{"id":2000046,"date":"2023-08-14T13:42:59","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T17:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-of-hawaiians-gather-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims\/"},"modified":"2023-08-14T13:45:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T17:45:49","slug":"thousands-of-hawaiians-gather-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-of-hawaiians-gather-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Huge crowd mourns Maui wildfire victims."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/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-of-hawaiians-gather-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=2000046&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 \u200dthe first in \u200ca\u2062 series of \u2064articles \u200don \u2062the Maui wildfires \u2063in Hawaii, which have claimed 93 lives with thousands still missing and unaccounted for.<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>The Battle to Heal and Rebuild Begins<\/h2>\n<p>KIHEI, \u200cHawaii\u2014While the physical toll of the Maui wildfires was unspeakable destruction, the spiritual battle to heal\u200c and rebuild\u2062 has only just begun for Hawaii&#8217;s second-largest island.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 13, the first Sunday church services were \u200bheld across the <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.\">lush green tropical island<\/a> for thousands \u200cof \u200bgrieving residents still in shock in the aftermath of last \u2062week&#8217;s wildfires.<\/p>\n<p>Over \u200b90 people perished;\u200d thousands are still missing or displaced, and thousands of acres and buildings burned in West Maui&#8217;s Lahaina\u2014a word that means &#8220;cruel or \u200cmerciless \u200bsun&#8221; in the Hawaiian language\u2014and \u200cother 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 Stories<\/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\u2062 Century; at Least 93 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 Toll From Maui \u200cWildfire Reaches 89, Making It the Deadliest in\u2062 the US in More\u200b 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 \u2063Wildfires<\/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 Threatens Nearly 1.3 Million Homes 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, Maui County officials will announce the victims and the \u2063funerals will commence.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:640px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A woman sits\u2064 alone grieving the death and\u200c destruction of \u2062the Maui wildfires at\u2063 Kihei \u200cBaptist Chapel \u200bin Kihei, Maui on Aug.\u200c 13, 2023. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>For those who\u2062 lost loved ones, homes, or livelihoods\u2014in many cases, everything\u2014the question has cut to the core\u200c of their faith.<\/p>\n<p>How can one\u2064 still believe \u200camid so much \u200cdeath and 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 from \u2063Lahaina\u2014where the worst devastation\u2064 occurred, the\u2064 grieving\u2063 gathered for support from their neighbors and words of hope\u200d and resilience from spiritual leaders.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For\u200c us together in \u200dthis room,\u2063 this is a darkness hour for us as an island,&#8221; said\u200d worship leader Erin Marsman. &#8220;Every single person that has walked into this space carries burdens. Some of you have lost everything.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Healing the Broken-Hearted<\/h2>\n<p>For now, hope, faith, prayer\u2014and love\u2014must sustain the broken-hearted, lead pastor Ben\u200c Prangnell told more than 100 people at Sunday&#8217;s 8:30 a.m. service.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It feels like my head&#8217;s spinning. Our hearts hurt. Our emotions are so raw.\u2062 But we&#8217;ve come to the right place. \u2064Because He is where our help comes from,&#8221; Mr. Prangnell said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is a time \u2064of great sorrow. \u2063And we need time \u200cto mourn losing loved \u200cones and friends,\u200c homes, businesses, \u2063our beloved Lahaina town.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But \u2062with great sorrow comes great opportunity for\u200d healing\u2062 and spiritual growth, \u2064Mr. Prangnell said.<\/p>\n<p>And in \u2062this\u200c time of impossible suffering, he urged those gathered to look out for one another and remain hopeful.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Just\u200c do\u2062 for one what\u200b you would do for everyone. Expressing\u2063 your\u2062 feelings is the beginning of\u200b healing.\u2064 And so\u2064 it&#8217;s good \u2063to \u2064do that\u200b together and support one another as we process losses.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Executive Pastor Jim Franks said the survivors must work \u200cthrough their\u200c feelings and that to \u2063do so, many have offered support to the relief effort in many unexpected ways.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve seen an incredible outpouring of support, love, and \u200cprayer\u2064 from so many people saying, &#8216;How can I \u200chelp?'&#8221; Mr. Franks said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:401px\" class=\"alignleft\"><figcaption>A man reads a Bible\u2063 passage during a service commemorating the victims of Maui&#8217;s wildfires in Kihei, Maui, on Aug. 13, 2023. (Allan \u200bStein\/The Epoch\u200b Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Shortly after the fires began \u200don Aug. 8, the chapel&#8217;s living room became\u2063 a donation\u200b and distribution center for the food bank and supplies. It has \u2062been filled five times with\u2063 desperately needed \u2064aid to send \u200dout to Lahaina by\u200c boat or vehicle convoys.<\/p>\n<p>Many displaced families arrived at the church, asking for \u200dhelp.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have\u200d a lot more to\u2064 do,&#8221; Mr. Franks said. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to be in this for the long haul. It&#8217;s been a few days, and all of the needs are becoming apparent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>John\u200d Martin, Hope Chapel&#8217;s \u200dfacilities \u200bpastor, said the emotional impact of\u200c the four wildfires has \u2063been overwhelming,\u2062 with few people left unscathed.<\/p>\n<p>With a six-person caravan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-of-hawaiians-gather-to-mourn-mauis-wildfire-victims\/\" title=\"Huge crowd mourns Maui wildfire victims.\">church volunteers made 11 stops<\/a>, fed the elderly, and distributed \u2063backpacks to children as the\u2062 need for essential supplies continued to mount.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We \u2064stood shoulder \u200bto shoulder with \u200cpeople we didn&#8217;t know,&#8221;\u2063 Pastor Martin said. &#8220;It&#8217;s amazing to be a\u2062 part \u2062of\u200c this story of the people of God\u2064 and to see you guys come\u200c alive and respond. \u2062It&#8217;s been nonstop walking with all of you and being able to serve.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Just Needed a Prayer<\/h2>\n<p>In\u2062 one instance, a Maui resident who lost his \u206415-year-old brother in the Lahaina fire told church volunteers\u200b all he wanted was &#8220;a prayer.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And that&#8217;s just one story. There are thousands of stories going around. \u200cWe\u200d will persevere.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Maui is weeping. Maui is grieving. We&#8217;re lamenting today,&#8221;\u200b said\u2063 Derek LaFontaine, the\u200d chapel&#8217;s care and counseling pastor and a former \u2063Seattle-area firefighter.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We know\u2063 there&#8217;s hope on \u2063the other side of this. We know so many people are questioning their \u2062faith.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:640px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A \u2064grieving woman listens to a sermon at Kihei Baptist Church on Maui on Aug.\u2062 13, 2023. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Days or \u200cweeks from now, &#8220;we&#8217;re going to start hearing those stories and \u200bseeing those faces,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As a church, don&#8217;t miss this moment to engage with those lamenting and grieving. You&#8217;re all counselors. Pray together. Pray alone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Pastor Van Michael Komatsu delivered a passionate Sunday\u200b sermon on the wildfire tragedy at Kihei Baptist\u200c Church.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It has been a\u2064 very bad week. It has been horrific \u200dfor thousands of people on our island. My heart is heavy, sad, grieving, broken,&#8221; Pastor Komatsu said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Being from Maui County, I have \u200bnever seen the kinds of disaster, destruction, \u2063and death on \u2064our island that has happened this week.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:640px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Pastor Van\u200d Michael Komatsu\u200d delivers a sermon on the \u2063destructiveness of the Maui wildfires at Kihei Baptist Church on\u2063 Aug. 13, 2023. (Allan Stein\/The Epoch \u2063Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>On\u2063 Maui, considered a tropical \u200cparadise of indescribable natural beauty,\u2063 &#8220;this past Tuesday, Aug.\u2062 8, 2023, will become \u2062one of the\u2062 most infamous days\u2064 in\u2063 Hawaii&#8217;s history,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Terrifying&#8217; Spectacle<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Komatsu\u200b said the\u2062 wildfires,\u200c driven by <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 of \u2063Maui and were\u200b terrifying to watch.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I stayed up most of the\u2064 night in case I had to get my wife, my 2-year-old daughter, and my 6-week-old son out of here,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Survivors spoke\u2063 of \u2062&#8221;tornadoes of ash,&#8221; people\u2062 trapped in cars \u200cin gridlocked traffic on Lahaina&#8217;s Front Street, and panicked residents &#8220;hopping the sea wall and jumping into \u2064the ocean&#8221; to escape the suffocating smoke\u200d and heat.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t be ignorant of this. You \u200dneed to\u200d feel this.\u2063 There is \u2063unspeakable \u200bdestruction. \u200bLahaina is not \u2062just a tourist town. It&#8217;s a place \u2063of \u2062rich Hawaiian history, which housed thousands of local families in multi-generational\u2062 homes. And now it&#8217;s leveled\u2014businesses, restaurants, homes\u2014all gone,&#8221; Mr. Komatsu said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:640px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A family sings a\u200d hymn\u2062 during\u200d a church service for the victims of Maui&#8217;s wildfires in Kihei, Maui\u2064 on Aug. 13, 2023(Allan Stein\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Like an atomic bomb was dropped and went\u2062 off&#8221; is how he described the wildfire&#8217;s aftermath in\u200c Lahaina. &#8220;People died trying to \u2063get out of their homes. People died in \u2064their vehicles because the\u2062 fire melted, and smoke \u2062inhalation got them. People died\u200c halfway out of windows.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He said the estimated cost or such &#8220;unspeakable destruction&#8221; is in the billions and that\u200c it will take years to rebuild the town.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There is so much death. There is death in Hawaii \u2062like \u200dthere has never been in\u200c our lives. It is not only the deadliest wildfire in Hawaii&#8217;s history. It&#8217;s the deadliest in U.S. history. \u200cWe&#8217;ve had other natural disasters<\/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":2000047,"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-2000046","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\/2000046","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=2000046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}