MAUI – Beyond the pictures of the Lahaina wildfires, there is more to the story. Hidden behind the images of burned buildings and heaps of ash are wildfire survivors. Men, women, and children in the town of Lahaina find themselves struggling to restart their lives. The critical supplies you’ve sent Hawaiians have been essential to their well-being. The kindness of our partners is helping people get clean water and food—things they desperately need! But they have other, less obvious needs as well. As we watch in sadness the plight of Maui wildfire survivors, we are all wondering, how can we help them get back on their feet?
Supplies for Hawaiians Help Residents Regain Their Livelihood
As if losing your home, your clothes, and your car were not enough, imagine losing your job. For many in the Lahaina community, fishing and diving were a part of their livelihoods. The wildfire destroyed all the gear they used. Now they find themselves without this opportunity to provide for their families or make a living. A whole way of island life, passed down for generations, was threatened.
So much of the community has been decimated. So many friends and family are gone. Historic landmarks and homes are nothing more than memories. Scorched shells that once resembled automobiles line the roads.
But there is always hope. While providing food and water, we learned that one important step to recovery is getting them equipment to fish and dive. This can help people provide. It can also help them return to some sense of normalcy—all because you cared. Your generosity allowed us to buy this equipment. The impact is so profound that it’s hard to capture in words. To Hawaiian people it means not only food and income, but also priceless cultural preservation and the sheer joy of fishing out in the water.
Your Kindness Is Helping People Put Their Lives Back Together
The past few weeks have been nothing but terror, fear, and disruption. Many have lost everything, but getting this livelihood opportunity back is a big step toward stability. It’s a chance to start returning to normal in a community crushed by tragedy and natural disaster.
It may only be a rod and reel. It may just be some simple diving gear. But you might never know the impact a pair of flippers and a fishing rod could have. To people who have lost everything, it is tangible hope! Your generosity is helping people in Maui and Lahaina put their daily lives back together.
Continue to Touch the Lives of People in Lahaina!
You have probably heard the old saying about how you can fish for a day or teach a man to fish. You are helping fishermen and divers provide for their families beyond just the short term provision of basic supplies. You are helping them fish. But you are also showing the love of Christ. YOU are fishing for men by showing them you care…even thousands of miles away!
Mahalo!
