Aloha Alive: The Dawn O'Brien Podcast
Why Aloha? the whole world knows what aloha is--love in Hawai'i--but better to ask WHY ALOHA? the answer is as essential as breath & as fun as whistling, so LET'S GO!
Aloha Alive: The Dawn O'Brien Podcast
E22 Who Has Aloha for Prisoners' Kids? Camp Agape Hawaii
An ex-con-turned-pastor shares how a free camp helps children of prisoners. It's a simple formula of trust, forgiveness, & love that helps kids to rebuild. From baptisms behind bars, to Angel Tree gifts & weekly mentoring--children, prisoners & entire families are transformed. AGAPE IS REAL!
• Why Camp Agape? And who we serve?
• Pastor Roy’s story: From a double life sentence to Bible Man
• Giving camp kids a friend for all times, even after camp/church
• How to stay clean, sober & free? Scripture & Support
• Funding, community partners, & global impact
• Aloha heroes who keep Agape ALIVE!
You can donate to help us host the next Camp Agape: www.campagapehawaii.com
May God bless you 100X! Agape Always WINS!
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Aloha and welcome to Aloha Alive. I'm Auntie Dawn O'Brien, and one of my favorite things in the world to do is to be with Camp Agape Keiki. With me today is the director, the founder, and the pastor of Camp Agape. It's Brother Roy Yamamoto. Chee! Thank you. Thank you for coming, Brother Roy.
SPEAKER_01:Listen to be here.
SPEAKER_00:Now, first off, tell us what is Camp Agape.
SPEAKER_01:Well, Camp Agape is a special camp for the children of Incarcerated. We try to reach out to all the children here on the state of Hawaii, and we invite them to this free four-day camp. And a camp is agape. Agape is God's unconditional love, his highest form of love, his sacrificial love. And that's our heart is to bring the children to the camp and allow them to feel that unconditional love that the Father loves them so much. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's so interesting to me that you thought of taking them to camp. Can I get straight to the why would you want to take them camping in Hawaii?
SPEAKER_01:You know what happened at first, you know, when I got out and started ministry, we started doing like Angel Tree Christmas events, then we started to do big Easter events with like 5,000 people and was good, but it was a one-day event. All of them, you know, a lot of them accepted the Lord at this evangelistic event, but God put in our heart that, you know what, uh to really reach them, we we gotta do more. Yeah. So God, uh, you know, praying, God said to do a camp. So we actually flew to the mainland and and visited some camps and came back, prayed, and God gave us a vision to do this four-day camp where we could invest into the kids, let them uh, let them know that man, they're loved, and let them forgive. And not only that, you know, in that four days be able to share the gospel and see all the children uh except Jesus. Children that would never ever go to a camp, never go to a church or a youth ministry or Christian concert. But God uh uh made it where the the parents in prison see the videos when we bring it into prison, they get so touch and all of them, you know, like the Bible says, you know, even a wicked man knows how to give good gifts to their children. That's right. When they see this, they they want the best for their children, so they all sign up their kids and and you know we get to bless them and bring them. But you know, for for the last 20 years, almost every single child that came for the first time accepted Jesus. Most of them, you know, most every one of them. So it was it's a blessing, you know. We know that we get to be doing something that Jesus would be doing, and it's his heart and his desire for us to do this for them.
SPEAKER_00:Pastor Roy, it's a massive miracle. I've been with you for many of the years. You've now done this. 20 years, that's right, because Shawnee was a little baby when we started, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we we we had to miss like two years for the pandemic, but we still was doing big outreaches for the families. But yeah, uh 20 years getting old.
SPEAKER_00:But it is so amazing when I watch those hands go up on the last day. And it used to, we used to have it every year on Labor Day, and I would joke around that heaven was laboring because that's when the baby Christians were born on Labor Day. But it is so neat to see their little hands reaching up, you know, and many of them. Um, I know that we usually say it's supposed to be seven to eighteen years of age, and then um the person who breaks the rule is Pastor Roy, who gets them in when they're a little bit younger than our seven-year guidelines, seven years old. Sometimes we've had a six-year-old or even a five-year-old. And um, it's just your heart of compassion for our Keiki. Thank you. Now, just to clarify, in case there's someone watching, because we do get some people watching from the continent, United States, or from around the world, you said when you got out. What did you mean by that? Because right now you look like a perfect um pastor, but what did you mean when you said you got out?
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know, because of my past, I was in prison and you know, and because of the drugs and the crime and the violence, I actually got to a point where I was doing life in prison. And I remember my lawyer coming to me and saying that, Roy, you know, uh state is gonna put you away for life, 40 years to life as a career criminal. And I said, What is a career criminal? But he said to me that, you know what, they're gonna give you 40 years and they're gonna stack another 40. At my age at that time, that's life in prison. And I got so scared, you know, I got so scared that, you know, I went and was going through so much depression, but you know, a roommate invited me to a Bible study and I went to that first Bible study and there was this different spirit there, different look in everyone's eyes. And after the study they asked if I wanted to accept Jesus, and I did. I I said yes, they led me through the sinner's prayer. And and uh when I said amen, there was just uncontrollable tears coming down from my eyes, and God made me to be a new person. And you know, he he started to read the Bible when I went into prison. I was so ashamed because I couldn't even read a comic book, but you know, my friend taught me to read through reading the Bible and the Holy Spirit and God, the helper, taught me how to read and and you know, it just started to bring so much faith into myself, and you know, God showed me that my life never didn't end, it just began. Wow, went to court and a miracle happened. They cut me free from doing this life in prison, you know. Right. And only only God could have done that. Prayed for a Christian judge when I went to court and and went to court and this guy dropped my charge. And I remember being out a couple weeks later and went to a church, no hope, and I was sitting in the back, and this guy shared his testimony, and he said his name was Judge Alanahu. I realized that was a judge who cut me free from doing the life in prison. You know, and we became good friends and started ministry. So, you know, I just want everyone to know that no matter what, and no matter what, God is in control of everything and how powerful in prayer is.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And and God did answer my prayer and did a miracle, and that's why God put in my heart to start this camp. Wow, you know.
SPEAKER_00:Was there an experience in prison where you were exposed to um like angel tree? Like how did you know that this existed?
SPEAKER_01:What happened was when I was in prison, uh, the angel tree came around, filled out this application to get a gift for my daughter, you know, because I couldn't see my daughter or talk to my daughter, and and you know what? This Christian uh church came and gave a gift to my daughter, you know, for Christmas. And you know what? My daughter told me after that that was the most precious gift she ever got. She had all kinds of gifts, but the little honour, the little turt, you know, turtle stuff animal that she got, she said was the most precious one, you know, because was from you. And it made her, that was the first time she had hope that that was gonna change, because oh my gosh, a Christian, you come in and giving this on behalf of my dad, and there's hope for my dad. And so, you know, we always share our testimony together how you know, just that simple gift of of you know, of love uh uh was given to her that gave her hope. Yeah, so beautiful. So we get to share all the time together about that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's the seed that was planted, and I love Kristen, and she's now grown, that she's married, and we're praying that they are as they are starting their own ohana, right? But brother Roy, that's beautiful. That that is what brought a vision because the Bible says that people perish for lack of vision, and God planted a seed of a vision that's now become you are the pastor over Agape Christian Fellowship, which is your church, along with the other brothers who are pastors there, and and your beautiful wife, sister Char, one of my dearest sisters and friends. You also have out of that camp agape, and then the third portion of that is uh it's the agape prison outreach, right? Wow.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, uh you know when God cut me free, he put the scripture in my heart, he was 133. Remember the prisoners if you go there, fellow prisoner or those who are mistreated as you yourself are suffering. And he said, You live by this. Because it's only by God's grace that God let me go. And I would n could never forget about the brothers and I know how important it is for their kids. Because when I was in prison, you know, uh my my daughter suffered a lot too, you know, about the shame. And so God says, you know, this is your mission. Yeah. You know, and that's how He gave us a vision to do the prison reach, you know, ministry to outreaches and the camps and everything that we do for the children of incarcerated and uh and they incarcerated.
SPEAKER_00:It's like a full package, full service, because you're still serving the families, you're serving the those who are in prison currently, and then those who come out have a church where they feel very loved and accepted, right? Yeah. I've been there when I see ex-inmates walk in and we've ministered inside both the women's uh prison as well as the other prisons here on the island. We even flew to uh Arizona, we went to Sawaro there, but they have a place to come home where they feel very comfortable at Agape Christian Fellowship. Thank you for sharing the short version of your testimony. Brother Roy has one of the most powerful testimonies you've ever seen or heard. And I know that even um to this day, I think it's still true. Trumor rumor, Brother Roy, that if you cross, um, there are certain states where if you cross the state line and they get you, you're gonna be in for life, right? And he even had another trumor rumor, I'm pretty sure it's true, uh, two life sentences on your head, as you just shared. And he had gotten busted out of prison by two different federal judges who both minister. Now, you mentioned Pastor Elwyn Ahu, who is at Metro Christian Fellowship, but also Judge Mike Town. And then they ministered at his wedding, where they said, Um, we now commit you to a life sentence with this beautiful woman.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, they gave me the chain gang, you know.
SPEAKER_00:No, she is, and we love you dearly, sister Charlotte.
SPEAKER_01:I think God could do that, right? Give you two judges, one that cut you free, got reappealed again, prayed for another Christian judge, and went to court. Uh my third appeal, they really wanted to put me away, and and this judge cut me free. And both of them did my wedding, and both of them do the camps with us. Help me start the camp, and they come and share at the camp together our testimonies. So, like I said, there's nothing impossible with God, you know, he's able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever dare to ask a hope.
SPEAKER_00:You know, men pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing. So if you're watching this family of God, and either you yourself are incarcerated or you are family who has somebody in prison and you hear Brother Roy's story, God can, he is a God of all things possible. And if he could break Roy out of a double life sentence using two federal judges, he can do God's God can work for you, right, Brother Roy?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, there's nothing impossible with the Lord. I mean, you know, talking about big being breaked out of prison, that was that was it, you know. They they appealed my case and and only God could obliged and confuse the parole board and uh actually release me from prison. Hallelujah. Uh without I you know they appealed my case, I wasn't supposed to, but like I said, there is no door that God cannot open.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. That's right. And not only did you get saved, but Brother Roy, I love watching your daughter testify at every single camp. She and her husband John come, and then um you've now married Sister Char and then her son Shawnee, who is your son, right? It's it's kind of like in the Bible when we see when Peter got busted out of prison, and then the the prison warden gets saved, his whole family gets saved. God sets you free, not just because he wants you to be set free, but he's setting free generations and nations. Now, a big part of that work, brother Roy, I watch is with the children. I remember showing up one year and there were, and and Sister Shar confirmed this for me, that this last camp, a lot, unfortunately, a lot of the children who sign up and come to camp are from the West Side. Unfortunately, a lot of them are either of Hawaiian descent or also Samoan Tongan. We have a lot of our native Polynesian people being incarcerated, but the change in their lives, because remember um Nancy Fluger saw a bunch of kids, they were hammer scrapping, they were already making trouble, right? Making problems. And she said, Donald Bryan, can you get over there and talk to those large um troublemakers? She didn't quite say it that way, but I'm getting real quick to the point. And I love you, Nancy Fluger, one of our great faithful supporters. And I said, Could you please pick somebody else like anybody else? Why is it me? And she goes, No, well, I just feel like you could minister to them. So I went over there, Brother Roy, and um I there was five or six girls from Y and I, big Hawaiian girls, Hawaiian someone, and we ended up talking, we ended up praying, and that was the first day Friday. We usually start Camp Agape on a Friday. They roll in, right? And then by Monday morning, every single one of those girls had given their lives to the Lord Jesus. There was a noticeable difference. I'm not just making this up. God is my witness. You're gonna watch the video when we get home or to heaven, whatever the media is upstairs. And then one of the girls, Kiana, still, I still see her to this day. She works in town. I live here in Kalihi and she always alohas me. And um, I just thank God for Jesus and for Camp Agape because I have seen that's just one of the kids, Brother Roy. Because normally we have about 150 to 200 kids at each year's camp at Camp Agape. Now, could you describe that? What we come in for a four-day free camp, completely free. There's the four-letter F word. The devil doesn't want you to hear. It's free. You don't have to pay money, family. You sign your kids up. Here's the website, it's gonna come up on the screen. Thank you to Uncle Clint, who works at Camp Agape and he's video editor. But it's uh, I believe it's campagapehawaii.org, but we'll put up the right one there for you. What does it look like from Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, Brother Roy?
SPEAKER_01:You know, it it's so exciting every time we do the camp because we know what God's gonna do. But you know, when the kids come at first, it it's just uh it's so funny because they're mad. Oh, it's forced to come to this camp. They come swearing, screaming, yes, giving us the bird and and and fighting, and and and just so mad. But you know, God is so good, he gave us a vision how to plan this camp and and how to do every theme of the camps. You know, like the first day is trust. They're having so hard time trust because they've been let down so much. So we make it the first day of trust, and we have events that make them break down the wall, you know, with the rocket dodgeball with the bratas, you know. We just, you know, you give them a little bit, you know, and let them to know, hey, it's okay for you to drop down the walls. Yeah. And on Saturday, we have the theme of love, and what we do first thing in the morning, we teach them how to journal. Yes. Get in the word of God for the first time.
SPEAKER_02:It's so powerful.
SPEAKER_01:So unreal. And then we we take them, load them up in the bus, we take them to Malika Hana, and God set this up right in a way that men uh we take them horseback riding, they do devotions and arts and craft, and on the other side of the right down, right on the other side, down the road, right across the street, we do a surf-free surf uh meet for the kids, teach the kids how to surf, and you know, s they just feel so loved, you know. Nobody ever talked taught them how to surf or they feel so loved, they come back. We have uh, you know, message about love, and you know, the third day you get more intentional, we um have a theme of forgiveness, and that's one that all of them uh struggle with the most, you know, the unforgiveness being hurt, how people hurt them so much, how the f like my my daughter, how I abandoned her, you know, for her whole life. And and so it's uh but you know, we really uh push that theme of forgiveness, let them know, you know what, if if God can forgive you, there's none that you can and they learn how to forgive. They learn how to forgive and they get set free. And and it's just a big miracle. But then the last day we have uh the theme of prayer and hope. And you know, we share, me and the judges come up, share testimony, and we have all the ex-inmates come up and and share, and and then um my daughter, and then we do an autocall, and we see all the kids, all of them just accepting Jesus, you know, and and you know, all of them accepting the Lord, and and it's so so powerful because if God came the next day, we all would be in heaven. But you know, uh right after their they accept the Lord, we do an open prayer time for them, and they all come up and we get to pray, you know, for the situation for their mom or dad, or you know, that God will go into the prison and and bring their parents to their knees and bring them back into the kingdom, you know. So it's a blessing, you know.
SPEAKER_00:It's so much excitement, and as you were saying, Brother Roy, it they just love it. These kids get so excited because no one's taken the time to play dodgeball sometimes. The parents are working, you're in a single parent family, or it's the grandparents raising them. No, you know, maybe they didn't have the resources or money to go learn how to ride horse or to go outside and do archery or to go surfing and then have a surf meet. Where this last year, um, I think it was Joel Centario is a professional surfer. He donated prizes for all the kids. Literally, I'm the MC. And I turn and Brother Roy goes, Non every child won a prize today. And I look and I go, Okay, that's gonna take a lot of time to drag up 160 kids. And I go, You're kidding me. You're you're I'm being punked right now. Where's the candid camera? I'm I'm old enough to remember that. And he goes, No, Literally, uh, Joel gave us enough for all the kids, and we thank God for those sponsors who really buy in. Yeah, Brother Roy, because every kid does want a prize and they love going home with those things. But the biggest thing for me, not just the excitement we see in their eyes, it's watching them do devotions, Brother Roy.
SPEAKER_01:It's amazing because you know it's unbelievable. Only God could do something like this. And on the very first day, teach a child how to get in God's word, how to do their soap, you know, the scripture observation, application, and prayer, and they yes. But to see kids for their very first time doing this and and volunteering, coming up to the stage and start sharing. I mean, you look at that and you just say, only God. Yes, you know, only God could do something like that. And when you hear their heart and the message that God gave them, it's just, oh my gosh, it's unbelievable.
SPEAKER_00:And you follow a simple um guideline, it's the soapy, which is scripture observation, application, prayer, and yes. Yes. And you know, I remember, I'm old enough to remember Brother Roy. We were using another um devotional, you can buy them anywhere. But when I went to the local prison and I asked them, because they have jobs inside our prison to be, and I said, Oh, I work with Brother Roy and Camp Agape, and we want to do a Bible devotional for the our our children, they got so excited because some of those prisoners, that's their children. And they gave us the most cut rate steel deal price because it was Camp Agape, but you still use those devotionals, the Campagape.
SPEAKER_01:And you know what? Like you remember we went to the prison, and the awesome part about it is teaching them to feed themselves. Like the children, we cannot be there every day for them. But if we teach them how to get in a word, and you know, then the shepherd can feed them. Amen. And the awesome part about it is what you know what we teach them, we go into prison, teach the the dads, and we've been slap supplying uh journals for the prisons for you know for ages. Yes. And and but the thing is, you know, when when the when the dads or moms are s journaling on the same scripture, hearing the word of God the same way, praying the same thing, and and the kids are doing the same. And you know, the best gift they get is you know what, when I told the guys in prison, best thing gift you can give to your child is, you know what, rip out your journal, rip out some pages and and of your favorite one and write a letter and send it to them. And I tell you something, though that will bless them more than any prison, you know, could knowing how God is changing their lives, but to bring that unity, uh, no matter how far apart they are, to uh be hearing God the same way, learning the same, you know, that's a big blessing.
SPEAKER_00:And literally on the same page in the Bible, and we've heard some of the kids come back, and uh a young boy I remember was reading the Bible during his phone call with his dad, and the dad was sharing his devotion right back. That's and through tears, and this was like he was under the age of 10. Yeah, and so thank you for equipping the children with the word of God. And and recently, this last year, we had a young girl who came for the first time. She is from the West Side, and you know who I'm talking about, and she goes to a middle school at that time. She's now high school, but last year she was middle school. She learned how to do the devotions. She was courageous enough to come read her devotion on Monday. And I saw her the next day, Tuesday in school, because I'm part of that school. She got up at the end of their eighth grade graduation and she said, Everybody, they had open mic time, everybody be quiet. I I have to tell you this beautiful thing that I did this weekend was Campa Agape, and I'm gonna read you my devotions. Everybody be quiet, because you know she's kind of ta-da-e. So um everybody did, Roy, in this big public school, you know, eighth grade cafeteria, super noisy, everyone went silent, and that's God. And then she read S-O-A-P-Y. She read her scripture, her observation, and then she said, Now let's pray. You Roy, I'm sitting there, I've preached in churches all around the world, all around the state of Hawaii. I've never been, I don't think, that bold. She made them all bow their heads and their hearts. And I was filming it and I turned around, you can see it. People were saying amen. They love the prayer and they cheered so loud when she was done.
SPEAKER_01:I've seen the video that you sent of that. It was just amazing because when she said amen, the whole the whole school said amen together and was cheering was yeah, it was amazing.
SPEAKER_00:We're so proud of you, Sarah, and she's still part of the leadership. I know Sister Shar picks her up and they're serving together. So thank you for doing that, Roy, because as you said, they come kicking and screaming on Friday of camp, a four-day camp. And by Monday, brah, they don't want to get on the bus. They don't some of them don't want to go home. And we love you families who are raising our kids, but some of them, um, because of their home situation and because they felt so much agape, aloha, unconditional love, they want to stay, but uh, we have to send them home. So, as you said, Roy, we equip them with the Holy Spirit who is closer than a brother to go with them always. I love that. Now we are gonna do the camp again. It's once a year, right, Brother Roy. We also have um every Saturday, you can go to church at Agape Christian Fellowship and you do many outreaches to the prisons. We can sign up. Can they sign up and it's free?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's free. And then we have uh every Wednesday uh junior uh mentorship program that all the kids come and and you you were doing that. You had the biggest group, you know. God is good. But you know, every Thursday we have about 25 to 30 kids come every Wednesday from the camp. That's huge. You know, they learn how to be leaders, how they can bring comfort and and and really share, you know, God's love with the new kids coming up to camp next year. I mean, just coming up year. So uh it's amazing, and just that full circle uh uh ministry, seeing kids that came to the camp way back, but you know, now actually when she was a little kid, but now actually we is hired to do the lead the junior mentorship program to the rest of the kids. So God is just doing a full circle ministry. It's just a wonderful blessing. Uh just to see the miracles. See all these kids come and and you know how they come and they learn leadership and they they actually run the church now. Yes, you know, they do like the video eating, they run all the tech boot and PowerPoints online. I mean, the song, the worship, right? And you know, the the heart of it is to, you know, video bring these videos to the prison and allow them to minister to their parents, yeah. You know, evangelize to their parents and say, Man, you gotta make a change, you know. And that's the most powerful thing we can do in the prisons, you know.
SPEAKER_00:And I've been with you, Roy, even in Sawaro, we've even ministered to some of the modules that are the hardest core prisoners, the hardest prisoners in the state of Hawaii, and watching their faces as they see the video of their children leading worship or helping a smaller child, five or six-year-old, do their devotions. These men crack. And and normally they never show emotion, right? I I've never been in prison myself other than ministry, but I imagine that that's something that would be shameful or show vulnerability, right? That you don't do that in prison. These men crack.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that was uh it's amazing. Like I, you know, we do the camp, but God brings the camp into prison. And you know, when the inmates, when the guys got me, you you were there, you seen the guys come in there so hard. Talking about kids being hard, this guy's a hard, and you know, they they cannot smile, they cannot clap because they're gang leaders and the gangs all sitting next to them, and they come in hard. But you know, but then as we share in the camp of kids share and the ex-mates and how God made this, you know, program to really break down the walls. But at the end, when we show the video and we do an auto-call, you see all the the gang, the head gang leaders, the head shot callers for the Uso gang, accepting Jesus and and and going to the warden and and renouncing the gang affiliation, you know. It's amazing. And just uh unruh what you know how God is using the kids to evangelize, minister to them, and and how God is using them to come out and minister to them at the camps. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:The spirit, the Holy Spirit comes through like a rowling wind. And what is that verse, Brother Roy? Help me, it's slipping my mind. Micah, where you say the hearts of the fathers.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's uh, you know, returning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children back to the fathers, and that's what you know the camp is all about and the ministry is all about, is returning them. And I mean, you we've been there, you remember, at the camp, we're having like about 70 exammates there serving, you know, and and helping with the logistics and and being that you know that testimony that you know what, there is hope, you know. A lot of kids come to the camp and say, Well, yeah, the God did that for them, but my dad doing life in prison. But when our guys go up and say, you know, I just did a life sentence and I got out and I got remarried and I got you know my daughter back and they they look at that like putting their fingers in the the the hope, the piercing you know the holes of Jesus, you know, like Daughter and Thomas and say, you know what, there is hope. Yes, there is. And that's that's a blessing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, especially when the ex-inmates at camp on that last day, I believe it's Monday, they do a sign dance, right? Yeah and when the kids are watching that, you can see a lot of the um the walls in their hearts and the spiritual obstructions begin to crumble, and they do, they get hope. That is such a refreshing feeling for a child that has lived in darkness of hopelessness. So thank you again, brother Roy. Um, and I love that scripture out of Micah that says, as you just repeated, the hearts of the fathers will return to their sons and daughters, and the hearts of the sons and daughters return to their dads and moms, even if they're in a cell in prison, they have been set free.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. You know, oftentimes at the camps after we pray to accept the Lord, uh, we have them stretch out their hands towards the prisons, you know. And we pray and we, you know, ask for forgiveness and have them ask for forgiveness, and and we'll go into prisons and do that to the fathers and the moms, you know.
SPEAKER_00:Amen.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you, Brother Roy. Now, I want to pivot just a little bit. One of the things that I discovered as I was working alongside you and Sister Char at Agape Christian Fellowship was, and I was doing research because we were putting out magazines at that time and really trying to track funding, funding or donations. Um, as generous as the people of Hawaii really are and have been for the tw past 20 years, it's gotten to a point where there is a real strain, right? We have a lot of local people who are moving out of the state of Hawaii because we have the highest cost of living, highest taxes. You have a lot of churches who are already on the brink of um not having enough for their own ministries. And then when we go in and ask, because I've been on the tour with you asking for funds, and it gets hard. So um, we were doing these magazines, and as I did the research for that, it shows that one of the highest rates of incarceration for a people group is our people in Hawaii. Yeah, it's the native Polynesians. So unfortunately, that's Hawaiians, Samoans, Tongans, and the new group is the Micronesians. There's a lot of gang activity, and and you were very brief about your story. But um, Roy, you used to be one of the biggest drug runners here on the leeward coast of Oahu. You're public about that, so I'm not I'm not sharing something he doesn't already see. Re-indict me in sorry, brother Roy. Um, but uh we see this coming up and we have to deal with it. I I brought you on here, brother, because I fully believe in what you folks do. No one at Camp Agape, first and foremost, is making a bunch of money. If you look at um the operational costs, uh, like there's charitynavigator.com where you go look up charities to see how much of the overhead uh or donation goes to overhead. So say you have a hundred cents in a dollar and you're like, wait a minute, 95 cents out of every dollar goes to paying the pastor and the staff. And that's not true of Camp Agape. When you give to Camp Agape, most all of that goes straight to the kids. But you folks do donate your time, your home, a lot of your own funds to go into this. I think the only person on staff is uh Kavae. Kavai. Thank you, Kawaii and Justin and their little baby. And Kawaii is a little girl who grew up through Camp Agape and got her education thanks to Kahu Kiha helping her. But she also a child who has a parent who was in prison. But all of this to say, and here's where the pivot is coming, brother Roy. Please give generously to Camp Agape. But here's where I'm gonna ask you how did you stay out of prison? Because a lot of people watching right now, and Hawaii does have an issue with our people going to prison. What is your secret, brother? Because at one point, even this is how particular Pastor Roy is. Um, Roy, you had to have surgery. I think it was on your knee, and you didn't even allow them to minister. I think it was um a type of drug so that they would knock you out. You stayed up for a whole week in the hospital because he would not take drugs because he didn't want to risk becoming an addict again. How does a man who used to be a complete addict and a massive prisoner, drug runner, stay out of prison and drugs? How did you do that?
SPEAKER_01:You know, the only way I stayed out, I mean, I've been on a lot of task forces and rehabilitation and and different groups, but you know what, always come down to it. I mean, it was three out of four people that come out of prison go back to received as a rate, but you know, something uh the people that stayed out uh were the people that um were in the Word of God. Like we teach the guys how to do the devotions, continue doing that, and and being around the right environment. That's why, you know our our church is all like XMAs. There's a support group for all the people that come out of prison and you know, just being around the right people. But the thing is, if, you know, there's not a there's nothing that I've ever seen that help people stay out because you know, they they end up falling, might be a you know, not at first, but they have a bad day or something happens and you see even you know people going back. But the thing is, is you gotta have Jesus in your heart. You have to be in the Word of God and and you gotta you gotta um be around the right the right people, you know, what you sow you're gonna reap. And if you hang around with the wrong people, you know, eventually you're going back in prison. So so we, you know, thank the Lord, you know, God, Gayahigashi helped me start my first ministry when I got out of prison new start, and New Hope is actually doing it now. They took over, but you know, it was for the XMA, people struggling with drugs and alcohol. But all the people who helped me start that ministry, the same people are out there helping me still today and still out with it. They all got good jobs, families, retired, you know. So I I mean I've been involved this for a while, and I know the only way to stay out gonna be Jesus.
SPEAKER_02:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:You know, and keeping your eyes on him, like Peter when Jesus said step out of the boat, step in feet, when he had his eyes on on Jesus, he walked on water. But the minute he took his eyes off the Lord, he ended up sinking. And same thing with people that come out of prison or you know, if they keep their eyes on Jesus, they're gonna be able to walk and tread upon their past, the strongholds, the drugs, the addictions, you know, and and other hurts. Um but if they take their eyes off the Lord, you know, they end up sinking, going back into prison. Yeah, you know, it's like the soaring of the seeds, you know. Yes. Either you're gonna come and get the hundred percent, you know, or you're gonna end up going back, you know, for the different soils. So planting the word of God in your heart is the key of staying out of prison.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, you know, and and you live that, Roy. I've seen you do your devotions faithfully, you cling to it like a drowning man clinging to a lifesaver or to a lifeguard, and that lifeguard is Jesus. I've even heard you say it this way, and I just used it last week I was sharing with you that you keep the word of God closer than your clothes. Yeah. Is that true?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you know, when I got out, you know, Pastor Borges told me that really when you get out, you keep Jesus as close as the clothes you wear on your body. Because the devil gonna be out there like a parent line, gonna do anything and everything to get you back. Yes, you know, and and the temptation is so great. But you know something when you keep Jesus, like I said, as close as the clothes that you wear on your body, you know, you put on that spiritual protection and you'll be able to come out, stay out, and and and be a father, a mother, you know, to your children. So uh it's so important. There's nothing else that works. I I've been I've been involved with this for a long time. There you can go to program, AA programs, you can do this, but you know, for the long run, yeah. You gotta have Jesus and you gotta keep Jesus.
SPEAKER_00:That's so good. And how many years have you been out and and sober?
SPEAKER_01:So I've been like, man, must be like 30 years already.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, and you're only 21, Roy.
SPEAKER_01:You know, it's no, it's been a while, Roy.
SPEAKER_00:Because I remember when you got out. I remember I remember the article. I remember the picture of you standing with all those people praying for you when you got out of when you broke free from prison and your double life sentence. Yeah. So it really had to be like, I think it was the ear the late 90s, right? Or early 2000s. And this is 2025 when we're filming, so 30 years, where you've stayed dry.
SPEAKER_01:You know, and like I it never could happen if uh didn't keep Jesus close to me and being in his word. And you know, this the best way to rebuild your life is follow Jesus. Amen. He never gonna lead you wrong, you know. Amen. And what's the best for you?
SPEAKER_00:And I love how you also another practical point wasn't just staying in your word, like keeping it closer than your clothes, but you also kept a better support system because what we've seen with some of the ex inmates is they have to go back to the same area that they lived in the same house with the same family or friends, and then that's where it starts to go bad and wrong. Versus you said you started this ministry many years ago back at New Hope, and you still have. Have some of the same friends who are pastors and ex-inmates who are pastors, like we have Pastor Vince, we have Pastor Clint who's so faithful, right? You've got uh brother Ron Kaua, who is a pastor with his wife Alpha Kai. I mean, these men have stayed strong, and it's it's not the normal the recidivism rate, as you just said, and I saw one statistic said two out of three go back in. Yeah, that's like you're almost guaranteed gonna go back. It's a rare remnant who stays out, but these men and you have stayed faithful. So thank you for doing that, brother Roy, and for sharing those practical things of staying in the Word of God and then also getting a better support system.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, being around the right people.
SPEAKER_00:Good, good. And of course, we point to Sister Shar, his beautiful Sunga wife, who keeps him on the straight line, just like Johnny Cash. Straight line. I walk the line. She keeps him walking the line. Um, Brother Roy, it's been a great time talking about Camp Agape and even about the church you helped to lead, which is Agape Christian Fellowship with all of those ex-inmate pastors. And then you also do the outreaches through Agape prison outreach. I want to come in for a landing by talking about, um, and you talked about your best advice for staying out of prison. Uh, do you have a favorite scripture by the way?
SPEAKER_01:You know, I think of for me, like I shared Hebrews 13, 3. You know, something that God really put in my heart because of his grace and and how I gotta live by it. Yeah. You know, and and living by it, we've seen just a big, big miracle, seeing so much children and come into the Lord, so much inmates coming to God, you know. Yes. We I mean you've been there when we went to the prisons and you see like 800 people except Jesus that would never ever. So, you know what? That's that's one that got put in my heart, and and you know, James talks about his period on the fire religion is often widows and those in distress. So having a heart knowing that you're living by grace, but you know, reaching out to the people that is so much so important to the Lord. Yeah, uh, like He would be doing this if He was here. So we get to do this. So it's like the best thing, the best thing. Yeah, I mean, you can be you can have the best job in a row, but you don't have a better job than this. Come on, reaching the lost, come on, bringing them into the kingdom.
SPEAKER_00:And if I may, for just one of my memories, was going to Sawaro, Arizona again, some of the hardest criminals, most notorious criminals. People I read about in newspapers, we're talking back in the day or saw on the news. I knew who they were. I won't say their names, but um, what we do as a team, Brother Roy's Vision, and was to stand after we do the rally on the stage, and you're watching, you're in the middle of a courtyard in prison. You're surrounded by buildings, you're surrounded by guards with guns on top of it and barbed wire, and you have to go through like three different gates to get in with see-through bags so that they know you're not smuggling. I mean, it's quite the experience, but your vision then was at the end of these rallies, we usually have the katinas come and sing worship. We stand, all of us who are ministering, volunteering, and shake the hands of these hardcore criminals. I ended up shaking the hand of somebody I swore I could never. I mean, I was just gonna be more than mean to this man because of his crime against a child. And I ended up shaking hands with this man. And I thought I was ministering as an MC and a mouth for God, but in that moment, Roy, there were walls that were broken down inside of me of unforgiveness and a righteous anger, supposedly, that was justified. And I I shook that man's hand and I looked him in the eye and I said, God loves you, and so do I. Because I don't know why, for what reason, Roy, that man stopped and he paused, and and it's almost like the Lord had him look at me.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yes, I mean, really grateful for all the support and people allowing us to go and do these things. The wardens. You know, I really wish they all could be there and see this miracles. I mean, that we get to going going into the prison and God opened a door for us to go in the mac, I mean, in the in the hole in the maximum security where nobody can go, but we go and minister to all of them and pray for every one of them. Every one of them.
SPEAKER_00:Everyone.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's just uh such a blessing. And and going in there and doing this baptism. We had like the the biggest baptism in in prison history. I think it was like 270 guy, 70 guys got baptized and 70 people from the maximum security. Wow. And and seeing them, you know, get baptized or just after we, you know, they accepted the Lord went back up and did that. But you know, doing the camp now, right after this camp this past year, we did a baptism and over fifty children came and got baptized. And amen.
SPEAKER_00:Including Sarah.
SPEAKER_01:You know, money can abide at. So we're grateful to the people that gave so we could do this. You know, it's not just a camp. We did the baptism and then and the every week mentorship because we don't want them to be abandoned. We want them to continue this love, you know, and you know, just just being able to do that for the children and for the guys is uh just uh really grateful.
SPEAKER_00:I mean and to see the joy, and then he has uh brother Roy gets these crazy wack-a-doodle, cuckoo malutu, crazy nut ideas like, hey, we're in the middle of Sawaro, Arizona desert. Let's feed them ice cream sandwiches. And we did. We're like, where do you even find thousands of ice cream sandwiches? Because he wanted to set up, like, you know, back in the day when we were kids and the ice cream truck would come around. So there's this ice cream cart. We had to find ice cream carts. This was all before the next day. Like he has this idea on a Thursday, Friday morning, we're gonna be serving ice cream sandwiches in the prison cafeteria. We had to go find it. We I think we found it at Costco, put it in these little carts, and then stand inside the cafeteria. But to see the look on those men's faces when they got those fat boy ice cream sandwiches, which is chocolate, vanilla chocolate, brah. It was like little kids, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:You know, I remember when we did that one year, the first year, got back when and Pastor Wayne was like mad as hey, I heard you spent a lot of money buying, you know, we had to go to three different parts of the counties to buy enough ice cream and rent this big truck to haul the ice cream. But you know what? We I told Pastor Wayne, not even the biggest Bible, you could go in there and minister to the hardest of the hardest. But you know, when we went, we even got to go into maximum security and pass the men ice cream. And every one of them that grabbed the ice cream, they were thanking us, and we said, don't thank us, thank Jesus. Amen. Every one of them was crying and walking away, and thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus. So that's the truth. You know what they said. Um, the once the saints said, you know, you know, spread the gospel if you needed to use words. God used this ice cream to soften the hearts of disguise where they all received Jesus.
SPEAKER_00:They look like little boys, they're so happy unwrapping their ice cream sandwich. Bruh, that's just uh one of the best memories I'll have this side of Jesus. So thank you, Brother Roy.
SPEAKER_01:You know, the being in prison, you know that nobody can bring even a sunflower seed to you one, you know, but God opened the door for us to do this for the guys. So I said, you know what? This gonna bless the guys so much. So it took a lot of work, but you know, something there's money cannot buy something like that, you know.
SPEAKER_00:And so worth it. And we were dog dead tired. We hadn't slept in like three days, and here we are hustling overnight to get a thousand plus ice cream fat boys for all the boys. Um, once again, you can sign up your child on the website. We have that coming up this year. We're not quite sure on the date because it does depend on funding. Um I'm gonna say it for Brother Roy. Brother Roy is very humble and shy. I am neither shy nor humble. And so I'm gonna ask you to please donate. And our date um has shifted in the past. And and I believe part of that, I could be wrong, but I'm gonna say it is because of funding. So please donate if you are a company. We've had companies partner alongside with us. Thank you so much to people like A1A, electrician, and so many other Tories, roofing, et cetera, who you have given faithfully. Please give to Camp Agape because these kids get uh not a lot in this life, but they come for a free camp and it transforms not just a generation of kids, but many generations and nations. Last question we have here on um Aloha Alive is what is aloha or agape to you? Because aloha and agape are the same thing.
SPEAKER_01:So as camp agape, it's just bringing it unconditional love of the father to the children, you know, knowing that you know, making a place where at the foot of the cross is level ground. Doesn't matter what you have or not have, when you come here, God will give you everything. You know, that's the purest aloha that I know we can do is bring in the love of God to those who cannot have it, cannot afford it, don't know about it. And and and just seeing God's aloha just really touch the hearts of the children, the families, the inmates, and and just you know, just amazing.
SPEAKER_00:Amen. And then the follow-up to that is who is the aloha hero that you know in your life? Someone, a person who lives true, pure aloha past or present.
SPEAKER_01:You know, I was so grateful. Got out of prison and was praying, and you know what, uh, for Bible study, and I was invited by my auntie to go to this Bible study with Jimmy Amada. And you know what? Jimmy Amada became one of the greatest mentors in my life and and the greatest support. And you know, it's because of his uh mentorship and and being my spiritual dad is why I'm out today, uh because of their support, you know, and and not only that, and every single thing that I go through, you know, the having a person like Jimmy be a barnabase and be able to mentor me and always keep me on the right path, you know, I'm I'm eternally grateful. And I would never be here today if it wasn't because someone that uh is walking at walking and and being able to pour into my life. So, you know, I I consider him the greatest barnabas, you know, to me that anyone could ever have.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, but that's so good. And I happen to know Uncle Jimmy also, and he really is he has that ABBA uh fatherly spirit about him, and he really does walk it out with you. He doesn't just run a program and here's the paper and he walks it out.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And you know, it's just a blessing. We we wouldn't have camp agape if it wasn't because A1A electrician, you know, their support and their love for Jesus, and you know, there's a a big reason why, you know, we have Camp Agape. Amen. So we're so grateful to Jimmy the Yamadas and and and A1A electrician.
SPEAKER_02:Amen.
SPEAKER_01:You know, because of them is why I got grace and stayed out of prison.
SPEAKER_02:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:So, you know, that that's one I'm one person that uh I really you know appreciate so much. Amen.
SPEAKER_00:And you know we're gonna get in trouble for talking about it, so we better uh wrap it up. But I want to say uh thank you for that. He is a true Aloha hero, and thank God your auntie worked for A1A. That was all God working the plan together. You know, I do want to um say something I have never said on my podcast that you and Sister Char are one of my aloha heroes.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, thank you.
SPEAKER_00:And uh there's a lot of funny stories that I do tell, um, but there's a lot of really deep and meaningful stories. And even the videographer sitting in this room has been a part of Camp Agape because we believe in what we do for the inmates, for the ex-inmates, for their families, and for the children. And even crazy cuckoo malutu just banger ideas that Roy gets out of the blue, or sometimes when there's two hurricanes barreling down on the state of Hawaii on the same weekend, we're gonna be throwing this camp, and he refuses to cancel. I mean, we are 24 hours out from the camp, and we're like, Roy, please cancel. And he says, No, we prayed and we got to go forward because if we don't do it now, we're not gonna have another camp till next year, and we can't do that to the kids. So we did, and the Lord wiped out both of those hurricanes, like a double barrel shotgun coming down for the state of Hawaii because of the faith of this man. So thank you so much, Brother Roy, and to Sister Char and all of the men who are pastors and volunteers, past and present for Camp Agape, because it really is the living heart of God for the worst of these and the least of we's, all of us. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Again, you can sign up for camp if you have a child and one of the parents is um an inmate or an ex-inmate. They can come between the ages of seven and eighteen, unless Roy is running the door, he slides them in. Uh, and you can do that. I believe the website, and we'll get the correct one on screen, is www.campagapehawaii.org. We do that once a year, and we'll be sure to tell you when that camp date is for this coming year. Again, we love you so much, and I always say that aloha always wins. But today, thanks to Brother Roy and Agape Christian Fellowship, I'll say agape always wins. And then do the Uncle Jimmy. He does this agape.
SPEAKER_01:And he always goes like this.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, he makes a big art like a big monkey. Yeah. Love you folks. Aloha and God bless you. God bless.