In March, I visited Hawaii as research for my new novel series, titled Caleb’s Platoon, which features the oldest son of a military chaplain. This series has been on my heart for over a decade, ever since I finished writing my Matthew in the Middle series. The protagonist of that series, Matthew Vos, has grown up and become an Army chaplain. He married Ariel, a family friend from his childhood, and now has three sons: Caleb, Daniel, and Joseph. Tentative titles for the three novels are Fighting First, Striking Hard, and Flying High. The titles aim to convey a military connotation and show progress in Caleb’s journey. Books 2 and 3 are set on the island of Oahu. When people learned of my plans to travel to Hawaii, several offered to accompany me as a research assistant.
If assistants had traveled with me, they might have regretted it. My arrival coincided with that of a slow-moving tropical storm. Cool temperatures, cloudy skies, and constant rain characterized nearly every day of my stay. Most of the state of Hawaii shut down one day. As a seasoned survivor of Midwestern weather, I couldn’t understand hunkering down for rain. Even the ubiquitous chickens disappeared, sheltering somewhere out of constant sight and sound. But I discovered that a tropical storm includes torrential rains, which rarely let up, and high winds. Branches broke off, some striking the roof of the Schofield Barracks house, where I was staying with a chaplain’s family. Rivers overflowed, dumping reddish mud into the ocean and causing dangerous flooding. We woke early one morning to thunder and lightning, apparently extremely rare in Hawaii.
Aside from the slight inconvenience of my laundry (including my few warm clothes) sitting in water for 24 hours after the power went out, the storm didn’t bother me. I didn’t expect to sightsee, but my hosts took me for fascinating drives whenever possible. I enjoyed beautiful scenery, including this idyllic Secret Beach. One day I hiked a paved trail up a small mountain, seeing fascinating birds and plants as well as two whales cavorting near the rugged shore. On an earlier day, we watched two whales blowing beyond the muddy water in Waimea Bay. The day before I left, I sat on North Beach, watching surfers and longboats brave huge waves. And on my last day, I toured the USS Missouri and sailed out to the USS Arizona memorial, the two bookends that mark America’s involvement in WW II.
Although my goal was not sightseeing, these trips expanded my knowledge of the island and contributed to my overarching aims, which were to absorb military culture and to experience the life of a chaplain’s family firsthand. The Vos family will laugh on beaches, share shave ice, and somberly explore the WW II ship sites. Schofield Barracks teems with character and history that my book boy, Caleb, will imbibe. Although the base began more than 100 years ago on a denuded plain, thousands of incredible trees (many listed on Hawaii’s register of “Exceptional Trees”) have been planted since then.
God graciously provided numerous impressions and ideas for Caleb’s life on Oahu. Being embedded in the military culture made me feel like a sponge, soaking up information. Since my return, I’ve been primarily crafting scenes that the visit brought to mind and discovering Caleb’s voice as well as the personalities of his family members and friends (his platoon). The most beneficial aspects of the trip were feeling God’s affirmation from the first day and realizing on the last morning that I now was truly motivated and ready to write. Having longed to begin this series for more than a decade (I initially contacted this chaplain and his wife twelve years ago!), I’m so grateful that God finally opened this window and allowed me to fly (literally) through.
Glenda Faye Mathes 