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A group of students, from the KS Hawai‘i, Kapālama and Maui campuses, came together for a mission trip to Kalaupapa during their fall breaks. They are, front: Māhie Kama (KSM), Makamae Nottage (KSK), Faith Kekahuna-Santos (KSM), Alyssa Pelanca (KSH), and Jrae Viela (KSM)' and back: Kylie Pastor (KSM), Elisha Fronda (KSK), Moanatea Keliiliki-Johnson (KSM), and Israel Mata (KSH).

Students reflect on a tri-campus mission trip to Kalaupapa

Nov. 9, 2015

Contributed by Pakalani Bello

While most students were able to get in some rest and relaxation from the new school year during last month’s fall break, a group of students, from all three Kamehameha Schools campuses, was able to take advantage of the time for a mission trip to Kalaupapa.

Every year, Kahu Kalani Wong leads the group of students on a four-day trip to Moloka‘i to lead Sunday worship, do some yard work, and do friendly visits with the patients that are in Kalaupapa.

Below are reflections from some of the students who went on the trip:

Alyssa Pelanca - KS Hawai‘i ‘16
“Kalaupapa was a place that I only read about and it was all bad things that were done to the lepers. So when I first heard about going to Kalaupapa I was very skeptical there was a lot I would be missing back home while I was gone; milestones for my friends that they have been waiting for their whole lives, I would be giving up my whole fall break where I am supposed to be relaxing and taking a break from work to go someplace where I would be completely out of my comfort zone. I was honestly torn on coming or staying and everyone said to go to Kalaupapa and I did and I am so thankful that I took this amazing opportunity.

“The number one misconception that I had was that it was just a negative experience for the people here and that they would be such depressed people. But every day I was here I learned something new. They people here were sad but they made the best of it, they had volleyball, and baseball their baseball team even won games against another team called ‘the invaders’ one of the people who was on that team still resides here in Kalaupapa his name is Uncle Pali. People here take pride in everything that they do. One thing that I learned was that before the patients were treated very poorly but now they are the reason why everyone is here and they are treated and respected so highly. An example we learned was that the patients have their own store and also when there where gas rations regular people had gas rations of only seven gallons a week but the patients of the place didn’t have a limit.

“As we were coming to an end of this trip I am very happy that I took this opportunity because it has changed my perspective on many things. By disconnecting from everyone else I was able to connect with the new people on this trip and with myself I was pushed past what I thought my limits to only learn that the only limits that you have are the ones that you put on yourself. Seeing how grateful the people down here are for the things we outsiders take for granted like us doing yard work for them made their day as for us we don’t think about those kinds of things to be thankful for but rather a normal thing.

“Kalaupapa has left its imprint on my heart forever. As a group we constantly talked about walls and I never really thought about how blocking walls are and how detrimental they can be if you use them in the wrong ways. In Kalaupapa, walls, to keep the people with disease away from the ’normal people,’ constantly separated people. That was a literal example we learned about walls but what I learned was to not put up walls to keep people out from your life but rather a filter where you let people in but you know when to shut off the filter to the characteristics you don’t want in your life. I want to open my heart to everyone and have the welcoming aloha spirit that the people down here have.”

Elisha Fronda - KS Kapālama ‘16
“The Kalaupapa trip was an experience that had an outcome of values, emotions, and memories that could only be made in Kalaupapa. Learning the experiences of the patients and helpers at Kalaupapa and the history that they had to go through was an eye-opening experience. Touring the different areas of Molokaʻi was breathtaking, whether it was the steep towering mountain ranges or the vast forests, the isolation made it so much more awe-inspiring.

“The fellowship of fellow believers amidst our busy lives filled with tasks and technology was rejuvenating. In the beginning I was constantly checking my phone, because it was an unconscious habit that I developed as I got hooked more and more on to technology.  After maybe 10 or so times of checking it and seeing “No Service," I tried to break this habit and it worked. Being disconnected from the outside world made me closer to my faith, my friends, and myself, which is something that I do not think would be possible in anywhere besides Kalaupapa. I have tried before to try and cut myself off from technology, but it has always been something that I keep going back to. Being isolated in Kalaupapa allowed me to take a break and this was much needed.

“Learning about the history of Kalaupapa was something that was really underrated for me when thinking of this trip. Actually being in the place that these events occurred made it hit home harder because of the hardships that they had to go through. Seeing their houses, seeing the isolation and realizing that they did not have the chance to see their family was extremely hard to imagine. Getting to spend time with friends that believe in God helped me reaffirm my own faith, and reading the book “Live to Make A Difference” helped wrap up each day and bring out the values from this trip that can be used to truly make a difference in the future.

“This trip was truly memorable and one of the most special trips that I have ever been a part of. The thing that truly makes this trip unique is the isolation and history that Kalaupapa provides compared to other places. I can feel the good mana from this place and all in all it helped strengthen my faith as well as my outlook as a human being.”

Jrae Viela - KS Maui ‘16
“Before coming here, I was really excited to just come here.  Honestly, I was just excited to see my friends from the other campuses and to go to Kalaupapa.  I wasn’t really expecting to learn a lot about anything, if anything I was expecting to learn the bear minimum.  I didn’t know much about the place before I came here, only the little things we briefly learned at school.  I was expecting Kalaupapa to be like another Keanae or Hana.  I didn’t realize how big the town was and how much people there was here.  

“But after the first day, I learned a lot; just by going to visit the historical and scenic places.  I didn’t realize how secluded it really was until I saw it in person and that gave me a better feel as to the things the patients went through.  All the people here are really sweet and made me feel so welcomed when we came here.  It’s really cute how they know we’re here and the things they did for us.   

“The one thing that I struggled with the most, in the beginning, was not having cell service.  I’m one of those typical teenagers that are always checking snapchat, Instagram, twitter, watching Netflix, texting or just keeping up with the things going on in the world.  But after the first day, I realized that I didn’t need my phone or cell service.  After bonding with the others and connecting with this place, I stopped worrying about not having service and enjoyed myself a lot more.  

“The work that we did was another story though.  At first, I was expecting to have work like the work we did in Kauaʻi.  But it was totally different.  It took A LOT more hard work and A LOT more time.  I wasn’t expecting to do that much work or to work that hard.  But once we started to work and we met the people that we were doing the work for it made it a hundred times more worth it. This made me want to work way harder than I expected and I found that I pushed beyond what I normally do. Like this year’s spiritual theme of ’E ho‘ohua mai I ka hua maika‘i; to bear good fruit,’ I beared my good fruit here at Kalaupapa by helping in the yard and spreading positive vibes.  It helped me realize what’s really important in life.   

“I’m really thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and life-changing experience; hopefully, I’ll have another chance to come to this wonderful place again.”


The aerial view of Kalaupapa on the way in gave the students an idea of the isolation the community has from the rest of the island.


Accompanying the students from all three campuses were KS Maui Kahu Kalani Wong (far right) and KS Kapālama substitute teacher Nakia Braffith (far left).


During the trip, students were able to lend a helping hand by doing some of the yard work that needs to be done in the community.


Students were able to visit the grave site of Father Damien while on the trip.


The group learned a lot about the history and current landscape of Kalaupapa with a trip to the visitor's center.


The students visited with many of the residents of Kalaupapa.


During some down time, the group got to get into the ocean.



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kapalama,keaau campus,campus,maui campus

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Kaipuolono Article, I Mua Kamehameha, Newsroom, Campus Programs, Hawaii, Kapalama, Maui

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