E24: From Gangstah to GOD! Peacemaker Matt Taufete'e

A single punch on a Kalihi street lead to two life sentences, headline news & a family shattered by gang retaliation. BUT GOD! A long broken road across generations lead to hard-won forgiveness. Not just for one man, but two families. And their next generations! CHEEHOO!

Matt Taufate'e of 1st L.A.P. Ministries explains how choices shaped a gang member into a godly mentor. It includes quiet damage of growing up beaten by his pastor-dad & church family. But the change came after prison, back in a bar, with a wife, 3 kids & no job. Odd place for God to shop up, but He did!

If you care about redemption, fatherhood, & safer communities... If you've struggled with childhood trauma... If you have loved ones in addiction & codependent relationships... this conversation is for you. Watch & please share this episode with someone who needs hope. Then drop a line & tell us: What does real forgiveness look like to you?

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Transcript

Meet Matt Of First Lap

Rumor Or True: Gang Past

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome back to Aloha Alive. I'm Auntie Don O'Brien, your hostess with the mostest for his highest. And with me today is one of my brothers, right here from Kalihine. It's Matt Taufate of First Lap Ministries. That sounds L-A-P for life after prison. And it means that he's running the first lap with ex-inmates to help them find the most abundant life of success. Let's get started. Hello, brother Matt. How are you? Hello. Aloha talofum and ma'am alumilalay. Thank you for joining me on my humble podcast today. Um, the first thing I want to do is I'm gonna hit you with a rumor or true more. I used to do this on a certain radio station I did. Either it's false or it's true. Tell us more. Rumor or true more. Were you a baddie gangster in Hawaii?

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

I like the pause and that you had to think that through, Matt. Now, um, I do know a little bit of your testimony. Can you tell us your a little bit of your life story growing up here and how you were part of the gangs?

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Well, um, 40 years ago, I grew up right across the street from this place called Mayor Wright's Housing. My father was the pastor of the church, you know, right across the street, uh, Eldersgate Methodist Church. Wow. You know, um, so you know, growing up in church, you know, uh I really hated going to church. I didn't believe in God because our father was the pastor, but yet nobody knew what was going on at home. So me and my siblings were constantly being beaten by our father, and in our uh culture, you know, we don't share anything outside of the house. Right. You know, um, so we pretty much pretended like we were a good family and went to church, and right outside of the church was a group of boys and girls. Yeah, you know, so at the age of ten, um this is something that I really share every time is walking to the car with my father, you know, in tears crying, because I used to be picked on and bullied at my church. You know, and that's the normal style for the Samoan church that we grew up in, is kids would get smacked around, slapped by aunties and uncle, telling us to shut up, you know, listen to the pastor, and of course, all in a Samoan language.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

Right.

Church Pain And Family Abuse

SPEAKER_00 2:38

You know, so I was in tears crying at the age of ten, walking with my dad and telling him all these things, and my dad's normal reaction was a smack in my face, told me to shut up. Yeah, you don't ever cry. And from that day on I never went to my father again. So growing up, you know, going through school and um just seeing all these kids outside of the housing, I was attracted to them, smiling, having fun, not really knowing what they were part of. Sure enough, I graduated at the age of 17 from Moanaloa High School.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

You know, I started to hang around with these guys, not really knowing that they were part of a gang. So that smile, you know, just seeing the happiness in them, I was attracted to that. So I started hanging around with these guys, you know, and um they made me feel like I was somebody. And this is what I learned through one of my mentors, um, Father Greg Boyle. Wow. He's the father, I mean, he's the founder of Homeboy Industries. Yes. So I met him in 2017. He just received the presidential award last year. Yes, you know, so he had me speak, you know, uh at his homeboys conference in 2018.

SPEAKER_05 3:54

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

But one of his quotes is Matt, no one is seeking to join a gang. They're all fleeing from something.

SPEAKER_05 4:01

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Address the thing that they're fleeing.

SPEAKER_05 4:04

Wow.

Drawn To Gangs For Belonging

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Which I found out, you know, that's true for a lot of us, you know, growing up in uh housing, you know, wanting to be a part of, and so I was attracted to that life, you know. I started to, you know, get involved in minor crimes, and I just was sharing with, you know, one of my brothers here on the outside, you know, I picked up my first violent charge in 1997, right across the street of Kamakapili Church.

SPEAKER_05 4:33

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

Right in front. All because one of the guys, you know, bad mouthed, you know, one of my homies, he came running to me and telling me, Matt, that guy is bad-mouthing, you know, a hood, you know, merite. And me being all drunk, walked up to the man, hit him one time, knocked him out, and because I left him in the middle of the road, I was arrested that night and charged with attempted murder.

unknown 4:59

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Yeah, so at the age of 19, I'm facing life in prison.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Wow. Matt, and and there's so much in that, that's such a loaded statement from what I just heard you say. Thank you, by the way, as we we are getting this started, that you're just going straight into it. I I see before me today a man redeemed, a man who is transparent and truthful with all things. But at that time, if I can just zoom in on some of the details, you're drunk in front of a church. Kamakapili is right there in Kalihi. We're both here in Kalihi right now, and uh to defend a gang member who was simply being bad mouthed or he felt he was, and then you're up on attempted murder charges because, and it is dangerous to leave somebody in the middle of a road. But um, these are sometimes the things that when I work with youth in either Camp Agape or Nanakuli High School intermediate, I'm talking to kids and I'm saying, you might make one small what you think is a bad decision, but it could lead to a lifetime of really big big consequences, right? One small bad decision, one lifetime, and you were in fact up for life in prison. This is huge. Another thing that you focused on right from the get there, and it's something that you and I both share a heart for, is childhood trauma. And unfortunately, and you're Samuen and I am Tongen, or both from countries in the deep south, I like to say, the deep, deep south, South Pacific. But and and I was also raised in a Faife Kao in a pastor's family. And unfortunately, there were a lot of things happening behind closed doors in our home that didn't quite match up with the Bible that was being preached from the pulpit, either in your daddy's church or in my grandpa's church. And so when we go home and we were getting treated at the hands of these men and seeing a lot of the treatment, like you said, even aunties and uncles in the church saying certain things that were very mean. And to me, I'm hearing not only were you getting um beat by your dad, but then when you even tried to share other people are making fun of you in church for being the son of the Pfeiffical, the the pastor, it was trauma on trauma, right? Um Is there more you wanted to share about your story? Because that was just the beginning of your time with the gang. It started seemingly innocent with defending your gang name. Where did it go from there?

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Yeah. So it just my reputation on the street was I was someone to fear, you know, not really understanding what I know today that I was basically living in fear myself.

SPEAKER_05 7:31

Wow.

Attempted Murder At Nineteen

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Yeah, running from that person that God created, you know, for me to be. And you know, so my re reputation was one not um to be afraid of anything. So that reputation carried on to Palolo Valley. And by that time, you know, my family moved to Palolo Valley. So being in Otcher Posi, you know, awaiting that attempted murder charge, my father had um, I guess, you know, good connections with the court system. Because he was an interpreter, you know, for a lot of our Samoan men. So a lot of people knew my father in the prison. You know, so my father was able to get me out on supervised release. Yeah, so he had he got to pull some strings, got me out, you know, on supervised release, you know, to Palolo Valley. Right. So if we're familiar with Palolo Valley, it was also a housing, you know, made up of bloods. So my reputation carried from mayor rights to Pololo.

SPEAKER_05 8:31

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

So, you know, being on supervised release, I was still doing the same thing, drinking, partying with the boys, recruiting more guys into the gang. Because to me, that was the way to live, you know, just get more men, you know, to live just like me, be just like me. And, you know, I think about you know things today, but you know, things just got worse. Drinking, you know, partying, and just one year later, you know, um being on this attempted murder charge, I got into another fight.

SPEAKER_05 9:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Yeah, on April 8, 1988, I got into uh a fight with another man, but this time I ended up killing him.

SPEAKER_05 9:13

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Yeah, so I took his life and there I was, you know, back in prison now facing two life sentences.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Two life sentences. Yes.

Murder Charge And Ifoga

SPEAKER_00 9:22

At the age of 20, I'm facing two life sentences. And while I was in there for that charge, you know, one of the ACOs said, you know, Matt, I heard your name mentioned on the news. You might want to come and watch this. So there I was, you know, watching on the TV along with 50 other inmates. You know, we were just um watching a TV and it showed up my parents, you know, right in front of uh one of my uncle's house. You know, I'm not really knowing our Samoan culture, but there was this thing called the Ifonga, which is a peace ceremony. Yeah. So here I am watching my parents, my siblings, bowing down in front of the salavia chief. They were crying and pleading with fine mats over the head and asking the chief to forgive me for my my wrong. So the chief ended up picking my dad's hand, you know, lifting him up as a sign of forgiveness. So I'm crying, you know, watching this, you know, just seeing, looking at the man that I hated, you know, for so many years, but yet he was doing this for me. I was in tears just crying. You know, um but exactly three months later, the family retaliated and they killed my older brother. Yeah, so my brother was killed because of my mistake.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Wow. And there's a number of things going on in that uh episode of your life. Like you said, you were able to forgive your dad in a to a certain degree because he humbled himself before the the Salaya chief, but then three months later, which is fairly quickly, there was a retaliation and now you've lost your bigger brother.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Where does it go from there?

Retaliation And Brother’s Death

SPEAKER_00 11:17

Well, you know, when I seen that happen, you know, talk about the pain and shame I felt, the guilt, you know, for an older brother. He wanted to be just like me. Not really understanding why he asked to join my gang. I allowed him to, you know, join my gang. But yet uh today I understand, you know, why he joined the gang because of the abuse. And um so just thinking I I was blaming myself, the guilt, shame, you know, thoughts of suicide just going through my head. You know, so I'm just uh waiting in for trial for two and a half years. I finally fought the case in court. So they were trying me for attempted murder and murder, but they convicted me of the lesser charge, which was assault turt and uh manslaughter.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Wow. And so you did spend time in prison, you served a sentence.

Trial, Sentencing, And Prison

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Yeah, so both of them carried 10 years. The judge ran it concurrent. Out of the 10 years, I was told to um serve five and a half years. Yeah, so I did five and a half years in prison, you know, from O Triple C I went straight to the max module. Max module is you're in there for 23 hours and you only come out for one hour to exercise, you know, um shower and so forth. But from there, you know, they moved me down to the medium security, you know, in module two. So I ended up doing my time, you know, because of good behavior. I qualified to uh go to La Maca furlough program.

SPEAKER_05 12:57

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 12:57

Yeah, so I was one of the first guys when La Maca just opened.

SPEAKER_05 13:01

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

Yeah, so I was sent there, you know, um, still didn't learn nothing. Yeah, in 1993 I was sent there, still drinking, partying in the facility, but yet I would get away, you know, and just um continue going down that spiral.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Yeah, well, that makes sense when nothing changed in prison. You didn't have an encounter with any type of resolution, any type of solution of your own internal issues, right? And and I will dare say you didn't come to Christ yet. So when did that happen for you?

SPEAKER_00 13:36

So um 93 to 96, I was at Laomaca. Okay, and I guess my cousin, um, I always think about him. His name is uh Lee Seleni. He's my first cousin, and so he came with a group of men. You know, they came to my rights, and I still think think of the day. Yeah. A team called Men of War.

unknown 14:00

Wow. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

Led by Pastor Johan Asai.

SPEAKER_01 14:03

Yes, sir. He's my family. So he came, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

So he came with um Fika, my cousin, you know, Lee. They would come every week, you know, and I kept avoiding them. You know, but when I seen my cousin Lee, you know, that's when God told me, you know, just seeing my family member made me have that hope. So I went back, I told my wife, you know, these men keep coming to me, you know, at the bar right, you know, um called Sally 600, and they kept witnessing to me. My wife turned to me and said, Well, hunt, you know, we're on welfare, we have three kids. Oh, wow. Nobody wants to hire you.

SPEAKER_05 14:45

Oh, because of the record.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

Yes, so why not go to church? And I remember July 28, 1996, Pastor Art, you know, gave his message, and at the end, the words that he said, Is there anyone here who never felt love before? That's when I stood up crying like a baby. You know, as big and as tough as I thought I was, yeah, I was real big, you know, back then. And I just raised my hand, I went up and he said, I want to tell you about this man named Jesus. So ever since that day, I just started hanging around with positive people, the men of war, you know, just being mentored by Pastor Joe Nasai.

Furlough Without Change

Encounter With Men Of War

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Yep. Yeah, so just And Pastor Fika Sau, right, who's a dear mentor to you to this day. Wow, that was the moment, and I love the prayer, the prophetic prayer that Pastor Art prayed over you, right? Or even the invitation call, which was, has anybody here never felt loved? And that was you. And I'm sorry to say, you know, um, fa mole mole, I'm so sorry, but it it was your own dad who was a pastor in church. Your family is the pastor's family. And I say that not with a judgment or rock in my hand to throw at anybody because I our family was similar, right? And I find all too often in our Polynesian families, this is the culture that in one way we are serving God and preaching the Bible, but on the flip side, it is darkness and it's demonic. And I'm saying that for as for me in my house, that we have broken that off and we are now serving God, but it is as clear as night and day as light and dark. And I just want to say that this is not to be put up with anymore. That, and then I'm saying this if you are watching and you are part of a family who dabbles in the demonic while we worship the divine, those two do not mix. And though you and I were raised in a very confusing culture of God yet beatings, God yet swearing, God yet sexual molestation and other things that come with it, drinking and drugs, we rebuke that. There, that is not in the Bible anywhere. So thank you for saying that. I thank God for Pastor Art and how he called that out and blessed you, and that broke off every every single curse and darkness that was upon you. And so now you're serving God. You've been serving God since what what year was that, Matt?

SPEAKER_00 17:21

1996.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Wow, 1996, and this is we're filming this in 2025. So that's like uku billion years, whatever the math is right there. Like 30 years you've been doing this. You went on, so you were married at the time, still married to your same lovely bride. What's her name?

SPEAKER_00 17:38

Charla.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

Yes, Charla, and you have the kids. When did you first start first lap ministries?

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Well, this things got better because in 1999, Pastor Art prophesied over me and told me it was time for me to go back and help my father's church. Oh, really? And of course, me, I was hesitant, you know, because I was thinking of, you know, um, how our Methodist church was, you know, at my dad's church, but yet I was obedient to his call. And I went there, you know, my wife got to experience it. And I remember telling my wife that the following Sunday, Han, are you ready to go to church? Yeah. And excuse me, but her exact words as hell no. That's not a church. You've seen the kids getting smacked. Yeah. So she got to witness.

Conversion And New Community

SPEAKER_01 18:26

It's okay to say hell, by the way. It's a word in the Bible. So you're allowed, brother. You're allowed.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

So, you know, that's exactly what happened. So she stopped going to church, but I continue to be obedient. I helped my father's church.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

And so it's still the same culture because she noticed that the kids are still getting sasa, right? They're still getting smacked. And uh it's just still an abusive, toxic culture. That's not God's love, that's not church.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

Good for her.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

Yeah, so in 1999, when my father noticed this difference in me, he asked our younger sister, you know, why is it your brother always happy? Because I was still part of the man of war, part of Water Life. And I told my sister, Well, tell dad, let's meet next week Sunday. And I'll tell him. Okay. You know, I felt that courage to share with my dad the reason why, you know, this change in me.

SPEAKER_02 19:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

And so I remember that day, you know, in 1999, we sat down, you know, so my mom, my two sisters, my father and myself, you know, just sitting down on a kitchen table, and my father turned, he said, Well, son, why is it only now you're smiling, you're always happy helping people. Why is it?

unknown 19:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

Then I said, Well, Dad, I want you to watch this video. Because, you know, I think back now, you know, I still was traumatized by that smack, you know, 10 years old. So I was just afraid to share in person to my father. So I shared a videotape that, you know, word of life recorded of the men of war. And that's when my father got to hear my truth. You know, I grew up in church. My father was a pastor, he was a hypocrite. So I just was looking at my dad's, you know, um physical response to it. He was getting uncomfortable in his seat. Then finally, when I said, Yeah, our father never told us he loved us.

SPEAKER_05 20:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

And that's when my father couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and he yelled, I told you I loved you. Then I stood up, I said, Yes, dad, but it was always after you beat us up. And that's when our father sat back down and he started to cry.

SPEAKER_03 20:36

Yeah.

Confronting Dad, Breaking Cycles

SPEAKER_00 20:37

The words that I remember growing up was Lea Lang okay, lo faya oy. The reason I keep beating you up is because I love you. So when our father sat back down, he started to cry, and he said, Son, you're right. Please forgive me. And I believe the healing started that day because our father shared his testimony, and me and my sisters never heard our father share like that. So he was in tears, you know, crying and shared of how he grew up. Yeah. Where our grandfather used to always beat him up, how he was an alcoholic in our village, and he always got into fights.

SPEAKER_05 21:20

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

So from that day on, you know, I knew that I could no longer bring my dad because that was the way he was reigned. Yeah. So we hear about this generational curse, come on, you know, passed from the third and fourth generation. You know, my dad never had that opportunity to share his truth with anybody. So the healing began that day. And for me, I could no longer blame my dad. So my dad looked at me and he said, You know, son, I have this facility over there. Do with it as God calls you to do. Yeah, so that that's been my passion. Originally I tried to open a foster home for our youth, but the state wouldn't allow me because Of my you know, violent crime, criminal record, and so forth. But I just continue to be part of the men of war, you know, and um two years later, you know, God told me to open the first lap. Yeah.

Defining Childhood Trauma

SPEAKER_01 22:14

Amazing all the way around. Um, praise God, brother. There's so many parts of that that uh we could dive into, but I thank God mostly for that transformational moment with your family. Paul the apostle had a radical transformation when he met Christ, and it sounds like your whole Ina, your whole family, same thing, had a radical transformation with dad when he confessed his sin, right? He was no longer a hypocrite. He said, You're right, I did do wrong, and then asked for forgiveness and in front of your mom, your two sisters, yourself. That takes quite a man to stand up and say, I was wrong. It takes a great man. And so I thank God for that transformation because we are now seeing once we heal the man, we heal the land. You and I know that. When you address the root issue, now we are gonna look at new fruit coming from that. And there's new fruit that's coming from the Taufu Te Iinga, the Taufu Te family, thank God, right? But and and one more thing I just want to focus on before we talk about first lap is childhood trauma is not a curse that can that has to last forever. You just talked about transgenerational curses. You didn't know your dad had gone through the same upbringing you did, right? And normally in our Polynesian families, the Fai Fekao or the pastors, that's the certain amount of people in in Tongen, our last name is Langi, which means heaven. And we were always the pastors, but there was so much drinking and and then now drugs and beatings and sexual perversion. It's it's difficult at very best. But God is a God of all things possible who can stop all of those things. And when you were able to shine the light by showing that video, I'm so glad you said you didn't feel comfortable, right? There was that little boy who was still afraid of getting a sassa beat down, but you showed the video that that your church had made, word of life, and that testimony, as it says in the Bible, Revelation 12, 11, it says, We defeat the devil by the blood of the Lamb, by the power of our testimony. And because we're not so afraid to die, and you stepped into that moment, not afraid to die. You did die so that your father could live, and he began to die to himself and live as well. So I thank God for that. But childhood trauma is a massive thing. Can you speak to me a little bit about something we both share? A passion about overcoming childhood trauma. What is childhood trauma? How do we overcome it?

SPEAKER_00 24:45

Well, if we look at um, according to CDC, two-thirds of our children, you know, experience one or two traumatic events by the age of 16.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

Yeah, at least one trauma, right?

SPEAKER_00 24:59

So these adverse experiences, you know, can stem from abuse, violence, neglect, loss, or exploitation. And and they go on to share that you know, the psychological and emotional response can impact, you know, the child's, you know, development and well-being. Yes. So when we look at that, you know, a lot of our kids, yeah. Yes. I just shared about 18.3 million children in the US grows up without their father.

SPEAKER_03 25:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:31

So I look at a lot of people around me, you know, all of my gang members, all of us, similar experience.

SPEAKER_03 25:36

Right.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

You know, and that's why, you know, I'm really inspired by Pastor Fika.

SPEAKER_05 25:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

You know, because both of us grew up without our fathers. Yes. Basically, my father was present, but yet not there spiritually and emotionally.

SPEAKER_05 25:50

Right.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

Yeah. So, you know, overcoming uh childhood trauma, I believe it's through the power of forgiveness.

SPEAKER_05 25:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

And that's, you know, the story that, you know, I continue to share. And you know, God just opened up doors for me. Because in 2014, when Pastor Joe heard that I was still in our schools, I carried on the legacy of men of war to starting a group called Peacemakers in 2004.

SPEAKER_05 26:15

Okay.

Peacemakers And Amends

SPEAKER_00 26:15

So Peacemakers was created, you know, in honor of Marty Salaville, my victim, and my brother Joe Taffede to prevent our kids from going through, you know, the gang life, you know, alcohol and drugs. Right. You know, and so that's what Peacemakers have been doing. So when Pastor Joe asked me to come and share my testimony at his church, I felt honored. And he said, I have one request, Matt. I said, Sure, anything. Uh Marty's younger sister is one of my loyal members and she wants to confront you. So of course I called my AA sponsor. You know, I asked him, you know, if this would be a good time because if we notice step nine, you know, and AA is made direct amends to such people whenever possible. Yes. Except when to do so would injure them or others. So when I talked to my sponsor, I said, Matt, we work the steps and I believe you're ready for this.

SPEAKER_01 27:12

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 27:13

So I went to Pastor Joe's church, Destiny Christian Center. He called both of us up, you know, in the front of the congregation, and he gave a brief intro, gave her the mic, and she came out and shared her piece. You know, how much she hated me all these years, she wished I was dead. You know, so I'm in tears just listening to this. You know, and then um Pastor Joe gave me, you know, the mic, then I was able to share what happened.

SPEAKER_05 27:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

Yeah. So, you know, from the day on, you know, she heard I was doing works with our youth in honor of her brother and mine, the peacemakers, and you know, we just partnered up and she joined the peacemakers.

SPEAKER_05 27:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

So anytime we get the opportunity to share at um different women's conference, you know, we went and shared, you know, about the power of forgiveness.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Amen.

Forgiveness Award And Prison Work

SPEAKER_00 28:07

Yeah, so you know, just continue to do his work that same year, um, 2015. I was honored with this award. I I didn't even know they had such a thing called the Hero of Forgiveness Award. So they honored me at Kawaiah Church, you know, Channel 2 News was there.

SPEAKER_05 28:24

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

To air everything. And um that same year I got approved to go into our prisons. Wow. Yeah, so 2015 I've been in our prisons at least three times a week, just volunteering, share the word of God, and um running the 12-step program, you know, on different days and continue to do that work. And so I'll end with this. Last year I ended my time at Yava because I was volunteering for nine years, and but last year on May 24th, 2024, my guest speaker was the man who killed my brother.

SPEAKER_01 29:02

Holy smokes.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

Yeah, so when you talk about a group of 25 men at Wyava, right, sitting in a circle, just seeing two men who killed each other's brother, but yet, you know, sharing the love of Christ with each other. So talk about you know the power of forgiveness. Yes, only God can do that.

SPEAKER_01 29:22

Hallelujah.

unknown 29:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 29:24

That is extreme testimony right there, and it's happening inside a prison, and it says in the Bible, where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, and people are set free, I imagine, when they watch two former gang members who both killed each other's brothers, then sharing the word of God that can set anyone free. That's how powerful the word of God is. When did you officially begin begin first lap?

Launching First Lap Ministries

SPEAKER_00 29:51

On January 10th, 2002.

SPEAKER_05 29:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

And that's a big part of your ministry because, and I've seen it said, um, the United States of America is the most incarcerated nation in the world by far.

SPEAKER_02 30:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

Number two is so far, it's like off the chart. It's not even per capita by the amount of people in our nation, right? And then you look at each state, and Hawaii has a high level of incarceration again, and especially for our people. So it's not necessarily African American who are the most incarcerated per capita by people groups. It's not even Latinos, right, or Mexican. It's not um American Indian, it's the native Polynesian people. So there's a lot of Hawaiians, Samoans, Tongans, and then of course the Micronesian group as well. We have so many prisoners in the state of Hawaii, we ship them out of state to Sawaro, Arizona, and we were shipping the women, I think it was to Kentucky, um, also to the continental United States, and all of that to say this that not only do we have a highly incarcerated people group in our Polynesian people, but then another really sad statistic is that two out of three go back in. So the recidivism rate, that's a big word for go back in. You and I both work with uh brother Roy Yamamoto, who is part of Camp Agape. I speak with the children of the incarcerated uh girls and boys, and they always say to me, Auntie Don, just say it. Say it straight. My dad is in prison or my mom is in prison or both, right? Stop saying incarcerated individual, right? Just say it straight. So I try to say it straight for all my kids. But um, two out of three going back into prison, and there you are with first lap. Can you describe what is the heart and passion behind first lap ministries?

Fathers, Purpose, And Recidivism

SPEAKER_00 31:41

Well, one thing, you know, I always tell the men, you know, um, when we talk about, I will send the prophet Elijah, and he'll restore the hearts of the fathers to their children. Come on. Yeah, so when we look at, you know, the amount of men incarcerated who has kids, yeah, 686,000 men reported to have children. So a lot of our children are growing up without their dads, like I shared earlier.

SPEAKER_05 32:05

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

Yeah, so you know, trying to empower and strengthen our men, you know, through the word of God is what first lap, I believe, you know, offers to all these men. That's good. It's not just housing them, yeah, it's helping them to find their God-given purpose to move on and be that responsible father, you know, restoring relationships, you know, with their family. So on first lap, you know, I believe all of these guys, I build a relationship with them, yeah, mentor them and help them on their um, you know, that path to recovery. So I always tell the men the most important things you gotta remember when you come to our facility, get connected to a church, yeah, find a home group, you know, in AA or NA, and find a sponsor.

SPEAKER_01 32:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Yeah.

Recovery Tools And Church Ties

SPEAKER_01 32:53

And I want to help bring in to what you just said, which was critical about getting connected into a good church. You also shared that when you shared some of your story about um it was finally when you saw your cousin Seleni, right, from the Seleni family and cousin Joe Onosai and uh Fika with the men of war. You then got plugged in some to some really good men. Because uh if you uh there's a great saying that says, if you show me your friends, I'll show you your future. You got good friends, you got a good future. You got bad friends, you got a bad future. My daddy told me that when I was in high school, and he did. He looked at who my friends were and he said, You better stop hanging out with this one, that's no good right there. And it wasn't just a proclamation on that person, but it was the activities that they were choosing, to be clear. But it's getting connected into goodness. But as you also said, Matt, you came from a home where you're two, three generations, there's a pattern where your grandparents were beating your dad, your dad starts beating his kids. It could have been passed down, except we reverse the curse right here. We say stop and send it back. Not for me and my house, we serve the Lord. And so part of what I'm hearing is the solution is if they don't know different, they're gonna do the same. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_03 34:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

If you and you did, you said you went to Laumaca and you you were still doing all the same things with the same people, and that's why you were still the same man, but it wasn't until you saw your cousin and you started taking a different step. So you're showing these men at first lap how to be a different man than the they were raised, or than they knew in their parents' generation and their grandparents. Is that a fair statement? Yes. Wow. So some of the things do you help them learn how to budget? Do you help them learn how to budget their time, their money, how to have a good marriage, how to have good kids? What do you guys learn?

SPEAKER_00 34:43

Well, um, we just partnered up with another guy named Jason. We met him at the Inspire Day. You know, so all of these different resources, you know, are coming, you know, partnering up and just, you know, letting these men know there's a lot of resources out there that we want to help them with. That's great. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:02

Because it's kind of the um halfway house. Usually they come out of prison if they can find a halfway home that helps to sponsor them. They get into, and I see that you're wearing the AA medallion, right? I happen to have been through AA as a small kid. So you have that, it's one of those medallions, but um, it's getting them into regular meetings, they get a sponsor, right? So they're not going back into the same friends, the same parties, right? So that's one step one. Yeah. That's vital to stay off of the drinking and the drugs. And then it's also getting a job. I know that you help them also find employment, as well as um just coaching with their families.

SPEAKER_02 35:41

Yeah, right.

Healthy Habits And Accountability

SPEAKER_01 35:41

Is part of that healing hearts, or are you guys doing another program? I forget the name of it, but they were doing it at Pastor Mike and Lisa Kai's church where they attributed. Celebrate recovery. There it is. Celebrate recovery. So those are also like AA or NA programs, correct? All right. Well, thank you for doing first lap ministries. Um, and I was gonna ask you, what's the best advice you give prisoners to stay clean and free or clean and sober? And you just did. It's get connected to a good church or a good group of guys. I like watching, um, I know some of the guys that you hang out with, same same, right? Uso, and they're the Tatao Tautua. Is that the name of the group? And they they got into working out, like they do burpees all the time, right? I know Rascal and he drew he grew up there in mayor rights, right? And they're doing like a hundred burpees a day. I said, bruh, I'll watch your video on Instagram, but I ain't doing no burpees at my house right across the street. But what I enjoy about that is that they get together with other men and even women and they keep each other accountable, right? It's kind of like when the um military would be doing that push-up challenge to challenge each other to do push-ups, but also to commemorate the soldiers who die by their own hand. And so it's it's for a cause, but it's also a new addiction to something that's healthy, if I could call it an addiction, right? So it's a habit. But they do a lot of burpees and push-ups and working out together because you have to replace old bad habits with really good new ones, right? The scripture says you can clean out the house and get rid of a demon, but if you don't put some seven good spirits in that house, they're just gonna come back and have a big old orgy party in your temple, which is your body. So you don't want that to happen. So you gave that advice. Thank you. What is the best advice we can give our ex-prisoners for staying clean and free? Um, how can families help their loved ones who are coming out of prison? You know, you talked about your wife, Charla. Praise God for Sharla. She's your minister, your co-heir of the kingdom, she's your queen. She helps to run first lap ministry. Now the kids are stepping in and starting to help. But when we're first looking at uh a loved one coming out of prison, what's the best thing we can do as their partner or as one of their kids?

SPEAKER_00 37:56

Well, do your research, you know, try to find programs who's really there to help them and, you know, find their God-given purpose and not just house them. Because there's a lot of clean and sober houses not really doing, you know, what they're supposed to do or should do. Yeah. You know, so that would be, you know, one of the great advice, you know, and connecting with churches, you know, call churches to see what kind of help they can get.

SPEAKER_05 38:21

Yeah.

Family Support And Real Resources

SPEAKER_00 38:21

You know, and so I thank God for my church, you know, been there since 1996. Word of life. Yeah, word of life, and you know, they we went through certain courses to where I'm a life group leader now.

SPEAKER_05 38:34

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 38:35

So all of these men, you know, you just mentioned, you know, yeah, all um Rascal Rascal and U.S. So all of them, you know, I get the honor of you know providing Bible studies with them every Saturday morning.

Giving, Aloha, And Service

SPEAKER_01 38:50

And I watch the videos because Uno posts it, right? And he goes, You guys are sitting around the circle, and it's not the Kava bowl anymore, it's the Jesus bowl, right? It's the by the living water of the Bible that you're talking about at all times. And what's neat is watching not just these men in Tata Tautua, but then they spark um Kekua Carvalho, who is Mr. Aloha, who's also clean and sober and who had survived two overdoses. And and and I'm gonna have him also on the God cast. And then it also inspires Jesse Jones, who is with To the Top Hawaii. And, you know, you're all keeping each other, you're supporting each other in the community work that you do, but you're also supporting and staying connected within. Because you've said that word several times now, connection, to connect with a good church, connect with good brothers, connect with um a not just a housing program, but a full service to make sure they're getting counseling, they're um unearthing some of that hurt that's deep down inside, but also with other strong men who are handling their business in Jesus, right? Because I we would love to have a bunch of strong men, but strength for that which is evil is still evil. Strength for the godly things, you can bring that all day long, and you guys got that going on. So that's a good word. Um, how can we, before I ask you our traditional last question, which is always what is aloha to you? How can we support first lap ministries? Do you folks take donations? I mean, is there a way? I know. Do you do still the fundraiser, like a golf tournament or anything like that?

SPEAKER_00 40:21

Well, that's what we're looking to get into. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:24

So we can just go online or we can email you, which is gonna come up on the screen here for you.

SPEAKER_00 40:30

Yeah, it's first lap1967 at yahoo.com.

SPEAKER_01 40:35

Okay, we'll have that on the screen for you. Thank you, brother, for all that God has been able to do through you. Last question we traditionally always ask our guests because this is called Aloha Alive, the heartbeat of Hawaii. And I believe, uh, well, I'll ask you the question is what is aloha to you? It could be a memory, it could be a story, like eating plate lunch at Rainbow Inn, like a pastor of Moch Chapel loves doing that. Maybe it's a smell. I have Haku here, I gave you a lay. What is what is aloha to you?

SPEAKER_00 41:08

Oh, and I think when I always, you know, watch your uh videos, you know, on Facebook, you know, aloha is always you know, being happy, smiling, love, and I always think of what Pastor Joe when he mentioned, you know, love is giving at the expense of self to benefit others.

SPEAKER_05 41:28

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

So that's what I see aloha is you know, giving at the expense of myself to benefit others. You know, just like you know, Matthew 20, 28. Yes, just as the Son of Man, you know, came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as ransom to many.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

That's so good.

SPEAKER_00 41:46

So that's what aloha is to me.

SPEAKER_01 41:49

I love that giving at the expense of self to benefit others. Because if I asked you who the aloha hero is, which was the last last question, you mentioned Pastor Joe, but it's Jesus who did that. He gave at the expense of himself. And then I would think, well, what if I get tired of giving of myself to benefit others? Then I'm tapping into my flesh, I'm not tapping into the spirit of God. Wow, Matt. Any last favorite scripture you can share with our viewing Ohana as we depart today and bless them with a scripture?

SPEAKER_00 42:23

First Corinthians 11:1. Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

So solid. Well, thank you again for all of your ministry. And I know it started even early as you were a son of a Fife Kow, a Faife Ao, your tongue in or samo, and that's pastor. And uh, you know, it started in a really hard way, but God redeems everything that was meant for evil for his greatest good, and you are a shining example of his greatest good. You are one of Jesus' trophies. Thank you, Matt Taufa Te, his wife Charla, and all the kids, and now the grandkids. You got some cutie grandkids in your life, Matt. But this is Aloha Alive with Auntie Don and Matt Taufa Te, wonderful brother, right here in the hood, making all things good in the hood in Kalihi. Aloha and God bless you. Cheo.