RECLAIM is the great new IDEAS

 

Aloha from Kapa’au, We pray this letter finds you well and joyful in the  Lord. We are very thankful for His kindness and  care in our lives.     IDEAS is now RECLAIM, with a renewed com mitment to: Dignity + Hope + Life Our mission remains unchanged. For over  25 years, IDEAS has partnered with communities  around the world to pursue transformation.   We chose a name that more fully reflects the  redemptive story God is writing through our  work. At the heart of our mission is a divine  invitation to reclaim God’s design for dignity,  hope, and life in every person, every  community, and every corner of the world. Our vision for people and communities to  experience abundant life continues to guide  everything we do. Our staff and volunteers  share our faith commitments. Our board  of directors remains the same. Our goals  and priorities haven’t changed.   Ultimately, it is God who does the reclaiming.  As we see throughout the Bible, He redeems,  restores, renews, and reconciles. What a  privilege it is to be invited into His mission!   We're so grateful to have you with us on this  journey. Thank you for walking with us, praying  with us, and partnering with us. Let’s continue  to reclaim dignity, hope, and life—together.   If you have any questions about this name change,  please don’t hesitate to contact us or visit the Reclaim FAQ page       The work of Jesus mission continues until He comes  again.  I have the joy of preaching through the  Gospel of Luke at Kalahikiola Church. Last Sunday  we considered the call to the 70 (or 72?) in chapter 10. Luke teaches that  even us ordinary followers are supposed to call others to follow. Phil Ryken’s commentary has been a delight; “Every cross-carrying disciple has a  cross-proclaiming witness for Christ…" "Today people experience the kingdom of God  through the preaching of the gospel, which is  confirmed by the loving care of the people  who preach it…" "We are sometimes discouraged by what  seems to be  slow progress in missions, but  the harvest is plentiful. God is still bringing  people to salvation every day…" "Jesus calls us to take his perspective and believe  that the fields are white for the harvest, even in dark places…" "Where will we get the missionaries we need?  The answer is not better recruitment…not  better conferences…not better seminaries –  although all  three are important. The  answer is persistent prayer…"  “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest, to send out  laborers into the harvest” (Luke 10.2). (Philip Graham Ryken, Luke: Reformed Expository  Commentary, pages 511-514). Thanks for your prayers for our life and ministry here.  We praise Him for the opportunities He gives us.     We really enjoyed this chocolate cake as we celebrated  a successful completion of our first session of our  Child Evangelism Fellowship Good News Club at  our Kohala Elementary school. We grew to a total  of 16 children. Each of their parents gave us written  permission to attend our after-school program.  The main theme of our Bible stories for our first  session was “Turn Around.” We saw the grace of  God revealed through Noah, Mephibosheth,  Zaccheus, Saul of Tarsus, and Philip the Evangelist.  We shared how repentance and faith is the right   response to the message of salvation. All of us  oldsters learned much from the children! – just  like Jesus says we will.  Pray with us as we look  forward to continuing our GNC this Fall. https://www.cefhawaii.com/kohala   This July we look forward to hosting a CEF team  of young people to lead a 5-Day Keiki Bible Club  at our church. Pray that we will reach more children  and their families in our community. Right here  in Christian America there are so many kids and  families gripped by darkness. Lord, have mercy!   “Walk the Cross in Kohala” – here is what I wrote for our North Kohala  Newspaper.... Christians from five different Kohala churches  remembered the Lord Jesus Christ as they carried  a cross through the towns of Kapa’au and Hawi on Good Friday, April 18, 2025. This annual event in our community offers a time of  reflection on the sufferings of Jesus for those who  participate and those who pass-by on Akoni Pule  Highway. We were blessed with cloud cover and a gentle rain  for most of the walk from Kamehameha Park to  the banyan tree in Hawi. Along the way we stopped  several times to rest and read the New Testament  Scriptures which describe the cross-work of Jesus  and its benefits to all who believe. Several took turns to carry the cross, including our youngest   member, an elementary student encouraged  and supported by his father. Looking ahead – We recently heard from our  former colleague in Kazakhstan that the theological seminary we served there is soon to re-open their teaching program.  Praise the Lord! This would be a  tremendous blessing as they seek to continue  equipping Gospel workers for Central Asia.  Once their doors re-open, we have both been  invited to do a week of teaching. We’d love too, if the Lord wills.     Mark and Dayna Blair, P.O. Box 159,  Kapa'au, Hawaii 96755  USA Phones Mark 808-218-4872 / Dayna 808-218-3698   Email blairstan2@gmail.com    Blog http://blairstan.blogspot.com   Web Site https://pastormarkblair.org   RECLAIM, P.O. Box 630027,  Littleton, Colorado 80163  https://www.reclaimwithus.org/ https://connect.reclaimwithus.org/associate /blair-mark-and-dayna-support-0471

 

Great, Good, and Glorious!

 

Aloha and Hosanna on this Busy Holy Week!

We pray this letter finds you well and grateful as we again rejoice in the Scriptures, songs, and ceremonies to welcome our Risen King Jesus!

I get a bit misty reflecting on that Easter Week camp where an unsuspecting high school kid was called by Good News applied by the Holy Spirit to a Heavenly Father through the sacrifice of His Son. I did not sail to that camp on Catalina Island to get to heaven. I never planned on repenting of my sins – starting with not consuming the stuff packed in my duffle bag. I had no plan to trust my future to a God I cannot see. But that was His sovereign plan. Never has He failed or forsaken me…and my family!

We hope you make time this Holy Week to reflect and rejoice in God’s grace for you.

 We praise the Lord for the opportunity He has given us to serve the nations through IDEAS. We continue to pray for our colleagues, especially those working in Asia, as we share together with them.

Last month we attended the Hawaiian Islands Ministries conference in Honolulu. We had a great time sharing what the Lord is doing around the world through IDEAS. Our organization is not yet widely known in our state. It was encouraging to meet people who were happy to learn about our vision for people and communities to experience abundant life.

That is also our prayer for the mission field where we now live. When we met the Hawaii State Director of Child Evangelism Fellowship two years ago, we had no idea it was possible to host Gospel-outreach right on a school campus after school hours. We rejoice in this opportunity in our state – perhaps in yours too?  This is very needed. Many kids are now cut-off from Gospel-opportunity – no contact with anyone to tell them God’s good news – hidden in plain sight from salvation.

We love the vision of CEF Hawaii, “that every child on every island can hear the Gospel by the age of twelve.” After two years of trying, we finally launched a ‘Good News Club’ on the campus of Kohala Elementary School.  https://www.cefhawaii.com/kohala

Our hope was stymied by the refusal of the school to allow our Good News Club – not just in Kohala, but throughout the state. Very fortunately Liberty Counsel committed to file a federal lawsuit – CEF Hawaii vs. Hawaii State Board of Education. It did not take long for the court to decide for the constitutional right of children to hear the Gospel. Now we are praying for Bible-believers to establish a witness on all of Hawaii’s 210 elementary schools! Pray!!

Tomorrow, Good Friday, we plan to again “Walk the Cross” along the main road through our two adjacent little towns – Kapa’au and Hawi. Christians from several churches take turns to shoulder the wood – on wheels, thankfully! – as we reflect, repent, and rejoice in the finished work of our Savior.

Then we will celebrate twice on Resurrection morning.

First we will gather with believers from several churches for our community sunrise service – followed by breakfast 😉! Then we will have our Easter service at Kalahikiola Church.

The Gospel message is great, good, and glorious!

This news is great because it is true! The shores of history are lined with wrecks of broken promises and dashed hopes. But the claims of Jesus stand, because He stands. The New Testament unfolds the horror of Jesus’ abandonment. Crosses were designed to make death as long and agonizing as possible. He was broken by the cross, but He burst the bonds of sin, death, and hell. He lives. His resurrection is one of the best established facts in all history. 

This is amazingly good news…almost hard to believe. How can the very God we offend give His best to bring us back? Why should the God we reject be rejected for us? For some reason we will never understand, God loves those who will not love Him. God in His goodness has made bad people like us good. This is the purpose of the cross. God’s justice demands sin’s penalty be paid. God’s mercy declares He has paid it through the gift of His Son. Romans hung thousands of people on crosses. Yet there was something unique about Jesus death. An officer at the foot of His cross said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).

 No other victim of Rome was without sin. Yet the enormity of sin was seen in His suffering and death for the sins of the world. Jesus was also a Victor over Rome. His Kingdom is more enduring, His Lordship is eternal. Through this very bad event God brought great good – forgiveness for sin – life from death – heaven, because He endured our hell.

This news is glorious! Paul, a man of considerable intellect and experience, said, “God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). Of all the world’s wonders, Paul found just one thing ultimately glorious. It seems the cross was a place of gory, not glory! Surely the misery was unimaginable. But His incalculable suffering achieved an eternal redemption. Paul gloried in the cross because it changed him. And as he lifted high the word of the cross, he witnessed more change – deep within human hearts, through all spheres of ancient cities, and beyond the realm of established empires. Throughout eternity multitudes from every nation, culture, tribe, and language will give glory to their Lord Jesus Christ.

As Glen Scrivner compellingly argues, the resurrection makes so much sense! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_kyK3PowWc

We are very grateful for your friendship, prayers, and support as we walk together with our Risen Lord.

 Mark and Dayna Blair 

Good News from Guatemala

Happy Valentine’s Day!

We are back home in Kapa’au after three weeks of travel. Many thanks for your prayers.

We praise the Lord for His journeying mercies as we traveled to California and on to Guatemala. It was great to visit with dear friends in our supporting churches in San Diego, El Segundo, and Biola (west of Fresno) as we reported about IDEAS.

It was our first time to Central America. We enjoyed Guatemala’s natural beauty, rich history, and cultural diversity - a blend of indigenous Mayan traditions and Spanish influences. Best of all we found our IDEAS colleagues faithfully making Christ known in Word and deed. 

We landed in Guatemala City and rode an hour through the city into the central highlands. We gathered in the charming town of Antigua with our IDEAS Board and Associates. The town was founded in 1543 and is situated in a valley surrounded by three majestic volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango.

Walking through Antigua felt like stepping back in time - many restored colonial buildings and churches. The cobble stone streets and bustling markets teemed with foods, coffee, crafts, textiles, and produce. One lovely afternoon we rode bikes through a coffee plantation where lush plants grow in rich volcanic soil.

Our IDEAS team is uniquely equipped to serve the nation of Guatemala which has one of the highest numbers of spina bifida per capita in the world. In His Gospel-advancing-providence He has assembled this team which bring their skills in language and culture, nursing (three of them!), Assistive Technology Professional (ATP), community development project leadership, a certified prosthetist/orthotist (CPO), and pastoral and ministry experience. In Guatemala they are working to serve communities, families and children impacted by disability. In 2024 IDEAS helped 165 children be fitted and equipped with wheelchairs and other appropriate technology. It was a privilege to share with them and offer our pastoral care.

We went to Guatemala as part of the IDEAS Community Life team, privileged to encourage and pray with our Associates. While there I taught from the book of Titus to our IDEAS Guatemala team. I spoke one morning to our IDEAS Board on “Hearing from the Lord” from Joshua 9.

We were proud to see some of the good work our IDEAS team is doing as they provide whole-person care for people with disabilities through training, resources, and locally appropriate assistive technology devices. Our programs address medical and mobility needs and invite people into a community where they are loved and valued. Our team works to help people experience the fullness of their God-given dignity.

Learn more at: https://ideasworld.org/guatemala

 

Before heading home across the Pacific we enjoyed a week with Nathan and Heather and our three grandsons in Los Angeles. Our bond of sharing included a bad cold that found us all! But the sun came out for our great day at Legoland.

It was good to return back to our family at Kalahikiola Church. I started preaching through the Gospel of Luke for Advent and plan to continue in this great inerrant declaration of the Savior of the World, our Lord Jesus Christ. We appreciate your prayers as we long to make Him known in our community. Later this month we will resume our Wednesday Bible Study, stepping into 2 Corinthians.  

Many are enthusiastic about what they perceive to be a new day of opportunity in our beloved America. We certainly pray so! But remember that only Almighty God can bring eternal, holy, just, and saving change to any nation. That is what we most pray, labor, and hope for all nations. Of course, this requires what we shoulder the cross as disciples daily, renouncing our sins, and rejoicing in our Savior. May God help us in this hard and holy calling! May He make His Name Great…forever!

Until the knowledge of Jesus fills the earth, 

Mark and Dayna Blair

"Hau'oli (happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new)" (pronounced: how-OH-lee mah-kah-hee-kee ho)

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was great! We had a new baby boy to capture our hearts – and bring a vivid reminder of the precious Son sent from Heaven.

The little guy has a big name - Kukini nu’oli o ke Akua Kupa’a Blair. (His first name means “swift runner with the Good News of God,” middle name means “steadfast”…may God make it so!) Of course, we enjoyed his brothers and parents too! We’re very thankful that Nathan and Heather brought Kekoa, Kana, and Kini to be with us.

 

Kini, Nathan, Mark, Dayna, Koa, Kana, Josiah, & Heather @ Kalahikiola

And then one night during their visit, Josiah walked in the door! Dayna and I had no idea he was coming from Istanbul, he, Nathan, and Heather kept the surprise.  

We are humbled by your continued support for our Kingdom service. We regularly connect and pray with IDEAS colleagues in Jordan, Kazakhstan, China, India, and Bangladesh. They encourage and inspire us! We had the privilege of being part of an IDEAS conference in Jordan in April. We are booked to share in meetings with IDEAS Board and Associates in Guatemala in January 2025. Most of all, we are grateful for your prayers. 

We continue to pastor Kalahikiola Church in Kapa’au, Hawaii. We count it a privilege to preach and teach God’s Word to families in our community. Our church hosted the annual Christmas dinner for the seven Christian churches in our North Kohala community. We had a great evening with about 250 brothers and sisters.

 

We pray you and yours will have a wonderful year of our Lord 2025. How wonderful to  know Him who came to free us from our sins - who comes to fill us with His joy - and who will come again to finish God’s forever new creation!

Gratefully in Him,  Mark and Dayna Blair

 Have you considered the message of these busy days at the end of the year? Christmas is supposed to remind us of God’s coming in Christ for our salvation. Advent Sunday’s count down the great event – hope, peace, joy, love – Jesus’ birth! Did you get that message amidst all your busyness?

 “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9.15).

The calendar we use says that one week after the day to consider the gift of God for eternal life is a day of crisis: an end and a beginning. I just recently learned to write 2024, now I must get used to 2025.

When baby Jesus grew to manhood, he was a divider. Some in Israel called him Messiah, others had him murdered. Some called him liar; others call him Lord. Now all history is split Before Christ or Anno Domini (Latin for ‘in the year of the Lord’). He will carry you to Heaven or sentence you to Hell. He will be your Savior or your Judge.

By the mercy of God most of us will see the year of our Lord 2025. But let it be a reminder that the final, final, buzzer will sound. This year of new beginnings is a time to repent of our sin and receive the Savior – for ourselves, our ohana, and all those we know and love. Like His first visitors, those who really know Him cannot keep quiet, “…the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (Luke 2.20).