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A look at the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division
by Dave Hudson, Major –
While preparing for our divisional review next month, I decided to share some of the highlights of our work.
People in the Hawaii and Pacific Islands Division have trust in The Salvation Army. The best illustration of this was someone placing ten $100 bills in one of Hanapepe’s kettles. When I heard of this, I tried to imagine the level of trust that person has in the Army. And, more importantly, how can we live up to that trust? It comes down to the work that we do every day and that work being the best representation of The Salvation Army.
The Kroc Center draws closer to becoming a reality. We will soon be taking possession of 15 acres in east Kapolei. Our ability to secure this prime property is more evidence of God being at the center of the project. A ground dedication will take place this spring and ground breaking in the latter part of this year.
We opened an outpost in Arno (Marshall Islands) and Saipan. A new building was dedicated in Pohnpei. It is thrilling to see our people’s excitement about spreading God’s love through the ministry of The Salvation Army. The Chief of the Staff (the second ranking officer in the world) will be touring Micronesia in September. We are hoping that she will open Saipan as a corps and dedicate a new corps building in Ebeye (Marshall Islands).
Our social service programs continue to be models in professionalism and effectiveness. Each time I visit one of our programs, I am amazed at the number of people’s lives touched; the care that the clients receive; and the dedication of our employees.
Revolution Hawaii entered its second year of operation with seven students. Each of the students must raise their own money and give a year of their lives to serve others. The students spend their time focusing on Bible Study, discipleship and service. They learn over the year the importance of building relationships and using those relationships to bring about positive change in the lives of others.
2007 was more challenging financially compared to the last couple of years. Our overall donations were down; however, it was encouraging to see our kettle donations go up approximately eight percent over the previous year. As the economy slows, we must be ready to serve more people in need with possibly fewer resources. This coming year may be a challenging one. However, I believe we will be ready to respond because God is never in a recession and because of the character of our people.
God bless you as you do the business of The Salvation Army by changing lives.