As I'm sure everyone in the world knows, the Indian Ocean was devastated by an earthquake, and subsequent tsunami on December 26, 2004. The day after Christmas over 210,000 people died, and about 80% of all fishing boats were completely destroyed. The people in these areas are dependent on the ocean for food, recreation, and their primary source of income. Now they live in refugee camps, with incredibly unsanitary conditions, and are terrified of returning to the ocean. They must return to the ocean, and become dependent on it again. In addition to losing their boats, houses, and equipment, they have also lost most of their fisherman. The survivors must be provided with boats, houses, and equipment, and be taught how to rely on the ocean again.

My plan is as follows: I am going to Hawaii on February 7. I have a contact there who knows how to build boats. I will learn all I can about boats over the course of about 3-4 weeks. I am then going to go to Northern Sumatra to scout things out. I will make the necessary contacts, take lots of pictures, and learn as much as I can about how their boats were before the tsunami. I will learn about their target species, and their prefered fishing methods. I am going to try to figure out how we can keep things simple, and familiar, while improving and updating the methods. I will then go back to Hawaii to design the boats that we will be building. We will design a couple of different types of boats, and I will learn them top to bottom, inside and out. I will then take the designs to my contact in the lumber industry. We will then come up with the exact sizes, shapes, and cuts of wood that will be shipped down to Sumatra. I want to set it up so that anyone can come along side of my men and I, and jump right into building these boats. An assembly line of sorts, that will facilitate mass production of these fishing boats.

I am coordinating with different missionary organizations for the manpower to do this. My friend, Cap'n Steve, is coming with me to scout things out, and to help me know what to look for as far as boats and fishing methods. He is a salty sea dog, to put it mildly, and I couldn't ask for a better man to be with me on this adventure. The people that we will be helping will also be an incredible asset. This will give them the opportunity to be an integral part of the rebuilding process, so they don't feel like they owe anything. I am committing myself to be there for one year, longer if necessary.

I believe in this 100%. So the question is, "Who is going to pay for this?" The answer is you. There are two ways to help on this site. You can donate out of the goodness of your heart, or you can buy a really really cool t-shirt. Each section of this site explains itself, so please explore, and team up with us in any way you feel you can.

These people didn't deserve for this to happen to them any more than we do. And they don't deserve to not be able to pay for reconstruction any more than we deserve to be born in the richest country in the world. The fact is, we are in a unique position to help. We have the money, and this is a way that we can use it to make a difference.

As I said before, this is God's plan, not mine. That's why it's going to work. It doesn't matter if you believe as I do, my beliefs do not require you to. What matters is that you can help, and by doing so you can be a part of something bigger than all of us. Every little bit helps. I'm nobody, and I care. Show me that you do too.

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