When you think of Hawaii, what do you think of?
White sandy beaches and shaved ice.
Sure, that is the part that you see when you are on vacation. Have you ever been to Wahiawa? You might have passed it on the way from Waikiki to the North Shore.
Diverse. Colorful. Lush. Low-income. Multicultural. Drug-ridden. Beautiful. Tough. These words describe the culturally diverse lower Wahiawa.
A few years ago, I met the team from Surfing The Nations. I had heard about them from my friends at Jedidiah. Once I met them, I knew we would become friends. They moved the headquarters for their ministry to Wahiawa and are transforming the city.
Their ministry headquarters is now located right amidst the destructive influences of strip bars, pornography stores, drugs and prostitution. Surfing The Nations already serves as a change agent through its outreach to the working poor and their families. They are actively involved in the neighborhood with everything from mentoring at-risk youth to being a friend to the homeless, drug-abusers and prostitutes.
I got an email from Tom a few months back, and he told me about his encounter with the porn shop that was right next to their building. This story is incredible. So, a few weeks later I headed there with my family and had an opportunity to speak to the community and their team inside the vacant porn shop.
The story gets better. You have to watch this video. When you are done watching the video… donate to their cause.