Seven months after narrowly escaping the fire that swept through Lahaina Town in Maui, Doris has suffered from invisible wounds that would be easy to overlook. When Crisis Response missionaries first met with Doris, they asked, “What is your biggest need right now?” To that, she immediately replied, “I am lonely. I lost my community.”

Why would she identify this relational loss as her biggest need when she has had so many other ongoing needs as she is displaced? She wrestles with whether she should stay in Maui or move away since rent for her small apartment about 30 minutes from Lahaina is extraordinarily high.

Doris faces a multitude of needs related to the fact that her condo in Lahaina Town still stands surrounded by mounds of debris that have been untouched for the past seven months. Even if she could clear all that debris herself, where would she put it all? 

Once the debris is removed, the entire water, sewer and electrical infrastructure will need to be rebuilt. Crisis Response staff on the ground have heard that 200 lots have been cleared so far and, at this current pace, it will be several years before the rest of the debris is removed. There are estimates that Lahaina Town will not be rebuilt for another seven to 10 years. 

“I always took my community for granted. It had been there for the last 200 years and in an afternoon, it was gone," Doris shared. "For years and years, it will be gone, and even when it does come back, it won’t ever be the same.” 

Many survivors have dispersed to various communities on Maui, to other Hawaiian Islands and beyond, while approximately 4,000 survivors are still living in hotels.

Spiritual and emotional needs often go unaddressed in the wake of a crisis as the focus centers on meeting the vast physical needs. But as distribution and immediate relief die down, survivors are left dealing with the internal impact of all they have gone through as the reality of their situation sets in. 

If this relational loss is not addressed, people can suffer such severe internal pain from these “invisible wounds” that many cope by walking down a path toward mental and physical self-destruction. 

If Doris’ biggest need was water, food or supplies, these needs would be much easier to provide. But how do you make a difference when someone has severe relational loss like this? This is where the Church can really shine, but they need the vision, tools, resources and network to step into this mission field over the long term. 

Crisis Response began by developing relationships with the local churches to find ways to support their efforts and work to link them to each other. Many churches on other islands have longed for a way to support the efforts on Maui, so Crisis Response has been working to give these churches opportunities by connecting them to these local churches.

Crisis Response has provided numerous training to all of these churches, such a training on “trauma care," to give local believers the vision for how choosing to step into the mission field that follows crises can have tangible and eternal impact. These trainings and ongoing conversations have given tools for how to have conversations with those in crisis that promote healing and long-term relationship. Crisis Response has also supplied the training and resources for local believers to start “Beyond Disaster” Bible studies. One study has been so successful that the leaders are looking on multiplying.

The reality is rebuilding won't happen for a while, and all of these pieces are forming the necessary foundation for a long-term response.

Doris first connected with Crisis Response missionaries by attending a trauma care training. She shared that she walked away with “tools in my tool belt” to help her own recovery as well as coming alongside other people around her.

But what has made Doris weep with gratitude is the fact that the outreach to her has gone deeper than just giving her tools. Crisis Response missionaries have lived out what they teach and have been pouring out the love of Christ on her. They have personally taken her to lunch, listened to her share all she has gone through, called to check on her, visited her regularly and made sure she has connections with others who will do the same.

Doris shared with these missionaries, “God used you to super jump me into healing…to propel me out of where I was to where I should be.”

Thank you so much for being a part of making a lasting difference in Doris’ life and others impacted by these fires. Thank you also for being part of a larger movement to unite the local churches to pour out the love of Christ on their hurting communities over the long-term road to recovery. 

Please continue to pray that many people will find the ultimate healing that comes with a relationship with Jesus Christ. Please prayerfully consider continuing to support this valuable ministry through the Maui Response Fund.