Bearing Witness

Confession...right off the bat:

My knowledge of Hawai'i prior to living on the Big Island was limited to what I concluded from primarily 3 sources:
1) Disney's Lilo and Stitch
2) Party City's "luau" themed party decor section
3) Snippets from my parents' honeymoon trip

Can I tell you those 3 sources are nowhere near sufficient for understanding these islands?

The reality of living in the Hawaiian Islands, particularly on the Big Island (the island that is actually called Hawai'i...and no, the Big Island is not Oahu where the capital is...it's the BIG one), and even more particularly in the Puna District of the Big Island is not what people assume Hawai'i-life to be.
We are the most eastern island of the chain. All the other islands could fit onto Hawaii/the Big Island just for reference. 

Our church is located in the northern side of the Puna District. Our area gained a lot of media attention this last year with a chain of fissures opening up, covering several neighborhoods with lava, and displacing much of our community. 


On many accounts, life here is far more difficult than people would imagine.

The same realities that exist on the rest of the planet of living, working, and dying do in fact also exist in the tropics. There are drug issues, racial tensions, poverty, and the ins and outs of regular life that many people simply cannot see while on vacation here or in their Hawaiian fantasies. We hope to shed some light on the complexities of real life specifically in our area of Hawai'i, bearing in mind that we are still new to the island. We hope to draw upon the life experiences of many within our congregation to help tell the real stories.

By many other accounts, life here is far richer than most people would imagine.

While many people come to visit Hawai'i for a week or two, the differences between the islands are great, and even from one district of the Big Island to another you find vast differences. It would be impossible to comprehend this on one visit. Yet, what drew my husband and I to move and minister here was the sense that the Kingdom of God is here. You see it in the undeniable majesty of the nature that surrounds you and daily humbles you — yes, even in lava. You see it in the unbelievable stories of struggle, normalcy, and victory within the widely diverse people that have come to call Hawai'i home for many different reasons. We could not help but be drawn into the story that God is weaving in these islands. You sense the scenes of the book of Revelation with every tribe, nation, and tongue gathering before the throne of God unfolding here.

In the posts to come, we hope to bear witness to the many ways God is at work in the Puna District, specifically in and through the people of Connection Point Church of the Nazarene located in the neighborhood of Hawaiian Paradise Park (neighborhood is a relative term...more on that later). As we bear witness to the Kingdom realties at work here, may God challenge you, correct you, and inspire you to know His Kingdom can also break in right where you may happen to be reading this blog.



- Pastor Malorri Seamon
malorriseamon@gmail.com










Comments

  1. It is such a blessing to see the Church of the Nazarene alive and well on the Big Island. The summer of 1951 my family(Ernest and Bernice Chung-Hoon) moved to the Big Island from Honolulu to help start the Nazarene work. Reuben Welch was the pastor at Kaimuki Nazarene and was asked to go to the Big Island. My family went to help get the church started there. A building was put up in Hilo...I remember, as a young girl of 9 years old, going to "help". Since that time the church has grown. I have wonderful memories of our time spent there.

    Blessings to you as you minister to the people of the Puna District.
    Betty Chung-Hoon Townsend

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for your comment and prayers, Betty! We are so thankful for those who have gone before us in ministry here.

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