“It all seemed to happen so fast. One day I found out that the father who was raising me was in fact not my dad. I was seven years old at the time and was devastated by the news. My biological father lived in Hawaii. I was able to talk to him once, but after that I was not allowed to have any contact with him at all. Things had changed dramatically for me from this point on.

I was the oldest of four girls and the differences between myself my half sisters became more evident. There were lots of questions, but no answers. The atmosphere in our house had changed from peaceful to one of violence. The physical, mental, and emotional abuse was mainly directed at me, but my sisters had their share of suffering as well. The situation seemed hopeless. We went to church on Sunday and appeared to be a normal family, but at home, behind closed doors, it was a different story. I would hear all of this talk about love in church and then come home and face brutal abuse. So in all of this, I hated God. After all, how could a loving God allow these things to happen?

As I grew older I found myself struggling in school and at home. I couldn’t take it anymore so I joined the Army to escape. I grew up in the Army and finished my education there. After finishing my military training, I had one week before the Army would send me to Germany so I made plans to meet my dad for the first time. I always wanted to meet my dad and visit Hawaii. I often wondered what he was like.

I was very excited to see him but I have to admit, it was really different. It was hard for me to say dad. I didn’t know him and I had a warped image of what a father was supposed to be, so I kept a wall around my heart. Right after the visit, I was on my way to Germany. I was away from my abusive past and free to do what I wanted. I was really naive to the things of the world and to life in general. I spent four years in Germany and it was a very destructive time for me. I rebelled against God, did whatever I wanted, and ended up having more hatred towards Him. I did things to numb the pain and forget the past and to forget God. I really didn’t want anything to do with God. He wasn’t there for me when I needed Him. He wasn’t there to protect me from my childhood, so I didn’t want Him.

After four years of living in Germany I had decided to get out of the Army. I thought that if I moved back to Hawaii it would give me more time to get to know my dad. I always wanted to live in Hawaii, so here was my chance. The relationship between my dad and I felt strange. My childhood was gone and I was an adult now. I didn’t really know how to act around this man that I barely knew. I still did whatever I wanted. I continued to live a very dangerous and destructive life, to numb and hide my pain.

After a year of living in Hawaii and trying to fit into the local culture, I started getting phone calls from one of the local pastors named Frances Kamahele. I couldn’t figure out how in the world he got my phone number. He would call inviting me to his church. I wasn’t interested, not even a chance. He kept calling and I kept saying no. I gave him every excuse that I could think of. He was very persistent. I finally gave in, just so he would quit bothering me. When I met Frances he told me that my grandparents had mentioned to him that their granddaughter, who lives in Hawaii, needs the Lord. When I heard this I was even more turned off because it reminded me of the things that I went through growing up. It wasn’t my grandparents’ fault, but to me they were a part of it because they did nothing to help. So, as I sat and listened to the service, I was very hard, bitter, skeptical and sarcastic. I kept a distance. Why should I give my heart and life to a loving God who allowed these things to happen to me? These were the things that kept playing in my mind, but over time I surrendered and gave God a chance. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior in March 1991. Still not completely understanding the “why’s”of the things that happened, but understanding that there is and was a reason for everything. It took a very long time for my heart to break, molding it and shaping it to the woman that He wants me to be, and yes, He is still doing that work in me.

I remember how excited and on fire I was as a young Christian. It was great, but I became overconfident in my own strength instead of His. I truly loved the LORD, but I found myself slowly backsliding into my old lifestyle. The things that I said I would never do again, I was doing. I turned away for about a year and it was a hard time, but thank God for His grace and mercy. I re-dedicated my life in 1996 and this time I had a much deeper relationship and appreciation for what the LORD Jesus has done for me. I don’t fully understand why I went through the things that I did in my life, but I do know this, that He spared my life. He has restored me and even erased a lot of bad memories from my past. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and He heard my cry. He brought me up out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm and put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear, and will trust in the LORD.

I know that God is using the things that I’ve gone through to prepare me for the future. I want to be used by the LORD to glorify Him in what I say and do, to be a light and example to those around me. To encourage those who may be going through the same things I have. I praise the LORD, that He has given me a second chance, and I thank Him for His free gift of eternal life.

As a little girl I always had an interest in karate. I just never had the opportunity to take any classes. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I even considered karate. I had been introduced to karate by the owner’s wife at our church. I was invited down to the dojo to try out some classes. In time, I ended up really getting into karate. In fact, I liked it so much that I was considered a “dojo rat” because I was there every day. I really enjoyed the training, but most importantly, I enjoyed the Bible devotions after class. It seemed like every time I heard the devotion, it was what I needed to hear. I saw many lives around me changing, including mine.

I caught the vision of using the martial arts as a ministry. What a great opportunity. Martial arts and Christianity draw great parallels, self-control and perseverance to name a few. As one thing lead to another I found myself assisting and leading classes, and becoming involved in the office operations of the business. I had been given the opportunity to help run the business with another black belt. Recently I’ve been running the business solo with the opportunity now to be the owner.

Looking back on my life I’ve learned that God is in control and it is up to us to trust in HIM no matter what. He’s there in the times when things seem hopeless. We just need to turn to the Lord and let Him take control. I’ve also learned that it’s our availability and not our ability that counts. No matter what you do or what your platform is, do it for the glory of the LORD. Most importantly if you don’t know Christ as your Lord and Savior, now is the time. Follow your dreams and don’t give up.

What is Keichu-Do?
Keichu-Do literally translated means to devote oneself entirely to the Way. We acknowledge the Way as Jesus Christ-John 14:6. The founder or Grandmaster of Keichu-Do is Karl Marx. He was not a Christian when he started the system. In fact he was into the dark, demonic side of martial arts. Years later he became a Christian and made a decision to devote his style to the Lord, using it as a platform to share the gospel. Many people refer to this style as “Christian karate”, but I would have to say, that there is no such thing. What I would say is that you can use karate as a platform and a tool to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, to reach people who may never step into a church. Our job first and foremost, is to teach the art and style of self-defense. However, we also have the opportunity to share the gospel. There are many people who come into our school, some are Christians and some are not. Many of the parents would rather send there children to our school, just so their kids don’t have to be involved in the other Eastern beliefs that dominate the sport. The Family Martial Arts Center is devoted and dedicated to serving the LORD. Many people have openly dedicated their lives to the LORD, and many have not, but we know that God’s word does not come back void. There are many stories of people whose lives have been changed here. The thing I enjoy most is being able to share with the kids. Many have not heard of Jesus and it’s incredible to see them learning and then sharing with their parents.