My personal Maui Testimony
I will never forget my first visit to Maui. It was in May of 1986 for two weeks. I had never been to Hawaii but was always intrigued about the Islands. The beauty and peace that I felt here was so much different from my life back in Los Angeles. The population on Maui was about 85,000 then, compared to 170,000 now; almost double.
For me to live here has been a total blessing; clean air, beautiful beaches, fresh fruit, vegetables, and seafood, and wonderful people. Maui has been named #1 Island in the world many times. It is a highly sought-after destination for vacation and also for marriage There are many luxury and mid-level priced accommodations, and countless restaurants to please any palate.
After returning to Los Angeles from vacation, I actually missed Maui, and I felt deep in my spirit it was where I needed to live. I missed the peace that I felt, the ocean, the people, the fresh air, etc. I had an uncle living here and I called him and told him how I felt. Without hesitation, he told me to come on over and stay with him until I could get on my feet. I had no money, no job, and no car. There was no bus system then. If you didn’t have a car you hitchhiked or walked.
July 7, 1986 I took a flight to Maui to live for good. There were many naysayers at my job. I had a government job of 15 years, which I was quitting. They all said, Maui is so expensive, you have no money, you don’t have many friends, you have no car, there aren’t many black people there, etc. My head agreed, but my spirit and my heart ignored sound reasoning.
With a dream in my heart and the will to live a peaceful life, I have lived in Hawaii for the past 38 years as of this writing. I lived on Oahu for 5 years. I was able to get back my 15 years of Federal seniority but I had to move to Honolulu to do so. That gave me 20 years. My last 10 years of employment was on Maui as Office Manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs. That gave me 30 years and I’m now retired.
Please do yourself a favor and visit this Island Paradise. You’ll thank me! Many people visit Maui every year. Especially if they were married here. They come every year on their anniversary. Many others just come when their weather is cold (snow birds) and they come every year. I must warn you; nobody comes to Maui once!Looking forward to seeing you here.
Aloha & Mahalo,
Maui Ebony
Reggie & Viola