LEO 'ELELE - TRUSTEE MESSAGES

'If there is to be change
in your life, change must come from inside you…'

—Kahu Billy Mitchell, Mana Christian 'Ohana,
Easter Sunday 2009

Robert K. Lindsey, Jr. Trustee, Hawai'i

The Supreme Court of the United States has spoken. It has remanded Case No. 07-1372, STATE OF HAWAII, ET AL., PETITIONERS v. OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS, ET AL., to the Supreme Court of Hawai'i. The question was "Whether the Joint Resolution to Acknowledge the 100th Anniversary of the January 17, 1893, overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i strips the State of Hawai'i of its authority to sell lands ceded to it by the federal government until it reaches a political settlement with Native Hawaiians about the status of those lands." Our highest court from 4,000 miles away said "NO" and ruled in favor of the State of Hawai'i. Case No. 07-1372 remains a "work in progress," a continuing saga, a challenge seeking resolution. The reactions and reviews to the Court's Decision amongst our People remain mixed. For OHA the remand is a "blessing in disguise." Had the U.S. Court not remanded this case there is no telling what would have happened! The emotions amongst us run the spectrum from jubilation to despair and much between. "I care deeply" to "Ainokea" to "This is just another day in paradise."

For the past few months my focus has been Hawaiian health: mind, body, spirit. To be strong and healthy at all times. Not only when the road is smooth, but most especially when it is bumpy, when Justice is elusive and fleeting (as with Ceded Lands), when the path is paved with disappointments (losing a job, a frayed friendship, a wayward child, an unfavorable court ruling). In these difficult and trying times, being anchored to someone or something is critical and necessary to get us from a space of despair to a place of hope. Hawaiian health also includes spiritual health, the need to find "inner self, inner strength, inner peace."

Kathy and I have been attending Mana Christian 'Ohana here in Waimea for more than a year. "The tie which binds us" is that we believe in the same God, the God of Abraham and Isaac. We try to be in Church every Sunday. Our Kahu is Billy Mitchell, who has transitioned from street fighter to a warrior for God, who moved from the "dark side" to "serving Akua" after he and Jenny (his wife) almost lost their son to illness. God intervened and changed Billy's life forever and for the better. Every service is anchored in scripture, fraught with pule, music, sometimes hula, tablespoons of real-life applications. Relevance is always a Cornerstone. Billy links the Bible and its lessons of 20 centuries ago to our community and our issues of today. He applies Christian values (and Hawaiian values) to daily living in Waimea. Though the congregation is a "rainbow coalition," it is an alliance of mostly po'e Hawai'i and po'e Haole. What amazes me about Mana Christian 'Ohana is the young families, young parents, and young adults. It's a "Young Church." And for me the question is what brings young people back Sunday after Sunday? My sense is it's because Kahu makes God very relevant to their lives and because they know he believes in and cares deeply for them. One of those young people is our oldest son, Maluhia. With Kahu's help he has found Akua and has rediscovered the "goodness" within him.

At Mana Christian 'Ohana, we do not have a church bell. The Blowing of the Pū (conch shell) is our Call to Worship. Bringing a Bible and a note pad is encouraged. Former OHA Trustee Hannah Springer heralds the Day with a Bible reading in Hawaiian and English. Hannah "captures you" and takes scripture from the Old or New Testaments and weaves them into beautiful, contemporary mo'olelo. Then the Worship Team headed up by Zanga Schutte (a Hawaiian homesteader) takes over. Accompanied by five soloists, drums, guitars and keyboards, the Team will do four songs usually. Mahalo to technology. Everything is flashed up on a screen. The tempo of the music will vary, but the beat is lively, celebratory, uplifting and joyful. Blended together, we have a "Choir of Angels Singing on High." Pier Schutte (Zanga's sister-in-law) follows the music with a welcome. It never ceases to amaze me how folks from all over the country find their way to Kahilu Theatre, our Pu'uhonua in the piko of Waimea. Mana Christian 'Ohana started in the living room of the Mitchells' home. The congregation outgrew their home. Rather than investing in a building, Sunday services are held at Kahilu Theatre which comfortably seats 400. Kahu's thought is put money into people and programs, invest in the community rather than a Building (for now anyway). Announcements of special events and Blessing of the Lūlū (offering) precede "The Word (the sermon)."

At Mana Christian, a calabash sits on a table in the lobby. The offering plate is not passed around. If you want to support God's work, one does it quietly and without fanfare. Once the Lūlū is blessed, it's time for Kahu and The Word. There is nothing complicated about his sermons. He takes the Old and ties it to the New. He quotes from the Bible at will, linking whatever is being cited to real life, real time, real people, real events in our community (sometimes nationally, on rare occasion globally). Experiences we can relate to. Lessons we can benefit from. Things we can do to make our town better, our lives richer, and others' lives fuller. Quite often, he is speaking to those of us who are Hawaiian. Shake off the victim attitude. Be part of the solution. Take care of your relationship with Akua. Take kuleana for your family. Mālama our community. This Easter Sunday he said it best. "If there is to be change in your life, change has to come from inside you. If one is to be kinder and gentler one has to be kind and gentle inside oneself." Do what ONE needs to do to be healthy spiritually (as well as physically, mentally). All three components are interdependent. His is always a message of being Christ-Centered, Hope, Helping others, remaining a Church that does not judge others. And there are times when individuals will share testimonies of struggles with drugs, alcohol, relationships, getting from one day to the next and how Ke Akua and Akua's word, particularly John 3:16 and Jeremiah 29:11, as well as coaxing from Kahu has put them on a path to "life eternal" and a Second Chance at life. The singing of the Doxology and "This is the Day which the Lord has made" wraps up the service. In the shadows and always near is Jenny, Kahu's "better half." Jenny will forever and always be the "Wind beneath his Wings." Their sons Nawa (Kamanawa) and Richie and daughter La'i, her husband, Taich Chong, and Kekaha (the Mitchells' only grandchild) all help to make Mana Christian 'Ohana the family church it is.

How does the regaining of inner spirit and having a relationship with Ke Akua connect at all to Case No. 07-1372, to any Hawaiian issue, to our daily work at OHA? If one's Life is Pono, one's Life will have purpose and meaning. If one believes in Faith, Hope and Charity, much is possible. If we follow the teachings of Tūtū Pilahi Paki, teachings of Living Aloha, Lōkahi, Olu'olu, Ha'aha'a, Ahonui, finding happiness will be easy. Mana Christian 'Ohana and many Churches across our Islands are making a good difference in the lives of many of our People. They are helping to transform spaces of despair into places of hope. They are helping us at OHA to "better conditions for our people (OHA Mission)." To Kahu Billy, Jenny, the Mitchell family, the staff and members of Mana Christian 'Ohana, mahalo for all that you do. "Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono."