Home at Last

                                        5 September 1991

Aloha from Hawaii!

     We are home at last. After travelling more than 10,000 miles this summer it was great to get back to our own beds. We had a wonderful time on the trip. It was a unique opportunity to share so much of our country with our boys. It was great to renew friendships and rejoice in God's faithfulness in our lives.

     In all our travels (through 25 states) we had no mishaps, not even a flat tire. Surely the Lord was good to us. The boys traveled well and enjoyed themselves. All in all it was a good trip.

     Now we are back into our life and work here. All three boys have begun school and are enjoying their new teachers and friends, and glad to see old friends. The church ministry continued on well during our absence, maybe better! It is great to see that "Jesus as the Head of the church" is more than a slogan. People pulled together in His service here. We had several Guest Pastors and the people enjoyed them.

     Thank you for your hospitality and kindness this summer. The best part of our trip was being with such great people. May God bless you and your family.

                                        Yours in Him,

                                        Mark & Dayna    

                                        Nathan, Josiah, & Aaron

Shameless Begging for Lodging

4 June 1991

I found your name and address in the Covenant College Alumni Hospice Directory. My family and I are the first ones listed in that booklet. Yet we never had any visitors, possibly because we

were in Arua, Uganda. Nevertheless we are seeking a place to stay as we drive across America. We have just completed almost eight years of missionary service in Africa and we will spend the summer thanking our supporters. Our present ministry is as pastor here in Hilo.

     There are five of us; Nathan, soon to be 7, will be entering the second grade this Fall, Josiah, 5 1/2 will be entering First Grade, Aaron, almost 4, continues in pre-school. We would be grateful for your hospitality. Sometimes we do certain Ugandan/Hawaiian Traditional Chants and Dances between 3 and 4 a.m. (local time), yet these rarely last more than two hours at one time.

     We do have a video tape of the work of Africa Inland Mission (VHS - 11 minutes), and several slide/tapes (one with lots of animals made for small children). We'd be happy to share these with you. Wouldn't you just love some missionary slides!!!

     Please let us know as soon as possible whether an overnight would be possible.

      

                We will be leaving Hilo on 11 June.

      Our home phone number is 808-969-3871, call collect.

Other wise we will be in Los Angeles area 17 - 23 June, c/o Mr. & Mrs. Don Witteman, 669 Foxwood Road, La Canada-Flintridge, CA 91011, phone (818) 952 - 3433. Looking forward to your response.

Yours in Him, Mark Blair

P.S. Mark was at Covenant between 76 - 78, BA '78.

A Hui Hou Uganda, Aloha Haili

Mark and Dayna Blair

Haili Church

P.O. Box 1332

Hilo, Hawaii  96721

February 1991

Aloha in Jesus name!

     We write this final "Uganda Update" half the world away from East Africa. Mark has accepted a call as the Pastor of the Haili Congregational Church; the church where we were married and commissioned to missionary service in 1982. Our ministry began here this month.

     Founded in 1824, the church is the second oldest in Hawaii. Once there were thousands of members, over one thousand people were baptized one day in the 1800's! Today there are 200 members. Our Haili Christian School, where our boys now attend, has 310 students, pre-school through eighth grade. We are excited about the ministry which God has given us here. There is a far greater percentage of non-Christians in Hawaii than in Uganda. We pray God will bless His church for the blessing of many, and the honor of His name. May God do what He's done here before.

     We look back fondly on seven years of ministry in East Africa. We had some part in the training of several hundred Ugandan pastors. The Word of God is preached in many churches. We shared the gospel in homes, open-air markets, prisons, hospitals, prisons, and mosques. We prize the loving friendship of many Ugandan friends. None of this would have happened without your generous support and faithful prayer. The Lord is mighty!

     This summer Haili Church will give us an unpaid leave of absence. We hope to come to the "mainland" to express our gratitude and share with those of you who would like us to come. Funds which you have given since our return from Uganda will defray the cost of this trip for our family. IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO COME TO SEE YOU THIS SUMMER WE NEED TO KNOW SOON. This is the last prayer letter we anticipate sending. We do hope to hear from many of you.

     As you send this letter from "paradise" you may be surprised to see our "prayer card." We need prayer to minister in Hawaii just as much as we did in Uganda, perhaps more. "Salvation is of the Lord." Perhaps those of you who never visited us in Uganda could be persuaded to come here. We would love to host you. We are very grateful for the tremendous support we have received for the past eight years. May God return your kindness tenfold.

Gratefully in Him, Mark and Dayna, Nathan, Josiah, & Aaron

Continuing Education of a Missionary Theologian