A Message from Our Kahu
“Signs of Hope”
Most of us who lived through Hurricane Lowell found ourselves in a bit of a shock on that Tuesday morning after the winds died down. The first sign of hope I saw was the morning after the hurricane battered our island all night long. After looking around at branches and leaves all over the yard, the old avocado tree blown over on its side, and parts of the parsonage needing to be nailed back in place, I looked down right next to the steps in the front yard and saw beautiful purple orchids (shown in the photo above) in bloom; and I was amazed that those blossoms survived at all. They instantly gave me hope for whatever I was about to encounter during the rest of the day…and the following days.
As soon as I was able to check Facebook and emails, I saw that people had already begun sharing hundreds of photos of the devastation caused by the storm. I am sure you all have seen lots of them. After checking on the church and the parsonage, cleaning up, putting things back where they belonged, and getting out the barbecue grill while waiting for the electricity to come back on, I walked down to Poipu, while checking in on church members, neighbors and friends. I saw firsthand the awful destruction, especially along the Poipu waterfront. What surprised me the most, however, were the signs of hope I saw all around me. I did almost the same walk a couple days later intentionally looking for more signs of hope: they were everywhere!
Below are some photos I took during the first few days after the hurricane. I trust that they will remind you of the blessings of our wonderful island-wide community and how much hope there is—even when nearly everything around has just fallen to pieces. As you scroll down, I encourage you to look for signs of hope all around you!
Aloha Nui Loa!
Kahu
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