“Nias” is pronounced much like the name Mia sounds, when there are two or more “Mias” around.
26 December 2004 – message from Crosier generalate in Rome
The devastating flood in SE Asia has taken many lives and left many homeless. We remember them in our prayers. We have received word that the Crosiers in Sumatra and on the island of Nias are safe. There is water in the rectory (Nias) but the confreres are safe. More details in the coming days.
The Crosiers in Sumatra are based in the city of Medan, which is on the eastern side of Sumatra, and not immediately affected by the tsunami.
January 6, 2005 – message from the Crosier generalate in Rome
Confrere Adipramono wrote a long letter in the Sang Kristus mailing-group about the Crosiers’ experience on Nias. Points from the letter included:
- They were presently cleaning the Crosier rectory in Sirombu.
- The market place in Sirombu was almost totally destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami.
- The Crosiers (M. Kuppens, Kosman, Warno and Agustinus) helped people looking for bodies. They even came down to the river, picking up the bodies, some of which hung from the trees beside the river. Once, when they were washing the bodies (a ritual before burial), somebody cried aloud, “Water…water!!” Everyone was in a panic, including the Crosiers. They ran away, some of them even still holding bodies in their hands. All of them were thinking that the water from the sea was coming back. But no water was coming!
- The Crosiers, together with the FCJM, SCMM and OSF sisters, are now still helping people by distributing food, water, and other necessities.
- Some young people tried to forget their misery by dancing in the street in the middle of the night.
From other sources, the Crosier generalate has received additional information about Nias Island:
- 358 houses were totally destroyed, leaving 4,128 people homeless
- 5 churches, both Catholic and Protestant, were damaged or destroyed
- 11 bridges were damaged
- 2 elementary schools and 2 public clinics were also destroyed
N.B.: “Sang Kristus” is the name of the Indonesian Crosier province centered in Bandung, on the island of Java.
Sirombu is the name of the town where the Crosier parish on the island of Nias is located.
January 11, 2005 – from the minutes of the Sacred Heart Parish Pastoral Council meeting
The special collection for the tsunami victims on Nias totaled $1,478. Motion was made to match that contribution from parish savings, and the motion carried. Mary Bannick suggested we make Nias a sister parish for a year. The priests would determine the needs. Mary also suggested that we publish in the newspaper the contribution, the connection to the Crosiers in Nias, and our ongoing assistance. The youth group and Sunday school classes could become involved, as well as special collections on Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day. Fr. Greg will contact the Crosiers in Nias to get the ball rolling! Mary will write the article for the Messenger. Motion was made to approve this suggestion, and the motion carried.
January 14, 2005 - from Mammouth, an Indonesian Crosier working at Crosier headquarters in Rome
News from confrere Adipramono, OSC, on Nias Island in Sumatra, Indonesia: We have worked in high intensity to help and to strengthen people in our parish who are suffering. We have had almost no time to go to the city (Gunung Sitoli) to open our e-mail and send news to our confreres. On Thursday, 13 January 2005, confrere Warno and I went to the city with the Wakil Bupati of Nias and a police officer from Sirombu (our parish) to receive aid in the amount of 1.5 million rupiah for two districts. Confrere Kuppens, OSC, has a mandate from the people to divide this aid. Also we have the trust of the Nias people to receive other aid. In these weeks, our parish Salib Suci has been visited by so many guests. Doctors from other countries came here to serve the people, with their talents, medicines and medical equipment. We have enough food and other main materials. Our friends from Jakarta said that the finances go better when it is given to us.
(Signed) Adipramono, OSC
P.S. In the 14 January 2005 issue of the popular Indonesian journal KOMPAS, was found a picture of our confrere Kuppens, OSC, as he received aid for the people of Nias from the Indonesian president. It proved that our confreres on Nias island have credibility with the government and the people of Indonesia. Please pray for their services.
(Signed) Harimanto, OSC
Nota bene: “Wakil Bupati” is a government official (the vice-bupati); the bupati is a government official at a level midway between our state governor and a city mayor. “Salib Suci” (meaning “Holy Cross”) is the name of the parish served by Crosiers on the island. The 1.5 million rupiah would be worth $161.38 (as of mid-February 2005).
21 January 2005 – message from the Crosier generalate in Rome
Sirombu, Nias, 20 January 2005
Confreres,
This time I want to share a little about the aid which we have received for all the different victims of the tsunami. We have become the central hub especially for those groups that prize practical distribution so that aid actually gets to those who are in need.
For a little over three weeks now we have been breaking our backs giving out aid from those who have made donations. It is now apparent that the management of aid distribution for the island of Nias has been fundamentally entrusted to the church. Even the government officials will not trust aid distribution to work effectively when it goes to the governmental drop off posts. The government officials from Central Tapanuli himself brought relief aid directly to the parish center of Sirombu. It would appear that all the big supply loads always come through the parish. Many trucks deliver their supplies here – which I also fear will bring about a sense of jealousy from other distribution centers.
I note that several times it has happened that important materials and strategic resources did not end up at the government posts, but rather came through us. The aid team of Mr. T.B. Silalahi (with the Kalbe pharmatceutical company) and the team of doctors have declared that if the aid that they provide does not get channeled through the church, they will take their aid home and will refuse to offload it. That is to say, they will not allow that their aid gets unloaded at any other spot.
The Chinese community in Medan has brought 10 tons of rice, sleeping mats, and blankets. The way they brought it in was amazing – four trucks full. On the average, every two to three days we receive 5-10 tons. Thus, the basic necessities are well in supply at this point. A colleague from the travel company near here along with the Group Surfers International has given aid to buy 250 fishing boats – all of the originals having been destroyed in the tsunami. For a society that eats thanks to fishing, this incredible gift is a lifesaver! In our accounting, though, about 40-50 folks have lost their fishing boats, thus on that particular item, we are oversupplied. We are daily amazed by the superabundant generosity. It is a grace not to worry about the supply side when distribution is already so hectic.
One of the problems, from the distribution end, seems to be that the aid might be a one-time drop. Whereas the need will still continue for several months. The storage is problematic. This is not an easy logistic problem to figure out, even though we are the trustworthy church!
At this point there is a kind, supergenerous scurrying among non-governmental agencies and transnational parties who want to channel their aid through the church. One Swiss fishing industrialist who has a factory in Thailand and several other Asian countries – whose business is export to America – approached the diocese offering to finance the reconstruction of Sirombu and other neighboring districts whose building were demolished.
From Caritas International in Australia, the Netherlands, and other nations, there have been offers to build policlinics, dormitories, and orphanages. There are also many, many other international agencies who have offered aid and support. It is a true superabundance of gifts. Just today again the German branch in Bandung of Kinder Not Hilfe [Aid to Children in Need] offered aid for caring for children left homeless or without parent. I pointed them in the direction of the Diocese of Sibolga where their help could be better applied and more immediately coordinated through the Franciscan Sisters of Sibolga who have a wealth of experience in this arena.
There are so very many benefactors who offer aid to the Island of Nias, just recently hit by this natural disaster. It is amazing. Moreover, we can take pride in the Catholic Church of ours, that it is entrusting to serve as a trustworthy distributor – even directly by our own president. Our confrere, Pastor Matieu Kuppens, OSC, has the full trust of the government official at the Kabupaten in carrying out the distribution work. When he met with the Bupati yesterday (19/1), he underscored for them that the heart and essence of being entrusted with public service is to be found trustworthy and conscientious. That message received warm applause and affirmation by all involved, including the Bupati, the military chief and the police chief. He closed by assuring them all: “In this momentous matter I acknowledge you all as you back up this major effort and shield and encourage the institutions you are deputed to safeguard.”
Thus far about the process of aid distribution. The process continues on. There are a thousand things to do. We ask your continued prayer and support.
Greetings, Adipramono, OSC
January 24, 2005 – News from Zenith.org
God Was With Tsunami Victims, Says Cardinal Sodano, During a Mass for Repose of the Souls of the Deceased
Vatican City, Jan. 24. 2005 (Zenith.org) – Cardinal Sodano proposed an answer to a question that has been on the minds of many people: Where was God during the tsunami?
The Vatican secretary of state offered a response today, almost a month after the Dec. 26 tragedy, during a Mass for the repose of the souls of the victims of the Southeast Asian tidal wave.
“God is always by our side!” exclaimed the cardinal, who presided at the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. “He became man to share our existence, in the happy and sad moments of life.”
The tsunami disaster claimed between 157,000 and 221,000 lives, according to varying government counts.
“Once again man has experienced his littleness before the complexity of the world in which we live,” Cardinal Sodano said in his homily. “So, there arose spontaneously in us the inner drive to look at heaven, seeking answers to so many questions that come in such moments of confusion.”
“Some have even asked how it is possible that man, who has been able to go to the moon, and to send a probe to Titan, more than 1 billion kilometers from the earth, is so impotent before these disasters,” he continued.
“Many have wondered, moreover, if the Christian faith has a clarifying answer to the enigma of pain,” the cardinal noted.
Cardinal Sodano answered: “Yes. God always loves people, and is always by their side with a Father’s love!”
“In this connection, expressive is the answer that a well-known writer put on the lips of Christ, when replying to a question posed by a poor wayfarer who fell into the mud. ‘Where are you, my God?’ the pilgrim cried out as he sank into the mud. But he immediately head a mysterious voice that responded from on high: ‘I am with you in the mud!’”
“This is the lesson of faith: God accompanies man in every instant of his life,” said Cardinal Sodano, who also told of John Paul II’s commitment to help those affected by the disaster.
The Vicar of Christ, the cardinal said, continues to invite all “to solidarity in favor of these brothers and sisters of ours, reminding us of the well-known words of a saint: ‘At the end of life, we will be judged on love.’”
January 25, 2005 – translation of letter from Fr. Greg to Adipramono and Mammouth
Greetings to all! We, Dave Gallus and Greg Poser, together with Jude Verley, are pastors “in solidum” for four parishes in the vicinity of our Crosier community in Onamia, Minnesota. One of our parishes, namely Sacred Heart, is interested in becoming a sister parish to Salib Suci parish in Nias, at least for some time. Clearly the tsunami experienced there has felt like a blow to the hearts of many people around the world, including in Sacred Heart parish. Contributions have already been gathered to be sent there, through our provincial offices here in the U.S. But we also hope to begin a direct relationship with Adi and his confreres in Nias, to determine what kind of relationship is possible between Sacred Heart parish and Salib Suci parish.
We have twice received news from Adi in Nias, through the Crosier generalate in Rome. We suppose that in receiving e-mail, Kosman’s address is used by those in Nias.
We understand that all our confreres in Nias are quite busy, and we will be patient in awaiting a response. We are also aware that an inter-parish relationship, such as we’re thinking of it, doesn’t have to be immediately clear in its details, and doesn’t have to stop already after some time has passed.
We will not forget to pray for all our confreres in Nias and all those whom they are serving.
25 January 2005 – translation of letter from Mammouth to the Crosiers of Sang Kristus province
Dear confreres, I am forwarding an offer from a parish in the U.S., wishing to become a sister parish with our parish in Sirombu. I am sending a copy of this letter to Greg, so that there can be a connection made between their offer and our confreres on the island of Nias via Adi (directly to Greg Poser in the Indonesian language). Thanks, Greg, for the offer.
Yesterday we attended a mass for the tsunami victims at St. Peter’s Basilica, quite a few people were present even though the event was put together on short notice. Indonesian Muslims (including the ambassador) were also present for the mass at the Basilica, and their presence was announced by Cardinal Sodano, the second-ranking official at the Vatican.
Prayer and love from Rome to all.
30 January 2005 – letter from Adipramono to Greg Poser
Dear Greg, I’m writing without having obtained the approval of our head pastor, but I’m sure he would be pleased that I’m writing you. I’ve already received a forwarded message from Mammouth in Rome that a parish in the U.S. has offered to become a sister parish, an offer that is sweet-sounding and interesting. It is a blessing from the tsunami for us.
I’m not writing many words. What would Sacred Heart parish want to contribute to us? Or what are the parish’s plans for us? If the offer is made with the intention of improving our own capabilities, we ourselves haven’t begun to think about that, because we are have few people who are well educated. We are wrestling mightily with the challenge of drawing out the people’s energy to cope here. For example, because of this catastrophe, people become disinterested in working, and prefer to wait for assistance, without having tried with their own strength to rise and begin working.
So much for now, pastor, I will try to see what develops in this parish and will communicate that later on.
My greetings and prayer.
3 February 2005 – letter from Yulius
Greetings, Greg! I am Yulius Hirnawan C., OSC, I’ve been asked by Fr. Agus to take the offer of a sister parish there to our community or parish here in Sirombu a step further. I will leave for Sirombu shortly … for sure by next week, after Ash Wednesday. My question: What is required to become sister parishes? Do we have to make a proposal or a report or what? Do I later prepare a written report for your parish there (after I have arrived there and have done a survey in the field)? What do you need from us to meet the requirements of being a sister parish?
Thank you for giving this your attention. I await news.
February 8, 2005 – translation of letter from Fr. Greg to Yulius
Greetings, Yulius!
Sorry, I waited too long already before responding, Thanks for your patience!
I, too, am still thinking about how to begin a relationship between Sacred Heart parish in Wahkon and Salib Suci parish in Nias. I hope you and your confreres can be patient yet. It is my impression that we can take time yet to think this through, because the basic needs of people in Nias are being met by the Indonesian government and various contributions from outside. Indeed, we will send funds to the bank account that has been sent to us, but that in itself doesn’t yet describe how Sacred Heart parish can become a partner to Salib Suci parish. Whatever the requirements for such a relationship are, I, too, am thinking about it for the first time.
I’m glad you sent three photos through Mammouth, and invite you to send more. That will help the parishioners of Sacred Heart to comprehend the situation there. I’ve translated several e-mails for them. This week, there will be an article in a local newspaper about the situation in Nias and the assistance which we want to send, along with an invitation for readers of the newspaper story to also help.
As for the Sacred Heart parishioners, what can develop is prayer for the people of Nias, along with an awareness of the youth about the “outside world.” Eventually, the youth and all the parishioners of Sacred Heart might find a way of being partners with parishioners there. We know that the crisis will not be over quickly, and we will be ready to be partners with you for a longer time, if we can together find a way of doing that.
So, Yulius, I don’t have many ideas yet, but there is still time for that. I invite you all to think about this too, in the time to come, and if there are suggestions or needs that we can address, we are ready to listen.
That’s all for now… I have to get some sleep, so I can get up early and preside at Ash Wednesday services tomorrow morning, at noon, and again in the evening. May God grace us tomorrow (you are already in the middle of Ash Wednesday), and throughout the Lenten season.
8 February, 2005 – message from Crosier generalate in Rome
The following story comes from the Catholic News Servie (USA) on the Crosiers on the island of Nias, Indonesia:
Parish Spearheads Post-Tsunami Efforts on Indonesia’s Nias Island - by Stephen Steele, Catholic News Service
Sirombu, Indonesia (CNS) – Thirty-year-old Faanle sought treatment at the medical clinic at Holy Cross Parish. He was not sure what his ailment was, and the medical staff could do little to cure his daily aches and pains.
But Faanle, whose only child drowned in the Dec. 26 disaster, stays at the parish most days, deriving comfort from the priests, nuns and lay volunteers who come to Nias Island from all over Indonesia to serve tsunami survivors.
Like Faanle, others also spend their days at the parish, and a continual stream of visitors waits in line to meet with the priests.
In late January, Amajuli Gulo, 50, brought two young villagers who sought the parish’s help. Gulo’s wife and four children were killed in the disaster.
Although he said he was still grieving and weeps at night when he is alone, Gulo said he has no desire to discuss his grief, preferring instead to focus on helping his equally traumatized neighbors survive.
“I still remember my wife and children, and when I remember, I cry. But I do not want to talk. I believe that God knows what I feel,” he said.
The tsunami hit a sparsely populated area on the west coast of Nias, a predominantly Christian island of 700,000 people. However, those who lived in the traditional stilted, thatched-roof homes along the beach stood little chance of surviving because a dirt road accessible by motorbike offered the only escape route, explained Crosier Father Mathias Kuppens.
Fr. Kuppens, a barrel-chested 68-year-old Dutch missionary, coordinated the recovery effort, carrying corpses by motorbike several miles up a hill from the beach. The priest said he sometimes carried a body in each arm while sitting behind a seminarian who drove the motorbike.
“By the third day, the bodies had decomposed so badly that we had no choice (but) to bury them in a mass grave. Every village was there. There was a lot of crying and sadness, but we prayed that God would take care of them,” he said.
The bodies of all of the island’s dead were accounted for, an important element in the mourning process as the islanders’ tradition is to bury the dead close to home, he added.
In Nias’ animist tradition, bad occurrences are believed to be retribution from God, but the priest said the tsunami was different.
“No one believe God had anything to do with this, Fr. Kuppens said.
Since the disaster, Holy Cross Parish has hosted a number of dignitaries and celebrities who have promised to rebuild the island. In early January, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held a press conference on parish grounds.
Fr. Kuppens, who has worked in Indonesia for about 40 years and is familiar with its culture of corruption, said he told the president’s wife, “Make sure you tell your husband not to let corruption steal from the people.”
Several hundred Nias residents were left homeless by the disaster, and the Indonesian government has promised to rebuild every destroyed home. It asked the Catholic Church to oversee most of the recovery effort.
Fr. Michael To, a priest of the Sibolga Diocese appointed to head the tsunami relief effort, said the church will ensure that every penny donated to the island will be spent on survivors and those in need.
He said the church and government will rebuild some 300 homes and supply each villager with a small plot of land for farmers or provide fishing boats for fishermen. Each home will cost about $1,000, he said.
“This is a grant; there will be no loans. We want to rebuild every home and help the people,” he said.
9 February 2005 – letter from Yulius
Thanks for your response, which will become good material for my survey in Nias, and I will gather data about what assistance can be given from America. Our government’s focus is primarily on Aceh. I personally can appreciate that, because of the Muslim population there and because the situation there is more grievous. At least I can gather data and help confreres there to see and note what assistance might be needed. I and the confreres there will try to perceive and focus together on what kind of cooperation we can begin as a continuing effort, because I’m confident that we will not be able to immediately resolve all the issues and problems there. As Crosiers, we are committed to keep striving for complete and consistent restoration.
Thanks for everything. I will forward any further news from you and take steps through simple action. The offer to become sister parishes perhaps can become reality through paying attention to needs as they appear. Greetings to all confreres there, especially those who participated in the meeting of young Crosiers (Kermit, Dave Donnay, and the others). I’m pleased to receive your e-mails. I will keep on sending news on developments here through you.
April 6, 2005 – letter of Greg to Yulius
Dear Yulius,
Happy Easter to you, too! And greetings to all the confreres there. Holy Week was indeed very busy for me, maybe because for the first time since I went to Indonesia I’m responsible for the preparations in the parish. Surely it will be easier next year, right?
We were truly worried after Nias was hit by the earthquake at the beginning of last week, and were glad to hear that all the Crosiers were safe. If communications are flowing smoothly again with those in Nias, maybe there will be more information, such as whether there were fatalities in the towns of Sirombu or Mandrehe. We already know there were deaths in Gunung Sitoli, but haven’t heard yet about other areas. Here, we are praying daily for the confreres in Nias, and their parishioners, too.
Now we also have daily prayers for Pope John Paul II. Friday, we will go to the diocesan cathedral here and attend a memorial mass for him.
I just finished meeting with some members of the Sacred Heart parish finance council and parish pastoral council in Wahkon, the sister parish to Holy Cross parish in Nias. We agreed to send $3,000 soon, and will transfer this from the bank here to the bank account which was made known to us a while ago, the one in the name of Fr. Kuppens. We don’t actually know how much of a contribution is needed. We understand this contribution as a response to the proposal you sent after your survey in Nias, which is to restore the livestock and trees which were lost as a result of the tsunami.
We have several questions in regard to the proposal, besides the mechanisms which still have to be formulated: What’s the cost of a pig? Is it necessary to import pigs? (There was a time when pigs were exported from here to another country, as a contribution.) Are chickens needed, or incubated eggs? What’s the cost of trees? How far will this contribution of $3,000 go?
Then, too, you asked about the possibility of finding foster parents for children needing schooling. I’m confident this can be done. I’m also reluctant to create jealousy or envy among the children. So, what’s the cost of educating a child? Also, we would like it if you could tell the situation of the school itself. Is it a parish school or public school? If we have a parish group willing to help out the school, is there a need?
Some council members also asked about some other things: What’s the cost of someone in Nias to get clothing, and to build a house? I’m assuming that we here don’t need to help in that regard, but we are interested in comparing costs there with costs here. For that matter, what’s the annual income of someone in Nias?
If some of these questions can be answered before Saturday evening, then I can pass the answers along to the Sacred Hearts parishioners. If that isn’t possible, any other time is fine.
So much for now, Yulius. May the world not be so crazy in coming days!
April 8, 2005 – response from Yulius to Greg
Dear Greg,
Yeah, it’s tiring to work in the parish, especially during the several days of celebrating the Paschal Mystery. I’m confident that this Easter has much meaning, such that we thank God for life.
I appreciate your response. I apologize if I’m too pushy. At the moment, the situation of Nias is very worrisome, more so than when I was there. Many buildings are ruined and many people are screaming because of the lack of assistance and the slowness of the government in handling all this, compared to the way it handles Sumatra. This is an area that is very backward in many regards, which is very different from the situation in Sumatra. From roads to schools, everything is minimal and insufficient.
The Crosier rectory in Sirombu, where I stayed when I was there, is totally ruined. When the tsunami hit, it wasn’t seriously damaged, only the fence wall was damaged.
I will spell out what we need there. My survey gave somewhat of a picture of what assistance is needed. My data surely is not valid anymore, because it was gathered before this last earthquake. I will return there to gather more information for future planning.
I figure that there are 45 families that we will help, in connection with the tsunami. These 45 families, according to my observations and the suggestions of our confreres there, are worthy of receiving long term assistance. This assistance would take form in these ways:
1. Pigs. Pigs are one of their ways of making a living. The price of a pair (male-female) of pigs comes to 800,000 rupiah (about $84 ), so for pigs alone we need (Rp. 800,000 x 45 families) Rp. 36,000,000 (about $3,790). The goal with providing them with pigs is so that they have livestock as a means of making a living.
The mechanism: We provide them with pigs as a form of assistance governed by rules. They are asked to raise these pigs till they have offspring. The offspring will be divided in half, with half belonging to them and half to the parish. The parish pigs will be made available to families that need pigs. And so on. They are not allowed to sell the initial pair of pigs. This will be supervised by our confreres who work there, in particular cfr. Eko (he is already agreeable). The pigs we propose to distribute would be local pigs, because they are more capable of surviving in the situation. Also, the cost of importing pigs from outside the island of Nias is quite high; unfortunately, the only funds that have been allocated thus far are for importing pigs. Besides, importing pigs from outside Nias will be blocked by local government bureaucracy, which often delays and makes things difficult by all kinds of procedures that don’t make sense. We need funds for buying pigs there, because our confreres there understand the place and the pig merchants. I myself will go there for some time, to supervise the funding. I will make reports, together with our confreres there, about developments and the accounting of the use of funds (with approval of our Crosier provincial). Pigs are an objective of ours, because the time period for results is relatively short, compared with trees (rubber as well as cocoa).
2. Coconut, rubber, and cocoa. Tree farming that is common there is rubber and cocoa, because the ground is suitable for that and they are accustomed to these trees. The primary fruit of the earth there is coconut (from which comes kopra) and rubber. Cocoa just became a commodity introduced there. I’m figuring that each family will receive 30 seeds for coconut and rubber trees.
a. Rubber. Forty rubber seeds at Rp. 12,000 (cost for a bag of prime seeds) x 45 families = Rp. 21,600,000 (about $2,275). This tree farming is for the long term, and while they are waiting for the fruits of these new trees, they will make use of the fruits of the old trees that remain. The reason I prioritize rubber and coconut is because their stock needs to be renewed or made “younger,” remembering that their current stock is old and not very productive anymore. Their stock needs to be renewed, but they themselves are unable to do it because the cost is more than they can manage. Production to this day has only been enough to live on for only the day itself. Nias is very backward, and the cost of necessities very high, because transportation is difficult and everything is obtained from outside Nias. The cost of necessities thus can multiply several times over, by the time it gets into their hands. For example, the cost of one chicken at the market in Sibolga or in Gunung Sitoli is Rp. 15,000, but becomes Rp. 25,000 by the time it gets to their hands. Fuel for vehicles is Rp. 1,800 per liter (before the increase on March 1), but by the time it gets to the area of Sirombu has risen to Rp. 5,000 per liter.
b. Cocoa. Fifty seeds at Rp. 7,000 (for a bag of prime seeds) x 45 families = Rp. 15,750,000 (about $1,660). We hope that those who take advantage of this will reap the fruits of it over the long term, thus supporting their livelihood for the long term as well. Cfr. Eko has already carried out a cocoa tree project, as an example for them. The cost is moderate, and the time period for reaping the fruits is relatively short, about 3-4 years.
c. Coconut. Fifty seeds at Rp. 11,000 (cost per seed) x 45 families = Rp. 24,750,000 (about $2,605). The advantages of this effort:
- Those receiving this assistance will at the same time be trained in ways of farming well, because the experience so far is that relying only on the generosity of nature produces unsatisfactory results and few results, because the plants do not receive adequate attention. This, even though the environment is promising for such tree farming. The advantage of this project is the improved ways of farming which hopes to achieve optimal results.
- The long term goal is that they become able to themselves create and manage an area of seedlings. The results of this farming is not only to harvest the fruits, but also to teach good farming with maintaining seedlings. This is advantageous, because they will not have to buy seeds from the local government.
- This program also has an ecological aspect for them, because many forests are plundered for their wood, without being replaced for the sake of minimalizing the damage to the ground which results from lumbering.
If all this is summed up, the details are as follows:
Pigs at Rp. 800,000 a pair x 45 families = Rp. 36,000,000
Rubber trees at Rp. 12,000 per bag of seeds x 45 families = Rp. 21,600,000
Cocoa trees at Rp. 7,000 per bag of seeds x 45 families = Rp. 15,750,000
Coconut trees at Rp. 11,000 per seed x 45 families = Rp. 24,750,000
The sum total is Rp. 98,100,000 (or $10,900 at an exchange rate of Rp. 9,000 per dollar). (Using the April 9, 2005, exchange rate: $10,326)
3. Educating a child. I haven’t received information on this yet, because I’ve been concentrating on the social-economic aspects. Maybe in another month I’ll go there and investigate this possibility. We are incommunicado with them for the most part, having only sporadic SMS (short message service). They can only send e-mail if they go to Sibolga, and that means they have to cross the sea for nine hours to get to the coast of Sumatra. I am certain that they will be helped by a foster parent program. I will gather data as needed, and will send the data and photos, so that the goal of funding is more clear to the people there. My question is whether the funds would go to elementary students, junior high students, or senior high students. The schools in Sriombu and Mandrehe (Crosier parishes) are public schools only. The only Catholic schools are to be found in Gunung Sitoli and Teluk Dalam (“hub”cities for local government).
4. Information about housing is very minimal, because people there build their houses by stages. They sometimes buy wood, or use their own trees for wood, such as durian or coconut wood. Their houses are usually inherited from parents, and each house might be inhabited by several families. As for clothing, they seldom allocate any of their money for buying clothes because their priority is getting the necessities, such as food and other living costs. Clothing is bought only when needed.
That’s my information, Greg. I hope it can become something to consider as you speak with them tomorrow. This is the extent of my data for now. The follow-up earthquake victimized many and was very ferocious, compared to the tsunami. News is limited to the main city, Gunung Sitoli, because of disruption of transportation there. While I was there, transportation was already difficult after the tsunami, because the ground is unstable and many roads are impassable. This condition was worsened by the follow-up earthquake, which ruined many roads and bridges, which cannot be traveled by four-wheeled vehicles, but only by two-wheeled motorcycles. It’s almost certain that the situation after the earthquake now is far more serious and involves the whole of Nias. The morale of the local government is damaged, too, in always taking opportunities to obstruct assistance and corrupt it. We definitely express congratulations to our confreres there, because they are trusted in managing assistance (funds). And they are often obstructed by the local government.
Greg, warm greetings to the parish councils there, and I await information from you. Thanks for all the help and attention given to my people. We ourselves are trying to do more for the people of Nias. I ask prayers for our confreres there, that they may always be strong and healthy, so that they can help their parishioners and everyone there. If there is information from Nias about your questions, I will respond after I have gathered accurate information.
Till we meet again, Yulius OSC
April 10, 2005 – message from Adi, on Nias, to Crosier confreres
Dear brothers,
I am very thankful to God and very grateful for what I’ve experienced at the end of last year and in 2005 now, but I hope it doesn’t continue like this. I’m grateful that I’m STILL ALIVE … even though under much pressure. I was given another few moments to live, had I not quickly run from the rectory which later collapsed (there’s a photo which will come via Japri).
I was making coffee with milk while opening e-mail, and while waiting for the e-mail to open, the earth started shaking all of us in the rectories, the convents and the houses of formation throughout Nias at that moment. I emerged from the building into the yard between the rectory and the church, but even when squatting I was being shaken. That’s why I think the earthquake was more than 8.7 on the Richter scale.
Coming out of the building, there immediately was a scattering of sand and rock from the falling building. It’s an extraordinary miracle that we’re still alive. One by one we counted off, apparently only Msgr. Barnabas was still inside. With the light of the cellular phone I still carried, I got brave and entered the collapsed building to look for him. “I’m over here…” was the answer to my call.
Seeing that it was impossible for me to lift two big walls, I told him that I was going to find the young CMM’s who were greater in number and strength, to come and get him out … apparently he could still hang on.
It was stated later that there was still a space of about 30 cm between the wall on the left and the wall on the right that squeezed him, so there was still no difficulty for him to breathe.
In confusion because the earth kept on quaking, we prayed a rosary while waiting for the evacuation of Fr. Barnabas. About an hour later, he was brought out by the young clerics and kids from the dormitory, under the light from a motorcycle. The earthquake began about 10 p.m.
Then we saw a line of motorcycles and people running along the road heading for a higher spot at Lasara (the village behind the Claretian convent) and in the direction of the Claretian convent. After Fr. Barnabas was given medicine and bandaged from his chin to his forehead, the clerics escorted him to the Claretian convent, where many people were already gathered. Earthquakes on a small scale still continued, and from the height of the Claretian convent, we saw with sadness fire after fire in various places.
For the moment, I was trying to see if the means of communication at the convent were still functioning. I tried telephoning the Crosiers in Medan [on the island of Sumatra] and Bandung [city in Java], but no one picked up the phone, which is understandable because it was 2:30 in the morning. When it was close to 3 a.m., I telephoned my parents in Tangerang [suburb of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, in Java] and let them know that I was fine. I knew that my parents, who weren’t very healthy, were nevertheless confused and saddened with hearing my news.
I can’t forget how grateful I am to the Claretian sisters, who sacrificed much for us and our people.
The following matter always weighs on my chest and on my thoughts when I speak of it… Between 2:30 and 3 a.m., my hand-phone rang when I was at the Marian shrine at the Claretian convent. Without thinking, I answered, to find out that it was a request from someone who was trapped. “Pastor, help me, I’m trapped in my house.” I knew that I couldn’t help in the middle of an early-morning downpour right then. For the moment I could only pray, and ask the sisters also to pray, knowing as they did that Leonardus and Fery were asking for help in being released from their tight spot.
Not only them, but several others requested help, from shops that suffered the same fate. There was even a family where only their child survived. Later I heard that only his [Leonardus] head was found by several volunteers from the Catholic University of Atmajaya [in Java], who happened to be doing post-tsunami cleanup, and were planning to return to Sirombu. Hearing the tragic and disturbing story, I wasn’t brave enough to see their corpses (a father and three children), all of which were misshapen, charred because their house burned… their house was behind the church yard.
Even till now, if my eyes are close, I can still see their faces. Once when I was returning from picking up people at the harbor in Gunung Sitoli, I was driving the car, and when we came to an intersection as we headed back to the parish, Fr. Michael asked me to go past their house. My heart was heavy as we passed their house, which was shapeless now, then I stopped and wept as hard as I could. The voice of Leonardus kept buzzing in my ears… help me, pastor…
I rested that day, because my psyche was disturbed, and I was weak, without energy. One by one, their faces appeared, including the child whose birthday was the same as mine. I could only hold on the rosary, but it felt like prayer could not be said. I deeply felt their loss, such a tragedy. I tried to rationalize my feelings, but the voice did not leave my ears, and it became worse yet at Sunday mass and seeing a woman, the wife of Leonardus.
That Sunday (April 3), I was asked to accompany a Global Rescue Network team (consisting of four off-road vehicles), which took me to Mandrehe and our house there, from where we carried people with broken bones who had to taken to the hospital in Gunung Sitoli. On that Sunday, the Global Rescue Network team and I combed northern Nias, from Gunung Sitoli to Tuhemberua and Lahewa. Many house were flat with the ground, only houses on the mountain were undisturbed.
What was critical, though, was food. There were no longer any distributors in the city. My prediction is that they will go hungry. It’s possible that they can eat only potatoes and bananas, but for how long will they keep up strength?
Further, it’s figured that their economy will be paralyzed for a rather long time. Several business people who survived fled to Sibolga, Medan, and Jakarta, which means that no one is making decisions about giving assistance where it is needed. Those business people who earlier worked together with the local government in planning the restoration of areas affected by the tsunami have also died tragically. Nias truly is weeping…
In traveling with the Global Rescue Network team to Lahewa, the main city in the northern part of Nias, we found many roads broken up. The most serious section is about 20 kilometers before coming into Lahewa, where we were blocked because the ground in front of the long bridge had opened up by about 2 meters in depth and 200 meters in length. Only motorcycles could drive in on boards going down into this section, with 4-5 people lifting them up onto the other side. For helping lifting the motorcycles, people were asking Rp. 50,000 [about $6]. There were several bridges like this, and this lifting became expensive.
It was impossible for us to continue the trip, because it took 2-3 days to make bridges by finding poles from coconut trees. Actually, it’s true that it could be done because the off-road vehicles also carried chainsaws. But because of humanitarian concerns, trying to find seriously wounded people, we looked in other areas, such as the villages in the Tuhemberua district. So we continued a long trip, but were able only to reach the village of Awa’ai, near the intersection with the road going to Tuhemberua. We slept at roadside on army cots, which had been included in the supplies by the GRN team of doctors.
In the morning, we wanted to continue the trip, but were held back by a patient who had to be carried to Gunung Sitoli. This patient had a abdominal hole, from which the internal organs nearly spilled out. Apparently he fell when he running, full of fear, when the earthquake hit.
Another friend and I were not able to continue on with the team, so we left on motorcycle for Gunung Sitoli. The road was broken up, but several impatient people spurred on their vehicles as fast as they could, in order to look for and buy the necessities of life, which were scarce.
Arriving in the city, the whole atmosphere was saddening, many people were pushing to get on the ship, no matter what time it would eventually depart.
I was able to send a short message to Elsinta that the issue of Nias’s sinking was really affecting the citizens. The St. Maria security post was out of food. The Claretian convent, which usually distributed food three times a day, was only able to do it twice a day.
During the day, I sent a short message to cfr. Nono that I was going to Medan as soon as I could. After eating lunch, I looked for a friend who could take my motorcycle, apparently there was a cleric who once had done pastoral work in Sirombu, so I asked him to escort me to the airport. I had already contacted the airport earlier, that I would be getting on the Merpati plane. Because there was a friend from Medan who came there intending to return to Medan, I was invited to board with him, and was introduced to the crew who would assist cfr. Aaron and Hiro in going to Nias two days later.
I went with only the clothes on my body, because the other clothes were not clean, with all the dust from the collapsed building. What was important was that I need refreshing, and here was an opportunity. On the plane, I still had to see patients who were crying out in pain, perhaps having been pinned down by falling buildings.
That whole experience still requires inner processing, I’m accepting reality and working with it. Without knowing it, tears still flow whenever I remember it all, especially if the environment around me is lonely. It’s true, life is still too beautiful and valuable to be wept over, and prayer plants a seed of courage to live under pressures. Hello, problem, I have an awesome God!
That’s my story for now… I’ll add more for a project of the Order, if there is strong interest. I hope it has already been discussed with the diocese of Sibolga, which is hosting us. Meanwhile, the project of the house is delayed because of the emergency situation throughout Nias. The diocese is already trying to coordinate things well, so if possible we can report or consult about prospects, that’s all.
In Christ,
Adi, OSC
P.S.:
On April 4, 2005, Nono wrote: “We need replacements as soon as possible, at least for Eko and myself. We are looking for a way to get to Medan. We’re both depressed. Today or tomorrow, I will try to get to Medan. Awaiting further information.”
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