almost a year ago I began this post. It would seem appropriate to get it finished on its anniversary!
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4 January 2009: Monday I flew to Honolulu, Hawaii and then drove to Laie, home of BYU-Hawaii. It felt like coming home. Aside from the fact that it the weather is balmy and warm compared to the freezing temperatures in Springville, Utah right now, there is also a warmth and love that emanates from the place and the people who live there. That is what I have missed most of all since returning from an eighteen month mission to BYU-Hawaii in January 2007.[/column]
The purpose of this trip was to film for a documentary about Wei, Minzhi, a current BYU-Hawaii student and teen movie star of the Zhang YiMou film “Not One Less.” For those of you who may not know who Zhang is, he was the artistic director of the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies in Beijing, and has directed other films–House of the Flying Daggers and To Live, among them. However, Minzhi is much more than a teen movie star, and that is why we are telling her story.
It was wonderful to see old friends and we had a great time, but it was also a very intensive ten-days of interviewing people on the BYU-Hawaii campus and filming the sorts of things a student there does on a daily basis.
Coincidentally (or maybe not?) the condo I stayed in at Turtle Bay was decorated with an Asian theme–miniature terra cotta warriors, Buddha posters, and throw pillows with Monkey King designs! It was amazing.
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[quicktime]https://www.storyweaversloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/WinterOcean/HawaiiWinterOcean09.mov[/quicktime]
[The video clip above was taken on my little Canon Power Shot S5IS, so the quality is not broadcast quality, but it I think it looks pretty good for the instrument I was using.]
The January ocean in Hawaii calls up the big waves. One afternoon we took time to admire and photograph/film some of the big waves near Sunset Beach on the island of Oahu. It is awe-inspiring and breathtaking to watch the big breakers roll in and hurl themselves against the rocks. One tourist standing nearby us, watching the waves and the glorious sunset exclaimed, “Who can watch this and say there is no God!” Amen!
To watch as the seething ocean tosses and turns in turbulence, throwing itself against mighty rocks in a magnificent display of power and playfulness is to witness God’s grandeur.
We’re still working on the documentary, hoping to do some filming in China this spring and wrap it up by the end of 2010, if not before.
Here is a gallery of a few of the hundreds of photos I took during the ten days I was in and around Lai’e.
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