“I get really comfortable with my life sometimes and I need events like this to shake things up.”
Five circles of metal fold-out chairs decorated a church lawn on Feb. 24 as college students from around Oahu gathered to pray for the Decision America Tour. Nineteen-year-old Kealoha Braceros sat in one of them.
“I’m not very proactive,” the Leeward Community College student said about his involvement in politics, “but I want to be.”
Braceros, along with about 100 others, were part of a youth rally just down the street from Franklin Graham’s seventh Decision America stop at the Hawaii State Capitol in Honolulu.
“I hope it sparks a desire for change in young people,” Braceros said moments before Franklin Graham took the stage. “We’re too passive. … We’re starting to stray away from God’s intended plan for us.”
About an hour before the prayer rally began, people started filling the Capitol lawn, seeking shade under enormous banyan trees, colorful umbrellas and wide-brimmed hats. To the left, brown and green mountains rose above the palm trees. Above, a baby blue sky with puffy white clouds. And around the Capitol itself, a crystal clear pool of water.
But the most beautiful sight, some attendees said, was the people themselves—believers from around the island, and other islands, gathered in one place to pray for their country.
“[Prayer] is why we’re not completely in the gutter,” 32-year-old Michael Lanza said. “That’s why God hasn’t turned His back on us yet.”
Lanza is working toward his degree in diplomacy and military studies from Hawaii Pacific University, and wants to get involved in politics. Prayer, he said, is a vital part of making wise political decisions. His prayer for America is that people will seek God again.
“It’s not going to be an overnight thing. It’s a generational thing,” he said, but “I think the stronger we are as a Christian people, the stronger we are as a nation.”
Nearby stood 28-year-old Bryce O’Reilly who serves as community impact coordinator for YWAM (Youth With a Mission) in Oahu. He’s originally from Vancouver, Canada, but considers Hawaii home.
“It’s a pivotal time for our nation and culture,” O’Reilly said. As Christians come together, especially on such a large scale, he said, “I just really believe that’s going to have a profound impact on America.”
And, in turn, on other nations influenced by our country, he said.
Later, as people joined hands at the Decision America prayer rally, they prayed for America, but also repented of their own sins.
“We’ve turned our back on you. Forgive us, Father,” Franklin Graham prayed.
Leiana Robinson stood in the crowd. She said her father attended the Billy Graham Crusade in Kauai in 1965 and still remembers it. Feb. 24 was a day for her to remember as she traveled from Ni’ihau, a couple islands over, to attend the rally and hear Franklin Graham speak.
“For him to come this far, it’s really encouraging,” she said. “America is in trouble. We need this.”
Franklin Graham also spent time encouraging people to live out their faith at the polls and vote for candidates who uphold biblical values.
“There’s a lot of talk about the national election,” Franklin Graham said, but added that local ones are just as important, if not more so.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. flew in from Kauai after helping organize a Decision America meeting months ago. Carvalho began a personal relationship with Christ in October through BGEA’s evangelistic website, PeaceWithGod.net, and has been growing in his faith ever since.
As mayor, he said, he’s on the front lines in the political sphere.
“I believe that we continue to lead and inspire with spiritual guidance,” he said, speaking to the importance of prayer. “I think the message from Franklin Graham really gave us the hope that we need [for America]. … I think this will continue on and move people’s hearts.”
This year may be especially significant.
“I think more than any year, the outcome of this year’s election will determine the future of this country,” 27-year-old Kimiyo Brown said.
Brown attends the University of Hawaii where she works with Campus Crusade for Christ. A lot of college students don’t vote, she said, but she’s out to change that: “I want to encourage them that they can make a difference. Their vote does matter.”
It’s not just the youth who have been stirred to action, either.
Joey and Pua Vaovasa spread the word about the tour prior to the event and said their church, Joyful Community Church in Waimanalo, has taken steps to get more people engaged in prayer and politics.
Last year, the church helped register people to vote. This year, they started praying more for America.
Fellow church member John McCoy was inspired by Franklin Graham’s prayer rally turnout.
“If you didn’t know that Jesus is alive …” he said, trailing off as he looked around at the crowd.
“I didn’t know this many people in Hawaii believed in Jesus,” said Joey, a relatively new Christian.
Before Franklin Graham left the stage, he encouraged people to start community prayer groups. Leeward Community Church of Pearl City wasted no time. Within minutes of the rally’s end, a large circle of church members formed under a tree, bowing their heads as one after another prayed fervently for America to be one nation under God again.
“We can’t let people do it for us,” Luana Rittmeister prayed. “Show us what we need to do to honor You.”
Before the rally, Braceros defined Decision America as coming together to affect change, a goal that doesn’t fade away once the tour moves onto the next city.
“Our bond as a group should grow stronger than ever,” he said. Then added, “It starts with me.”
