Waves of compassion

Lutheran, The, Feb 2005

The ELCA mourns losses, sends relief after the South Asian tsunami

Tamara Menais and her daughter, Eranthie, 25, were traveling along the Indian Ocean in Sri Lanka to a family celebration in December. That trip turned to tragedy when the deadly earthquake and tsunami struck Sri Lanka and 11 other countries Dec. 26. A 30-foot wave toppled their train, which was carrying hundreds of passengers.

Interviewed by ABC News, Eranthie recalled: "Out the window you could see scenes of houses breaking and people already in the water." A spring graduate of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., she said she tried to save her mother, but the force was too great.

Tamara Mendis, 55, was one of thousands who perished in the disaster. Her husband, Eardley Mendis, is pastor of Purna Jiwan South Asian Ministry, part of Norwood Park Lutheran Church on Chicago's Northwest Side. He flew to Sri Lanka for the Dec. 30 funeral. A memorial service was held that day in Chicago.

Friends described Tamara Mendis as gentle, loving and intelligent. She was a passionate gardener and frequently cooked much-loved Sri Lankan meals for students at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

When The Lutheran went to press Jan. 4, the number of confirmed deaths from the tragedy was not yet known. The tsunami left millions, already poor, homeless and vulnerable to hunger and disease. Many lack clean drinking water and adequate health facilities. U.N. officials said recovering from this disaster could take 10 years.

In addition to immediate work begun by international relief and governmental agencies, the ELCA sent $150,000 in December to help churches and other partners in Southeast Asia provide assistance. "We will be responding with more and more funds as soon as they come in," said Belletech Deressa of the Division for Global Mission. ELCA funds, she added, are helping ELCA partner churches deliver basic assistance to survivors through Action by Churches Together International, a Genevabased global relief network of churches and related agencies.

Grief and recovery

"Given our church's close connections with many in these regions, including many partner churches, we grieve for and with all ... who have suffered losses," said Kathryn Sime, director of the ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal. "As with all disasters, those who were most vulnerable prior to the tsunami are now in the greatest danger of falling into extreme poverty.

"One source of comfort in this tragedy is that our partnerships allow us to respond immediately and with a high degree of trust that money will be used where needed most."

One of the ELCA's many partners in relief work is Lutheran World Relief, Sime added. At presstime, LWR had received $1 million in donations for its "Wave of Giving" effort (800-LWR-LWR2; www.lwr.org). Thrivent Financial for Lutherans also committed to matching its member gifts up to $2 million for relief efforts. The funding will go toward clean water, food, shelter, psychological counseling, and rebuilding.

Lisa Bonds, LWR vice president for external relations, asked U.S. citizens to donate cash, adding," Cash may seem less personal... but if people really want to help ... and not make that already difficult task more so, then they must realize how cash, at least in Phase One efforts, is the only responsible response available."

All of the ELCA's missionaries serving in Thailand, Indonesia and India have been reported safe. At presstime, ELCA leaders said contact hadn't yet been made with Maldives, Malaysia or Myanmar churches, all of which were affected. Coastal areas of East Africa also reported some deaths, casualties and destruction.

Worst-affected were:

* Indonesia. Bishop Bonar Napitupulu, head of the 3-million member North Sumatra-based Protestant Christian Batak Church, says pastors and members are coordinating assistance in Aceh, Pantai, Cermin (Serdan Bendagei) and Nias. The church will remove dead bodies; supply survivors with food, shelter, clothing and drinking water; and provide medical care. They are coordinating relief work with support from government, military, nongovernmental organizations and other groups.

About 100 church members died, 300 were homeless and 70 were taken to a church hospital in Balige. A church in Banda Aceh "is flooded with mud up to a depth of [59 inches] high with 50 corpses" that haven't yet been removed due to a lack of equipment, says Ria Sidabutar-Pardede, a member of the Advisory Committee for Theological Education in Asia. The pastor's home and a synod building were also "wiped out," Pardede says.

* Thailand. Sally Lim, regional coordinator for Asia with the Lutheran World Federation Department for Mission and Development, called the official numbers "a far cry from the real situation," adding, "Thousands are still missing and not reported and more than 4,000 fishing boats are still lost at sea."

Many unidentified bodies of foreigners have been ferried to Bangkok in refrigerated containers. In most cases, identification can only be made through DNA testing. To prevent outbreaks of disease from heavily decomposed corpses, other unclaimed bodies were buried temporarily in the provinces where the disaster struck.