“‘What does the future look like?’ … I feel like (this) is the hardest question to answer,” said Rocky Komatsu, pastor of Waiehu Community Church. “Yet, I think if we’re totally honest the answer is, ‘We have no idea.’”
Komatsu and his wife, Emily, had gone on a date in central Maui across the mountains from Lahaina, not realizing how bad the fires were that devastated Maui on Aug. 8, 2023.
Flames by Lahaina Baptist Church stretched above the coconut trees, Komatsu described in a video from the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention released in April.
“It just looked like there’s no way they are going to stop this,” he said.
But from September to December 2023, more than 400 Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers from 20 states helped in the relief and recovery efforts. It will take time as land is cleared and infrastructure is replaced, he said.
Praying for wisdom
“Just pray for wisdom and patience,” he said, “that we would really be wise in how we meet those needs so that we can be really efficient and make the best use of the opportunities that God gives us.”
Everett Balmores, who works with Maui Emergency Management Agency, said he was separated from his family for more than 30 hours after 11 of them packed what they could and escaped the fires.
“We had an opportunity to have a (Southern Baptist) team assist in sifting” through their belongings to try to salvage valuables, said Balmores. “The group prayed with us and provided a Bible, which they all signed. That was special for us.”
Efforts continue through Send Relief (sendrelief.org) and state Disaster Relief teams to help Hawaii recover.
