Greetings from Portland, Oregon on this beautiful summer day!
Tickets are now being sold in Oslo, Stockholm, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, London… In a few weeks the roadies will set the stages. The band is already practicing. The “Never Ending Tour,”
rolling for more than 60 years now, still travels the world. He is 81 but still sings “Forever Young.” “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now!” Apparently Bob Dylan has not found the word ‘retirement’ in his Bible. We’re a few years behind him, but neither have we.
IDEAS Global Conference 2022
The last week of July we had the privilege of meeting
our colleagues with IDEAS in Estes Park, Colorado. Every three years the whole
team gathers for a week of renewal and refreshment in the Lord. It had been
four years since the last GloCo because of COVID. The timing was perfect for
newbies like us to learn more of how the Lord is using our associates in
building communities of contagious hope around the world through health care, community
development, business, agriculture, and education. Mark had the privilege of
giving the opening and closing messages from the Scriptures.
It was a blessing to lead our team in a commissioning prayer for a family we went through IDEAS Orientation with in February as they headed out for service in Argentina.
As part of the Community Life team, we will lead two
monthly ‘micro-community’ groups of our colleagues from around the globe. One
group will focus on honoring parents through all of life. Many overseas workers
struggle to know how best to honor their parents from the other side of the
globe. We will discuss the book “The Thoughtful Caregiver” by Rebecca James
Hecking. Our other group will read and discuss the book “Crazy Busy” by Kevin
DeYoung. Our groups will span the clock
as we span the globe. Dayna and I will Zoom in at 6 a.m. from Hawaii while
those in Thailand will be joining at their 11 p.m. – with colleagues in China,
Bangladesh, Jordan, Tunisia, and Colorado representing their time zones! Crazy
busy, indeed!
Mahalo! – many thanks for your generous support to
IDEAS to help us with these travels.
Our trusty Kia Soul will get a new set of license
plates soon. She will sail from Tacoma, Washington to Hawaii. We’re grateful to
have a vehicle for the pastoral ministry we will begin in September.
Mark will pastor Kalāhikiola Congregational Church in Kapa’au for at least the next six months, Lord willing. Their faithful pastor, our dear friend Tom Fernandez has stepped down after 17 years of being their Kahu (pastor in Hawaiian). So, we gladly agreed to serve this church that has faithfully supported us for many years of our mission service in their transition.
“Kalāhikiola Church…has been in use for 164 years.
Kalāhikiola translates to "The Day Salvation Comes" in the Hawaiian
Bible, and is the name of the hill in the Kohala Mountains where the timber to
build the church was harvested.” (Tom Morse;
Editor, North Hawaii News @ https://www.kalahikiolacc.com/
)
Kapa’au is a
special place for Dayna as she received Jesus as Lord and Savior at a church
camp there at the age of 10…just a few years ago. We appreciate your prayers
that we might be faithful in this great opportunity to serve the Lord and His
people. May God save more 10 year-olds - and all their ohana (family)!
It seems the ‘Covid cloud’ has mercifully lifted. How
has this pandemic left you? Perhaps your loved ones have been taken by this
affliction. May the Lord give you His comfort. Perhaps your church has been
shaken to the core. May the Lord give church leaders clarity of focus on Christ
and the Scriptures above all else. Perhaps your own faith has suffered from too
many Sundays of church in your pajamas. May you rise up and get out the door in
Christ’s power to serve Him with new determination. It’s time to worship and
work for Him with unveiled face! We have been reminded that life and death,
mortality and eternity, heaven and hell are real. May you not fritter away the
unrepeatable opportunities of each new day to make Christ known by word and
deed. We are His ambassadors – sovereignly placed in spheres of opportunity
where you alone can tell friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family His great
news. Godspeed!
IDEAS (International Development and Educational Associates) is a 501 © (3) public charity. Contributions are tax deductible. IDEAS also receives Donor-Advised Funds, Employer Matching Gifts, Stock, Mutual Funds, and IRA contributions.
The easiest way to contribute - for you and IDEAS - is online.
https://ideasworld.org/associate/blair-mark-and-dayna-support-0471
This secured site protects donors and keeps track of
your giving. Check it out.
If you would prefer to mail a check, no problem.
Checks (no cash, please) made to IDEAS (our name should not be on the check,
but attach a note: ‘Mark and Dayna Blair’) and mail to:
IDEAS,
7852 South Elati Street, Suite 202, Littleton, Colorado 80120 www.ideasworld.org
Our Phone
Numbers Mark 808-218-4872 / Dayna
808-218-3698
Emails blairstan2@gmail.com
/ mark.blair@ideasworld.org
/ dayna.blair@ideasworld.org
Blog http://blairstan.blogspot.com/
Web Site https://pastormarkblair.org/
