Concordia Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Ind., sent a team of 12 to Thailand Oct. 7-16, 2005, to build fishing boats for survivors of the Dec. 26, 2004 earthquake and tsunami.

The effort was coordinated by Lutheran Hour Ministries and a Thai congregation, the Sahathai Khok kloi Lutheran Church. The names of the Sahathai and Concordia congregations both mean “of one accord.”

“Although miles and cultures apart, we are, as believers, truly unified in Christ. He Himself demonstrated and calls us to care for one another and share the Gospel until the time that he returns to earth,” Pastor Kevin Wendt said.

The catastrophic earthquake and tsunami killed 150,000 people and left millions more injured or homeless in Southeast Asia. In Thailand alone, an estimate 8,000 people died. Southern Thailand has long been known as a stunning resort destination for international tourists. But not far from the resorts, thousands of people live in simple villages, making their living through fishing, farming, and selling small crafts. The Phang Nga region and Taimuang district of Thailand, north of Phuket Island, was heavily damaged by the tsunami. Fishing is the main source of income for the people who live there. The tsunami either destroyed or badly damaged the majority of their fishing boats. New boats are essential so that the Taimuang district fishermen can continue their livelihood and provide for their own families. While international assistance was rushed in to help the tourist areas, many of these small villages were overlooked. The Thai government is supporting funding for replacement of larger, registered commercial boats, but independent fishermen are being left to recover on their own.

“We built boats in Kok Kloi by day, stayed in Thaimaung by night, and our hearts were broken for the Thai people at places like Nam Kim fishing village and the Khao Lac resort area,” said team member Gary Penner. More than 60 percent of the villagers at Nam Kim were killed by a series of four 30-foot waves. While reconstruction of the area tourist resorts is well under way, scenes of destruction still abound.

Tsunami killed 250,000 people in Southeast Asia, India and parts of Africa. More than 8,000 people were killed in Thailand alone. The disaster destroyed thousands of fishing boats, the primary source of income for most families in the Phang Nga region.