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News
May 02 2026
by Mike McHugh
We arrived at Camp Pi’iholo at about 10PM on Wednesday night exhausted from our bus ride, multiple plane rides (complete with a short layover where we literally exited our plane and shuffled into the boarding line for our next plane at the neighboring gate), an airport tram ride, and then a rental car van ride. Oh, and we made a quick stop for a grocery pick-up so when everyone inevitably woke up at 6AM local time (which is noon Goshen time) there would be some food to eat. A feral rooster had a brief conversation with his neighbor down the road at 3AM. Thankfully their conversation didn’t last too long, so most people actually were up by 6AM. 😊
What do you do on your first day on an island that has over 30 miles of accessible beaches? You hold a class session on how the Hawaiian islands were formed and learn a bit about the struggles the natives faced when being forced to sign a treaty that eventually led to the islands’ annexation to become a US state. Ok, we did go to a beach, or two, jumped in the waves, built sand structures, and saw some sea turtles chilling on the sand. We experienced typical east island tropical weather with cooler temperatures over night and some rain, but the clouds made way for a bright sunny day until early evening when misty rain and clouds moved in, which made for lovely rainbows on the beach.
Our second day was spent learning more about Hawaii by attending a Lei Day festival at the Maui Historical Museum. Lei Day, held annually on May 1st, is a statewide celebration in Hawai’i to celebrate the aloha spirit. While the museum itself was not very large (it was a former women’s seminary in the late 19th century) it did house some historical artifacts and many friendly volunteer docents who enthusiastically shared historical stories and facts with our students.
Several students made leis and we all enjoyed some free music and hula entertainment. The vibe of the festival was a very chill mix of locals and tourists. It was a fine stop to experience some local culture and learn some history.
On our way back to camp, we visited the lovely Maui Nui Botanical garden to explore and learn about the many varieties of native and introduced plants on the islands, including sugarcane, taro, and sweet potato. When we shared with the admission attendant about what we would be doing in Lahaina, she excitedly proclaimed that she had recently heard about MDS and their work on NPR. She expressed gratitude with the same wide smile that we have been encountering with everyone that asks why we’re in town.
As I write this we are at a beautiful lavender farm to relax and give the students some time to answer their first journal prompt. Then we’ll be driving up to the Haleakala Summit and hike down the crater. Sunday will bring our time on Eastern Maui to and end as we pack up the camp and head to Lahaina for our MDS orientation. Work will begin bright and early on Monday morning!
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