Kiko's House: Bill Clinton Makes People Cry -- And Think

Kiko's House: Bill Clinton Makes People Cry -- And Think

TSUNAMI

On December 26, 2004 at about 8AM an earthquake measuring 9.0 moved the floor of the Indian Ocean almost 100 vertical feet. The depth of the ocean floor was over 6 miles and the massive land movement covered an area in length over 700 miles and 10 miles wide. This is over a third of the length of the United States. It resulted in Tsunami waves that traveled over 500 mph and crossed the ocean to Sri Lanka over 4,000 miles away. The epicenter was closer to Thailand and closest to Sumatra, the largest of the islands of Indonesia.

About 2 hours after the earthquake, a series of 3 Tsunami waves hit the northern end of Sumatra the hardest of all. Waves estimated over 60 feet high swept inland in some areas over 2 miles, destroying everything in it’s way. The northern end of Sumatra is the province of Aceh, an area about the size of Los Angeles County. The capital city of Banda Aceh is a seaside city on the tip of the northern end that had a population of about 250,000. The tsunami wiped out almost half of the city instantly. It took about 2 hours for the ocean to recede, taking debris and bodies with it.

The world was shocked. Everyone was asking what they could do. A week later Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA made a small announcement at all 6 regular services requesting donations for the survivors. In 1 week the church congregation donated over $1 million. The church then decided to send an initial small team to Indonesia to determine in what way medical teams and monies could be used to help.

On Monday an announcement was made in the church online bulletin.The team of 3 people had already been chosen, vaccinated for foreign travel, and had their tickets to leave Monday. The team was headed by a Dutch-Indonesian native, a chief fireman and the medical director of the church’s foreign mission programs.

I was the tsunami Relief Coordinator for Saddleback church in Lake Forest, California, this is my story. The first 3 months funds were used to feed about 50,000+ persons in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps, then work on rebuilding and reconstruction. We were able to partner with experienced workers in Banda Aceh and started 3 internet cafes, 3 English language and Computer Learning Centers, rebuild a quilt factory and our latest venture, handbag factories. When my contract with Saddleback church ended, my wife Louise was so touched by the Acehnese people that she wanted to find a way to continue helping.

She started by bringing the traditional embroidered handbags and did a home party, which snowballed into a new business venture, Laga Designs International, Inc. The company incorporated August 2006 and now has 20 Laga handbag Consultants, a number of selective boutiques, and continuing to do home and office parties, events, and trade shows.

Laga continues to help the Acehnese by providing employment and hope for a better future. Laga will bring a tsunami survivor to its headquarters in Irvine, California, and she will be featured at AccessoriesTheShow in Las Vegas to show how the bags are embroidered. Laga is fulfilling her dream.