"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).