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News Item: Tsunami report from Deepu Patel
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| Tsunami report from Deepu Patel | 01 Feb 2005 |
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Elder Subandriyo forwarded this letter from a Tsunami relief volunteer who joined efforts with church members in providing relief. A wonderful report of church efforts from a non-member. From: Deepty Patel [mailto:deepty@oolitt.cnchost.com] Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 12:21 AM Subject: Have returned: Banda Aceh Hello, all dear ones! Thanks for your good wishes! I have returned back to Tampa this morning. I am digging out, within myself the deeper meaning of my service towards this trip now... Not just being gone, did packed supplies and all that physical..but what was the core purpose behind my opportunity, trip and service. I had a great trip doing physical and spiritual service... both equally. Physical service for the bodies and is temporary but spiritual service touches the soul, the core of human beings and brings sustain/uplifts/transform them. This was a great opportunity provided by the president of Oxyfresh, Mr... Brooke, for having me choose among one of the three to go for this mission! He had to choose two but he chose three of us instead and sponsered us generously and caring affectionately. We three, met at Los Angeles airport and bonded at once - all three had the same drive that I had experienced and have shared the same aim and objective. Could not have been a better team. Each one proved to have specialty and it got divided automatically, Christine had managerial skill, Roxie was an entertainer - clown. I was told by Christine that I was their strength towards sustenance, protection, love and healing. She had asked me to pray several times. I had kept God in front even in danger zone, late at night. We got along so well ! Roxie is Mormon and had made great contacts thru' that church's efforts towards Indo. victims. So we were cordially welcomed to join in their efforts. We worked very hard towards their needs and went with them... It was safe and rewarding visiting six camp sites to distribute food, personal hygiene items, kitchen items that Church had planned. I am fully amazed how well all Mormons organized and worked to assemble so many needs for so many humans. - children, women, men.. Already sent 27 BIG trucks! It shows their dedication, kindness, hard work and ability to go out to purchase in thousands at a right price in moment's notice!! And still keeping an accurate accound for the church's Chinese -strict- accountant!! Ton's of supply coming and going. Mormon Church in USA have raised 12 millions towards Indo. Tsunami Relief and have spent $990,000 already towards supplies and the rest will go towards re-building, edu., rehab....all other facilities. Honestly, I was more wonder-stuck -AHA- by Indo. Mormon leadership, teamwork, love, humility, courtsey, thoughtfulness, generocity, hospitality towards us and even rewarding us! At the end of mission, which was made completed one day earlier by doing very hard work till late night so they can take us on a beautiful mountain spot, 90 minutes away...winding roads in tropical thick forest. And we did not know about it till we reach late to our hotel. Ours and theirs airline, Garuda air tickets, they had chnaged for this so they can take us to a very scenic route. A whole day went there and then we reached to the airport on time to go to Jakarta! There, we were welcomed again by Mormon lead faciator for this mission Ms. Bertha who took us to her house and fed us a big meal. Her hospitality was like Indians, very cordial and generous. She is holding a very successful Advertizement Agency, took a whole day off, from very hectic come-back, even to further entertain us for Jakarta shopping!! Bertha and Vera, both most wonderful women I have met in my life! Such depth of life!! They constantly exibited above qualities, representing human values, generocity and Mormon ethics. I am truly wonder stuck! I have had great respect for ALL my Mormon friends ever since I have met them but this Indo. experience have taken me to wonder-stuck stage that I will charish and hopefully reciprocate. Very sweet and most pleasant Bartha assigned Vera and Mary to take me to various Markets in assisting me in finding things most needed for children even though they were very busy. We studied and finally decided to purchase 300 shoes - all sizes - for children, 400 each milk cartons, cookies and also few infant milk powder. I can not praised enough about the generous impact they made on my heart, mind and intellect! I met also their head leaders of Asia Humanetarian Efforts and those Alders also display tremendous great personal qualities. Thank you, all Mormons! Yes, miles and miles of area is devastated in just about three minutes, all came down to the ground. - all life's work! (for well-to-do people) gone. So many relationships are lost and have lost of ALL they had earned in just moments!! Devastation looked like not caused from water but may be nuclear bomb can swipe away the whole area in just seconds! We heard stories as how some saved their lives e.g. climbed trees or ran and ran with two children in arms, to rescued to the airport and stayed without any facility for three days. Some lost the whole family early in the morning, only left with one survivor! For me, the ONLY sad thing to witness was to see "people" being so idle - nothing to do!! Lack of aspiration, or apathetic even!! Lost all hope? While some showed eagerness, were stronger, to go back to Aceh to re-build the life!! Life will on.... in spite. Aceh region is very pretty. Miles and miles of all green fields with rice and being very furtile land, Aceh people have possibility to be very wealthy but ill spirit to make themselve an independent state make them very violent, hostile and with valcanic anger which puts them in distructive activities creating bad omen in vibrations. Population of Aceh consist mixing of four different nationality. A = Arab, B= Chinese, E = Eropean, H= Hindu. They have a combination of these look! We also visited one Chinese camp which was very well managed. Chinese Govt. had been there as well as others but the look still was there, - what to do next? Idleness prevailed. More wars, blood sheds, natural calamities will come without any cause and will bring bigger devastations towards human suffering. Yet there, does not seem to have health risks but a lot of heat, contaminated human facilities, water, poor sanitation etc. prevail... They all need mosquito nets, clean water, school supplies and most children did not have foot-protection at all!! Outbreak seem evitable. But overall, in an essence, my impression remains most positive - Power of human resiliency! Life goes on... in spite of grave situations. As it is said "Beauty is in the eyes of a beholder", I noticed few eyes with pain, sorrow or may be anger from those who were distant but overall where ever my eye contact went, there were deep smiles, gratitude coming back to me from children as well as mothers... Their eyes were holding on to mine as if they were grasping what I had, spiritually. I was merciful and a vision of benevolence towards them. So, I was not shaken by the devastation but I was there for spiritual service, strength and values. A lot of time will take to ever recover, if at all it will - a lot of kind help is coming from all nations - we met many towards Humanitarian Efforts. Our hotel in Medan was a base for that, so met many in elevators... All good hearted people, many meetings were held continuously. I saw a great tee-shirt with saying "if we can not cure, we can care!" It meant for Aid's victim but that team also came here to give hands... Now, more devastated area is opened by the Indonesian military - a region of Moulaboe which lies on Easter side of Banda Aceh was never been reached by trucks but only by helicopters. It is the most beautiful area. There is 80% of all gone, more devastation and loss than Banda Aceh. Hence, there arises more need of supply and revalidation!! Banda Aceh city and airport is working as normal - life goes on in spite some areas are demolished while others are making money on them. We made a unplanned trip to Banda Aceh with the church personnel. They had hired a military car with four police to escort us. We saw trucks with dead bodies passing by or were collecting and throwing in the truck, few bull dozers on cleaning the ground and naturally finding dead more bodies. Some houses, we saw only a foundation left, somewhere only 1/2 broken wall standing as a sore thumb! Somewhere we noticed a posted sign with a family picture of five with "Missing" etc...etc.. Point to ponder: ALL these hard hit nations e.g. Aceh region, Shri Lanka's Tamil having problems with their Government and is a lot of cruelty, war, blood-shed, destructing attitudes, prostitution, domestic violence, anger going among themselves - all from ill-nature since years... All these ill gives out very bad vibrations in the atmosphere. The nature takes just as much as human being can and reacts to retaliate.... More to come everywhere! God had provided me with spiritual powers that I would not take sorrow while witnessing humans, devastation, corps there but give out what I have from Almighty, Himself. People did received a lot of healing, hope, love and peace - they were attracted a lot and would not leave from my eyes (kept me holding). There are all kinds of people for all kinds of needs!! They came to know I am from India, children wanted me to sing a song "kuz kuz hotta hai... "All children in three or four campsite asked me to sing that Hindi Film song, each child seem to know that song from the film. I said I do not know, so they asked me to sing in Hindi anything else... then asked for the meaning - I made up a response to leave an essence of God's truth and said; "... when you have faith in God from the heart, His canapé of protection comes on you..." - they all liked it and clapped hands.... Here, I was pleasantly surprised to notice they still had faith in God in spite of what they have gone through. We entertained the children.. silly songs, silly dancing and made them laugh a lot. It was amazing, how they followed even to repeat in English. Over all, we saw ocean at one place - Calm and quiet water weaves, clean white sand, and refreshing air! How can this serene ocean destroy so many lives and habitats? Was it a power of water even to throw a yacht 4 kilometer from the ocean into a street or devastation was caused by a nuclear bomb? The land had many irregularities as if it is made of desert - all dry out, crisped out crust of ground! Salt water did it. Heard stories a lot how they escaped! Fishing village was saved only due to shrimp farming. Many went under water but save the whole town as shrimp farms kept the waters while warehouse/storage was washed away. Saw houses came down to the ground - brick houses! Good families missing, small photo album washed out and in mud - I say album must be of religious ceremonies... Only intact building we saw among all devastated area were Mosques!! Everywhere standing tall! (they built them very solid too) A little scary journey was from returning from Banda Aceh to Medan - a 12 hour journey became a 16 hour journey, reaching hotel in Medan at 8:00 am. The Aceh region is known for rebels and their danger could erupt unconditionally. May be they do not like military, may be after American or may be after religious Christians! We had visited all base area of rebels, distributing supplies as nobody likes to go there even to deliver for victims...So there was more need for food and personal hygiene there. Okay, for now this much. LOVE Deepu |
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