bum,

HE EIISS ini
JOC and DORA SfiOLtZS
Missionaries
P.O. Box 612
Waianaef Oafau, Baifaii 36792
JANUARY 1989
.SAM and KZT FZSHER
FOrvardin? Agents
11345 Moreno Avenue
Lakeside, California 92040
(9M) 443-7137
6/^
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings in the name o-f Jesus,
We have tried to be newsworthy in the letters that v^e send out. As it costs to send
them out we are now trying to do it quarterly. Bui, if there are more events
happening than one letter can take, we will put out another to keep you informed.
So, we are happy to report that this will be a full newsletter and, we hope, worth
your efforts to read it.
First, we want to say "MAHALO NUI LOA" (Thank you so very much) to all of you who
pray for us. We know that prayer support is very important to any missionary that
is trying to reach the lost in his or her particular field. The work here in Hawaii
is just like any other mission work; it needs the prayers of all who will take the
time to pray for our efforts here in the part of the world that many consider
paradise. A special HAHALO NUI LOA to those of you who support us in a financial
way. Over the years there have been many who support our work. We would to give
special recognition early in this newsletter to someone who, a few years ago, took
on a hard task of trying to help us raise funds so that one of us would not have to
work full time for our support. But, that has. not been the case. I had to go back
to work to earn enough to support my family. Thus, we would like to give a lot of
credit to our Forwarding Agents,. MR. Sc MRS. SAM FISHER, for their efforts in this
area. It has not been an easy task for them. However, we are hoping that in 1988
we be able to write a newsletter every month and keep you all informed about our
work. Sam, Kit and family were with us in 1965 through 1968 while stationed here
with the Air Force. They have continued to support us through all these years and
we are grateful for their efforts. We hope that you will respond to them if they
contact you whether [it be in Prayer or financial support. They know how it is, here
in Hawaii where winning souls to Christ takes great effort and love for the gospel.-
Many ask about our family. Our oldest son, Stephen, is married and his wife, Edean,
is a beautiful person. She has a Mormon background, but was never faithful to it.
We are hoping that we can win her to Christ. She has taken a very active part in the
church here; especially this past Christmas when she helped in our Christmas
Program. They have two children. Bridgette, 3 1/2, is a big help to her Mommy and
Daddy around the house even for her age. Johnathan, 22 months, is just like a
typical boy, always into mischief. Both are a joy to Grandma and Grandpa. We love
them all.
John, our 18 year old son, just finished Chr i st i an .hi gh school and is working at
Burger King. He is not sure what he wants to do yet. He is active in the church
and, like many others, is still searching for the right opportunity. He needs your
prayers that the Lord will guide him in these troubled times.
Eleanor, our 9 year old, is just a great joy to be around- Alway wanting to be into
everything. Of course, school takes up most of her day. She is going to a private
Christian school here in Waianae, Hawaii Baptist Academy, which has a school for
grades 1 through 6. We are hoping that they will open up the 7th and 8th grades
soon. The school is on a campground the Baptist own and it has put the grounds to a
use that it has never had before. We are proud of Ellie and we know she will be a
great witness for the Lord- She is always inviting her friends to church. At
present, there is one little girl friend who comes to Sunday and Wesnesday night
services- The Lord is really using Ellie to witness for Him.
As for Dora and me. We continue to pray that the Lord will keep His church here at
Haili an effective witness. Both of us are working now- It is a burden on our
hearts that we can't raise enough support so we can devote our full efforts to the
work here. We have been so fortunate lately to have the services of Mrs- Henietta
Luttrell and her family, daughters Lora and Amy, as well as Amy's husband, David
King. The Kings has four daughters with a fifth child on the way. Many times we
are the only attendance for the worship services but we have a great fellowship in
the Lord. ^ _ ^ -
We are continuing our Bible Club on Wednesday nights and it is a great outreach to
the children of our community. This is a second year of this program. It is just a
great feeling when you see these children, who previously knew nothing about the
Bible, say the Books of the Bible or repeat a memory verse they learned a week
earlier. Or to hear them sing songs they never heard before and see the gleem in
their eyes as they sing- Or to have them respond to the love of the Lord that is
expressed through a Bible lesson- We pray that as you read this letter, you will
respond to our urgent plea for financial support so that we can be hers when they
need us- We want to able to tell them about Jesus at any time and not have to say,
"I have to go to work now, can you come back some other time?" We need to be in the
Word more and serving the Lord daily- But, it is getting harder and harder each day
to find time to study. It has to be sandwiched in between the hours that I get up
until I go to work. We still have the desire to serve the Lord. If we didn't, we
wouldn't be here at the Maili Christian Church since 1964- The work has continued
because the Lord is here doing His part and He wants to see results for His trust in
us. So, we asking if you can send :t5.00 or more each month to help us in our
efforts to see our work grow in Him in Hawaii, we would deeply appreciate it-
We hope that this letter has been informative to you and that you will catch the
vision of helping us to win Hawaii to Jesus. We are seeing a revival in our
Christian churches here, but that is because those who are growing are ones who
devote full time to the work. Please help us achieve that goal.
We hope that all had a great holiday season and that as the year 1988 goes along all
will have a great and properous one. Once again, we do ask that you continue to
pray for our work. That is very important to us. If you are one of our financial
supporters we want especially thank you at this time. Aloha and may the Lord bless
you all as you continue to serve Him daily.
Aloha in Christ,
The Sholtis family
Published by:
Main Christian Church Mailing Address:
O N R I^TI A N 87-672 Farrington Hwy. P. 0. Box 612
IMIN Waianae, Hawaii 96792 Waianae, Hawaii 96792
D Minister:Joseph A. Sholtis Phone: 668-1755
For My Soul's Sake
PLEASE, PLEASE, READTHIS!!
PLEASE HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING!!
Don't be fooled by me. Don't be fooled by the face
I wear. For I wear a mask, a thousand masks, masks
that I'm afraid to take off, and none of them are me.
Pretending is an art that is second nature with me,
but don't be fooled; for my soul's sake, please don't
be fooled! I give you the impression that lam secure,
that all is sunny and unruffled with me, within as well
as without, that confidence is my name and coolness
my game, that the water is calm and I'm in command,
and that I need no one. But don't believe me, please.
My surface may seem smooth, but my surface is my
mask, my ever-varying and ever-concealing mask.
Beneath lies no smugness, no complacence. Beneath
dwells the real me in confusion, in fear, in aloneness.
But I hide this. I don't want anybody to know it. I panic
at the thought of my weakness and fear exposed. That
is why I frantically create a mask to hide behind, a non
chalant, sophisticated facadeto help me pretend, to
shield me from the glance that knows.
But such a glance is precisely my salvation. Myonly
salvation, and I know it. That is, if it is followed by
acceptance, if it is followed by love. It's the only thing
that can liberate me, from myself, from my own self-
built prison walls, from the barriers that I so pains
takingly erect.
Your glance of acceptance and love is the only thing
that will assure me of what I can't assure myself with
that I'm really worth something. But I don't tell you
this. I don't dare, I'mafraid to. I'mafraid your glance
won't be followed by acceptance and love.
I dislike hiding. Honestly! I dislike the superficial
game I'm playing, the superficial phony game. I'd
really like to be genuine and spontaneous, and me.
But you've got to help me!
You've got to hold out your hand, even when that is
the last thing that I seem to want, or need. Each time
you're kind, and gentle, and encouraging, each time you
try to understand because you really care, my heart
begins to grow wingsvery feeble wings, but wings.
With your sensitivity and sympathy, and your power
of understanding, you can breathe life into me. I want
you to know that. I want you to know how important
you are to me, how you can be a creator of the person
that is me if you choose to. PLEASE CHOOSE TO.
You alone can break down the wall behind which I
tremble. You alone can remove my mask. You alone
can release me from my shadow world of panic and
V3
uncertainty, from my lonely prison. ~So'd6~nbt~ pa^
me by. It will not be easy for you. A long conviction
of worthlessness builds strong walls. It's irrational,
but despite what the books say about men, I am irra
tional. The nearer you approach me, the more blindly
I may strike back.
I fight against the very thing that I cry out for. But
I am told that love is stronger than strong walls, and
in this lies my hope. Myonly hope! Please try to beat
downthose walls with firm hands, but withgentle hands
.... for a child is very sensitive.
Who am I, you may wonder ? I am someone you know
very well... for I am nearly every man, woman, and
child you meet!
from The Lamplighter
I I I (I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I H I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
DID YOU KNOW.
that PARIS and DUTCH GREENLEAF attended the
Deeper Life camp along with LORA LUTTRELL
and JOE SHOLTIS and all had a great time.
that our BIBLE CLUB is going again. Why not
invite a friend and come and leam more about
Jesus who can become even a greater friend.
that there are plans already underway for our
Vacation Bible School and also Summer Camps.
that we have Sunday School Classes for all
ages and we would love to see more folks to
come and leam more of God's Word.
MAHALO NUI LOA....
to ALL who worked so hard to make our Christ
mas Program the great success it was and we
especially want to thank LORA LUTTRELL for be
ing our Director and sister AMY KING for being
here assistant. Also EDEAN SHOLTIS, DAVID
KING and HENRIETTA LUTTRELL for their able
assistance in other parts of the program.
Also to all the children and Adults that took
part in the program.
to all who brought their favorite dish to our
first potluck in a long time. We hope to
make it a monthly event.
FROM THE MINISTER'S DESK
"But ye shall receive power, after the Holy
Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witness
es unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth"(Acts 1:8).
This verse came to me as I was just getting
ready to write this column. Jesus is speaking
to hs through this scripture as it was shared
by the angel to the apostles. There was a
great job ahead of them and they needed to be
encouraged. The great conmission had been
give to win the world. Certainly not an un-
achiveable task, but a task nonetheless. It
would start with a great powerful display of
God's mighty power on the day of Pentecost.
After the resurrection of Christ the apostles
were just standing there in amazement and had
to be reminded once again of the task that
was before them as the angel said in Acts 1:11
"Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand
ye gazing up in heaven? this same Jesus which
is taken up from you into heaven, shall so '
come in like manner as ye liave seen him go |
into heaven." What a promise! Of course the
inner three had been to the Transfiguration
and ofcourse, Jesus retuxmed and expecting the
same thing they waited for the same thing to
happen in that of the return of Jesus from the j
skies, only this time what He said all along
was finally come true and that they would now '
have to be the ones spreading that message '
He had so carefully been preaching Himself, '
that now mankind would have a way of salvation
that he did not have in tin.es past.
Brother and Sisters in Christ we are also to
be challanged by these messages from the Word
of God. Let's not be caught like the apostles
just idlely standing by. Let's be out and doing
Maili Christian Church
87-672 Farrington Hwy.
P. 0. Box 612
Waianae, Hawaii 96792
SUNDAY SERVICES
9:00AM Morning Worship
10:00AM Bible School
6:30PM Evening Worship
WEDNESDAY SERVICES
3:00PM Bible Club
>7:00PM "God's Hour"
exactly what Christ came to this earth and
win those precious lost souls to Him.
Aloha in Oirist,
Joe Sholtis
1
ON THE LOOKOUT
"Is America Falling?" asked "The Hillsboio
Christian," organ of the Church of Christ, Hillsboro,
O., recently, and answered its own question thus:
"Almost two hundred years ago Edward Gibbon, the
great English historian, wrote his monumental work
on 'The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire/ In
tlidt history Gibbon points out five reasons for the
destruction of that empire:
"1. Rapid increase of divorce with the under
mining of the sanctity of the home, which is the
basis of society.
"2. Higher and higher taxes and the spending of
public moneys for bread and celebrations.
"3. The mad craze for pleasure, and sports
becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.
"4. The building of gigantic armaments when
the real' enemy was withinthe decadence of the
people.
"5. The decay of religionfaith fadirfg into mere
form, losing touch with life and becoming more
impotent to guide it.
"Is America falling? These reasons for the fall
of the great Roman Empire should make every
American stop and think, for every one of the five is
evident in our modem"society. History may be
repeating itself! , |
"No democracy of history has lasted longer than \
. 200 years. America is now 175 years old. The nert ;
twenty-five years will tell the story. Out only hope is
in Him who said, 'If my people, which are called
by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, .
<' and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, .
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their
L sin, an^ will heal their land'." j
'''' ^11 , fi ^1- . , . ^
"trllllllljlll,.
Horizons
P. 0. box 2427
Knoxville, Tn. 37901
jA&m
lEE CSESS IDT
JOE and DORA SKODTIS
Missioneurles
P.O. Box 612
Neilanae, Oahu, Hawaii 96792
SPRING 198B
SAM and KIT FISHER
Forwarding Agents
11345 Moreno Avenue
Lakeside, California 92040
(449) 443-7137
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The past few months have been so busy that we had to be reminded by
our Forwarding Agent that it is way past time for our newsletter. We
pray that you will forgive us and trust we will be able to tell you
that has happened with us at Maili and around the Islands of
Hawai i.
First here at Maili we are encouraged by the possibility that we are
going to be able to get our PreSchool under way this September. Our
major hurdle is that of insurance for the school. You may have heard
of the much publicized school problem on the mainland. Because of
that, it has been very hard to get insurance for even a church to run
this type of an operation. At present, we are in contact with an
insurance company here in the Islands, but have not had a final report
from them yet. We are working on.our application with the state and
the insurance is the major problem in getting our license. We covet
your prayers on this matter.
As you know we have been trying to raise our financial support, with
the help of Sam and Kit Fisher. This past month we had to call on
them for some financial assistance to clear up some old bills that had
been with us for quite awhile. The amount was :^500.00. This must be
paid back so our monthly support will fall back about $50.00 per month
this year. At present we only receive about $125.00 a month. If the
work at Maili is going to grow, both Dora and I need to be working
full time at missionary work to do an effective job here. That will
require $1,000-00 per month. We are very thankful that we have been
able to work over the past years to support ourselves. But, the work
here in Hawaii heeds someone at it every day in order for the people
to know that you are sincere in your efforts for the Lord. Please
pray that we will be able to get the necessary support soon. If you
can help, please let our Forwarding Agents know. Their address is at
the top of this newsletter. Call or write them to let them know you
want to help our efforts for Christ here in Hawaii.
As for our attendance, we are encouraged by it. We have been having
around 21 at our Sunday morning services. Our Bible Club which meets
on Wednesday evenings is doing well, but we could use a few more
people there. However, we know the Lord will help this service to
pick up soon. We are happy to see another young couple attending our
services this past two weeks. They came from the mainland only a few
weeks ago and we hope they will continue on a regular basis. They have
a one little boy and we are urging them to become regular members here
at Mai 1i
It has been laid on our hearts by some friends here at Maili that we
should take a break. It has been twenty years since Dora and I have
been to the mainland and been able to see the many folks who have been
so dear to us over these past years. If you would like to help in
this effort we are going to need additional funds for this project.
There are folks who said they would pay for our round trip planefare
to the mainland. They want to see us take the whole Summer. We have
never been away for that long except for a trip in 1968. We have
capable people here to maintain the work and we do want very much to
go. However, we will need the additional funds for such a trip as
well as a car while on the mainland. We have been talking with our
Forwarding Agents about the trip. If we could make it just after
school lets out here in Hawaii we would be able to visit many of the
folks during the Summer. We would also be able to attend the North
American Christian Convention which would like very much to do, and
this is another reason for the trip. While at the Convention we would
be able to see many of our friends and hopefully have a booth to tell
others about our work here in Hawaii. If you would like to help,
please contact our Forwarding Agents. We really ask that you pray
with us about this effort.
LORA LUTTRELL, who is the daughter of HENRIETTA LUTTRELL, will be
leaving us soon to return to the mainland for more schooling; then to
work with Bible Translators. We will miss her very able body around
here, but we are pleased by the work that she wants to do. Henrietta
will be taking up much of the work that Lora has been doing on Sundays
and during the week. She has told the Waipahu congregation, where she
has been helping, that she will be needed more at Maili since we will
be losing a teacher. We have quite few young people and, as we said
earlier, we are encouraged by this. We hope we can expand our Sunday
School in this area but we do not have enough at present to divide the
classes up like we should. The age group difference creates a problem
for the teacher- But, the children in the classes are very happy with
what they have learned. We find that if they have something to take
home to their parents, it encourages them to come back and we are
hopeful that we will be able to reach the parents through them.
Our camping program in Hawaii has had a set back and we are asking for
your prayers about our efforts in this area. We know from past
experience that you can really reach the young people through a good
Christian Camping Program. For the past few years we have been
running a state owned camp on a leased basis. Though one of our
ministers, we have learned that if anyone gets hurt and sued, the
churches would be the ones to bear the cost and the state would not be
in any financial bind at all. So we have vacated the camp property
and our Camp Manager and his family have moved off the grounds. We
ask for your prayers for BRO. RUSSELL SAITO and his family. Russell
has put a lot of effort into the Camping Program over the years. This
has been a very discouraging time for him and his wife. Cherry, who
together took a good program and made it even better because of the
campsite that we had. We are still going to have our camping this
Summer, but it will be scaled down until we can get it back in full
operation again.
ur daughter inlaw spent a -few days in the hospital recently because
o-f a high temperature. She tried to go back to work too soon and her
employer was not too happy with her and made her go home and take the
necessary time ot-f. She is. better and appreciative o-f those who
showed concern for her. We are thankful for her recovery and pray
that all be well with her. Also, my father, Joseph W. Sholtis, was in
the hospital for a few days and we are happy to report that he is
doing as well as can be expected. We ask that you keep both of them
in your prayers and that the Lord will have his way in each of their
1ives.
The women of our churches had a retreat on the first weekend in May
and many were encouraged from it. Within the past few years we have
been able to rekindle some of the fires that have been on hold. Now,
we are beginning to do some of the good things that happened many
years ago. Our men will meet in September and we have begun having
Fifth Sunday rallies once again. These things make for a very busy
year and a great time for witnessing for the Lord. We know that
through a strong faith in Christ and prayer that wonders can be done.
We continually thank you fine folks across God's beautiful wide ocean
for your constant prayers for us-
Gnce again we want to say "MAHALO NUI LOA" to you for your continued
support in all areas of our work. We hope to keep you better informed
in the future. We would like to mention that if you are planning a
trip to Hawaii to let us know well in advance. We want to plan to
meet you at the airport and give a "Hawaiian Greeting".
Aloha in Christ,
The Sholtis family
4 *'v
V -
W
A Published by: .,.
A Maili Christian Church Mailing Address:
CU DlQTI AM 87-672 Farrington Hwy. P. 0. Box 612
nr^lO I IMIN Waianae, Hawaii 96792 Waianae, Hawaii 96792
D Minister:Joseph A. Sholtis Phone: 668-1755
Published by: ...j
Maili Christian Church Mailing Address:
/3
+++++++++++++++:
FROM THE MINISTER'S DESK
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through
their word: That they all may be one;, as
thou, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us: that the world
may believe thpt thou hast sent me."(Jn. 17:
20-21).
When I see these words excitement just fills
my whole body as I look at what is happening
spiritually in our world today. If you will
just give me a minute or two to relate to
you as to what happen last month here in our
little place in Waianae. To me it was a
historic event and to date I know of no other
place, that this has happened.
We were given the opportunity to have a Re
vival along our coastline and it was going
to happen of all places in the "Catholic
Church and it was -going to be led by mem
bers of the catholic church and they had in
vited all the churches in the area to join
with them and the only goal was to preach
about the Agape or Love of Jesus.
May I take this moment to say that the meet
ings were as if we were listening some of
our great evangelists preach in the Christ
ian Church. Certainly there were things
that.we did not feel that were needed but if
you realize the Catholic Church has not had
a revival in 2000 y^rs and also that have
not had the Word afifl they are now beginning
to enjoy getting back into it are learning
that Jesus had Unconditional Love and the
goal of the man that led this revival is to
see every empty seat in every church budd
ing filled with some person learning about
that Unconditional Love of the Master.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ let me tell
you there is a Revival happening in our
world and we need to be a part of that
Revival. Pray that we will see an answer to
the Masters* Prayer.
Aloha In Christ
loe Shdltis
August 8, 1988
++++f^++l-+++++++++i5
HEAVENLY VISITORS AT MAILI CHRlSnANHSIURCH
Have you ever wanted to know more about those
folks in the Bible. Well now is your chance
to do so by coming to our Sunday Evening Ser
vice. We started on June 19th and at present
we have learned about ADAM, NOAH, ABRAHAM and
JOSEPH. Currently we are studying MOSES. We
do review so if you have not been coming you
will be able to leam about these wonderful
who did God's Work.
There are many more we are going to leam
about, so come and join with us in the this
spirit filled service. The time is 6:30PM
each Sunday Evening.
V. B. S.
To some people these three letters may mean
absolutly nothing. You may say them to some
one and they will tell you all sorts of mean
ings for them. But to those of us who work
in the Lord we know that they mean VACATION
BIBLE SCHOOL and a wonderful time for all who
are involved in this ministry ofthe church!'.
Our VBS is going to be held AUGUST 15 19,
1988 at 6:00PM to 8:00PM.
We have those who are preparing lessons and
other activites for the young people and we
are taking all ages. Yes, even the Adults
can get in on the fun of Vacation Bible
School. So plan right now to be there and '
leam about Jesfs as our theme is JESUS IS
KING.
SAY *!AH'
H Jacob's mother(Gen,25:21;26)
Abraham's father(Ben. 11:31)
A H Recorded Lamentations
AH Swallowed by great fish
If you have your last copy of the church pap
er here are the answers:JUDAH, DEBORAH, DELI
LAH, HANNAH &LEAl!
iuilPORT L)
Hats off to RUIH GRAHAM, BOB PLANK and their
creative flight crew for their Heavenly Ast
ronaut Training Station at Bellows Beach Aug
ust 4-6! About 55 Juniors were challenged to
take Jesus as their co-pilot and shoot for
the stats.
A visit from Astronaut (alias Pastor) RON
ARNOLD helped them see that just as physi
cal astronauts had to be selected, trained,
and sent out so do spiritual astronauts. He
pointed out that the Holy Spirit selects all
those who will listen and calls them to be
for God, He prepares them as they heed His
Word, and then He sends them out to serve.
Puppeteers DENNIS and DEANN OERTER, and MIKE
and ROBIN MACDONALD brought out that just as
frogs needs to accept ther frogdom, we all
should be happy with the way God makes us,
and try to do our very best for Him.
Two callipers from Maili - EXjEANOR SHOLTIS and-
LEILANI KING^ and one from Waipahu -MARVIN
VENTURA slept most of the way home as cook
HENRIETTA LUTTRELL drove.
Besides the special messages and classes,
they learned a lot of silly songs, excerci-
ses, craft, survival skills, Bible verses,
the names of the books of the New Testament,
they swam, played games, made new friends -
THEY HAD FUN!
((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))
WOQLWORTH'S BIG IDM
F. W. Woolworth had a big idea. And it was
an impatient employer who gave him the
chance, mr. Woolworth was instructed by his
employer to gather some remnants from sever
al shelves, make a job lot of them,and get
what he could. He did., and then stuck a sign
up offering any article for five cents. The
rapidity with which the remants disappeared
Maili Christian Church
87-672 Farrington Hwy.
P. 0. Box 612
Waianae, Hawaii 96792
SUNDAY SERVICES
9:00AM Morning Worship
10:00AM Bible School
6:30PM l':vening Worship
WEDNESDAY SERVICES
ac the bargain yL . i_ i'lr. MOuvvoi. 1,11
idea for a five-and-ten cent store.
The average man would not have seen any idea
in the quick sale, and would have forgotten
the matter as soon as the remnants had been
sold. Mr. Woolworth borrowed money to try out
his idea, and although it gaile to get across
in several cities, he stuck to it until he
had turned defeat into victory. As a result he
accumulated a fortune of sane forty million
dollars.
--E. M. Wicks
NATIONAL MISSIONARY CONIIENIION-1988
September 25-28
Dallas, Texas Convention Center
Horizons
P. 0. Box 2427
Knoxville, Tn. 37901
Yoscmitc
JOE and DORA SHOLTIS
Missionaries
P.O. Box 612
Waianae, Oahu, Hawaii 96792
FALL 19BB
Greetings in Christ from the Aloha State.
iUI
SAM and KIT FISHER
Forwarding Agents
11345 Moreno Avenue
Lakeside, California 92040
443-7137
The Lord has been gracious to us and although our work is slow here in
the Fiftieth State, we have taken new hope that things will begin to
take on a better look as the new year approaches.
Out of curiousity the other day I decided to take a look at the cal
ender to see on what day the new year started. Much to my surprise it
begins on the Lord's Day. I thought, " What better way to start a ^ew
year than being in the house of the Lord worshipping and singing his
praises." Bod has been wonderful to all of us and we can not give Him
enough glory of our own and enough praise for His provisions for us.
Over the years in Hawaii we have been discouraged about many things.
But, permit me to give you a little history of our Christian Church
efforts here. It is one that is not really good for several reasons.
Early in the start of the churches here after World War II, many of
the missionaries used their church connections to get back into Japan
and the surrounding areas. For this, we here in Hawaii have suffered.
Plus the fact that this was a "Vacation Spot" has made it very hard
for other missionaries to raise support to come here. Over the years
it has been very difficult and at present is the number one problem we
face in taking Christ's message to the lost. Our work here at Maili
continues tci suffer because we are not able to devote full time to the
missionary work. Other needs such as teaching, visiting, home bible
studies, etc. has not progressed. This is true throughout our own
country and the world, those who want to start new churches have not
been able to due so because of lack of financial support. The Gospel
message is not getting to those who need it here and elsewhere. We do
not like to dwell on such matters as this. But, as we stated about
three years ago, we feel that we need about $1,0(30.00 per month to
become full time missionaries here in Hawaii. Back in 19B5, we
proposed a plan that if we could have 100 people to Just send $10.00 a
month, we could effectively do our work here to the point that this
church would someday be selfsupporting. Until we get that support,
Dora and I will have to continue to seek employment outside the
church. If any of you reading this can help in any way to support our
work at Maili Christian Church, we would really appreciate it. If you
want to help, contact our Forwarding Agents at the address above.
We have been very thankful that we have had the assistance of MRS.
HENRIETTA LUTTRELL in the last two years. Her efforts have been
fantastic in trying to build our attendenance. We talk about some
type of program that we might do- Then we try to let the people in
the community know about it. Despite our efforts, our attendance
recently has taken a dip. Yet, we are encouraged in knowing that if
we remain "faithful to Him, many will see that faith and want to be a
part of it. Due to the working schedule that Dora and I have, the
calling has been left to Henrietta. She is faithful in making a
personal call or at least getting a letter to our visitors.
Our Bible Club is really doing well. Many times we have only a few
children. But, we are encouraged by their learning as well as their
capacity to remember scripture. We know that the work will not return
to us void. By planting the Gospel seed, it will grow and we will
benefit from our efforts. We know we must remain faithful to Him.
Our Wednesday evening services have be devoted to a series of lessons
called SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES. They have been very enlightening to us
and even I am reminded of some things I had forgotten. We are having
such a wonderful time in this effort. Pray for us that as we learn
these scripture lessons we will also learn new ways to share the
wonderful things of the scriptures with others.
In the area of our Pr^Schctdl we~Trave Tiot given up. It seems that the
insurance is the biggest obstacle. The agent we are working with has
not called us back. We are continuing to ask your prayers in this
matter. We know that we can fulfill a need in this community with
this school and also begin to fill the spiritual needs of the folks in
the area.
Our next biggest event is our annual Thanksgiving Singspiration. This
will be the Twentieth Year of this event and we are excited about it.
It is a thrill to to be able to gather and share the fact that we live
in a country that permits us to be Thankful to our Father above for
His precious blessings to all of us who live in this great country of
America. As we approach this time of the year, we hope that you will
take the opportunity to be more thankful of what the Lord has given to
you both Spiritually and Physically and share it with someone who may
not have as much.
We would like to make note that our Forwarding Agents, SAM and KIT
FISHER will be moving soon. They hope to be at their new address by
December 1st. To avoid any confusion , we will wait until they are
relocated to start using their new address. Until then, you can use
the address at the top of this letterhead. We cannot stress enough
how much help and^encpuraqement they have been to Dora_and I in our
work. Many times we have failed to communicate with them, but we know
we are in their prayers, for our efforts are the same - to reach lost
souls for the Master. We ask your prayers for them. Sam has recently
had his mother pass away to be with the Lord and Kit has been having
heart problems. Vet, they still labor for the Lord and we covet your
prayers for them in these times.
We bid you all "ALOHA" until next time when we will once again bring
you more Good News from the Grass Hut and tell you of our continued
efforts being made here for the work of Christ.
Aloha in Christ,
Joe and Dora Sholtis & Family