How God Turned Ordinary Faith Into Extraordinary Impact

A pastor walking into prison at 14 should not be normal, and yet Pastor Jay Puahi’s story makes one thing clear: God uses the willing, not the polished. We sit down with Pastor Jay and his wife, Sister Shar Puahi of Straight Up Ministry, to talk about what it looks like to live the aloha spirit as action, especially while serving at Wai'anae Boat Harbor among a large community of houseless neighbors on Oahu’s West Side. This is a Hawaii podcast conversation grounded in local culture, faith, and the kind of love that shows up without a script.We also go personal. Jay and Shar share how they first met as kids, reconnected later through church, and learned to build a life that holds both honesty and hope. We talk about recovery, serving when you feel unqualified, and how God can redeem seasons that feel like loss. Jay opens up about the pull of music, travel, and divided priorities, and why time with family is not optional. If you’ve ever felt torn between calling and distraction, this part will hit home.Then we get practical and powerful: prison ministry, speaking life to incarcerated men, and the difference between preaching at people and reaching for them. We even share a jaw dropping testimony about a “free car” that turns into a lesson on faith, expectancy, and God’s timing. We close with a grounded definition of aloha through the ALOHA acronym and a simple statement that frames the whole episode: aloha is not just a word, it’s Jesus.Subscribe for more stories from the heartbeat of Hawai'i, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review telling us what aloha looks like in your life.IG @DawnOBrienHIFB Dawn O'Brien HIwww.ChooseAloha.orgIG @alohaalivepodcastyoutube.com/@AlohaAlivePodcast