Editorial: Happy Christmas

By Tamara Neely

For me, Christmas is the best holiday! I grant you that in many nations the commercialism has gotten totally out of hand, the consumerism is horrifying, and the political sensitivities regarding whose holiday it actually is borders on the ridiculous.
But, all of that aside…we’re remembering the launching of the THE GREAT PLAN!  This is our chance to celebrate the moment God stepped into our history and gave Himself to us in human form so that we could know Him!  Imagine – He had been planning it for centuries, working out the optimal moment to enter our time so that He could deal with the separation caused by our shame, and restore His Kingdom.  What response should we have to that but joy?

So, I say, bring on the festive meal of your choice!  Bring on the music and gift-giving and decorations!  We need to feast and rejoice and remember that our God loves us and He sent us His only Son!

And, we need to remember that His purpose in coming is not completed.  That’s why we focused this issue on the desperate, ongoing needs of those who have had nothing to celebrate for a long time.  Five years ago, thousands of people lost everything in the Indian Ocean tsunami and many of them are still struggling to find hope for the future. We encourage you to make giving to them a part of your celebration this year.  Why not share this issue with your friends and encourage them to do the same?

In 2010, YWAM celebrates 50 years of working to share with the world the hope that was foretold by the prophets, confirmed by the angels and spread by the disciples.  Why wait – let’s start the party NOW!

Unforgettable Pain – Enduring Love:
The tsunami – 5 years on

By Tamara Neely

“1 642. Care to take a guess at the significance of that number?  A few days ago, a young man whom I have known for many years began working with me. 1 642 is the number of corpses he personally stuffed into body bags during the months of January and February 2005.”

“After a dead body has been lying out in the open for two months, the job is…well, I am just not sure how to properly describe it. I have also seen it, handled it and smelled it, but am at a loss for words as to how to describe it. My friend volunteered to work with the military in a program to find dead bodies and remove them from the rubble. When they would find one; they would put it into a body bag and haul it off to a mass grave.”

“What type of counsel can you give to someone like this?  What kind of long-term effects will such an experience have on this generation?  I certainly don’t have any answers, but we are working with him and trying our best to help him. There are many, many people here just like him.”

So begins the May 2005 newsletter of an aid worker in Indonesia.

Five years ago this month, on December 26, 2004 an earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami that killed more than 240,000 people and left more than 600 000 without home or livelihood, and hundreds of thousands more facing the traumatic memories and relentless challenge of redevelopment.

As the fifth anniversary of one of the deadliest natural disasters in history approaches, it is clear that what the tsunami took minutes to destroy will take many, many more years to rebuild.

Youth With A Mission has partnered with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) working in Southeast Asia for many years, and we have staff resident throughout the region. In the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, YWAM teams responded with typical diversity, offering help with everything from translation and counseling to medical care and burying the dead, working alongside hundreds of other agencies. (Read archived articles about YWAM’s tsunami response at: http://old.ywam.org/articles/article.asp?AID=224.)  Enormous amounts of money and effort and determination have accomplished a great deal since 2005 in restoring what was lost.  Was it enough?

An Uncertain Future

Five years after the tsunami in Aceh, the most devastated part of Indonesia, the few volunteers who remain report that almost every agency has gone home, and the money raised for development has been spent. Thousands of people here are still living in refugee camps and have little hope of receiving a new home, as the funding for reconstruction has dried up. Thousands more who were employed in reconstruction projects are now without jobs, adding to already high unemployment rates. Education and medical facilities were a priority for reconstruction, with the result that there are more schools and hospitals in this area than before the tsunami – more, in fact, than are needed as there are no teachers, doctors, students or patients to use them.

The tsunami changed more than the landscape of Aceh. With its remote location, poor educational opportunities and years of bloody civil war, the people of this region were very isolated, resulting in a narrow worldview. Since the tsunami, contact with international workers and a vastly improved telecommunications infrastructure have opened their minds to new ideas and new ways of thinking.  But where will this take them?

One possibility is towards a more orthodox form of Islam, the dominant religion, say some –laws have recently been passed in this direction, including those which restrict the freedom of women.  Another concern is that the slow advancement of redevelopment and continued economic hardship will lead to further political unrest and conflict, which could undo much of the progress. Indonesia was further shaken by earthquakes in Sumatra this September, adding to the burden of need.

Who is My Neighbour?

Christians in Indonesia face overwhelming odds and uncertain progress in their efforts to live out the mandate of Christ to assist the victims of the tsunami.  One worker, resident for many years, explains how they cope: “Sometimes, as I stand there in the middle of it all, I wonder – what if I were in this person’s position? What would I want people to do to help me? I ask myself, what does ‘loving my neighbor’ look like in this situation?”

Loving their neighbors often means small steps for the NGOs that remain to complete the task of rebuilding. They tenaciously continue fundraising to complete homes that were built without water, and schools that were built without toilets; offering training and loans for micro-enterprise, enabling victims to move beyond their dependence on aid.  These are small efforts that make an enormous difference in the lives of those who have lost everything.

This focus on loving your neighbor has borne fruit in other parts of the region. In Thailand, an alliance of 2,600 Thai Churches and more than 20 Christian relief and development agencies, including YWAM, came together under the banner of “We Love Thailand (WLT).” WLT volunteers responded immediately with much needed relief items. But Christians then did something that many governments and larger organizations find difficulty doing – they listened.

Steve Goode, Vice-President of YWAM, Mercy Ministries/ Relief and Development, was on the steering group for WLT. His observation a year after the tsunami was this: ”After people had their basic needs met, victims had an incredible need to tell their stories. A Christian witness occurred by taking time with people, listening to their stories…People wept together. They prayed together. They remembered losses together. Christians have loved their neighbors by being there and walking with them through each phase of relief, reconstruction and longer term recovery, earning trust all along the way.”

Frozen in Time

The love demonstrated by Christians who continue to serve the victims of the tsunami has not been diminished by time. Today, Steve says, “The believers in Thailand will listen to these stories as long as they have friends who went through the tsunami and lost people they loved.”  He shares this example:

It’s not hard to find friends like this in Thailand. In February, Steve was with a group of 50 YWAM Thailand leaders who were considering how they could love the city of Bangkok more effectively.  Steve went with a group to a large park where over 500 homeless people sleep every night.  The first person they spoke to was Waa, a young man from southern Thailand.  He had no fingers on his right hand.

Steve explains, “I asked, ‘Waa, what happened to your hand?’  Waa replied, ‘I ran a tour company with my wife. We were with our daughter and my parents when the tsunami hit. All of them died except me. My fingers got infected as I was holding on to a tree and the doctors finally had to cut them all off to prevent more serious infection.’”

“Waa has been living in the park for the last year. Frozen in time, not able to find himself, he has not returned to his home. He cannot handle the pain, which he tries to stifle with alcohol. We asked if we could pray with him and we all cried together. I held his hand with no fingers – probably the first time anyone has done that.  I asked him how old he was. He said, ‘On Valentines day, in two weeks, I will be 27 years old.’”

“A group of us returned on Valentines Day and surprised Waa with his first birthday party in a long time, with cake, presents and singing Happy Birthday at least a dozen times. There was much laughter and some tears.”  Steve concludes, “We are keeping in touch with Waa and praying that somehow God will show him His love, His heart and His comfort for a man who has lost everything.”

Back in Indonesia, the writer of our opening story meets survivors like this all the time. “Last week in a mall 1,800 miles away from Aceh while waiting for my wife and kids I began to talk to a couple who had lost everything – home, children, family, business – in the tsunami,” he says. “Just the mention of Aceh brought tears to their eyes. He turned away not wanting to talk; she, I think, would still be talking if I had not excused myself. On one hand they have run away, thousands of miles to a different life, trying to escape the thoughts and memories of the reality of that day, vowing never to go back to Aceh.  On the other hand they cannot stop thinking about it – it is in the forefront of their mind all day, every day.”

He reflects on the perseverance required to stay in a disaster zone long after it stops making headlines: “Sometimes it seems like the tsunami just happened yesterday, sometimes it seems like a bad dream from a long, long time ago. I simply move forward to the best of my ability, with the resources I have, believing for the grace that is needed and pray for God’s blessing. There are many seeds that have been planted and a few who have found peace and comfort, which gives us tremendous faith and sense of determination for the future.”

The sense of urgency created in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy of this scale stirs our natural human sympathies, causes us to react, to give – even to sacrifice – to relieve the suffering.  As time passes, most of us are occupied with more personal or local needs and we move on. Five years later, with Christmas coming and a string of more current disasters demanding attention around the world, why remember the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004?

Because God has not forgotten. The volunteers who remain long-term to serve the victims of such a catastrophe are an inspiration to those serving in other hard areas to persevere, even for the sake of a little fruit. They give perspective to new mission workers who are wondering just how long it takes to make God known. And they are a reminder to all believers of the faithfulness and enduring goodness of the God who entered humanity.

For the survivors, frozen in the pain of loss, they are simply a testimony to the Love that knows no end.

This Christmas, give hope to victims of the 2004 tsunami!

People who have lost everything should not go another year without hope when the resources exist to help. Please give.

YWAM is partnering with organizations in Indonesia that work with local residents to complete the re-construction of communities and help thousands of victims rebuild their lives with micro-financing and vocational training programs. These provide individuals and families with a source of income, independence and hope.  100% of your donation will go directly to projects that are designed to advance the long-term regeneration of the area hit hardest by the tsunami.

Donations can be made online at https://old.ywam.org/secure/donations/donate.asp?project=9
Or, send a US dollar check made out to ‘Youth With A Mission’ with a note designating it for “Indonesia (Aceh) relief” and send to :

Youth With A Mission
PO Box 26479
Colorado Springs CO 80936, USA

Or call to donate at : 00–1–719–380-0505

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands – Lost at Sea

By Jill Martin

India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands were one of the areas hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami.  The epicenter of the 9.3-magnitude earthquake was only 100 miles away and when it hit, it completely ruptured one of the tectonic plates on which the islands rest.  The result of this was that one side of the island chain actually fell vertically nearly six feet from its previous level, permanently changing the coastline and leaving land that was home to thousands of people underwater forever.

Thousands of people were killed, and many thousands more can never return home because the land where their homes once stood is now completely submerged.

Vasanti was a financially well-off widow, living with her son in a comfortable home on the coast of Nicobar Island. She had a church, many friends, and money in the bank.  All that changed at 7:58am on December 26, 2004. Vasanti and her son escaped with their lives, but their home,  family photos, possessions, and bank records were swept out to sea in a matter of minutes.

Banking was not computerized, so like thousands of others, her money was lost forever when the banks and all their paper records went underwater. Since home owners’ insurance is unknown in India, there was also no compensation for the destruction of her house and possessions.  The government gave Vasanti 10,000 rupees – about 200 U.S. dollars.

Like many other residents of the now-uninhabitable Nicobar coast, Vasanti and her son were transported to the city of Port Blair on Andaman Island. There, a local pastor connected her with YWAM, who was building and donating houses to tsunami victims.  For the past four years, Vasanti and her son have lived  in one of these homes.

It’s still painful for Vasanti to talk about that day and her life since the tsunami. She tells me, “We were very healthy and wealthy and we lost everything.”  She covers her face with her sari and weeps. “It’s been difficult to adjust to a new place because we don’t know anyone here.”

Living only on a widow’s pension and the little her son earns as a night watchman has also been a challenge, but she is grateful for the home YWAM provided for them.  “No other agencies would help us.” She says. “Only God gave us this house; it’s miraculous”

You Can Depend on Those Church People

by Bronwen Niles

“You’re not just restoring our homes. You’re restoring our lives.”

Over and over again, YWAM New Orleans directors Steve and Bronwen Niles have heard comments like these coming from the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the deadly storm which hit southern Louisiana, USA on August 29, 2005.  The most severe loss of life and property was in New Orleans.  The YWAM centre was also badly damaged, but with lots of help they were operational within a few months and began using every inch of their available facilities to host relief work teams. To date, they have hosted 350 teams totaling over 7 000 volunteers.

YWAM New Orleans teams have gutted 500 houses: helping to prevent survivors from losing their homes. During one of their jobs, a YWAM team was able to recover some precious belongings for an 87-year-old woman who was relocated to another city after the hurricane.

“Our connection with Miss Hattie began when she contacted our YWAM office about our free house-gutting services.” says Bronwen. “During that initial conversation, Miss Hattie explained that her house had been swamped by ten feet of water during Katrina. She and her daughter were not physically capable of clearing it out.”

“While our team was doing the dirty job of removing all the moldy furniture and belongings from the house, a teenage girl saw something sparkling in the midst of the rubble on the floor. We later discovered it was Miss Hattie’s diamond engagement ring. The other items found that day included silver dishes with gold trim and some silver dollar coins.”

Steve and Bronwen visited Miss Hattie to deliver the diamond engagement ring, the silver dollars, and the dishes. While there, they learned that the recovery of each of these items was a specific answer to prayer.

“Miss Hattie had been praying that God would help our team find these specific items while they were gutting her home.” Bronwen explains. “The ring and the silver dollars had a lot sentimental value to Miss Hattie.  And the only thing her daughter had wanted to recover from their house was her wedding dishes.”

“All of us were in tears,” Bronwen says. “When we left she said, “I will never forget you but I know I’ll see you again.”

Hurricane victims throughout New Orleans boast about the Christian volunteers who have helped them during their time of great need. It is said that when people in New Orleans see a van full of young people, they know it is Christians coming to help them.

“You can depend on those church people,” victims say throughout New Orleans. “If it weren’t for the Christians, New Orleans would be at ground zero.”

Find out more about the work of YWAM in New Orleans at : www.ywamneworleans.org

A moment in YWAM

A Moment in YWAM :

Christmas in Australia – Brad and Melissa Davies and their son take part with the rest of YWAM Townsville and local churches in a city wide Christmas festival called “Stable on the Strand,” a walk-through, living nativity scene with activities to help all ages understand the message of Christmas.

Send your “Moment in YWAM” to : iy@ywam.org