Powerful Women (Mana Wahine): Stories from the  

O’ahu Church of Christ 

Rochelle Galang, O’ahu, Hawaii, USA 

Powerful Women! 

Strength and honor are her clothing, and she will rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the teaching of kindness. Proverbs 31:25-26 MEV  

How would you describe a woman who inspires, motivates and gives so much to those around her? A woman of incredible character, who works hard and cares immensely for the cause she stands for? Would you call her super? Would you call her amazing? Well, the Hawaiian people have a phrase to describe all those qualities and more: Mana Wahine. "Mana'' translates to power or powerful and "Wahine" translates to woman or lady. Together, the phrase Mana Wahine means powerful woman. It describes women who are the pinnacle of strength, character, poise and generosity. A Mana Wahine is revered and respected for the contributions she has made in her lifetime. Throughout Hawaiian history, Mana Wahine changed the status quo in areas including, but not limited to: religion, law, education, language, music and sports. They made great contributions to the world and have had great influence even to this day.  

In the O'ahu Church of Christ, we have many Mana Wahine making an incredible impact in their families, in our church, and in the community at large. We are so excited to share with you the stories of a few of these amazing women. We hope you are inspired by their stories too!  

Tosha Floyd’s Story 

Proverbs 18:24b CEV “a true friend is closer than your own family.” 

1 John 4:11 NIV  “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we also ought to love one another.”  

Friendships are a gift from God and a blessing for those who decide to be selfless and to never give up. Nicky and Tosh are a story of two unlikely friends whose bonds have been made stronger by one person.  

Nicky Brooks became a Christian in 1998 while a junior at the University of Nebraska. While in school she switched majors to Criminal Justice and worked in the foster care system because she saw the shortage of good foster families. She moved to Tennessee in 2002 and not long after, she went through a mental health crisis. She realized that her pharmaceutical medications did not agree with her and decided to seek help through holistic methods. She began her master's degree in 2008 in order to do further research on this topic.  

Latosha Floyd became a Christian in 2002 in her junior year at the US Military Academy at West Point. Because of abuse in her family, Tosh was skeptical about religious people and bitter against church. Her Bible studies showed her the depth of God’s love and two and a half months later she was baptized. Discipleship changed her heart towards her family and others. After graduation from West Point, her first duty station was Clarksville, Tennessee.  

God’s Miracles 

While in Nashville, the two became friends. During this time, Tosh’s’ nephew, Quran, began having difficult challenges. At five years old he was experiencing severe behavior disorders due to autism coupled with childhood trauma and was to be institutionalized. Nicky challenged her friend to become guardian of the boy. Tosh agreed, and everything moved quickly as they were on a timeline: Tosh’s next duty station was to be in Virginia -- in one year’s time. God worked miracles as they secured guardianship. Nicky finished her Master’s in one year and amazingly, used her thesis and a holistic approach to help Quran get off all his pharmaceutical medications. 

 In 2014, their story continued in Oahu. Together they worked constantly to raise this teen with special needs. Truly their religion is “pure and faultless” (James 1:27): they made another decision to help out foster children. Within months, they had a teenage boy placed in their home. Raising Quran and fostering a teen as two single women, one would think there is no more room for themselves or for serving in the church and community. Yet they lead ohana  (family) groups, serve on HOPE worldwide and benevolence committees, Tosh serves on our church board, and they continue to be hospitable!  

 “For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” Psalm 66:10 NIV 

In Tosh’s’ words, “We have been through so many self-induced and life-given challenges. Using those challenges to make progress in our individual relationships with God helps me to appreciate our friendship more and more and trust that it has always been God’s will for us to be great friends.” 

 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart ...” Proverbs 3:3  

Pictured Above: Nicky (Left) and Tosh (Right) Zip-lining in Hawaii  

Pictured Above: John (Left) and Quran (Right)  

 Rose Wong’s Story 

Another one of our Mana Wahine is Rose Wong. Rose has been a great example of hard work and perseverance. Being a business owner, she works hard in her professional life. She even became the youngest store owner ever in Waikiki, a prominent area of business and tourism on O‘ahu. In her personal life Rose has grown in her relationship with God and has persevered through many challenges. A few years ago, Rose shared her testimony in a video series called “Faith Stories." Please watch the video below to learn more about Rose’s story.  

https://youtu.be/aokHUv5FbHU 

Reconnecting with family 

As you heard in the video, Rose’s relationship with her mother affects her deeply. Since the time of recording her “Faith Story,” Rose has reconnected with her mom in an incredible way. While her mom was living on the streets, Rose would go and find her to give her food and money and to pray for her; and she didn’t stop there.  

One day in October 2021, Rose got a call from the hospital saying that her mother was being treated for severe diabetes. At the hospital, doctors were able to stabilize her mom and Rose had a coherent conversation with her. Rose describes it as being something she “couldn’t believe at first" because this kind of conversation did not happen often. During this time, Rose moved into a two-bedroom house with the hopes that she could one day live with her mom. And guess what? It happened!  

Although it was something to celebrate, it also ended up being hard for Rose in various ways. Shortly after they moved together, Rose and her younger sisters moved again into a larger house near their brother so they could all split the responsibility of caring for their mom. Despite the victories, this time took a toll on Rose because of all the work it took to care for her mom every day. Rose experienced depression for the first time, a deterioration in her health, and difficulty in making decisions that affected her ability to lead her business. Rose and her sisters realized that even though their hearts were in it, they were simply not equipped to be everything their mother needed. They looked for other options for housing and their mom stayed in a few group homes, but those homes became unsafe environments. Rose was desperate to find a place that could care for and set her mom up for success. She ended up getting creative and posted an advertisement on Craigslist. God blessed her efforts because she found a home that was close to her brother’s house where the owner was not only a nurse but was also a church minister.  

God’s Faithfulness 

Here is what Rose had to say about her journey with her mom and how it has affected her:  

“Throughout my mom’s journey of over thirteen years of homelessness, with time we got closer and closer to good solutions. With each interaction, I learned about what didn’t work and what did. I gained strength with God, and I still cry every time I think about how he’s healed and blessed her for her loyalty in faith. Now, we’re able to take her to the beach. She’s able to cook. She’s able to laugh and smile with her family. She’s taking care of her doctor’s appointments. She’s going to church. She’s on the path to recovery and was given a new chance because of God. I used to be so angry and jealous that I didn’t get to grow up with a mom. But I’ve realized that my mom has taught me every lesson, and more, that I need to know through her journey: unwavering faith, humility, kindness and being okay with being different, how to be strong.”  

Rose and her mom have not only made an impact on each other but have also inspired others in our church family to talk about the difficulties of mental health. This past year the O’ahu Church started a mental health support group that started, in part, by hearing about what Rose was doing with her mom and how much it was taking a toll on her. The support group aims to help those who struggle with mental health or those who have family members that do. We are so grateful for the way God has moved and we are grateful to have a Mana Wahine like Rose making a difference in her family and in our church!  

Pictured Below: Rose (Top Left) with her mom next to her and her siblings surrounding them.  

The G-Squad  

In Hawaiian culture kūpuna (the elderly) hold a special and respected place in the community. As Christians, we too believe that God desires for us to care for and respect the elderly among us. In the O‘ahu Church, we are blessed to have Mana Wahine who, during their “twilight” years, continue to honor God, serve the church, and share the good news with others despite any challenges they may face. This group of faithful women is affectionately referred to as the “G- Squad,” or “Granny Squad” in our fellowship. The G-Squad consistently meets every Tuesday morning to eat, laugh, and talk. Their time spent together over the years has resulted in the spiritual growth and strengthening of group members, additions to the group through evangelism and baptisms, and fundraisers to help meet monetary needs in the church and the community. The G-Squad also enjoys making memories together by touring the island, doing craft projects, and going on retreats to neighboring islands. These Mana Wahine continue to inspire everyone around them today, and we feel very fortunate to have such energetic women of faith, love, and joy in the O‘ahu Church.  

Pictured Below: A handful of “G-Squad” members sharing for the welcome at Worship Service on Jan 15th, 2023. Included in the welcome was some brief sharing about Lydia “Lola” Galang, who celebrated her 90th birthday the day prior.  

 From left to right: Cynthia Wong, June Ishii, Lydia Galang, Judy Rodriguez, Digna DeVillegas, and Cece Chang.