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Spring Break in Maui: A Trip of Compassion and Calling

by Rich Stratton, Assistant Director of Public Relations – July 18, 2025

When wildfires swept through Lahaina, Maui, in 2023, they left more than ashes behind — they left a community in mourning. However, during a recent spring break, hope arrived in the form of a team of students and faculty from Cedarville University.

When wildfires swept through Lahaina, Maui, in 2023, they left more than ashes behind — 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.

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

“I reached out to the Made In Hope ministry the Browns mentioned and learned they had enough room for our group,” Greg shared. “We slept on cots — five-star location, one-star accommodations — but it was perfect.”

That setting became the base for a week of powerful ministry. The team didn’t just come to rebuild homes or pass out supplies — the needs had shifted. Instead, they got to rebuild hearts. Through prayer, presence, and listening, the students poured into a hurting community.

“It wasn’t just physical work,” Greg said. “It was about being there — about showing the love of Christ in a place that desperately needed comfort.”

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’t always measured in walls rebuilt but in souls encouraged.

And the work isn’t finished. As Mark Brown shared, “There will be many stages of recovery — prayer, rebuilding, financial support. But God has been faithful.”

Cedarville’s team was a living testimony to that faithfulness. Through simple acts of service, they brought the message that Lahaina is not forgotten — by them or by the God who walks with them.

Learn more about this labor of love on this week’s episode of the podcast.