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.