January 10, 1993

Haili Church Hoku: "Freedom Lost and Found"


 "Freedom Lost and Found"

This month marks the sad anniversary of two tragic events. On January 17, 1893 Queen Lili'uokalani abdicated her rule of the Kingdom of Hawaii to a "Provisional Government" backed by a force of U.S. Marines. This act was clearly an unjust violation of the independence of a free nation. The lament of the deposed Queen, written to Christians in America in 1898, sounds hauntingly prophetic: "The people to whom your fathers told of the living God, and taught to call 'Father,' and whom the sons now seek to despoil and destroy, are crying aloud to Him in their time of trouble; and He will keep His promise, and will listen to the voices of His Hawaiian children lamenting for their homes."

On January 22, 1973 millions of American children lost their freedom. By decree of the Supreme Court in their "Roe v. Wade" decision, unborn children lost their personhood and are now legally torn from their mother's wombs as unwanted fetal tissue. On average, four babies lose their life in Hilo every week; more than four thousand every day across America; MORE THAN ONE BABY EVERY SECOND IS BEING KILLED AROUND THE WORLD BY ABORTION!

Is there a "Christian" response to injustice? The problem of the land-grabbing Marines, and their supporters, of one hundred years ago is the same as today's abortionist. A professor of mine used to say, "The heart of the problem, is the problem of the heart."

Jesus came to a Judea which was unjustly occupied by a hostile Roman government. Some Jewish "zealots" hailed his coming to lead their vindication. Indeed his mother, the Virgin Mary, sang of His mission: "He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1.51-53). Zechariah sang of "salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us" (Luke 1.71). Yet Jesus died a victim of Roman tyranny. As He hung in naked execution, all his followers ran in terror, thinking his mission a failure. God responds to injustice by the unjust execution of His Son, His blood fell like seeds of a just new order - the kingdom of God.

From the perspective of Christ's ascension, we see the impact of His revolution, His kingdom.  The Roman empire is now a subject for ancient historians. Today the Church of Jesus Christ grows around the world. While ministering on earth, Jesus called people to enter His kingdom, through repentance and faith. He did not ignore their physical, emotional, even political needs - nor should we - but his focus was on their relationship with God, their "heart." Avoiding a political debate over Pilate mixing the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices, Jesus got to the ultimate issue, "Unless you repent, you too will all perish" (Luke 13.3). Our primary political task is the Gospel of His Kingdom. Only in Christ can anyone be truly free. In Him we labor in hope, "with justice he judges and makes war" (Revelation 19.11).                                 

Kahu Mark Blair

January 9, 1993

1992 Ministry Review


Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!
(Hawaiian for "Happy New Year")

Mark, Dayna, Nathan, Josiah, and Aaron Blair
211 Haili Street - Hilo, Hawaii  96720

January 1993

"What Christmas Means to Me" by Josiah Keola Blair

Jesus came to earth and was born in Bethlehem. The shepherds and the wisemen followed the star to see Him. The wisemen brought gifts. Jesus as a gift to me. He gave me a family. His greatest gift was salvation. He gave me life. I want to give my life to Jesus!

Aloha from Hawaii!

     "Emmanuel" - God with us! Isn't it great that Jesus did not just come to "visit" at Christmas. Instead He remains, that "one who is closer than a brother," all through the year, all through our lives, "unto the end of the age." We hope you experienced the joy of His presence in a special way this Christmas. And we pray that His gracious companionship will strengthen you through 1993. We look back with gratitude on 1992. The Lord blessed us with health and much happiness.

     Our sons have only stopped running, shouting, laughing, fighting, crying, playing, or eating long enough to sleep. Aaron, now 5 1/2 and midway through Kindergarten, is slowed very little
by a cast on his arm, a break sustained when he tripped while running over Mark's foot (surely a big enough target to avoid!). Then his first words when driving home from Hilo Hospital's emergency room were, "I can still run can't I?" A most exciting day in their lives, and ours, was December 1. Josiah, now 7 and in 2nd grade, prayed with his teacher to receive Christ as Savior
and Lord. We thank God that He used his teacher to be a part of doing what we've prayed for since before he was born. Josiah came home that day joyfully telling everyone he saw, "I asked Jesus into my heart." The same day Aaron's soccer coach had given him a trophy for his play that season. The two met eachother. Josiah told Aaron his news. Aaron responded, "So what, I got a trophy!" Nathan, now 8 1/2 is very tall (remember back in 1984 when we asked many of you to pray for our 3 lb. 12 oz. 16 inch son!?!). He loves playing soccer and singing in the choir (both at school and church). We are very grateful to God for each of them.
                          
     Dayna is the one who keeps all four of us together. She is busy caring for the boys; soccer and choir practices, school parties and outings, on and on. She does alot for the church too, especially in the areas of missions and Christian education. She really enjoys teaching the high school/college age Sunday school. She is involved in several island-wide ministries. She is directing T.E.A.C.H. '93, an inter-denominational training workshop for church workers and teachers. Also, she is Chairperson for the Committee on Lay-Training for the congregational churches on our island.

     Our pastoral ministry at the Haili Congregational Church continues to bring much fulfillment and joy. The privilege of preaching week by week is a great burden and blessing (preachers will know what I mean). Half of the year I preached through the Gospel of Luke, I also did a series on "The Family" and "The Christian Citizen" around the elections this Fall. I plan to begin the new year going through the book of 1 John. Our church is growing and there is a good spirit of love and support. One exciting development is a relationship between an extension of a Japanese College located just around the corner from our church. Students come from Japan to learn English and "culture." Young people from our church are making friendships with them and finding many opportunities to share Jesus. Also, Mark has been elected as President of the East Hawaii Ministerial Association. This inter-denominational group of pastors, representing about 30 churches, meets monthly for fellowship and learning. We're praying that we can work closer together to reach our area for Christ; less than 10% of our community attend any church! Another opportunity for ministry is being on a rotation of area pastors as a part-time Chaplain at our hospital.
            
     Hilo is a small town of about 35,000.  Our life is very centralized, we live right across the street from the church and the boy's school. In 1992 we put less than 4,000 miles on our van. Yet we are very busy, though it is a good kind of busy. The world searches in vain for "happiness," "fulfillment," or "meaning." Jesus says give your life to me, and through our "loss" gives more happiness, fulfillment, and meaning than the world could ever obtain! But life is not all work and no play. This letter is being written on a poolside table, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, as I sit in swimsuit and tank top. We are having a four-day get-away at the year's end as the boys are out of school, recouping from Christmas!

     We have a guest room available. (If you can stand sharing one toilet with three boys who don't always lift the seat.) This year we were honored that 5 Korean missionary women came to see us, 3 all the way from Uganda. We also had a great visit with Mark's mom and sister Judy and her husband Larry. Let us know if you plan to come! We do hope to come to California in June and hope to see some of you.
                        
     This letter is sent with prayers for God's blessings upon you, and your family, throughout this new year. In my sermon last week I said that Jesus may return in 1993. (I haven't heard directly!) Whenever He comes may He find us faithful and fruitful in His service!




January 4, 1993

East Hawaii Ministerial Association Leadership


5 January 1993

Dear Colleague in Christ,

     Happy New Year! I am Mark Blair, pastor of the Haili Church and the new President of the East Hawaii Ministerial Association. I warmly invite you to our January meeting:

this Tuesday, January 12, 10 a.m. at the Haili Church       
Our speaker will be Chaplain (Major) Greg Hill,
from the Command Chaplain's office, U.S. Army, Pacific

I am thankful for this opportunity to serve in this way. I commend Elden Buck, Pastor of the First United Protestant Church, for the fine job he did leading our group the last two years.

     My prayer is that God would bring us even closer together in fellowship and ministry for Him in our community. If you have not been able to attend our monthly meetings, please make a special effort to come. It is more than just "another meeting." We need to gather as the Lord's servants, co-laborers not competitors, to "spur one another on to love and good deeds." As Paul said, "neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."

     Recently a pastor said to me, "I have been a pastor in this area for 33 years and I do not have one pastor I can share my struggles with." Have you felt like that? I confess that I have sometimes. Yet there are some signs of God bringing us closer together. I received a card from a Hilo pastor who wrote, "we prayed for you in our staff prayer meeting today." At our last meeting Harry Kim honestly confessed that he had not considered the spiritual and emotional needs of "disaster" victims and workers in the past. He asked us to be available to be of help to
people when needs arise. I sensed a responsiveness among our group to want to work together to help.

     As a means of promoting our fellowship together, I am asking different pastors to share at the beginning of each meeting, (dare I ask you preachers to keep it to about 10 minutes!), anything that God puts on their heart about life and ministry. As a new pastor I am eager to learn from you all. Another change will be an optional meeting for prayer and sharing, after the
regular meeting, for those who wish to remain. Henry Ayabe, who has served the Lord for over 30 years in Japan, much of that time working with different pastors, will lead our prayer time.

     I am not suggesting that we have no differences.  Do we all agree about everything? will we? Not yet, not until we sit together at the Master's feet and learn from Him. Until that day,
we are told to, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." In his new book "The Contemporary Christian" John Stott writes of how important it is for Christians to talk together:

"When we stay apart, and our only contact is to lob hand grenades at one another across a demilitarized zone, a caricature of one's 'opponent' develops in one's mind, complete with horns, hooves, and tail! But when we meet, and sit together, and begin to listen, not only does it become evident that our opponents are not after all demons, but actually normal human beings, and even sisters and brothers in Christ, the possibility of mutual understanding and respect grows. More than this: when we listen not only to what others are saying, but to what lies behind what they are saying, and in particular to what it is they are so anxious to safeguard, we often find that we want to safeguard the same thing ourselves."

The EHMA is one, but surely not the only, means of our listening to one another. I pray that as a new leader God will make me good listener to each of you. Your involvement will make our
fellowship more complete.

     I look forward to being with you this Tuesday, and throughout this new year.

Yours in His gospel, Mark Blair



December 15, 1992

Haili Hoku: "A Kid with a Bad Start"


There really is no more shame anymore. I've heard lots of sad family stories but this is too much. It involves this girl, with some kind of chop suey background - Haole? Filipino? Hawaiian? Portugese? Japanese? - no one really knows much about her parents even. She's just a young teenager - but pregnant - you know how kids are today. She practically killed her own baby. Instead of taking care of herself like she was supposed to, she went on this long trip just about the time she was going to give birth. She spoke of some legal thing, an appointment she had to make. Then in the middle of doing this funny kind of business, the baby starts trying to come out. Instead of going to the hospital, her "boyfriend" drives her in his old junk of car to the worst part of Hilo. There he finds some calabash relative who has a "cottage" behind their house. What a dump. This relative was one of those guys who kills and cooks pigs - right in this so called "cottage." Oh the flies and the stink smell! The whole time the girl is giving birth, a mob of characters was watching a cock-fight in the back yard. It's hard to tell who made more noise, the gamblers, the cocks, or the "mother." With no doctor, or midwife, just the bungling of her "boyfriend," the girl had a baby boy. Not having any place to put the little guy the boyfriend runs out to his car and carries back this old sheet which covered his front seat. Soon the cockfighters from outside began to get quiet, almost religious. They came inside to see mother and child. One of the tough guys had tears in his eyes, another even got on his knees and prayed. These teenage parents did not have a clue what was going on. Late that night they were awakened by three men in the doorway. They claimed to get a message about this baby from their Oiji board. Skeptical yet curious, the boyfriend let the men inside. It was spooky to watch
them make a big fuss over the baby. Then they gave them some big bucks gifts - Liberty House stuff - saying they were "supposed" to. This was too much for the young parents, they got out of that place fast. They went off island to "chill out." Good thing they left when they did. Right after their car backfired its way away, HPD showed up. They carried some warrant to pick up all babies in that neighborhood. Why all the fuss about a baby? What can a baby do anyway?

September 9, 1992

"Ka Hoku O Haili" RELAUNCH!


"Ka Hoku O Haili" RELAUNCH!
 
   Our "Star" is shining again. I am excited about this re-issuing of our church newsletter. There are many great things happening at Haili and we need such a way to share. Please read AND PRAY through this newsletter regularly. We need your kokua for news about the people and programs of our church. All of us are "field reporters," so give us the "scoop"!

     We are proud of our name "Ka Hoku O Haili" THE STAR OF HAILI. From 1906 until 1944 Haili Church sponsored a Hawaiian language newspaper that which had wide acceptance and influence in the Hilo community. "Hoku O Hawaii" was one of the many project of the Rev. Stephen Desha, Sr. who served as Haili's Kahu from 1889 to 1934. Solomon and  Mealoha Anakalea worked closely with Rev. Desha in the production. When Rev. Desha became unable, the Anakalea's produced the paper themselves for fifteen years. The paper was type-set and printed by hand right at the church. It was issued weekly and ran world, national, and local news. The "Hoku" was a source of pride and identity to the Hawaiian community.

     Our Lord Jesus is "the bright Morning Star" (Revelation 22.16). Most of all I pray that Haili Church will magnify and honor Him.

January 7, 1992

First Christmas at Haili


Mele Kalikimaka and Hau Oli Makahiki Hou!
(Hawaiian for "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year")

January 7, 1992

     Aloha from Hilo, Hawaii, the rainieast city in the USA. Life in Uganda got us into "African time," now "Hawaiian time" has become our life's pace. Perhaps we could argue for some
theological justification that historians doubt whether Jesus was actually born on 25 December! All this is to try and excuse our lateness. Nevertheless, we do send you our sincere "aloha" and prayers that all is well with you and yours this new year.
     
We praise God for a very wonderful 1991. Mark thoroughly enjoys the challanges and opportunities of pastoral ministry. The church family is supportive and eager to serve the Lord. Since he began in February the attendance has doubled. In April we began a second morning worship service. The Christmas season with Advent services, Cantata, and Christmas play was great. Indeed, the coming of our Lord Jesus is "good news of great joy."   
     
Another great joy for us is our three sons. They are very happily settled into life in Hawaii too. Right now they're outside racing their "remote control" cars, given by a generous uncle for Christmas. They are more "high tech" than the banana stalks and old tires they played with in Uganda, yet they still have the joy of simple pleasures together. They all attend the Haili Christian School (pre-school through 8th grade, 310 students) our church school. Our life is very centralized. We rent a church-owned house right across from the street from our church and school. Nathan, now 7 1/2, is in second grade. He enjoys reading and geography. Josiah, who just turned 6, is in first grade. He is a good helper and organizer. Aaron is in 4 year old pre-school. He is full of enthusiasm and loves to catch chameleons. All three of them are taking swimming lessons and are doing well, what do you expect for Hawaii? This spring Nathan and Josiah begin soccer league, we've got the ice packs ready for shin kicks. As you may imagine, life with three little guys is never dull. We praise God that they are healthy and happy. It's especially rewarding to hear them coming home from school memorizing Bible verses and singing praises to God. Pray for them, and their parents, to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
     
Dayna is happy to be back with her family and friends here. So far she has not lacked for "honor" as a prophetess in her own home. Rather, God has opened many doors of ministry, especially through the missions committee and in Christian education. Coming home has given her many opportunities to share her faith with old friends. This year she hopes to begin a "Moms and kids" week-day morning program at the church.

We pray this finds you and yours strong in the Lord and ready for all the Lord has for us in 1992!
Mark, Dayna, Nathan, Josiah, and Aaron Blair




September 5, 1991

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






June 3, 1991

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.

February 10, 1991

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









December 15, 1990

Candidating in Hawaii


Mark and Dayna Blair
4614 Grand Avenue
La Canada, CA 91011 USA

15 December 1990


Dear Seton and Peggy,

     Merry (or if you must, Happy) Christmas! It was great to hear from you recently. Thank you for the map of Uganda. We thought of you as the record snowstorm recently hit England. Hope
you were safe and warm. I'll bet you wished for the African sun.

     We are in the midst of the holiday season here. The shopping malls have decorated all their windows and Christmas music plays along in concert with the ringing and humming of the computerized cash registers. Its great not to have to carry heavy sacks full of money, just one small piece of plastic is all one needs. Nathan has asked me for a Bankcard so he can get cash from the money machines like we do.

     We will be flying to Hilo, Hawaii on 10 January. I will preach at the Haili Congregational Chruch on the 13 and the 20th. Then the congregation will vote whether to have me as their Pastor. Either I will begin in February or begin swimming back to California on 21 January. We are looking forward to beginning our ministry there. It is the church where Dayna grew up and where I worked as an Assistant before we went to Uganda. They have a Christian school, pre-school through the sixth grade, about 300 kids, where our boys will attend.

     We are forever grateful for your love and leadership as we served in Uganda. It was an amazing privilege to be mentored by a couple that had been in Uganda almost 50 years, was involved in 8 language translations of the Bible, and had walked so faithfully with the Lord through so many challenges! Thank you for pouring so graciously into our lives!

There are many aspects of our life and work in Uganda which we will miss. Yet we are eagerly looking forward to this new ministry opportunity and challenge. We pray that we will be able to share something of our perspective on the world and its needs. Youth With a Mission has their "University of the Nations" on the other side of the same island. I hope some good opportunities of sharing and learning may result from the contact. As futurists look to the "Pacific Rim," it will be a great opportunity to share the gospel in that part of the world. Please pray for us.

     You will be in our thoughts and prayers as you continue with your equally vital work for our Lord. We are grateful for the many friends, like you folks, we have made through our years with
AIM. In these past months here we have felt very encouraged and supported by those in the US office. Although they wanted us to remain with the mission, they have been supportive as we sought the Lord's guidance for our next phase of ministry.

Love from us all, Mark, Dayna, Nathan, Josiah, and Aaron



September 9, 1990

Farewell Uganda!


Mark and Dayna Blair
4614 Grand Avenue
La Canada, California  91011
ph (818) 790-7746

Africa Inland Mission
 P.O. Box 178
 Pearl River, New York 10965

Fall 1990

Greetings from Southern California,
     
In our last letter we requested prayer for guidance, thinking we had at least one more year in Uganda. Shortly after you began to pray, we were moving back home.
    Our abrupt departure was because of the serious illness of Mark's father. Four days after our return he died of cancer. We were very grateful to be with him for at least those few days. We are now glad to be home with the family at this time. We have begun our mission furlough, or "home assignment."
    
Besides the family crisis which prompted our leaving, we were beginning to sense a completion of our work in Uganda. We had fulfilled many goals we had set as we went out in 1983. In our seven years we had some part in the training of several hundred Ugandan Pastors. We helped raise the vision of many Ugandans for world missions, especially to Islam. We had opportunities to share the gospel with many, even the President! We have seen tremendous improvements in the nation, becoming a more secure, stable, developing country. We began to wonder what was next for us.
     
We took the decisive step of selling, shipping, or giving away all that we owned in Uganda, all within two weeks! As we have returned we have seen the Lord provide for our needs. We have rented a small furnished house just three blocks away from Mark's mom. We have brought our three young Ugandans to this foreign country. Nathan has begun first grade at the La Canada Elementary, where Mark went to first grade! Josiah and Aaron attend pre-school two mornings a week at a local church. In an effort to supplement our support, Mark has gotten some interesting part time jobs; as a mime, serving eviction notices, and as a Pastor on call at a funeral home. He is still trying to write about Islam in Kampala.
     
We have begun to share with supporting friends and churches here in California. We are eager to meet with more of you. We are planning to drive across the country to share with friends and churches, making a home base in the Philadelphia area for a couple months. At this point we are thinking about traveling eastward in March or April, returning westward in June or July. We would like to know if and when you would like us to come. Please contact us here in California.
     
We sense that we have come to a beginning, not an end. Uganda has been a training ground of growth and learning for us. We have written to a few close friends and church leaders in Hawaii asking about ministry opportuties.  We pray for the Lord's guidance as we commit our way to Him. We will miss many friends in Uganda. Yet we feel that to the best of our ability we are seeking to follow the Lord. We ask you to be praying for us.

Our God is great and mighty! Praise Him!

Eager to hear from you,  Mark and Dayna, Nathan, Josiah, and Aaron