This Sunday. our parish asked for contributions to the Anglican Relief and Development Fund to assist those affected by the devastating fires in Lahaina on the island of Maui. I found this note from Father Jason Hill on the web page of the Anglican mission church there at Anuhea Chapel in Makawao.
On behalf of Kingsfield Anglican Mission on Maui, we want to thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and tears for our island. Many of you have reached out and we feel your support. This has been a difficult time for the Valley Isle.
What Happened
As you have heard, Maui is in a state of emergency. This past Tuesday, small fires began to spread because of high winds caused by Hurricane Dora, forcing electrical poles to fall and spark. The fire spread to engulf parts of the island in upcountry Kula, Lahaina, and North Kihei. With 80 mph gusts, these fires moved uncontrollably with little to no warning. With resources already spread thin, it’s easy to see how our Maui Fire Department moved to locations as new fires ignited, leaving other locations scarce with a team to fight. Over 2,000 homes have been destroyed, and hundreds of businesses incinerated. Most of Lahaina, as many are describing it, “looks like a war zone”, it’s simply gone. This once bustling and beautiful beach town filled with families that have lived there for generations, the shops and restaurants that supported the local economy, and Mala Harbor that anchored this royal town have been reduced to ash. The worst of it is the loss of life, as of August 14th there are 96 fatalities confirmed with the death toll rising by the hour, and only ~5% of the ground covered. What we’re hearing from friends on the ground is that the number will keep increasing as the search and rescue goes on over the next few weeks, leaving many families disoriented and agitated in search of their loved ones. We only have 3 mortuaries on the island, and do not have capacity to dignify these bodies and the souls they held. For those who were residents of Lahaina and were able to narrowly escape, they are faced with the hard reality that their homes and possessions have been destroyed, with a possibility that their missing family members are somewhere in the rubble waiting to be found. We are weeping and mourning the loss of these lives, and entrusting their souls to God with great sadness and sorrow.
Some of these families barely dodged the fire by running and jumping into the ocean to escape the flames, fathers had to choose whether to surrender to the flames or throw their children in the raging waves. We also know many were in transit and got stuck along the way. The traumatic stories of survival have rippled and emotionally shaken our entire island, and our community within our parish.
What we’re seeing is that this has left a mass number of residents destitute with only the clothes on their backs and maybe their vehicles that allowed them to get to Kahului where they could find shelter. One of our parishioners volunteered to feed the displaced and met an elderly man who rode his bike for 23 miles with burned clothes on his body to get to a partner ministry church, where he was provided a hot meal and a shower.
At this point, it’s hard to estimate the loss, and we find it difficult to assess what scale the need is. One thing is for sure, it is great and overwhelming. While every ministry and organization on the island is working to meet the needs of the displaced, there still is the long term problem of housing for thousands of people living in shelters, staying with friends, in cars at the park, and more recently in hotels. While the immediate needs for donors and resources are welcomed, the long term plan of continuing the support is the most vital part of sustainable reconstruction and restoration for this island. We need long term partners to come alongside the Anglican Mission here on Maui and the other churches and community organizations that are leading the charge in the disaster relief and rebuilding efforts for the next couple of years. We need our clergy to be freed up to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our neighborhoods and community. We are soberly aware of the great opportunity to come alongside our hurting people as a loving gospel witness and presence.
What is Happening | as of August 14th, 2023
Kingsfield Anglican Mission is already mobilized and meeting these needs in real and tangible ways. The people of our parish have been urgently active in providing care supplies to first responders and partnering with Kahului Baptist Church in helping them shelter and feed the displaced. Families that would otherwise have slept in parking lots at Walmart and Target were rerouted to shelters and fed, thanks to our parishioners seeking them out. It has taken every minute of our days over the last four days to process the needs and meet them in real time. Every parishioner is either making meals, doing laundry, and buying supplies for others outside of their families. Our single men have taken the risky journey to Lahaina by road and boat to deliver propane tanks, fuel, and generators to those on the West side, where there is still no water or electricity. The water in both Kula and Lahaina is hazardous, and Lahaina as a whole has become a biohazard wasteland, with neighboring communities in need of medication and supplies. So far, we have yet to see greater support and resources from our governing authorities, and it is a rising concern in the community that could lead to discontent. We are walking very carefully as we mobilize and sense the local response, while hoping and expecting greater help from the state and nation. Every one of our parishioners has been working to help our island, ministering in tangible ways, and extending the comfort and solidarity of Christ to the weary. We are grateful to partner with the larger body of Christ here on Maui. In all honesty, the response of the local residents to meet the needs of our hurting neighbors has been remarkable. However, we see the need to be strategic and thoughtful about how to help Maui for the long haul, the months and years to come when we are no longer on the front pages. Usually, in situations like this, many respond to the need in the short-term but the greater need is long-term help and partnership to rebuild and restore.
What Our Parish Needs in Rebuilding
We know that man does not live by bread alone, we know the words of Christ are rich and meaty for the hurting. However, to give you all some context for Maui, nearly every pastor on the island is working bi-vocationally, meeting needs for their own families while tending to the spiritual and physical needs of their churches. This is an incredibly difficult place to plant due to the nature of Maui, it’s a destination spot for those transitioning into retirement and those escaping the rhythms of mainland responsibilities. Among short term residents, this island is transient, a revolving door of folks who want to take in the beauty of Maui. Among long term residents, it is home and there is great need to establish credibility of our sustained spiritual presence here. As we brainstorm and seek out ways to meet the needs to rehome the displaced, we are also aware of the resources it will take to make a lasting impact.
As an Anglican Mission we have the distinct opportunity to turn our disaster relief into a sacramental act, offering the Eucharist as a pillar of nourishment for the hungry and hurting and day to day offering of our time and resources to be present to the weary. We know the ministry of presence at a time like this is incredibly important to the forming and shaping of a community into the way of Christ, but the housing crisis and high cost of living has made that particularly difficult while caring for our own families. What we need is the support to fully employ clergy and administrative positions to carry out the daily tasks that will sustainably help us stay here and minister to our neighbors. We acknowledge that what will restore our island is not only the rehousing and rebuilding of an entire city that was the center of Maui’s economic infrastructure, but also the daily rhythms of walking in unity with Christ. Cooperating with the work God is doing here now requires our full attention. While businesses suffer, jobs are lost, families hold funerals, and children enter into a school year of uncertainty completely displaced, our parish has the opportunity to be a strong pillar of restorative hope, peace, and sacrificial love. We need the partnership and help of all who would desire this work to be done on Maui, to grow a community that is committed to God’s Kingdom, on Maui as it is in Heaven.
We invite all who would love to see this island spiritually flourish into this work, to shoulder with our small parish tasked with this immense mission in this restoration phase for our island home, for its good and for God’s glory. Pray with us and contribute to the resources needed to sustain our labors.
In Christ,
Father Jason Hill with the members of Kingsfield Anglican Mission
We are praying and contributing Fr. Hill.
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