Tragedy and Hope

On Sunday morning, December 26, 2004, a powerful 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck beneath the Indian Ocean, unleashing a massive tsunami that swept eleven nations, killing more than 225,000 and devastating the families and homes of millions more.

This past February, I joined Assistant Director of World Missions Rick Brewster, Regional Ministry Coordinator for Southeast Asia Tim Salley, and video cameraman Mark Welch on a visit to Banda Aceh, the area worst hit by the tsunami disaster. Our purpose was to provide assistance, assess needs and bring back information as to how World Missions could help in the recovery effort.

We were met on the ground by the National Director of GKKI, the Indonesian branch of IPHC. He had already stationed several staff in the affected area, and they were ready to show us the worst. As we walked and drove around the city, we were overwhelmed by the scale of devastation.

The damage was beyond anything we had ever witnessed or imagined. Although the cleanup effort had been underway for weeks, acres of debris rendered much of the city little more than a landfill or junkyard. Whole neighborhoods were reduced to rubble.

Splintered or collapsed houses were everywhere, some lifted from their foundations by the flood and transported to new locations. Mangled and rusted out vehicles lay half-buried in mud, or leaning against fallen rooftops. Steel beams and concrete slabs from broken bridges rested immoveable in the river.

Large boats sat stranded in city streets, carried far inland and left there by the receding waters. One huge steamship some 250 feet long was deposited in the middle of a residential neighborhood, causing us to wonder how it could ever be taken back to the sea. Near the beach, an enormous coal tanker was grounded on the coastal highway, blocking traffic.

Even worse than observing the destruction was listening to the stories of those who had gone through it. We happened upon one man and his family cleaning pieces of furniture, glass and mud out of their storefront business. While their livelihood had been destroyed, they counted themselves blessed. Their young daughter had been caught in a waist-deep current, but managed to climb to a second story building and escape in time. As we looked at her smiling face, we gave thanks for her life.

The next woman we interviewed was not so fortunate. She told of seeing her house washed away with her family inside, as she held on for dear life to the pillar of a bridge.

Driving out to the coast, we observed a large wooden barracks being erected to serve as temporary housing for the homeless. Just next to this was a roped off area marked with a dark flag. On the road was a chalk arrow pointing to the site, and the words “Mass Grave.”

We returned to the hotel that evening emotionally shaken by what we had seen. Soon we were physically shaken as well, as a 6.2-magnitude after-shock sent everyone scampering out of the hotel, which had just re-opened after repairing damage from the original quake and flooding. With cracks from the first quake still visible in the walls, we weren’t too sure how sturdy the structure was. But there was no further damage, and we all went back to bed.

The next day we had several tons of food supplies trucked in, and visited half a dozen tent camps for refugees, where we distributed rice, potatoes, carrots, cabbages, onions and chilis. The Lord truly directed ours steps, putting us in contact with a local police officer who was familiar with the situation in the camps and knew where the needs were greatest. Aid that flows through government channels doesn’t always reach the victims, with middlemen along the way often taking out a cut of the best for themselves. For many of the camp inhabitants, this was the first time they had received fresh vegetables.

As we spoke with camp officials, we learned that most survivors still suffer from a sense of fear and anxiety induced by the trauma of the disaster. The after-shock of the previous night had provoked a great panic among them, with many screaming in terror of another tsunami, fleeing for higher ground and even climbing trees in search of safety.

At one camp we met a UN-sponsored group that had set up a database for reuniting families. One bulletin board was covered with 150 photos of children who were looking for their parents. Two other bulletin boards were covered with photos of missing children. The coordinator said that some 2800 parents had registered; so far, they had successfully reunited about a dozen families.

One camp was set up at the site of a coastal village that had been wiped out by the wave. The only structure still standing was a large mosque, damaged but still a place of refuge for survivors to congregate. We interviewed one young man who was the lone survivor in his seven-member family. His story was typical: the pre-tsunami village population of 8000 had been reduced to the 600 people now living in the camp.

At another camp we met a group of doctors and nurses, volunteers from other Indonesian cities who had come to look after the medical needs of camp inhabitants. We were able to leave some vitamins and medicines with them for use in their work. Again they emphasized the psychological trauma of the survivors, and the need for counselors to help them deal with grief and fear.

The doctors were associated with World Harvest, and the following day we arranged an interview with the coordinator of their ministry operations in Banda Aceh. Trained in search and rescue, this man had arrived on the scene 3 days after the disaster. He told of picking his way among the dead bodies, looking for signs of life. Some survivors were overjoyed to hear his voice, and clung to him in hysterical desperation. Others pretended not to be alive; having lost everything and everyone dear to them, they preferred to be left among the dead. Many children were found alive floating on the water, clinging to the lifeless bodies of adults.

On our final afternoon, we walked among the debris of ruined neighborhoods and watched family members scratching among the rubble of their homes, looking to salvage any remaining possessions. One young man told us how the first tsunami wave came in 15 feet high, and was followed by another nearly twice that height. He lost his parents and three siblings, and saved his own life by climbing and clinging to a tree.

With language help from our Indonesian colleague, Tim Salley spoke to this Muslim youth about the love of Christ, and prayed for him by the floor of a washed-away mosque. Afterward, his eyes seemed to flicker with a new light as he expressed gratitude for our concern and prayers.

With assistance from worldwide donations toward food and shelter, the people of Banda Aceh are surviving. But once they manage to deal with the grief of lost loved ones, they still face years of rebuilding to restore their homes, their communities, their lives.

This is where we can help. In cooperation with our Indonesian churches, World Missions is developing several projects to address the long-term needs of communities in Banda Aceh.

To help with education of the children, we have already rented a facility to use as a kindergarten. GKKI will be sending Christian teachers who can impart spiritual truth as well as academic knowledge. We hope to raise funds to build an elementary school.

To help with housing, we plan to construct 100 basic, low-cost homes. Land has already been located for this project. To help with medical care, we plan to build a 25-bed hospital.

To help with self-support, GKKI will be sending instructors periodically to train selected candidates from the camps in running their own small businesses. GKKI will purchase goods and deliver them at cost, so that the people can live off of the profit. We also hope to recruit and send in qualified craftsmen from the US who can train people in carpentry, welding, automotive repair and other needed trades.

Aceh province is known as “the Porch of Mecca,” and was the point of entry for Islam into Indonesia. Islamic sharia law is enforced within the province. Yet the door is open now for Christians to bring the love of Christ into this area.

Many citizens of Banda Aceh expressed surprise that Christians would care about their suffering and reach out to help them. Now is the time to demonstrate Christlike love and compassion in practical ways that can redeem the lives of these people.

The God of the cross and the empty tomb is adept at turning tragedy into glory. What if this disaster opens the door for revival? What if those who lost their earthly homes can find eternal dwellings in heaven? Let us put ourselves and our resources at God’s disposal, and see what the Lord will do.

Russell Board

Overseas Ministry Coordinator for Asia