Evangelistic Series

Busy!

This word describes our life for the past two weeks. There has been a flurry of activity as we have begun our evangelistic series.
It has been a blessing so far--we've covered topics such as the validity of the Scriptures, the Controversy between God and Satan, and Creation.

The third night of the meetings, attendance dropped to an all-time low, and we were tempted to be discouraged. However, we spent much time in agonizing prayer, and have been excited to see God turn things around, and to bring many people to the meetings.

One of those people is Glen. Glen is a young man about 28 years old. He told us that he had bought a book from us in January, when we first got here. Two weeks ago, we knocked on his door again and invited him to the series. He was unable to come the first few nights, but has been coming faithfully since Wednesday, and has been immensely enjoying the message.

Another is Debra. Donato and Danielle were dropped off on her street, and gave her a flyer inviting her to the series. She has been one of our most faithful attendees, coming to every meeting, and seems very open to hear the Word of God.

Steve and Leila are another couple who have been faithfully attending. They are an amazing, God-fearing couple who desire nothing more than to follow God and His leading. We have studied several testing truths with them, and they are more than open and accepting, when they are given a "thus saith the Lord." They truly are faithful Bereans.

Aunty Joyce brought her 14-yr-old grandson, Tito, to the meetings last Wednesday. He enjoyed them so much that he has come every night. He is FULL of questions! "Was God married?" "No." "How did He make Jesus?" It has been a blessing to have him around, realizing that the gospel has power to change anyone, regardless of circumstance.


We want to ask you, reader, to pray specifically for David. He is a middle-aged man who is battling stage 4 cancer. He came to our church one day, asking for prayer. Since then, we have been studying the Bible with him, and have been enjoying his fellowship. Pray that the Lord will give him peace and joy during this experience.

Thank you for your prayers and support--they are invaluable to us as we labor for the Lord.

Flyers!

Last week, our flyers for the upcoming evangelistic series arrived in the mail. Since then, we've been knocking on as many doors as we can in order to ultimately invite every family in Kane'ohe to the series. We have been having some awesome experiences as we've invited the community. Here are a few of our experiences:


"As I walked up to the door, the man said from inside his house, 'I'm not interested!' I said right back, 'Sir, we're not selling anything!' He was quiet, then said, 'okay.' I walked up to him and gave him a flyer for the meeting. 'Oh, I don't want anything religious!' he said. 'Sir,' I said, 'It's free dinner, free childcare, and a meeting where you can sit down and learn something new.' Again, he was quiet. Then, with a smile on his face, he said 'Okay. I'll check it out.' Praise God!"
--April

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"I met Wayne passing out flyers near the church. As I talked to him, I found out that he used to attend the Adventist church many years ago. His family was baptized here in Kane'ohe, and he was actively involved--being a deacon and involved in many ministries. He left about 10 years ago because of various reasons, but said that he still keeps the Sabbath and is still Adventist. He said that he is waiting to come back to church. 'I'm waiting for a revival in the church,' he said. I told him, 'A revival is happening now. Our young people are going out door-to-door and sharing the gospel.' He said that he was going to come to the evangelistic series, and that he was willing to help with whatever area he could. Pray that he will come and will re-dedicate his life to the Lord."
--Donato

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"'I wish I had known about you sooner,' Janelle said. I had knocked on her door to give her a flyer and invite her to the series. As we continued to talk, she asked, 'Do you give Bible studies to teenagers? My daughter needs to know about Jesus...and I want her to study. Can you come study with us?' I told her that we definitely do give Bible studies. We exchanged phone numbers, and she agreed to come to the series. Please pray for her! I know the Lord has a plan!" 
--Danielle


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In Matthew 22:8-10, it says, “Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready,...Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.”

These past couple of weeks it has been our intention that every house in Kane’ohe will receive an invitation to our “Hope for the Ohana” series. We have been going to every neighborhood, street, court, and avenue placing an invitation. So far, we have been receiving solid and positive feedback from the community.

This past week I met Sally. She happened to see me approach her door and decided to meet me before I got to it. We began to converse about the series, and then she asked what church was the series affiliated with. I immediately shared with her that we were Adventist, and her eyes grew to the size of watermelons!

Of course, I became interested in why she became so excited. She shared with me that the previous week she was passing our church and was wondering what the church believed and who went there. She was so excited that I came, because for her it was a sign from God. She grabbed the flyer, thanked me for stopping by, and said she will see me there.

It is amazing how God sets up divine appointments. Please continue to pray for that God will open this community's eyes so that they can partake of the feast.

--Grayson

Adventures on O'ahu

There's a saying in the canvassing world--"we work hard, and we play hard."

True to the saying, we have been working hard for the Lord. At the same time, we have been playing hard, as well!

Each week, we have one day off. On these days, we have done a lot of activities around O'ahu, including ocean kayaking, going to Pearl Harbor, body surfing at the beach, climbing Stairway to Heaven, going to local swap meets, eating "local" food (Malasadas, anyone?), and much more.

Here are some pictures to show some of the fun times we've had.

O'ahu in the dark--taken from the top of Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven

Grayson at the top of Stairway to Heaven

Our group before going in the Pearl Harbor memorial

The document that was signed to end WWII

The U.S.S. Missouri

Donato, Grayson, Maverick, Danielle, and April in front of the Pearl Harbor Memorial


 

The two small islands where we took our kayak

The guys taking a kayak to Lanikai Beach

Group picture from Pali Lookout

Eating at Z Pizza--love that Daiya Cheese!

Give Them All....

One of my favorite songs growing up was "Give Them All"--The lyrics were always something that touched my heart. "Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, and broken toys...Give them all...to Jesus." Each of us, in our lives, have things that we need to give to Jesus. It may be broken hearts, relationships, or even broken families. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He will take all of those things upon Himself so that we can live a life of freedom.

"Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His." --DA 25.2

Grayson was able to see this experience first-hand this last week. He has recorded it for us to read, knowing that it will be an inspiration for others. 

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"I have been blessed to be studying with a man named John.* Together, we have been going through the book of Revelation. It has been powerful to see how God can use a book about prophecy to connect the two of us.

"This past week, John and I were talking about the lifestyle of God's people in the last days. I shared with him the standard God has given to His last-day people. At this, John opened up and shared the things he has been struggling with. He shared how he wants to be rid of all the things that "hold him down."

"This is a huge step for John. For him, it marks a start to clear things out of his life that will keep him away from God.

"There are many other “Johns” out there that need to hear the call. The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Continue to pray for more laborers, and pray for our series which begins on February 26!"

-Grayson Abaya 

*Name(s) changed

"...and thank you for bringing this young person to my door. In Jesus' name, amen."

To hear the first prayers of a young Christian is something that is beyond words. It is a powerful thing to see the Holy Spirit working on hearts, knowing that you were simply, in the words of a friend, "one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread."

To work for others is something that will change your life. It causes one to realize just how much Jesus loves each of us. It gives us understanding of our own human frailty and constant need of a Savior. It shows us just how much we need the sanctifying influence of the Word. It shows us how important and powerful our beliefs are.

Today is one of our busiest days of the week--Tuesdays are filled to the brim with studying, writing studies, and giving studies. We have been here almost six weeks (wow!) already, and the precious souls we are studying with have blessed our lives immensely.

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." --Acts 6:4

Hope for the Ohana: Letters to a Broken Family

We want to ask for special prayers for our upcoming evangelistic series. It is starting in 21 days--exactly three weeks from today.

We know that God has powerful things in store, but we also know that it is through prayer that victories are won.

Last week, we studied with a family who gave us a powerful example of the power of prayer. Each Easter in Kaneohe, there is a massive amount of outreach done by local Pentecostal churches. Starting this week, this family is starting prayer meetings in their homes to pray specifically for the outreach.

As I heard this, it made me realize how important prayer is to ministry...and how little I pray for the outreach I do. Friends, we have the opportunity to make a difference in the Great Controversy we are in, and we dare not undertake it without entire dependence upon God.

So, our plea is simple. We want to ask you to pray for our evangelistic series at least four times a week. The prayer doesn't have to be long. In fact, it can simply be a silent petition to God--He hears and we know He will answer.

James says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." He continues with a powerful example. "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." --James 5:16-18

Friends, Elijah was just like we are...but through PRAYER he was able to access the power of the Heavenly Kingdom.

We know that we are in a warfare--we need the prayers of our friends. We ask for your help in this battle--we need your prayers.

Mahalo--your reward is truly in Heaven!

This time last year, Carlos Interiano was working in Exeter, California. He met a family while they were watching a football game, and they invited him inside. As they conversed, Cayelle, the owner of the home, introduced Carlos to her brother Caleb*. 

During the commercial break, the family asked Carlos, "why are you doing this work?" Carlos then shared his testimony. As he was sharing, Caleb--who had previously studying with an Adventist from Brazil--realized that Carlos was also Adventist.  Caleb asked for Carlos's number, and Carlos left.

During the next three months, Carlos introduced Caleb to Donato, who was also doing Big Books in the area. The three of them became good friends, and they spent a lot of time together.

After those three months, they lost contact and were no longer able to connect. For over a year, the three of them didn't talk to each other.

Fast-forward to last week. Michelle Mogollon is the Bible worker at the Exeter SDA church. She knocks on Cayelle's door. Cayelle says that she is busy and cooking, and invites her inside. Cayelle realized that Michelle was Adventist and told her about Carlos & Donato.

Michelle then called Donato (who is here in Kane'ohe), and passed the phone to Cayelle. Cayelle told Donato that Caleb had moved back to Oa'hu in mid-July. She gave Donato Caleb's number, and Donato promptly called him.

The next day, the two of them spent the day together, and Caleb shared how he was struggling spiritually. While the two of them were spending time together, the Bible Worker from Brazil called Caleb after not talking to him for 2-3 months. Caleb said, "This is a crazy coincidence that he's calling right now--he's calling when you're with me--no other time!!!!"

As Donato shared this experience with us, we knew that it was truly more than coincidence. God has a plan for Caleb's life, and it beyond words to be a part of such an experience. 

It was powerful to see God working in such direct ways. The amazing thing about this experience is that it happens every single day in our own lives. God is constantly setting up divine appointments for each of us in an effort to win our hearts. Praise Him for His never-ending love for us! 

*names changed

Donato talking to Uncle Eddie, Director of Personal Ministries

 This past weekend was our weekend seminar, titled "Rebuilding the Wall." It covered vespers Friday evening, Sabbath School, Divine Service, Sabbath afternoon, and Saturday evening.



Friday evening, April talked about sharing your personal testimony with others. She showed how Nehemiah came before the King of Persia and shared his testimony--how his country was in ruins--and how that testimony ended up changing the entire country of Jerusalem.

Danielle preaching for the Divine Service

Sabbath morning, Donato shared practical steps on how to live a life of evangelism--not simply evangelizing on certain occasions, but every moment of the day. It was a powerful call to a higher standard, and we were all blessed.


For the Divine Service, Danielle shared a message, "Never Give it Up." She paralleled the lives of Nehemiah, Jesus, and modern-day Christians, and showed how we should never give up sharing the gospel, even in the face of trials and hard times.

Donato sharing for Sabbath School

Sabbath afternoon, we took some of the church members out to give GLOW door-to-door. It was a blessing to see the people in the community accepting literature that could lead them to Jesus.


To close the Sabbath, Grayson shared a worship called, "Love Compels All." He showed how everything we do--sharing testimonies, living evangelism, etc.--should be the result of God's love flowing out of us. It was a beautiful ending to the weekend.




Afterwards, we had a game night with the church members. We really enjoyed spending time with them, as well as helping to nurture the "Ohana spirit" here in Kane'ohe.

All in all, we were extremely blessed to have the opportunity to share with our church this last weekend! Praise Him!

Playing the animal game on Saturday evening--LOTS of fun with the members!

April & Julie taking a moment to talk during the game night

"Uh-huh....okay, sounds good!" Grayson hung up the phone and told us about John*, a man who was formerly SDA and now wants to study again.

John used to attend a local SDA church, but has since stopped attending. However, he has lately been feeling a need and desire to re-kindle his relationship with God. Grayson & April studied with him yesterday, and they spent over two hours answering his many questions, ranging from the Mark of the Beast to God's love in prophecy. Before they left, John asked for Grayson's email. "I want to be able to send you my questions!" He also asked for a ride to our weekly prayer meetings, as well as to the upcoming evangelistic series.

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I love studying with Aunty Savannah*--she has such a love and fervor for the Lord! Each time I go to study with her, another member of her family joins us. It is such a blessing--there are currently three of us studying, and I pray it will grow to a larger group!

We were studying Daniel 2 when her son came to drop off his son. He heard us studying, and sat down so he could listen. When he left, he said that he didn't have time to eat before work. "But it's okay," he said, "because my soul has been spiritually fed."

I am so thankful that God has allowed us to be co-workers with Him. I have realized more and more that I am simply "one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread." It reminds me of this quote that I read this morning: 

"Our work has been marked out for us by our heavenly Father. We are to take our Bibles, and go forth to warn the world. We are to be God's helping hands in saving souls,--channels through which His love is day by day to flow to the perishing."--Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 150. 

--Danielle


*names changed

Intro to the Pastor

We just wanted to introduce you to our pastor, Tim Nelson. He is a dynamic public speaker, as well as a husband and father of two girls. Pray for him, as he is going to be preaching our evangelistic series starting on Feb. 25--his first time preaching a series.

He is a blessing to work with, and we are thankful for such a mission-minded pastor to work with! 

Beach Day!

Yesterday, Monday, was our first day off since we've been here in Hawaii. All of the Bible Workers (Kevin, Maverick, Carlos, Angel, Cassie, and the four of us) came to Waianae, where we went to the beach for the day.

It was a blessing to talk to the others and see what God has been doing in their individual areas. Cassie and Angel are working with a church in Waianae, and they have been experiencing tremendous success. Before they arrived there, the church members already had over 100 study contacts!

Kevin and Maverick have also been experiencing success, but in different ways. They are working in Ha'ula, an area that is predominately Mormon. Despite this fact, they have been finding people who want to study the Bible, and who want something different in their lives.

Carlos is working in Waipahu, where he has been studying with several people who want to know the Lord better.

The four of us were definitely blessed by the fellowship, stories, and time spent in nature.

While we were driving back from the beach, we were talking about the nature God has given us. April thought of the text in Job, where God says, "Who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, and brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, and said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?" --Job 38:8-11

It was a beautiful illustration of the power, majesty, and order of our God.

Today is back to the mission field. We are excited to go out, knowing that the same God who said, "hiterto shalt thou come, but no further" can work in powerful ways to keep sin and selfishness from our lives.

May you be blessed in Him today!

A Friday's memoir...

We are currently on the road to Honolulu (yes, I’m typing in the car!) to visit missing church members. It will be a blessing to spend time with them and encourage them in their daily walks with the Lord.
Before we do so, however, we want to spend some time reflecting on the many blessings from this week.
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When I met Joy*, she was looking down at me from her balcony. After 30-40 minutes of talking to her, she told me that she would like for me to come visit her later in the week—not to study the Bible, but simply to talk. I agreed.

When April and I came back to her house a few days later, she opened the door with a shocked look on her face. “This is so crazy!” she kept repeating to herself. She invited us inside and told us that she had just been debating with God whether or not she should call us or if she should clean her house. She finally said, “Okay, God…I’ll let you take care of it.” At that exact moment, we knocked on the door.

Throughout our visit, April & I sensed that she had a lot of spiritual hunger. We silently prayed that God would show Joy her need of a spiritual reformation. God answered that prayer. By the time we left, we had given Joy a Bible study on God’s transforming power, and she signed up for personal Bible studies.

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Grayson teaching a man how to navigate his Bible

“Sure, Bible studies sound cool.” She was a marine—the toughest of the tough. As we talked with her, her roommate laughed at us. “Religious things? Ha—I can’t believe you’re falling for that stuff.” 

When we stopped by their house this week, she was gone. Her roommate had kicked her out and seemed to be in an upset frame of mind. Undeterred, we began to talk to her (the roommate). We spent a lot of time just getting to know her, avoiding religious things and simply talking about her and her family. Also in the marines, she felt very lonely here in Hawaii—all of her family lives in the mainland, and it is hard for her to keep contact with them.

When we finally turned the conversation to spiritual things, we found out that she grew up in a Christian family, but has turned away from believing in God. We eventually asked her if she would like to study the Bible with us, and she agreed!

It was truly a miracle to see the same woman who first scorned us sign up for personal Bible studies. Something so drastic can only come through the same God who changed a prejudiced Samaritan woman into one of the greatest evangelists of her time. Praise Him for His working here in Kane’ohe!

*names changed 

January 10, 2012

The view from Makapu'u on a Sabbath afternoon hike

This morning, we went to the Bank of Hawaii to open an account. The first thing the teller said when she saw us was, “I’ve never put four people on one account before!” We all laughed, and began the process. However, as she was filling out our information, she began to tell us parts of her personal testimony. She is the only Christian in her family, and has been struggling with her spirituality. In addition to a spiritual struggle, her grandma passed away just a few days ago. We offered to study the Bible with her, but she declined. Nevertheless, we prayed with her and gave her a GLOW tract on the State of the Dead.  

            We ask you to pray for Sarah* and her family—they desperately need your intercession before our Heavenly Father.

After cleaning the secretary's office--a good place to put canvassing books!

           So far, we have worked 7 days. Over these days, God has given us 16 precious souls to study with. All four of us have been working out of one car, so some of us canvass when the others are giving studies.

 

             One of these studies is a woman named Aunty Makayla*. Grayson recounts the story of meeting her as follows: "I met Aunty Joyce at her house while canvassing. I showed her some of our books, and she invited me inside. As we talked, she told me that she is a former Seventh-Day Adventist. I knew God had placed me there, because she said that she was interested in going back to church. Before I left her home, she emphatically said, 'You are a God-send!'" 

            This experience reminds us of the prayer of Nehemiah, where he quoted God in saying, "But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there."--Neh. 1:9 

            God is desiring to gather His lost children back into His fold, and is doing so as we speak. Praise God that His work is almost "pau" (or "finished")!  

The four of us on Sabbath afternoon (L to R--Danielle, April, Donato, Grayson)

            We have also started implementing some activities in the church, such as Wednesday night Bible study and Friday evening vespers. The church members are excited about ministry, and we look forward to sharing spiritual blessings with them. Pray for us as we continue to reach out to the community of Kane’ohe! 

*names changed

Intro to the Team

"...and in the Kaneoh'e  church, we have Danielle, Grayson, Donato, and April!" 

As Westney White, Literature Ministries director for the Hawai'i Conference, announced our team for the Bible Work term, we knew that God was about to do something special. 


For the next three months, we are blessed to be working with the Kane'ohe church in the beautiful island of Oa'hu, Hawai'i. Each of us are excited to see what He will do through and for us in the surrounding community. Grayson, Danielle, and Donato are currently attending SOULSWest, a two-year evangelism and outreach school in Arizona. April graduated from SOULSWest in 2009, and has worked as a Bible Worker since then. 

Grayson was enrolled in the Exercise Physiology program at the University of Hawaii when God called him to a life of ministry. Over the past few years, God has taken him from a meaningless, empty life to one filled with joy and purpose. He finds true happiness in working for God and leading people to the One who can forever change lives. 

Born and raised in Colorado, Danielle was attending Southern Adventist University when God called her to work as a literature evangelist--a call that would forever change her life. For the past two years, God has lead her into a deep, fulfilling relationship with Him. In working for others, God has helped her to keep her own soul alive. She now has dedicated her life to sharing this same experience with others.

Born into a non-religious home, Donato Candia was involved in a life of drugs, crime, and sin. In 2008, his Adventist brother began to study the Bible with him, and he was eventually baptized into the family of God. He finds his greatest fulfillment in pointing people to the same Savior who plucked him as "a brand from the fire." 

April was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she was running from God. After a series of events, she began her quest for something different. Following her junior year of highschool, she decided to join the YouthRush canvassing program. Through God's providential leading, she had realized that she needed God in her life in order to serve others better. "Seeking to learn, and learning to follow" is her motto. 





Like many others, we each have unique experiences that vary widely.  It is our prayer that, by bringing our own experiences and life stories together during this Bible Work term, we will be able to come (and bring others) to a deeper understanding of the "unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13).