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Five Loaves and Two Fish

Update from Bethany‛s relief workers on the ground in Indonesia

Like many Christians, Bethany‛s staff and students felt called to respond to the suffering in the Indian Ocean region as a result of the recent earthquake and tsunami. Less than two weeks after the disaster, Bethany sent a team to Indonesia to take medicine and funds for the relief effort, and to evaluate partnership opportunities. Rand Olson and Paul Strand were joined in Jakarta by Rita Eltgroth and Roger Schrage, long-term relief and development workers based in Indonesia.

Bethany‛s team linked up with international organizations World Relief, Operation Blessing, and our local Indonesian partners. “God has used Bethany‛s loaves and fish to be multiplied within the context of our international and local partners,” said Rand Olson, Bethany‛s director of international development.

Rita Eltgroth, with her administrative and language abilities, was asked by World Relief to facilitate international teams of aid workers to work side-by-side with Indonesian Christians. Rita then went to Meulaboh, where a third of the population was lost in the tsunami. Rita wrote:

My job...has involved an incredible amount of time, energy and grace in order to accomplish what has been done so far. The weather is very hot, flies are abundant...volunteer teams have rotated rapidly...the land-line telephone system is down and cell phones work only intermittently, coordination with the military, government, UN and other agencies is less than optimal. Because of the intensity of the whole situation...it became next to impossible to figure out what day it was–what mattered was trying to keep everyone‛s head above water and moving forward to get help to the people affected by the disaster.

Bodies are still being found under rubble, more than a month after the disaster. Most of the downtown area has been destroyed...in flat areas the waves went as far as three miles inland, right through areas of homes and offices and think forest.

Before coming to Aceh, I had some concerns as to how I might be received by the local people, considering elements of religion and culture. However, I have been very warmly received, and when I tell them that I have been working in literacy and teaching health in Indonesia for 12 years, they seem even more at ease with me. I am grateful for this unique opportunity to be in this place at this time.

World Relief asked Roger Schrage, who has many years of experience with World Vision, to work with them as a logistics coordinator. Bethany‛s team also spoke with Shelter for Life (SFL) about helping with the long-term shelter needs of 350,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Aceh. Alberta Knudtsen came from the Philippines to join the medical staff of Operation Blessing in Meulaboh a few weeks after the tsunami. Her medical team traveled by helicopter to remote coastal villages to help hundreds of victims. Alberta wrote,

One of the highlights of my time in Meulaboh was accompanying a medical team on a helicopter to a coastal location where we saw 153 patients. The helicopters are so busy that we had to wait four hours for the chopper to return to take us back to base. In the 10 short days I served alongside the international staff of Operation Blessing ,we bonded as servants ... called to bring God‛s love and care to a bewildered and hurting people.

According to local media reports, approximately 765 schools were damaged or destroyed, and at least 1,500 teachers are confirmed dead. Getting schools functioning again is a major focus, but since teachers are in short supply, volunteers are needed until a long-term strategy is in effect. Johannes, an Indonesian partner, is helping to mobilize and send 10 Indonesian teachers to help out in the schools. Johannes recently wrote: “Thank you for the gift you gave for the Aceh people. The money was used for the transportation of relief goods to Aceh. We bought 1,500 packets of food, medicine and water. We gave 750 packets to orphans.”

Bethany‛s team was encouraged to see our partnership with Indian and Indonesian nationals develop during this time of need. These partners are focusing on the immediate needs of the tsunami victims, but also looking for ways to minister to the long-term needs of children. With Bethany‛s help, an Indonesian partner organized a medical team to travel to the island of Nias, where 227 people were killed and 900 people are still missing.

In India, we are partnering with a national Christian group in the southern Tamil Nadu area. They will mentor children and youth traumatized by the tsunami by giving educational support and skills training.

We are thankful for your support of our efforts and continue to covet your prayers as we respond to the crisis with the love of Christ.