Maui - a volunteer reflects8/24/2023  photo courtesy Children's Disaster Services Judi Frost (right), a member of the Week of Compassion Board of Stewards, has joined Children’s Disaster Services teams deployed to Maui, caring for children and their families in the aftermath of the Lahaina fires. (NOTE: Our partners are currently requesting only trained volunteers. We are grateful for Judi and her CDS colleagues who have received extensive training and are experienced in these settings.) Judi is keeping a text-message travel journal with a small group, and we are honored to offer her reflections, humor, prayers, and photos here.  Wednesday - Aug 16 {Day One} Good morning all. Just waking up - at 4:00 am in Maui. We're in the fellowship hall of the UCC church. Air conditioned - 2 toilets - 1 shower - 22 people. Very comfy cots - with mattresses. … On my first flight the woman next to me - retired school psychologist - hopes to get the training so she can do this too. On the second flight my seat partner was a graduate of Culver-Stockton, granddad a Disciples minister. On the third flight the flight attendant started crying when I told her why I was going to Maui. When I tried to purchase a snack of fruit and cheese she said, "You're not paying for that on this plane!"  Everything seemed normal at the airport and in this area. The Red Cross center - in an empty space in a shopping mall - is a noisy, busy place! It's not yet clear where we will be working. They are trying to get families who are currently in shelters into AirBnB type places - a more private and home-like setting - so there may not be herds of children waiting for us. And more importantly the native Hawai’ian people take care of their own and may not welcome "foreigners” coming in to show them how to do it. Perhaps we are too early and might be of more use once the resource centers - where folks come to deal with all the agencies involved - are functioning. We will see. Once again, I'm seeing the great cloud of witnesses who care. So far, I have not seen the people and places where care is needed. I'm grateful for all the people that care for me. Thank you! Thursday - Aug 17 Good morning friends! We're still in the waiting mode. … The large resource centers are not yet up and running - and that's another place we can work. Tragically, there is a place where folks can go to get - or give - information on those who are missing. I'm not sure exactly what happens there - it's very private and secure. No media or casual visitors allowed. We have 2 vans for our group of 8. We found a grocery store and got some fresh supplies - fruit, yogurt, milk. The fellowship hall where we're staying has an industrial kitchen where we can use the fridge, but not cook anything. We've eaten at a few local restaurants which has been fine. We are encouraged to support local businesses - disasters impact the entire community.
We're all itching to play with kids! If we get the chance we'll have to make sure all 8 of us don't pounce at once! So, perhaps today we'll explore the botanical gardens. According to their website, there is currently no admission fee to allow all who need a place of beauty and peace to enter during this time of grief. I feel far away and isolated from the grief. I'm in a safe, comfortable space, with easy access to my needs. Yet I know that unimaginable grief and horror is just on the other side of the cloud covered hills. Keep praying.  Friday - Aug 18 We're waiting and watching and connecting. The Red Cross is doing an amazing job moving families out of shelters and into home-like settings. It's better for the people and the community. School is in session and we assume the schools are accommodating children as best they can. We had a good discussion with our team yesterday and realized that as we casually mentioned we were looking for kids - and that was the reality for many families: many of the missing are children. We must be cautious with our words. It looks like many families may be housed in condo complexes or hotels and we are hopeful we can set up play areas in those locations. In the meantime we wait and learn about each other and this island.  Saturday 8/19 We have a work site set up at the KaAnapali hotel complex just outside of Lahaina. There are multiple huge hotels clustered together with no damage at all. Many families are housed there - the Red Cross has set up the resource center in the ballroom. It was strange/uncomfortable/awkward to wander around the beautiful gardens in the complex and gaze at the peaceful ocean knowing the reality of why we are here. We did drive past the devastation. All traffic is kept on the bypass road up above the town of Lahaina, with a significant police presence to control every access point into town. We saw massive areas that had burned - and some areas that were undamaged. There was an unrecognizable pile of rubble 100 yards from a beautiful white church. Up above the town that was a total ruin, the damage was random. How challenging that must be for the survivors. Our work site is on the large outdoor terrace where the nightly luaus and dance performances would take place. There are umbrellas for shade and we can hear the ocean as well as the fountains in the gardens. We're identifying the local birds, making friends with the feral cats - and hoping the kids will come play with us. Tuesday -Aug 22 {the day of the President & First Lady’s visit to the island} Aloha. I haven't written in a few days - spotty WiFi - too many people to talk with - too many good conversations. I'm sure Joe and Jill were disappointed they didn't get a chance to talk with me while they were here in Maui. :-) We waited patiently while car traffic stopped for about 30 minutes as they were hustled from point A to point B. But alas. We did listen to their comments as we sat in the car. It was interesting to note how often it was stressed that the people of Maui would be leading the rebuilding process. … It's good to hear that there's an intention to acknowledge the issue.  Those of us on the afternoon shift - 2:30-7:30pm - were able to worship on Sunday with the UCC church that is housing us. What a wonderful and welcoming community! And busy! They host a food pantry three days a week, host several AA groups, run a daycare, and open their fellowship hall for immigrants and care providers. … We are finally seeing more children! I think that once the families have been moved from a shelter setting, to a hotel, and are able to settle a bit, they are just beginning to ponder "what's next". Then they are able to start exploring those resources. Sometimes the parents check the kids in with us so they can have an opportunity to talk with each other in private about their concerns. The children we've seen have been happy, delighted to play, and generally want to stay longer ... We are set up outside in front of the stage where luaus and performances are usually held. Luca, a white macaw, is caged behind closed doors - but we can hear him expressing his thoughts. The morning team has seen him when the veterinarian brings him out to treat him for his anxiety. He has plucked himself raw in many places - all around his neck and feet. He is able to sing several songs, but also shrieks an uncanny call of the sirens that disrupted his life. One father who couldn't bear the thought of being separated from his children while he was just around the corner in the resource center saw Luca, asked what was happening with him, and went over and stood silently by Luca's cage for 15 minutes. Then he found a shady spot and stayed to watch his children play with us for a while. It's hard to imagine the depth of this tragic reality. And we get to witness the commitment and compassion of the hundreds of people who are here to offer ... something.  Medical professionals, mental health workers, educators, small business lenders, legal aid, and on and on and on. I'm working with a great group, adapting to sleeping on a comfy cot, in a room with 22 people, sharing 2 bathrooms, with a folding chair for a nightstand and hold-all spot. I'm in warm, sunny Hawai’i, with mountains and flowers and stunning sunsets over the ocean. I’ve borrowed lumps of patience and grace from your prayers when I’ve needed them.
Blessings abound. Comments are closed.
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