Today I am lucky enough to witness some of the fruits of that charitable giving. I spent the day with colleagues from Federal Way based World Vision and fisherman S. Anand Vel. He lost his 21-year old nephew -- a young engineering student -- in the tsunami, immediately after the young man had rescued two of Anand's three children. He tells us he is still afraid of the water, and has vivid nightmares of the black waves of water that engulfed this place in late December.

But Anand is indeed back on the water, mastering his fear and regaining his livelihood in the fishing industry, due to one of World Vision's many programs to help provide boats, fishing nets, anchors and other essentials. Anand's 9-year old son Ajith attends a special math class sponsored by World Vision. There are many such programs for youth here now, to teach them English and other life and employment skills, to raise their circumstances and assist them as they rebuild! World Vision has started hundreds of new homes, engaged in land reclamation for agricultural purposes, provided health care and small business loans, and many other tools to support these hardworking people as they move forward.

One of my favorite ministers and spiritual writers Jim Wallis says to hope is to believe despite the evidence and then to watch the evidence change. Hope came here in the form of charity giving from overseas, and the evidence that life can indeed go in is becoming clearer with each day. Anand tells me that no one can stop something like the tsunami; our only way forward is to honor our humanity is to fight 'compassion fatigue' and try to respond to each tragedy as we would hope others would respond for us.

Going to Banda Aceh now...