Celebrating Adventist Education
Shortly after the organizing of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, our founders saw the need to establish a Christian educational system based on the teachings of the Scriptures and the writings of Ellen G. White. Our North American Division Working Policy states that its “primary aim was to provide an opportunity for students to accept Christ as their Savior, to allow the Holy Spirit to transform their lives, and to fulfill the commission of preaching the gospel to all the world” (pp. 371-372).
We truly see this happening every day as our ministers of education (teachers) spend time connecting our children to God in the classroom. By the time our students graduate from high school, our teachers will have spent just over 2,300 days with them! It’s no wonder that many of them give their hearts to Jesus and join the body of Christ through baptism.
Not only do our schools serve our Adventist students, but they are also a light to the community as well. Many non-SDA students attend our schools and are introduced to the Adventist message.
Jacqueline Millar, who is the teacher-principal at the Kohala Adventist School, reflects Jesus day in and day out to a student body that is 100% non-Adventist. This incredible mission opportunity is helping fulfill the Great Commission found in Matthew 28, in which Jesus tells us to teach them all that He has taught us.
I’m so grateful that God has blessed our church in Hawaii with a wonderful education system filled with teachers who care deeply about their students. Teachers are the guiding lights in this educational journey, shaping young minds and hearts with knowledge and love. Their dedication goes beyond the classroom, impacting lives in immeasurable ways. Their commitment to nurturing students spiritually and academically echoes the mission set forth by Christ Himself.
I want to thank everyone who comes together in making our education system a success: first, the teachers who pour into our students every day, and second, each one of you for investing in Adventist education through your tithes and offerings. It would not be possible to have such a wonderful school system in Hawaii without your faithful, sacrificial giving.
As we celebrate the blessing of Adventist education, please join me in praying for our three preschools, eight elementary schools, and our academy. Pray for our teachers to have wisdom and strength as they shape the hearts and minds of our children as they grow in Him.
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By Erik VanDenburgh
Students Discover a Divine Appointment
In the last week of January, the students from Adventist Malama Elementary School (AMES) went out into their community to participate in literature evangelism.
During one of these outings, some of the students came across a woman who was cleaning out her garage. As the students were reading their canvassing lines, she asked what school they attended. Her eyes brightened when they said they were from Adventist Malama. She then went on to explain that her brother had attended preschool there and that she had just found his bag while cleaning her garage. The bag she showed them had her brother’s picture on the front and dated back to 1995.
As the students continued to converse with the woman, she opened up and shared that she had just come back from her court case for a ticket, and that by God’s grace it had been dismissed. She said that half an hour before the students came, while crying and thanking God for dismissing her case, she was cleaning and found her brother’s bag from preschool. Then the students showed up from the very school that her brother had attended and were offering her books about God’s faithfulness! She was amazed at the coincidence of it all and gave a generous donation for one of the books.
We praise God for using the children’s outreach to emphasize His love for her and others in our community. Please continue to keep our keiki in prayer, along with the adults who go with them. We also ask for special prayers for those we come across, so that we might be able to show them the love of our Heavenly Father. God is doing mighty things in Hawaii!
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By Alpharetta Sula
Fun Run at Hawaiian Mission Academy Maui
Hawaiian Mission Academy (HMA) Maui recently participated in their annual Fun Run fundraiser. Students prepared themselves on this rainy day to run laps around the school field and raise money for a variety of school expenses. Parents came out to support and also assist wherever they were needed during this event. HMA Maui’s Home and School team set up a course that consisted of different obstacles for the students to complete while running around the field. Our event was a success, and students and parents enjoyed a day full of physical activity.
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By Seth Katada
Hawaiian Mission Academy Students Attend Basketball Tournament
From January 23-28, the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from Hawaiian Mission Academy (HMA) competed in the 2024 basketball tournament at Pacific Union College. HMA was among 16 other schools competing in the tournament, and they were among the top six who made it to the Saturday night games. All of the students who participated had an amazing time and came back with some incredible memories. We are so proud of both teams for giving it their all on the court and for exhibiting Christlike sportsmanship off of it.
Student reflections:
“It was really cool to see such a wide variety of skill sets across all the teams. Most teams were pretty evenly matched, but there were some that just dominated the court when they were out there and were really fun to watch.” - Manny Garcia (Senior)
“Before we left for PUC, I was most looking forward to playing against a lot of new teams from the other schools and pushing myself to do the best I could.” - Colbie Nakamura (Freshman)
“I really loved connecting with students from the different schools. It was nice to have something to look forward to other than just the games, but it also put into perspective how much more important building those connections was because it was the last time we would see some of those other players on the court. We don’t have a lot of these tournaments, so it’s best to make the most of them while we can.” - Marcellus McCullah (Junior)
“Being able to give it our all in the last game was the best part of the tournament for me. After how far we traveled to even just get to PUC, being able to leave it all on the court in the final game was a lot of fun.” - Brian Vasquez (Junior)
“When we left Hawaii for PUC, I was most excited about being able to bond with my team and cheer everyone on during the games.” - Nixie Ramirez (Senior)
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By Caleb Schaber
Oahu Convocation
February 16 and 17 marked a special weekend for the island of Oahu. All of the churches and schools came together to celebrate convocation at the Honolulu Central church.
To welcome in the Sabbath, there was a Friday evening worship service in which the speaker for the weekend, Pastor Micheal Goetz, gave the first of a three-part sermon, titled “God Still Acts: Filled.” These sermons dove into the book of Acts and talked about how God is just as present for us today as He was for the early founders of the church.
Services on Sabbath morning began with praise and worship songs performed by a number of the churches and music groups from around the island, including the Wahiawa church, the Honolulu Korean church, the Samoan Gospel Heralds, and others. Between these beautiful performances were video updates from all of the schools. The videos showed what the schools have been doing the past year and thanked all those who have supported them in providing our students with quality Christian education. Following this, Pastor Goetz gave his second sermon about the book of Acts, entitled “God Still Acts: Everywhere.” The service ended with another beautiful song by the Samoan Gospel Heralds.
In the afternoon, following a time of potluck and fellowship, attendees of the convocation were encouraged to sit in on one of the seven breakout sessions. These included wonderful topics such as: making inroads to secular people, creating safe churches, real help for the homeless, powerful prayer ministries, perfectionism and the SDA church, disaster response preparedness, and how the church uses tithes and offerings. Each session was led by someone from the churches or conference who had real experience with the topic.
After these sessions, everyone gathered together in the sanctuary one last time for evening vespers. Some beautiful music was performed by the young adults and was followed by the third and final sermon from Pastor Goetz, titled “God Still Acts: Boldness.” When the vespers ended, everyone gathered on the lanai to play music, eat, and fellowship as they closed out the Sabbath together.
Mahalo and God bless everyone for coming out to celebrate convocation this year—especially to all those who had a part in running it. We can’t wait to see you again for the next one!
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By Caleb Schaber
