{"id":1999693,"date":"2023-08-14T01:01:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T05:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-turn-out-at-sunday-church-services-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims\/"},"modified":"2023-08-14T01:04:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T05:04:50","slug":"thousands-turn-out-at-sunday-church-services-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-turn-out-at-sunday-church-services-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands gather at Sunday church services to mourn victims of Maui&#8217;s devastating wildfire."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthousands-turn-out-at-sunday-church-services-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1999693&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote><p>\n  <em>This is the first in a\u200c series of articles on the Maui wildfires in Hawaii, which have claimed 93 lives\u200d with thousands still missing\u200d and unaccounted for.<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>The Battle to Heal\u200b and Rebuild\u200d Begins<\/h2>\n<p>KIHEI, \u200cHawaii\u2014While the physical\u200c toll of the Maui wildfires was \u200dunspeakable destruction, the spiritual battle to heal and rebuild\u200d has only just begun for Hawaii&#8217;s second-largest island.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 13, the \u200cfirst Sunday church services were held across the lush green tropical island for thousands of grieving residents still \u200bin shock in \u200bthe \u200baftermath of last week&#8217;s wildfires.<\/p>\n<p>Over 90\u200d people perished; \u200cthousands are still \u200bmissing \u200dor displaced,\u2063 and thousands of \u200cacres and buildings burned in West Maui&#8217;s Lahaina\u2014a word that means &#8220;cruel or merciless sun&#8221; in the Hawaiian\u200d language\u2014and other communities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border border-[#D3D3D3] px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related \u2063Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/maui-wildfires-now-deadliest-us-fire-in-past-century-at-least-93-killed-5462016\">Maui Wildfires Now Deadliest US Fire in Past \u200bCentury; at \u2062Least 93\u2062 Killed<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-[14px] leading-[18px] text-[#737373]\">8\/13\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/maui-wildfires-now-deadliest-us-fire-in-past-century-at-least-93-killed-5462016\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/death-toll-from-maui-wildfire-reaches-89-making-it-the-deadliest-in-the-us-in-more-than-100-years-5461423\">Death \u200cToll From\u200c Maui Wildfire Reaches\u200d 89, Making It \u200dthe Deadliest\u2064 in the US in More\u2063 Than 100 Years<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-[14px] leading-[18px] text-[#737373]\">8\/12\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/death-toll-from-maui-wildfire-reaches-89-making-it-the-deadliest-in-the-us-in-more-than-100-years-5461423\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/maui-wildfire-death-toll-hits-80-as-questions-raised-over-warnings-5461136\">Questions Raised Over Warnings in Maui \u2064Wildfires<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-[14px] leading-[18px] text-[#737373]\">8\/12\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/maui-wildfire-death-toll-hits-80-as-questions-raised-over-warnings-5461136\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/wildfire-risk-threatens-nearly-1-3-million-homes-in-california-5461699\">Wildfire Risk \u200dThreatens Nearly 1.3 Million \u2062Homes in California<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-[14px] leading-[18px] text-[#737373]\">8\/12\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/wildfire-risk-threatens-nearly-1-3-million-homes-in-california-5461699\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In time, \u2062Maui County\u200b officials will\u2062 announce the \u2062victims\u2063 and the funerals will\u200d commence.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A woman sits alone grieving the death\u200b and \u200ddestruction of the\u200c Maui wildfires at Kihei Baptist Chapel\u200b in Kihei, Maui on Aug. 13, 2023. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>For those who lost loved ones,\u2064 homes, or livelihoods\u2014in\u2064 many cases, everything\u2014the question has \u200dcut \u200cto the core\u2062 of\u200b their faith.<\/p>\n<p>How can \u200bone still believe amid so much death \u2062and destruction?<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>At Hope Chapel in Kihei, Maui\u201423 miles \u200cfrom Lahaina\u2014where \u2063the worst devastation occurred, the grieving \u200bgathered\u2064 for support from \u2062their neighbors \u2062and words of \u2063hope and resilience\u2063 from spiritual leaders.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For us together in \u2064this room, this is a darkness hour for us as\u2062 an island,&#8221; said worship leader Erin Marsman. \u200d&#8221;Every single person that \u200dhas walked into this \u2063space carries\u200c burdens. Some of you have lost \u200beverything.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Healing the Broken-Hearted<\/h2>\n<p>For now, hope, faith, prayer\u2014and\u2063 love\u2014must \u2062sustain the broken-hearted, lead\u200b pastor Ben \u200cPrangnell\u2063 told more\u200d than \u200c100 people at Sunday&#8217;s 8:30 \u2062a.m. service.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It feels like my head&#8217;s \u200bspinning. Our \u200chearts hurt. Our emotions are\u2062 so raw.\u200b But we&#8217;ve come to the right place. Because \u200bHe \u2064is where \u2064our help comes from,&#8221; \u200cMr. Prangnell said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This \u2063is a time of great sorrow. And we need time to mourn \u200closing loved ones and friends, homes, businesses, our beloved Lahaina town.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But with \u2063great sorrow\u200b comes great opportunity for healing and spiritual growth, Mr. Prangnell said.<\/p>\n<p>And in this time of impossible suffering, he urged those gathered\u2063 to look out for \u2062one another and remain hopeful.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Just do for one what you would do for everyone. Expressing\u2063 your feelings is the beginning of healing. And so it&#8217;s good to do that together and support one another \u2064as we process \u2063losses.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Lead Pastor Jim Franks \u200dsaid the survivors \u200cmust work through\u200b their feelings and that to do so, many have offered support\u200d to the relief \u200ceffort in\u2063 many unexpected ways.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve seen \u2063an incredible outpouring of support, love, and prayer from so many people saying,\u200b &#8216;How can \u200cI help?'&#8221; Pastor Franks said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:401px\" class=\"alignleft\"><figcaption>A\u2064 man reads a Bible passage during a service commemorating the \u2064victims of Maui&#8217;s wildfires in Kihei, Maui, on\u200d Aug. 13, 2023.\u2062 (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Shortly after the fires began\u2063 on \u200bAug.\u2063 8, the chapel&#8217;s living room became a donation and distribution center\u200b for the food\u2062 bank and supplies. It has been\u2064 filled five times with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ron-johnsons-20-unanswered-questions-about-corruption-from-2020-loom-over-joe-biden\/\" title=\"Ron Johnson\u2019s 20 Unanswered Questions About Corruption From 2020 Loom Over Joe Biden\">desperately needed aid<\/a> to send \u2064out\u2062 to Lahaina by boat or vehicle convoys.<\/p>\n<p>Many\u200b displaced \u2064families arrived at the church, asking for help.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have a lot more to do,&#8221; Pastor Franks said. \u200b&#8221;We&#8217;re going to be\u200d in this \u2064for the long haul. \u2064It&#8217;s\u2062 been a few days, and all of\u2064 the \u2062needs \u2064are \u2062becoming apparent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>John Martin,\u200c Hope Chapel&#8217;s facilities pastor, said \u2062the emotional impact of\u2064 the four\u2064 wildfires \u200dhas been overwhelming, with few people left unscathed.<\/p>\n<p>With \u2062a six-person caravan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-turn-out-at-sunday-church-services-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims\/\" title=\"Thousands gather at Sunday church services to mourn victims of Maui's devastating wildfire.\">church volunteers\u200c made 11 stops<\/a>,\u200b fed the elderly,\u2062 and distributed \u200bbackpacks to children as the need for essential\u2063 supplies continued to mount.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We stood \u2064shoulder to shoulder with people we didn&#8217;t know,&#8221; Pastor\u200b Martin said. &#8220;It&#8217;s amazing to be a \u200dpart of this story of the people of \u2063God\u200b and to see you guys come alive and respond.\u200d It&#8217;s been nonstop walking with all of you and being able to serve.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Just Needed a\u2062 Prayer<\/h2>\n<p>In one \u2062instance, a Maui resident who lost \u200dhis 15-year-old\u2064 brother in the Lahaina \u200cfire told church volunteers all he wanted was &#8220;a prayer.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And\u2063 that&#8217;s just\u2063 one story. There are thousands of stories \u200dgoing around. \u200dWe will persevere.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Maui is weeping. Maui is grieving. \u200dWe&#8217;re \u200dlamenting today,&#8221; said Derek LaFontaine, the chapel&#8217;s care and counseling pastor and a\u200d former Seattle firefighter.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We know there&#8217;s hope \u2064on \u200cthe other side of this. We know some so\u2064 many people are questioning their faith.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A grieving woman listens to a sermon at Kihei Baptist Church on Maui on \u2063Aug.\u200c 13, 2023. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Days or weeks from now, &#8220;we&#8217;re \u200bgoing to start hearing those stories and seeing those faces,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As a church, don&#8217;t miss this moment to engage \u2064with those \u200blamenting and grieving. You&#8217;re all counselors. Pray together. Pray alone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Pastor\u2063 Van Michael Komatsu delivered a passionate Sunday sermon on the wildfire\u200d tragedy at Kihei Baptist \u2064Church.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It\u200b has\u2064 been a \u2063very bad\u2064 week. \u200bIt has been horrific for thousands \u2063of\u2062 people on our island. My heart is heavy, sad, grieving, broken,&#8221; Pastor Komatsu said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Being from Maui County, I \u200bhave never seen\u200b the kinds \u2064of \u2064disaster, destruction, and death on our island that has happened this week.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Pastor Van \u2064Michael \u2063Komatsu delivers a sermon on the destructiveness \u2063of the\u2064 Maui wildfires at \u2064Kihei Baptist Church on Aug. 13, 2023.\u2063 (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Maui,\u2064 considered a tropical paradise of\u200c indescribable natural beauty, &#8220;this past Tuesday, Aug. 8, \u20622023, will become one of the \u200dmost infamous days in Hawaii&#8217;s history,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Terrifying&#8217; Spectacle<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Komatsu said the wildfires, driven by \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hurricane-ian-strengthens-to-category-3-storm-heads-for-dangerous-strike-on-florida\/\" title=\"Hurricane Ian Strengthens to Category 3 Storm, Heads for Dangerous Strike on Florida\">hurricane-force winds<\/a>, ravaged large portions \u2062of \u200dMaui \u2064and\u200d were \u200dterrifying to watch.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I stayed up most of \u2064the night\u200d in case I had to \u2063get my wife, my 2-year-old\u200d daughter, and\u2062 my 6-week-old son out of here,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Survivors spoke of &#8220;tornadoes of ash,&#8221; people\u2063 trapped\u200b in\u2063 cars in gridlocked traffic on Lahaina&#8217;s Front Street, and panicked\u2062 residents &#8220;hopping the sea wall and jumping into the\u2062 ocean&#8221; to escape the suffocating smoke and heat.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t be \u200bignorant of this. You need to feel this. There\u2062 is \u2063unspeakable destruction. Lahaina is\u2064 not\u200d just a tourist town. It&#8217;s a place\u2063 of rich Hawaiian history, which housed thousands of local families \u200bin multi-generational homes. And now it&#8217;s \u2062leveled\u2014businesses, restaurants, homes\u2014all gone,&#8221; Mr. Komatsu said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A family sings\u200c a hymn during \u200ba church \u2063service\u2063 for \u2062the victims of Maui&#8217;s\u2064 wildfires in Kihei, Maui\u2063 on Aug. \u206213, \u20632023(Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Like an\u2062 atomic\u2063 bomb was dropped and went off&#8221; is how he \u2064described the wildfire&#8217;s aftermath in Lahaina. \u200d&#8221;People died \u2063trying to get out of their homes. \u200cPeople\u2064 died in\u200d their vehicles because the fire \u200cmelted, \u200cand smoke inhalation got them. People died halfway out\u200c of windows.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He said \u200cthe estimated cost or\u200c such &#8220;unspeakable \u2063destruction&#8221; is in the billions and that \u200bit will\u200d take years \u200bto \u200brebuild the \u2063town.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There is so much death. There is death in Hawaii \u200dlike\u200d there has never been in our lives.\u200c It is not only the deadliest \u200bwildfire in \u200cHawaii&#8217;s history. It&#8217;s the deadliest in \u200bU.S. history. We&#8217;ve had other \u2062natural disasters, but this is different. This is a tragedy of epic proportions,&#8221; Mr.\u200b Komatsu said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>, the Maui wildfires in Hawaii took a devastating toll, claiming 93 lives and leaving thousands missing. The aftermath is a daunting challenge for the second-largest island, as it embarks on a spiritual journey of healing and reconstruction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":1999694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1999693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1999693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1999693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1999693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1999694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1999693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1999693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1999693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}