The December 26 Tsunami: Kids Respond
Students at Catskill School, Elka Park, NY
Bruderhof Communities
On their first day back to school after the Christmas break, 7th and 8th grade students at Catskill Bruderhof (upstate New York) were given time to formulate thoughts on the December 26 tsunami. Here are selections from what they wrote:
Kelda
Harrison
The tsunami was a bucket of cold water thrown on the apathy of
the world. It was a call to all people to wake up and change their
lives, to love, help, and care for every needy human being. Only
the most crusty person could ignore this cry of challenge from
God. To me, it is clear that God is trying to tell us something,
but does it take such a colossal disaster to change our lives?
And will it change our lives? …It is easy to despair, but
hope rides in the waves. Pakistan, India’s traditional nuclear
enemy, is offering help. People of all nations are coming together
to provide aid. Differences are forgotten in the face of all the
need.
Dexter
Johnson
We do not know why God made the tsunami happen. Maybe God was
showing us that our guns and bombs are nothing compared to his
power. Maybe God wanted this to be a “wake-up” call…
I think God is trying to tell us to appreciate each other much
more.
Deborah
Brinkmann
I don’t think it is possible to comfort parents who have
lost children… To help, our country should send the army
as well as many other people to help build up the towns and comfort
all those who have lost loved ones. Those of us who will not be
able to go should pray for all the sick, hungry, lonely, sad,
cold, and homeless people down there… If I went there and
stood on the beach there, I think I would be totally awed by the
thought of how many angels were there and still are there. Maybe
the people who were drowning and dying saw them… If I went
there the people I would like to help would be the orphans. I
would try to find loving parents who would take good care of these
children. Through this, I think God is trying to tell us to wake
up and love and respect each other a lot more.
Melinda
Thomson
God let this immense tragedy happen. It is impossible to comprehend
why, but he must have had a reason. Will we let ourselves be changed
through it, or will we just continue our everyday life again,
forgetting the people who still suffer, the people who lost children,
parents, brothers, or sisters? I think the way I can help is by
loving the people around me much more, because if I don’t
love them now, it will be too late when they are gone… If
I went to the disaster site, I would realize how little I could
do to help these people. I would probably despair because I could
not help… I know that if we pulled our troops from the Middle
East and sent them to the coasts of Indonesia, many lives could
be saved.
Roy
Maendel
What do you tell a child who has lost both parents? What is God
saying through this to our country? Why don’t we send the
$40 million being spent for the inauguration? Why not pull out
of Iraq? Pakistan, which is dirt poor in comparison to the USA,
is providing far more relief and support [as a percentage of its
GNP] than we are. If California gets hit one day, would we deserve
help?
Karisa
Durgin
Through this natural disaster, God was reminding us that he is
much more powerful than humans. This earthquake was a much greater
disaster than humankind could ever bring about. God was also saying
that we must be ready to die any time, and that we must love and
help each other all the time. Within seconds, thousands of men,
women, children, tourists, natives, rich, and poor were called
home to God. Maybe God took so many children to heaven so that
they would not have to suffer any more wars, famines, deaths,
and earthquakes. No matter what God wanted, we know that he is
in charge of everything and he loves us… How can we help
to find those still lost after the flood? How can we comfort weeping
parents and children? How can the survivors be given food and
shelter? Other parts of the world are helping the devastated countries.
Enemies are giving food to each other. People from all over are
sending in help. The U.S.A. has a lot more to give. Instead of
killing people in Iraq, we could be saving people in India, Sumatra,
Sri Lanka, or Thailand. We could pull all the soldiers out of
the wars and send them to help in the flood-stricken countries.
Tavis
Kleinsasser
This catastrophe should make us stop and think. Any day you may
wake up and hear that your brothers, sisters, parents, children,
friends, and relatives are gone. Maybe through this, God is giving
our country a chance to win the “war on terrorism,”
not with bombs, hate, and killing, but by loving and helping.
What those countries need is not just money, but love. What a
chance to change this world, to pull our troops out of the Middle
East and send them down to India, Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and all
the countries hurt by this disaster, to drop guns and bombs and
use love! If a tsunami struck the East Coast, would other countries
help us? I think they would, even though most countries do not
like us or what we do.