Aloha from Hawai'i

Dear Family and Friends,

First off, let me welcome you to our blog! We're a little late getting things up and running but hopefully this can be your one-stop-shop for updates on our family.

I hope word has reached all of you who visit, either by Nikkie or myself, or others of our family and friends, that we have moved to the Big Island of Hawai'i. We are living in Hilo, working as the directors for Baptist Collegiate Ministries at University of Hawaii, Hilo. Hilo is a small, slow town, with a great love for families. The University has about 5000 students and we are so blessed to be in a position to help spread the Gospel on campus.

We initially got to Hilo from the San Francisco Bay Area on August 25, and have been settling and unpacking pretty much the whole time. We are so blessed to have an apartment to live in that is attached to the BCM building (it really cuts down on our commuting). Our daughter, Abigail, is doing very well and adjusting just fine to the climate.

The first few weeks here at the ministry have been spent in jam-packed days in the office. Mostly, we have been working to find our footing and get moving forward with a few things, but for now we have had time to communicate our priorities for the ministry to the students and have conducted interviews and formed a student leadership team of eight students. Each of these students has a passion and desire to reach the campus in very specific ways and we are excited to see what God does through their willingness to serve him.

I will be more diligent to update on a weekly, or semi-weekly basis. I would like to invite you all to be in prayer for us over the next few years as we serve in Hilo. For now, we have a few things that need prayer specifically:

1. Pray for God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be always at the center of everything we do here.
2. Pray for our student leaders as they seek to serve and minister to their campus.
3. Our building is in need of some general repairs, and we have a very limited budget with which to do this. Pray that we will be wise with our spending and that we can prioritize accordingly.
4. Nikkie is in the process of looking for a part-time job to supplement our income. Pray that the process will go smoothly and that she can find a place to work where she can also be of ministry to her co-workers.
5. Pray for me (Stephen) that I will clearly and effectively communicate the truth of Scripture as we meet with students for worship each Thursday night.

If you would like to receive more frequent prayer updates and requests, please comment with your email address or email me at sbaum12@gmail.com.

Thanks for following us in our adventures in Hawaii!

Aloha and Mahalo,
Stephen, Nikkie and Abigail