In Early August of 2023, wildfires began breaking out on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The fires were fed by dry conditions and an off shore storm which delivered gusting winds. On August 8, the fires hit the historic whaling town of Lahaina. In an unprecedented level of devastation, nearly the entire town was destroyed. It’s reported that 115 people were killed (as of 9/1/23), but the report also stated that over 300 people were still listed as missing. The death toll is expected to rise well above the current 115.
Homes were lost, historic buildings were lost, and loved ones were lost. Life will never be the same for these residents of a location usually referred to as “paradise.”
Here are a few views of Front Street…. as it was before the fire:
One of the iconic sights in Lahaina is the block-wide banyan tree. At the time of this photo, it was the second largest banyan tree in the world. It survived the fire (so far), but it was badly damaged:
As devastating the loss of historic buildings and trees is, this corner of “paradise” is also home to many people, and many of them lost their houses. We don’t know what happened to be below home, but it is likely that the wildfires damaged or destroyed it:
Where’s God in All of This???
But in the face of catastrophes like this, caring people all over the world along with those who are motivated by God’s grace step in to help relieve some of the suffering.
On two Sundays (August 20 and August 27), PUMC took a special offering for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) which will be given directly to the ongoing relief efforts (100% of gifts to UMCOR go directly to relief; the United Methodist churches have already paid the overhead and operating costs during “UMCOR Sunday”). As of the last count, approximately $700 has been given to the Maui relief effort.
God steps into our lives in unusual and unexpected ways. In what is considered a miracle, the Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in Lahaina avoided the flames. Surrounded by leveled buildings on all sides, the church remains standing.
Christianity Today recently published the following article about this church:
Maui Catholic church untouched as wildfires torch surroundings | U.S. News (christianpost.com)
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For more about how PUMC is working to be God’s “Hands and feet of mercy” in the world: Missions
