News From Sumatra

I had mentioned in a recent post that Teresa has traveled with Northwest Medical to Banda Aceh, to work for a month providing medical treatment and relief to that tsnumai ravaged area. More updates have come from her via email, forwarded to me by her brother and sister. Here they are.

From 3/30 or 3/31:

I'm sitting outside our residence at Lamno, Sumatra, Indonesia. It's hot and muggy and I'm hoping for our afternoon rain.

Things are going well. I'm working in the 2 clinics NW Medical has created here. This morning I was at the beach called Babadua. 2/3 of the people there died in the tsunami. Lots of people are back there now cleaning up, living in tents. World Vision is building barrack type housing. It's actually moving along pretty fast.There's lots of Indo workers there that come to me for muscle strains and stuff. They've all been working really hard on housing and still carrying away bodies.

We all ran out of the house last night with the earth quake. It lasted quite a while, rolling type, not jerky. You probably know more about it then I do, but I guess it killed many people on an island SW of here called Neos. NW Medical is trying to send some people there but then NW medical management has problems being timely for UN helicopter take offs, missed the flight and now are talking about sending a team by boat, 2 day boat ride.

So I'm here until they decide I'm going somewhere else, it's very unorganized

Then from 3/31/ or 4/1:

I just found out I am leaving Lamno tomorrow, Friday. I will take a car back to Banda Aceh and meet others to go by ship to Simeleu, and island off the NW coast of Sumatra. They had big losses from the recent earthquake. I guess we will live on the ship and go around to villages that need help and dingy into shore. This news was just passed to us. I'm sad to leave this good group but this will be an awesome adventure. I don't know if I will have e-mail access before I come back to Bande on the 15-16.

The things people will do for a free cruise!!

Then on 4/1, or maybe 4/2 Indonesia time:

Hello from Lamno, Looks like I'm here for a while longer. Send e-mail to this address with my name in the subject line if you want to chat. Waiting for the politics and planning to settle out. Hotter than heck today until then evening rains. Took a walk to the river and caught a ride with a few boys on their becak with the side cart back to town. We worked the morning only today since Friday is the holy day for the people here.

Back on schedule (as it is) tomorrow.