Category Rev. Heidi’s Blog

Disaster Healing For Caregivers Both PDA and the Board of Pensions have special funding for caregivers in times of disasters to take breaks. It is essential for the health of the community that its pastors and community leaders are staying…

Today was the day Rev. Dr. Kimberly Fong and I accompanied a fire survivor into the restricted zone of downtown Lahaina. This was where the fire in Lahaina was the most devastating, and where this fire survivor’s home was lost.…

The day began with an early morning meeting with Habitat Maui and Matt Bachman, Executive Director. He talked about the great need for volunteers to help rebuild Maui with absolutely no place to put them. Housing is in severely short…

At the heart of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance model for disaster recovery is listening. On August 8, 2023, there were multiple fires on the island of Maui, and two major fires: one in Lahaina and one in the Kula region, near…

The Maui fires in August 2023 deeply affected all of the Hawaiian islands. PDA and Pacific Presbytery met with our churches and pastors on O’ahu and Maui in person and online in the fall of 2023. We returned to ‘Oahu…

I began the morning heading into the heart of Diamond Head in Honolulu to join Rev. Edwin Gonzalez-Castillo, Director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Elder John Toillion, Elder at Mililani Presbyterian Church in a meeting with several representatives of the…