As you may have heard, severe drought and strong winds have spread fires on Maui and on the Big Island of Hawaii. 80 deaths discovered so far – likely more to be discovered by search teams – and 2000+ buildings destroyed. The Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Inc. has been in contact with the Maui Church of Christ in Wailuku. The Maui church has opened their building to be used as a shelter.

Getting supplies to Maui can take 2-3 weeks. The Disaster Relief team wanted to provide the fastest aid possible, and wired $10,000 to the church on Thursday morning. They will continue to monitor the situation and address other needs as they arise. They have no power, and are told it could be 1 to 2 months before they get their power back. The nearest gas station to the Maui church is 20 miles away, and the provisions families need are also in the same area as the gas station. The biggest issue is people don’t have the fuel to get to the gas station and other provisions, so the preacher has gone to the gas station and brought back 200 gallons of fuel, and is pumping 2 gallons in each vehicle so those families can get to where the provisions are.

Please remember those on the Hawaiian Islands in your prayers. If you would like to donate to help those affected by this disaster, consider a donation to the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort. They are a “well-oiled machine” with the experience and ability to get needed supplies to disaster zones quickly and efficiently. Visit their website at https://www.disasterreliefeffort.org/donate

Or, if you would prefer to write a check, make it payable to Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort. Drop it off here at the church building on Wednesday night 8/16/2023 or next Sunday 8/20/2023, and we will mail all checks received to the organization on Monday 8/21/2023.