Pastor Malakai Pahulu
I was born and raised in Tonga, where I attended Pre-School, Elementary, High School, and College. In 1986, I moved to the USA, settling in East Palo Alto where I met my wife and attended Foot Hill College in Los Altos, California. After some time, we moved to Texas, where I worked for an Oil Export Company.
My wife and I then moved to Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, where I worked at the Marriott Hotel as a Security Guard and at Embassy Vacation Hotel as a Supervisor for the Security Department. During our time in Lahaina, I had the opportunity to become a Lay Speaker at the Lahaina United Methodist Church.
I served as a Lay Leader and assisted the Pastor in organizing church visions and operations. I facilitated communication between the Tongan and English-speaking congregations and managed programs for the Tongan community.
In July 2006, we relocated to Anaheim, California, so our children could continue their education. During this time, I felt my call to become a Local Pastor. I pursued my calling by attending Claremont School of Theology, obtaining my license to be a Local Pastor, and completing a five-year course of study, including advanced courses.
In June 2018, Bishop Grant Hagiya of the California Pacific Conference assigned me to Hilo United Methodist Church in the Big Island of Hawaii, where I served as an Associate Pastor for the Tongan Congregation. In May 2024, I accepted a call from Bishop Carlo A. Rapanut of the Desert Southwest Conference to serve at Mesquite United Methodist in Mesquite, Nevada where I now happily reside with my family.
We are merely workers and servants to do the work we are called to. But He gives us love, strength, and humility so that we do not boast about what we can do, but about the one thing we should boast about: ‘To glorify Jesus Christ.’ Yes, Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.'”
Linda Pahulu
Linda ‘Ohuafi, known as Linda Pahulu, was born and raised in the Kingdom of Tonga. She has three siblings and is the oldest among them. She attended school in Tonga, completing the 12th grade in 1979. After graduating, she continued her education at a trade school until 1981. Linda then traveled to Australia for a short period before moving to New Zealand, where she worked for her aunt for a year. Following her time in New Zealand, Linda relocated to Southern California, where she had family members living. During this time, she met her future husband, Malakai Pahulu. They were married in Washoe County, Nevada, in 1988.In 1990, they moved to Channelview, Texas, where an uncle on Linda’s side of the family resided.
After their stay in Texas, they relocated to Maui, Hawaii, where they lived until coming to Mesquite. Linda and Malakai have two grown daughters and a son in California. When asked if she had a favorite Book of the Bible, she responded that she loves reading the New Testament. Linda has settled well into our church community and recently helped the sewing group put the finishing touches on a beautiful quilt. She especially enjoys fellowship time with congregation members before and after our 10 a.m. Sunday Worship Service. Linda joins her husband whenever possible on pastoral visits for those in our congregation who are homebound, in local and nearby hospitals, or in assisted living homes. We are blessed to have Linda and her family as part of our Church Family!
Katrina Pahulu
Katrina was born in Maui, Hawaii where she grew up in the small town of Lahaina. She attended Pre-K through freshman year at Lahainaluna High School. After her freshman year, her family moved to Southern California, aiming to ease the children’s transition into higher education in the mainland. She attended Western High School in Anaheim, California, graduating in 2009. Following high school, she continued her education, attending Cypress Community College for four years followed by two years at California State University, Fullerton where she graduated in 2015 with a BA Degree in Anthropology. Following her graduation, Katrina stepped into the workforce, first as a front desk agent at a hotel in Huntington Beach (2016), then as an Accounts Payable clerk at a wine storage facility in Irvine (2017), and later as an in-home caregiver during the pandemic (2020).
During this time, she received her Physical Training Certificate and later went on to work in a gym as a Physical Trainer in Whittier, CA. Katrina has been active in sports playing basketball in high school and Rugby in college and local club. Her Rugby club team qualified for the National Finals in Austin, Texas in 2021. In 2022 Katrina accepted the Lord’s call to ministry and in 2023 decided to move back with her sister Vika to live with their parents in Hawaii where her father was serving as Associate Pastor at Hilo UMC. Katrina wanted to focus on her calling and support her father’s ministry by becoming involved when she also began her Seminary journey by attending on-line education with the prestigious Claremont School of Theology. She expects to graduate in three years with her Master of Divinity in “Ministerial Leadership”. While in Hawaii Katrina obtained a position as a Client Services Manager and takes pride in serving the Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDD) population. She now works remote from her Mesquite home for the Non-Profit organization, Bayada Habilitation in Hawaii. Proverbs and Psalms are her favorite Books of the Bible and Matthew 6:33 is her mantra Bible verse. Katrina is looking forward to working with the youth and young adults that are attending MUMC. She is deeply grateful to be in fellowship with everyone in MUMC. Her favorite weather is rain and despite her move from the rainy tropics of Hilo, Hawaii she is learning to enjoy the dry heat of the Mojave Desert here in Mesquite. We are so Blessed to have Katrina in our congregation.
Vika Pahulu
Vika was born in Maui, Hawaii, where she grew up in the small town of Lahaina. There, she attended Kindergarten through 4th grade. At that point in her young life, her family moved to Southern California in 2006, as her parents were interested in providing higher education opportunities for their children on the mainland. Vika completed her elementary school education at Danbrook Elementary in 2008. Following middle school at Orange View Junior High, she attended Western High School in Anaheim, California, graduating in 2014. She continued her education at Fullerton College, earning a 2-year associate degree in criminal justice in 2017. Vika plans to continue her education at California State University Fullerton this fall. She aspires to attend law school but also has a strong interest in working with prisoners.
Her goal is to share the love and gospel of Christ in environments where it is rarely encountered, focusing on inmate rehabilitation. Vika is eager to work with the youth in our church. Her favorite Books of the Bible are Job and Psalms. Vika has expressed that she loves MUMC and the open-hearted feeling she has received from our congregation. We are blessed to have Vika as a part of our church and community.
