Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 2011 — A higher calling [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A higher calling

l A no ai me ke aloha, ^^\ There comes a time / V in every / \man's life

when he must decide to change course and embark on another whieh though a difficult decision will still be the better for himself, his family and mankind. That time has eome for me and though I have eome to love those with whom I associate in so many capacities and appreciate those whom I have served in some way, I must now set my sights

tor a higher and more īmportant calling in life. Accordingly, I have notified Chair Machado and the rest of the Board that I will be resigning from my position as Trustee from Maui for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs effective Nov. 1,2011. It is not without regret or appreciation that I have eome to this conclusion but it is without hesitation or doubt on my part that I have accepted a eall to serve God with my beloved eompanion as Temple President and Matron of the Kona Hawai'i Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints for three years. I will be resigning from all boards and organizations to whieh I now belong and discontinuing my private work as a commissioner, mediator and arbitrator for that period of time. This eall is not a promotion since it is unpaid. It is not a vacation since it requires 24/7 attention. It is not something we applied for or coveted. It is, however, something we could not say no to, and we consider it an honor and privilege to have even been considered for this position. It will be the culmination of my career and I couldn't have planned a better move as I leave my Trustee office after hopefully fulfilling my duty to Hawaiians and to the people of Hawai'i. We will leave our Maui home

on Oct. 31 and become Kona residents for the next three years. During that time I will be engrossed in working with and assist-

ing some of the best people in our eommunity whose dedication to their ancestors and determination to better themselves and their families is unsurpassed. I look forward to serving them and also to working side by side with temple workers whom you know and whom I know to have completely committed

themselves to serving the Lord and his children both living and beyond. And so that is what I will be doing for the next three years. Be assured, however, that I will be working hard to the last day to advance the issues whieh I have so long advocated for the benefit of our people. Federal recognition will eome, but when is the question. I will offer all my mana'o to assist in this effort before I leave. We are looking at ceded land resolution, new office space and future eeonomie development all at onee to better our position for the new governing entity some day. Affordable housing remains unfulfilled by OHA but again we are in serious review of one or more projects that have some possibilities. Education via scholarships and other aid to Hawaiians needs to be addressed with the results in mind and our administration is making progress along these lines. Jobs and business success by Hawaiians is an important need that Native Hawaiian chambers ean help with and this area ean be assisted by creating Hawaiian chambers on Hawai'i and Kaua'i to complement O'ahu andMaui. Our summit group is working on a kalo initiative and our communications committee is reorganizing and planning for the future. OK, so let's holomua kākou. ■

Būyd P. Mūssman VicE Chair, TrustEE, Maui