Approximately 60 young people came together at Camp Waianae on Oahu the first weekend of August for the first Hawaii Young Adult Prayer Conference. Attendees attended worship, heard testimonies, enjoyed social time, and rededicated themselves to Christ.

Twelve young people were not Adventists, and very quickly bonded with the rest of the group. As graduate students, Karyl Miller from Oregon and Raquel Tambio and Eric Washburn from Andrews University organized the conference, themed "Getting to Know Him."

"We wanted the young adults to have a very special gathering that was just for them," said Miller. "We hoped it would serve to minister and encourage them in their spiritual walk."

There was a variety of planned activities related to young adult issues. The Honolulu Central church's young adult band, "Inside Out," helped to prepare hearts for the Friday night message by Art Bushnell, evangelist for the conference, as he talked about "The Call of Discipleship."

On Sabbath morning, Michelle Seibel, the prayer coordinator, gave an interactive sermonette with vivid examples portraying two perspectives on viewing God.

In the afternoon, the group separated to discuss gender-related young adult issues. "The Holy Spirit powerfully led us to candidly share how we are blessed by the similarities, and that we can appreciate the differences, of the opposite gender through humor, testimonies and heart-felt thoughts," said one attendee.

Following this discussion, there were three workshops on various topics: Jason Nelson of Central Church covered creation science, Pastor Eddie General of Kaneohe talked about creating holistic small groups, and Pastor Eric Alindogan of Kona spoke about finding one's identity in the Adventist church. In the evening, Pastor Jon Clark of the Honolulu Central Church facilitated a testimony and praise time. Several young adult members gave their hearts to God for the very first time and many others came forward to recommit themselves to Christ.

Participants felt that it was a time for revival and reformation. “I left camp with the still small voice of the Lord, and I want to praise Him all the time," said Kelly Metze of Hilo. "I also connected with the other young adults at the camp and had a great time getting to know everyone better. After the weekend at camp, everyone felt more like my brothers and sisters in Christ. It is wonderful to have so many ‘siblings.’”

“I left camp having my soul uplifted with His message of love and grace," explained Maryann Andrada of Oahu. "There is always food for the soul when we hear His message. I was spiritually starved for His message, but I came out of camp well-fed."

Another Hawaii Young Adult Prayer Conference is tentatively scheduled for the first weekend of August 2007 on the Big Island. For more information, contact Aleka Willey at youngadultshawaii@hotmail.com.