Academy News
Posted: April 23rd, 2012
In Matthew 24:14, Jesus said “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” This fall, former students Kyle and Cindi Tumberg will be going to Thailand as missionaries with Adventist Frontier Missions. Their goal is to plant a church that is strong enough to support other church planting projects.
Ricardo and Alicia Palacios, the Tumberg’s teammates, are being used mightily in Thailand already. A third teammate, Danielle Koning, is currently fundraising and will join the group later.
Posted: March 28th, 2012
On Friday, March 23 around 40 staff and students loaded the school bus for the weekend backpacking trip.
When we arrived at our campsite, we all gathered around the campfire to sing scripture songs as we welcomed the Sabbath. We appreciated the rest after a strenuous four mile hike to our destination.
For some students this was a first time experience and they all really enjoyed it. It was nice reconnecting with the Lord in nature.
For some students this was a first time experience and they all really enjoyed it. It was nice reconnecting with the Lord in nature.
For eleven of us girls, the choice between backpacking and camping was an easy
one. We opted for the relaxing, laid-back weekend of camping rather than a fast-paced
weekend of backpacking. With smiles on our faces, we set out on Friday with suitcases,
sleeping bags, guitars, and even a small mattress in tow.
The sunny, warm weather was
the perfect match for the fun we had. We ate potatoes and hobo pies baked in the fire,
sang songs, listened to worship talks from the staff, went for walks, and went swimming
in the beautiful lake. We all got back on Sunday happy and refreshed – though a little
tired – glad that we were able to go.
Posted: March 22nd, 2012
Throughout the history of Ouachita Hills Academy, The senior mission trip has always been the highlight of the senior year. This year, 13 seniors went to Serbia to conduct evangelistic meetings.
The atmosphere on campus changed drastically after the seniors left. One of the freshmen, Yrerey Perez, sums it up well: “When the seniors left it was both happy and sad. We were happy that they were going to tell other people about God’s love, but it was really sad too. Almost half of the school is gone and now the cafeteria is quiet. It seems empty in the dorm and we all miss our friends, but we know that God has a purpose for them to be over there.”
She goes on to say that “He has many people in Serbia that need to hear about His love and salvation. God wants to work through the seniors to bring many people to Him so that they can be saved and go to heaven to live with Him forever. We know that God called them and we look forward to seeing the results of this trip, because it will impact eternity.”
Serbia, a former communist country, is a very challenging mission field. Eighty-four percent of the religious population is Orthodox. Protestantism is less than two percent of the religious population.
Because of a lack of literature in the local language, a Serbian staff member has translated Glow tracts into the Serbian language. These have been printed, and are being distributed by the seniors in Serbia.
Posted: March 19th, 2012
From March 1 through 4, kids from different schools and places came to visit OHA. During these three days, they got to see a bit of what OHA was like.
On Thursday evening, the Bell Choir and mission trip team put on a program for the future students. During the activities, the students and academy days visitors got to interact during an icebreaker.
Friday morning was a busy one for the visitors. They attended classes, then worked in the afternoon for Sabbath preparations alongside the students. Afterwards, everybody went to vespers and was treated to music by a string ensemble playing Nearer Still Nearer.
On Sabbath, the Auditorium was filled to overflowing as Pastor Long gave a powerful sermon.
In the afternoon, the students and visitors were paired for literature distribution. They went to the town of Glenwood, AR to spread them around the local area.
Saturday night was spent cutting out color sheets and felts for the senior mission trip to Serbia. While they were cutting out the activity sheets, students had a chance for one on one conversation with the Academy Days kids.
As the visitors left on Sunday, it was with a smile and a promise to “see you in August!”
Posted: March 11th, 2012
Staff Appreciation, an annual OHA and OHC event, occurred on February the 29th this year. It’s purpose is to appreciate our dedicated and hard working staff.
After the staff had been seated and the prelude started by the string ensemble, waiters appeared to serve the staff their meal. They wore white shirts, black pants, and many accessories to accent the Hawaiian theme.
The program itself included segments from both College and Academy.
Posted: March 4th, 2012
The Courtesy Banquet functions as the final test of Courtesy Week. It was a chance for us students and staff to practice newly learned etiquette rules and express courtesy to our peers in a more formal setting. “There’s some anxiety beforehand, but in the end everyone ends up having a good time,” said Chris, an academy senior. An appetizing Asian theme cuisine was prepared by the Foods and Nutrition class, who worked all afternoon to prepare it. In addition, the cafeteria was decorated to compliment the food theme. Eating, discussing, and picture-taking filled the time.
The Banquet is customarily followed by Open House. It’s a chance for all to explore the dorms on “the other side of campus.” Of course, no one is caught off guard, but all have cleaned and organized their things to prepare for this dorm presentation. “It’s interesting to see how everybody lives,” said Danica. “It says a lot about them.” The whole evening is one delightful surprise after another.
Posted: February 8th, 2012
“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name.” The words are familiar to many, but do we really know what they mean? This semester’s week of prayer took us on an in-depth tour of the Lord’s prayer and what it really means. Each meeting was also packed with practical tips on enriching our prayer lives, as well as some faith-inspiring stories from the speakers’ own experiences. Pastor Pavel Goia shared with us from Monday through Thursday and Chester Clark III finished the week-long series.
On Friday evening, many students responded to the appeal for baptism. The highlight of the week came Sabbath evening with the rebaptism of ten students. Several more students are beginning Bible studies preparatory to baptism. We praise the Lord for each decision made and for the tremendous blessings received by all.
Posted: February 1st, 2012
At Thanksgiving a team of academy and college students, traveled from Ouachita Hills to the Dominican Republic, which is one of the two countries on the island of La Hispaniola. As there was no running water or electricity, the students had the opportunity to experience some of what Paul meant when he wrote, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18) The team spent 3 weeks doing evangelistic and health seminars for children and adults at 2 sites, Bayaguana and Rio Boya.
It took 22 hours to drive from the airport in Santo Domingo to Corozal, one of the mission sites. Several years ago, the ministry there was an Adventist training center for medical missionaries. Equipped with a bakery, agriculture program, wellness center, dorms, and staff housing, the now-empty campus provided the perfect place to house fourteen missionaries.
David Machado, Josh Baute, and Niccole Brinkley conducted the main meetings in Bayaguana. Lindsey House, Hannah Blade, Abby Long,, and Darlington Dah worked with the children. At the smaller church in Rio Boya, Jaimie Douville preached and Bradley Oti presented the health talks. Argentina Vanegas, Josh Yang, and Hailey Chalfant conducted the children’s program.
Between the two sites, over 80 adult visitors and over 90 children attended the evangelistic series. “It’s kind of wild,” said Josh Yang about working with the children. “I have never seen such a loud and wild group of kids. God is teaching me patience and giving me endurance.”
At the end of the meetings, 12 people were baptized, and approximately 50 people signed up for Bible studies. God truly blessed and brought many spiritually hungry people to the meetings.
View the full report.
Posted: October 14th, 2011
Each year about 50,000 academically talented high school students are honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, with some 16,000 of the students being named Semifinalists. Students who qualify as Semifinalists, based on their performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), are the only program participants who have an opportunity to advance to the Finalist level and compete for National Merit Scholarships. About 8,400 of the outstanding Finalists will be chosen as Merit Scholarship® winners in the 2012 competition.
Initiated in 1955, the National Merit Program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. A sizable number of National Merit Scholarships to be offered in 2012 will be underwritten by NMSC with its own funds, but most will be supported by some 440 independent corporate organizations and higher education institutions.
Ouachita Hills Academyis pleased to announce that for the second consecutive year, one of their students has been selected as a National Merit Semifinalists. Last year, Nathan Arthur went on to become a Merit Scholarship Finalist. This year, Christian Bardan has reached the Semifinalist level and is continuing the testing process. We are grateful for the opportunities that God has extended to them, and our prayers go with them as they continue their education.
Posted: September 6th, 2011
A friendly, green-clad server offers a sample of creamy golden spread. “Would you like to try some sandwich spread?” Servers further down the hall are offering other entrees, side dishes, and a variety of desserts. It is Dr. MargiAnne Isaia’s “Try It” Expo, held in Hot Springs on September 2. The purpose was to expose local community members to healthy, vegan foods.
Fifty volunteers fromOuachitaHillsAcademyand College joined Dr. MariAnne to man booths, pass out samples, and welcome visitors, an experience that benefited everyone.
“People were telling us we’re a really different group of kids,” said Lanie Gillis, an OHA freshman, who passed samples of savory lentil cream and explained its health benefits. “When they’d come by, just a simple ‘God bless you’ would light up their faces.”
We see health evangelism as an important aspect in reaching the felt needs of our community. We are told that the health message is the right arm of the gospel, and we are excited for the chance to get some exercise in that area. The Try It Expo will be followed up by cooking schools and eventually other seminars.
To find out more about the Try It Expo, visit EnthusiasticLife.net.