{"id":2152,"date":"2025-07-16T00:01:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T04:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/cedarville-stories\/?p=2152"},"modified":"2025-07-14T15:59:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T19:59:07","slug":"s13-e03-spring-break-in-maui-a-trip-of-compassion-and-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/cedarville-stories\/2025\/s13-e03-spring-break-in-maui-a-trip-of-compassion-and-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"S:13 E:03 | Spring Break in Maui: A Trip of Compassion and Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring Break in Maui: A Trip of Compassion and Calling<\/strong><\/p>\n

When wildfires swept through Lahaina, Maui, in 2023, they left more than ashes behind \u2014 they left a community in mourning. Homes were destroyed, lives were uprooted, and hope felt fragile. However, during a recent spring break, hope arrived in the form of a team of students and faculty from Cedarville University led by Col. (Ret.) Greg Thompson and Dr. Patrick Oliver.<\/p>\n

The idea began in a moment of connection. Greg, who had recently moved to Ohio from Hawaii, met Mark and Dawn Brown \u2014 Hawaiian parents of a Cedarville student \u2014 during Getting Started Weekend. What started as a conversation about community turned into something much bigger: an opportunity to serve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reached out to the Made In Hope ministry the Browns mentioned and learned they had enough room for our group,\u201d Greg shared. \u201cWe slept on cots \u2014 five-star location, one-star accommodations \u2014 but it was perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

That setting became the base for a week of powerful ministry. The team didn\u2019t just come to rebuild homes or pass out supplies \u2014 the needs had shifted. Instead, they got to rebuild hearts. Through prayer, presence, and listening, the students poured into a hurting community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t just physical work,\u201d Greg said. \u201cIt was about being there \u2014 about showing the love of Christ in a place that desperately needed comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n

What the team gave may seem simple, but it left a deep impact: game nights with families, worship with locals, and heartfelt conversations with those still grieving. It was a reminder that healing isn\u2019t always measured in walls rebuilt but in souls encouraged.<\/p>\n

And the work isn\u2019t finished. As Mark Brown shared, \u201cThere will be many stages of recovery \u2014 prayer, rebuilding, financial support. But God has been faithful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cedarville\u2019s team was a living testimony to that faithfulness. Through simple acts of service, they brought the message that Lahaina is not forgotten \u2014 by them or by the God who walks with them.<\/p>\n

Learn more about this labor of love on this week\u2019s episode of the Cedarville Stories<\/em> podcast.<\/p>\n