Reflections from Banda Aceh

[Donna Derr, the Associate Director of International Response for the Church World Service Emergency Response Program, wrote the following reflections. She and Rick Augsburger, the Director of the CWS ERP, recently returned from a visit to the tsunami-stricken regions of southern Asia.]

Friends:

I have not forgotten that on our last conference call, when Rick and I were still in Asia, I had promised to share some of my reflections from my short time in Banda Aceh. It has just taken me a bit of time to sort through what I saw and the sharing from people with whom I spoke, so that I could offer you some small sense of what I experienced and heard. 

In summary, some of those things that remain etched in memory:

- arriving at the Banda Aceh airport amidst the tremendous chaos of many military planes and personnel, piles of material aid being off-loaded and tents surrounding the grounds for international military units who had been deployed to assist, and seeing - standing patiently and visibly - Dino and Leo, two of our CWS-Indonesia staff, awaiting our arrival and greeting us with grace and warmth in the midst of their busy day.

- driving through the city of Banda Aceh and seeing military units whose job was the recovery of bodies and watching as they carefully carried the remains of an adult in a blue body bag and the remains of a child in a black body bag and placing them beside a row of others recovered in the cleared median of the road. I remember counting as we drove past and offering a silent prayer as I wondered if anyone remained to celebrate the life and mourn the loss of those who lay there.  

- accompanying staff on a distribution of CWS blankets, health kits and food packages and talking with the women and children of the extended family who were now living together -- 21 people in a 3-room house. One of the mothers of several children in this extended family shared her experience so eloquently as her almost 1 year old child giggled, took up residence in my lap and developed an attachment to the several bracelets that have found a home on my arm. She talked about how she and her husband made "steps" of themselves (a human ladder of sorts) that their children, ages 15 to 1, could use to climb or be boosted up onto the roof of their house. Their children then helped pull them up. Their "miracle" was that, despite the house being a total loss, they all survived and have been given shelter by their extended family. 

- seeing the perseverance and resilience of people who are already, with the help of friends and family, cleaning out their small shops and digging mud out by hand because there are not enough shovels for everyone helping. 

- watching the CWS mobile clinic get packed up with supplies in the morning in preparation for another day spent out in communities providing basic health care to host families and the many IDPs living with them, and hearing the CWS staff reflect with such compassion and commitment what they have heard and experienced at the end of the day and, in spite of their long days and less than wonderful living conditions, starting the next day with equal grace and humility that what they are doing might make a difference. 

I came away with the sure knowledge that the support each of you has offered to CWS-Indonesia for this response is making a meaningful difference. I came away with the reminder that we are so very blessed and lucky to have a staff team in CWS-Indonesia who understand the culture and are so very committed and humble in what they offer to those who survived this disaster. I came away with the knowledge that people's resilience and ability to cope in the face of tremendous adversity is often beyond my full comprehension, but an example and gift to me each time I encounter it. 

Blessings,

Donna