"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
Coach Jimmy Valvano
Good Morning,
Next month a team from Territorial Headquarters will be here to review our work over the previous year. During this time, I will give a State of the Division presentation, highlighting some of the events. While the list is not all inclusive, I attempt to give them a flavor of the year. I thought that I would share some of the things with you, as it is really your work that I am highlighting.
I will begin by talking about the trust people have 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 you 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. Without going into details, 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 (yes, 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 to the rest of the Territory 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 Hawai’i 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.
Last year was more challenging financially compared to the last couple of years. Our overall donations were down; however, it was encouraging to see our kettles were up approximately 8% over the previous year. As the economy slows, we must be ready to serve more people in need, yet with possibly fewer resources. This coming year may be a challenging one. However, I believe we will be ready to respond because of two very important things; 1) God is never in a recession, and 2), the character of our people.
God bless you as you do the business of The Salvation Army by changing lives.
Blessings,
d
