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When people around the world talk about Hawaii vacations, Maui is a very famous subject. Kahului, Kihei, Wailea, Lahaina, Napili, and of course expensive but beautiful Kapaloa – a lot of people have heard of these places. At the end of Maui’s Honoapi’ilani Highway right before mile marker 16, the road begins to narrow and there is a village called Kahakaloa Village. It is not among the famous places of Maui, not usually advertised as a tourist attraction as beautiful as it is. But as unheard of as it is, the Faithful Stewards Hawaii conducted their 2008 Annual Youth Camp there in a house owned by “Uncle Joe” – who blessed the FS Hawaii by allowing them to use his house and property for the camp. Kahakaloa is a very small and isolated village that is home of a few people including “Uncle Joe” and his wife. With the stream that originates from the mountain and ending at the mouth of the Pacific Ocean running through the village, the sounds of the beautiful mountain, fruit-trees at your fingertips, taro patches and vegetables within reach, Kahakaloa Village was a perfect place for the FS Annual Camp . The absence of Internet connectivity and cell phone reception offered the youth total focus on camp activities.
Through the leadership of Brother Jason, Sister Grace, and Brother Rodel of Maui International Christian Fellowship, the camp began with “Ice Breakers" and followed by activities that focused on spiritual growth and group-building. Messages and exhortations by the youth camp’s speakers offered insights that would help the youth go through the different stages in their pathway to adulthood and Christian maturity. Behind the scenes were adults from the local churches of Maui and Oahu who prepared the meals and snacks. The final service of the youth camp was different from the other services. The night service started with youth breaking up in groups of twos. Each member of every group prayed for the other member. As the youth continued on with praise and worship, the presence of the Holy Spirit swept through the beautiful night like a strong wind. It began with a word from the Lord through interpretation of tongues. The Lord said, “I will fill you with the presence of the Holy Ghost.” As Sister Zeny, Sister Grace, and Brother Noel prayed for each individual youth, God filled the youth with the presence of His Holy Spirit. While others spoke in tongues, others cried their hearts out to the Lord. Brother Noel said, “The sight of the youth getting filled with the Holy Spirit was amazing and encouraging. For me, that was the highlight of the convention. I know for sure that this experience will always be with them for the rest of their lives wherever they will be. Even to this day, I think about that night and I get goose bumps.”
It was indeed an experience that the youth from Oahu and Maui will carry with them forever. Ralph Pastor says, “At first I did not really expect much. When we got to the camp, I noticed that the place was not really a camp site but it was good not to have cell phone reception. It was good to be secluded and just focus on God. Getting to know the youth from Maui was good. We broke out into groups of twos and we prayed for one another. My prayer partner was Jason from Maui. Again, I did not expect much until the last night. We first started getting to know each other and Jason asked me what I wanted most from God. It took me a while to answer but when I finally did I said ‘To be closer to God.’ We prayed together and from there I could feel the Holy Spirit as we got into Praise and Worship. It was the first time I ever felt like that. It’s hard to explain. I never understood what people meant when they say you have to surrender yourself to God. I surrendered everything. It started with my legs shaking but what I felt inside is difficult to explain. Surely, that was the highlight of the trip.” Reyna Diocares says, “It was nice getting to know the youth from Maui knowing how we may be so different from them. The camp made us one.” Other youth found enjoyment with the other youth. Joshua Pastor says, “Eric Molina was my prayer partner but although I prayed for him, he never said anything about me. I did not get much sleep because I had to sleep next to Randall and he snored really loud. Pastor Elie kicked my behind in horseshoe. It was a good experience.”
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