The situation on Maui is horrible and sounding more tragic every day. It is almost three weeks since the terrifying fires. We have all seen the devastation to the island and its people on TV. We have all heard about the dogs brought in to find the missing. We have all felt a small bit of the loss that the people on Maui know so personally.
Like many of us, this terrible incident reminds us of other sudden, devasting, and deadly events that have happened in our State. Among them are Hurricane Iniki, Sacred Falls landslide, Xerox shootings, and Kilauea eruptions. In all instances, there was not only a profound sense of loss for those directly involved. But there was a feeling of loss and grief for everyone who calls Hawai’i home. The staff and volunteers of Pacific Health Ministry (PHM) were a part of addressing that loss with all of those events.
Those of us on other islands do not directly know the awful pain the people on Maui have experienced and are experiencing. But we share some of the sense of loss that covers our whole State. We share that because we know family who are there. We know someone who lost everything. We know someone who is missing. We know colleagues and acquaintances. And we have powerfully strong memories of standing on that sacred land and marveling at its wonder.
Remember and pray for our brothers and sisters there. As you are able, share a financial gift. And as time passes, never forget this will be a long journey of healing and recovery. We are all called to stand with Maui as it continues to grieve, heal, and move forward.
We are an island community in the middle of a gigantic ocean. What happens in one place, happens to us all. What happens to one or more of our members, happens to us all. What happened on Maui, is to be shared by us all.
– Rev. Dr. John Moody, Founder, Pacific Health Ministry.