Freedom Week

In a display of shared purpose, two local churches—Kailua Adventist church and New Hope Kailua—partnered together in May for a transformative event known as Freedom Week. This weeklong celebration brought people together to worship, share and enjoy testimonies, and foster a deeper understanding of freedom in Jesus Christ. For many years, the two congregations have met in the same building—one on Saturday and one on Sunday. New Hope rents from Kailua Adventist church, yet such a collaborative effort is unprecedented. As one elder of Kailua Adventist observed, “I’ve been here a long time. First time I’ve seen this kind of collaboration. Turnout and cohesion have been amazing.” The event developed out of ministry passions shared by Pastor Jonathan Leonardo of Kailua Adventist and Pastor Mark Stinton of New Hope Kailua. According to Pastor Jonathan, “We have differences theologically, but we can agree that it is Jesus who gave us life. And while we have different perspectives on doctrine, we are united in our testimony: We are new creations in Jesus, and we want to share that with whoever is willing to listen.”

Each night of Freedom Week, participants came to enjoy dinner and worship together. An uplifting period of praise and worship marked the start of each service, but testimony was the heartbeat of the week. There were stories of overcoming guilt and shame, finding beauty and rest as a child of God, and marriage restored. Newlyweds Christian and Angie Aparicio of Dallas, Texas, gave a two-part testimony on waiting on God to secure their identities in Him and their relationship with each other. Fale, a local elder of the New Hope congregation, described being called out of the gangs of Kalihi and into life in Christ. Joyce Murphy of Orlando, Florida, shared her journey of discovering her worth as revealed through the love of Jesus. A New Hope leader was inspired by “the testimonies that were spoken, the vulnerability to share—not just the bad stuff, but also the overcoming of that—the pivotal point, the changing point of turning from death to life. It truly brings God’s Word to life.” Each program was concluded with a gospel presentation and a call to action by both Pastor Jonathan and Pastor Mark.

After a week of the two churches mingling, there were no longer strangers in the building. A member of Kailua Adventist recalled that, before Freedom Week, when he entered the church on Sunday morning to retrieve an item, he would think, “This is our property. They are borrowing it for now. I don’t want to interfere.” Now, if he were to stop by on a Sunday morning, he would want to look in to see who he recognized. More generally, he observed that we “share beliefs and values. We should get together.”

Freedom Week shows that there exist rich opportunities for partnership within the body of Christ. Reflecting on the week, Pastor Mark said, “I’ve grown in my understanding and appreciation of Seventh-day Adventists. I feel a closer kinship and appreciation. It's great to be able to minister together. We want more!” Pastor Jonathan agreed. His belief is that “our communities share deep commitments. We are passionate about sharing the simple gospel of Jesus, and in particular sharing testimonies of how He changed our lives.” Moreover, he said, “We [as Adventists] have a message we believe is vital to the world. In order to get a fair hearing, we have to mingle together, agree where we can.” To this end, we expect to hear more from Kailua and from our sister churches in the near future.

By Scott Kabel

The book of Revelation announces a blessing in its opening verses: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3, NKJV). With this statement before us, it is important to remember that teaching, reviewing, and learning for the first time the messages of Revelation come with a divine pronouncement of favor. In January and May, the Hilo and Puna churches on the Big Island of Hawaii received that blessing.

The two churches applied for and received a grant of $9,000 from Three Angels Global Networking, Inc., an Adventist lay ministry. The grant was intended to emphasize the three angels’ messages internally to the membership and externally to the community. The church shared the message of truth in two phases: a January lay-led revival based on Mark Finley’s Three Cosmic Messages materials, and a community seminar titled “Revelation Reveals Jesus,” led by evangelist Jay Warren of the Hawaii Conference.

The promise of Revelation 1:3 proved true. The emphasis on the three angels’ messages inspired two donors to make sizable donations to each church’s evangelism fund. The sharing of Revelation 14 is something God wants to fund.

A major takeaway for the churches was a reminder that Revelation is not a scary book that cannot be understood. In the lay-led series, regular church members mightily presented the teachings of Daniel and Revelation with conviction and clarity. This helped ready the churches to share with the community. Using technology, mass mailing, and personal invitations, both churches worked to build internal enthusiasm and create interest among their neighbors to attend the seminar. A crucial component in all of this was prayer. From start to finish every presentation of God’s truth was bathed in intentional prayer.

When May arrived, the Holy Spirit was appealing to hearts. During eight nights of teaching and vegetarian fellowship meals provided by cook Mario Bravo of the Hawaii Conference, Pastor Jay Warren pointed members and community visitors to Christ’s last-day invitation for them. Three community friends made decisions for baptism, one community friend decided to start studying the Bible to learn more, and one church member was convicted for re-baptism. She was re-baptized three weeks after the series alongside her husband, who got baptized for the first time. One hundred and nineteen copies of Finley’s book Three Cosmic Messages: Earth’s Final Conflict were handed out. Pastor Andre Weston is still in connection with the community friends who visited the series and looks forward to supporting them as they walk in their decisions in the second half of this year.

Pastor Andre believes the three angels’ messages comprise the gospel in its final form, and when we share that gospel, God will bless our efforts. He is grateful for all the volunteers who preached, shared music, set up and cleaned, prayed, and participated in evangelism.

By Andre Weston

A Seventh-day Adventist Boarding Academy Serving Native

Where Are They Now?

Have you ever wondered what happens to our students after they graduate and leave Holbrook Indian School (HIS)? For many, getting a higher education or attending trade school isn’t always at the forefront of their minds. It might be due to a lack of resources to pay for college or trade school or the fact that no other member of their family has attended college. Maybe it’s for other reasons. However, there are those who desire to discover what they are capable of and who want to give back to their community.

We had the blessing and privilege of catching up with three of our HIS alumni, Shawnewa, Adrienna, and Israel, to ask, “Where are they now?” Continue reading to learn more about the impact their time at HIS had on their lives.

Adrienna (Class of 2019)

Adrienna is originally from Chinle and attended the Chinle Adventist Elementary School on the Navajo reservation there. After elementary school, she followed in her siblings’ and cousins’ footsteps to attend HIS.

Upon completion of high school, Adrienna joined the U.S. Army. When asked why she chose this route, she replied, “From early

American Youth Since 1946 childhood, I was a supporter of the military. I worked at home after school, babysitting my niece. I wanted to do more. I wanted to be a firefighter in the Army.” She spoke with a recruiter and learned about the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. The recruiter explained the job that Adrienna qualified for, and she was interested. Her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was 14 Echo, which is PATRIOT Fire Control Enhanced Operator Maintainer (missile systems maintenance and operation). Adrienna’s Expiration Term of Service (ETS) was June 6, 2023. Now that she has completed her military contract, Adrienna plans to attend Northern Arizona University (NAU) Police Academy. She has a sponsoring agency while completing the program; however, she is still deciding which city she would like to work for. Adrienna said that one of the greatest impacts on her life from her time at HIS was the staff, who still keep in contact with her. “It helped me a lot during my time in the military.”

Shawnewa (Class of 2020)

Shawnewa is originally from Low Mountain and is of the Navajo and Hopi tribes. She mostly attended public schools before considering HIS. During her eighth-grade year, she was asked where she would attend high school. The idea of HIS came up, but she wasn’t interested. However, her grandfather wanted her to attend, and after he died, as a way of honoring his memory, she decided to enroll.

Post-graduation, she went straight into college and moved in with a host family who has supported her through college up to this point. She is currently studying human health services with the goal of becoming a doctor. She also competes in Western riding. When asked about the impact HIS had on her, she stated, “HIS really prepared me for a lot. It served as a basis for my horse riding, helped me get where I am now, and taught me to be independent. Time management overall has helped. How things were structured at HIS prepared me for college because there are certain times to study and certain times to sleep. It helped me know how to manage my time throughout my day.”

Shawnewa’s plans for the future include continuing with horse competitions as well as competing in the next Miss Navajo Nation Pageant. She is pursuing a second degree at Diné College in Native American Studies, which is helping her prepare for the pageant.

Israel (Class of 2021)

Israel is originally from the Navajo Reservation of Big Mountain. He learned of HIS because one of his sisters attended school here. He completed all four years of high school at HIS. After graduation, he stayed on campus to work for our accountant (Ms. Newhart) and business manager (Ms. Burns). He also participated in the College Transition program that we offer. After taking four classes at Northern Pioneer College (NPC), he decided that traditional college wasn’t for him.

Israel’s whole family cooks. Both of his sisters were in culinary arts; they competed on a national level and won. “The one thing they always did that really intrigued me was pastry,” he explained. “The details and intricacy always intrigued me.” Initially, he was considering becoming an accountant, like Ms. Newhart. Then he talked with the Director of Food

Services, Mrs. Espinal, who told him about culinary school. He prayed about it and said, “God, if you want me to do this, I’m gonna let you take the reins. I know you have a plan for me, and I don’t want to ruin anything.” In early spring, he started at Aguste Escoffier Culinary School. “I always knew God was there, but I never really got to know Him until I was on my own. I told Him, ‘Let’s do this,’ and that was sort of the beginning of my relationship with Him. I didn’t know how this life was going to work, this pastry chef life. You have to be perfect, on point. You have to have an ‘I don't care mentality.’ How do I bring [God] into this when that’s the mentality? When I moved here [Colorado], I told Him, ‘I want you to watch over me. Guide me through this. Guide my choices.’ And that’s when our relationship started to get more and more involved.”

Israel says that what impacted him the most at HIS was “the care that staff had for the students. Students weren’t just a ‘paycheck’ to staff. They got to know you, whether it was schoolwork or personal. They showed that they cared.”

Although we don’t always get to catch up with our students once they graduate and go out into the world to make their mark, we take advantage of whatever opportunities we are afforded to learn about their lives after Holbrook Indian School. We are grateful to the many generous friends of HIS that help us to keep our doors open to Native American children and give them the opportunity to realize their full potential as God created them to be and do. To learn more about our school, visit: HolbrookIndianSchool.org.

By Kimberly Cruz

Holbrook Indian School (HIS) is a first- through twelfthgrade boarding academy operated by the Pacific Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. HIS also manages a first- through eighth-grade day school on the Navajo reservation in Chinle, Arizona. Eighty-seven percent of funding comes from individuals who have a desire to support Native American ministries and Christian education. Your generosity makes a difference in the lives of our students, their families, and the communities they serve. Thank you for your support.

Development Department

P.O. Box 910 • Holbrook, Arizona 86025-0910

(928) 524-6845 (Ext. 109) • Development@hissda.org HolbrookIndianSchool.org