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Kona Church of God, Kona Church of the Nazarene, Kona Coast Chaplaincy, Kona Gospel
<br />Chapel, Lanakila Congregational Church, Life Church, Mokuaikaua Congregational Church, the
<br />oldest church in Hawai`i, also Solid Rock Ministries, University of the Nations, the Lutheran
<br />Church of the Holy Trinity, Salvation Army, Sunlight Ministry of South Kona, Assembly of
<br />God, and the Tongan Church, and Thy Word Ministries. Every church represented were in total
<br />unanimous favor for something like this for the same reasons, seeing what it could do to help the
<br />children in our community. We think it’s a wonderful experience for kids to be able to go to
<br />these kinds of things, so we’re in full support.
<br />ALAMEDA:Thank you, sir. Any questions for Mr. Manzo? Seeing none, thank you.
<br />Sir, could you state your name and address for the record?
<br />BEATTY:I’m Michael Beatty. My address is my church address, 75-5713 Ali`i
<br />Drive in Kailua-Kona. I’m representing the youths of Kona; and we also have some other youths
<br />here. For the Hawaiian aspect, it is the oldest church. My wife is 75 percent Hawaiian so we
<br />understand the customs and values that Hawaiians place on the land. I rarely come out to speak
<br />in public but my heart is with the youths, our youths that come to the youth group at
<br />Mokuaikaua. It’s open to the community so we have youths coming from all different cultures
<br />and life each week to be able to have fellowship, community with each other and all. And so my
<br />concern has always been that the Big Island has never had sufficient number of camp sites for
<br />youths to go to. I have been in youth ministry for 31 years and those 31 years have been at
<br />Mokuaikaua Church. Earlier on in the youth ministry it was fairly easy to be able to call up the
<br />County or the State and get a place to camp, have retreats and learning centers, and things. More
<br />recent in the last 10 years, it has been mostly impossible. We’ve had to cancel, reroute our
<br />schedules. And even rerouting our schedules, there still has not been sufficient areas to hold
<br />these things. And so most of our stuff is held at Mokuaikaua Church because we don’t have the
<br />facilities on this island; and it’s really a shame, and that’s why I came. Because when I heard
<br />that there was a couple that was willing to open up their property to camp sites, I’m 100 percent
<br />in favor of that. And for anybody speaking out because of the land use, I am really upset
<br />because I see these multi-mega golf courses going in and, you know, I think we have more than
<br />enough. But we really need some camp sites; and if that means that the Sullivans are willing to
<br />open up their land to a camp site, we are so much for that. Our youths in talking to them
<br />Monday night, they’re in favor of going out and doing whatever it takes to make that camp site
<br />happen.
<br />ALAMEDA:Thank you. Thank you, Mike. Any question for Mr. Beatty? Seeing
<br />none, thank you. All right, can you state your name and address for the record?
<br />DIAZ:My name is Jovani Irizarry-Diaz, and my address is 74-977 Manawalea
<br />Street. And I’m with his youth group, and I came because this camp could be good for a lot of
<br />people like my age. ‘Cause I go to school where there is like kids fighting and smoking and
<br />stuff; and this would give them like something to do instead of doing all the things that can hurt
<br />their bodies. And the kids at our school, they talk about how they go camping with their
<br />families; and it could bring their families together with their kids so they can get to do
<br />something. And we have a lot of people at our youth group that think the same thing, that this
<br />would help like a lot of kids from all the other different churches too, ‘cause, like all, every time
<br />we try to get a camp, it’s always like booked or they always like take them all. So that’s why,
<br />yeah.
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