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