NEW BEGINNINGS

Boy, what a busy time this still is! The immediate relief efforts from the tsunami in Samoa are over, and we are moving into Phase II, rebuilding. We are still having conference calls regularly to coordinate what is happening between government, relief organizations, volunteers and church. Immediate needs have been met with food, water, clothing, tents, etc. Rebuilding has begun, and for many families, they may actually have better homes than those that were washed away. That doesn’t replace lost family members or possessions or businesses, but it will help to give them a better start. The villagers will provide the labor, and the church will purchase supplies to build homes for many of the families whose homes were washed away.

Traditional Samoan Fales

The homes that are being built to replace those lost are “fales”, the traditional open air homes, but these will be built on a concrete foundation, with sheet metal roofs. The heavy posts supporting the roof will be cut from nearby bush, and lashing holding the roof frame together is of a strong braid made of coconut husk fibers. It’s amazing to see the beautiful work they put into their construction. On the fales above, you can see the woven mats hanging below the roof. The mats are lowered at night for privacy, and raised during daylight to allow circulation of air. The fale is ideally suited to the warm, humid climate there in the tropics. The fales to be constructed will have the addition that they may not have previously had of electricity, a water tank and septic tank, and an enclosed bathroom!

So much relief stuff has been sent into Tonga that the government finally had to yell “uncle”! Only that one little island was affected, with a population of about a thousand people, and they’re just being inundated with supplies. They have nowhere to store things, so there are bags of rice and other goods just lying on the sand. People everywhere have been concerned and wanting to help, but at this time, the best way to help is a cash contribution. All the containers of food and clothes can’t help them rebuild their houses, so cash is the real need at this point, for any of the islands. We have had several emails of people skilled in construction or medical background or whatever, asking if they could come at their own expense and help with the rebuilding efforts. The outpouring has been unbelievable!

So here we are at more than a month since the tsunami. It’s been breathless. Needless to say, we’re ready for a break from disaster. The funny part is that for about two weeks, I had no desire to go down to the beach! Pictures I’d seen from the tsunami waves were only too clear what force the ocean has.

But little by little, although our days are still packed, we’re back pretty much to our morning walk routine. The sunrises are so beautiful that I just didn’t want to miss anymore of them. As we walk on the streets around the lake in the mornings, we can see the sky at times when there is a break in houses, but if we go down and walk on the beach for part of the way, it’s just beautiful skyline. We have an island off Takapuna Beach, just a few blocks from the office, and it’s one of the most photographed scenes in New Zealand, I think. Several weeks ago we began taking pictures of the sunrise there. It’s getting light so much earlier that we really have to get out if we don’t want to miss the morning show. We’ve discovered that the more clouds in the sky, the better the sunrise. If it’s a clear sky, sunrise is almost a non-event. Below are a few of the beautiful skies in September.

What a great start to the day!