Mrs. St. Pakpahan Napitupulu, 70 years old, is just one of many who have told her story about earthquake and tsunami that hit Banda Aceh with tears in her eyes to HKBP leaders including the head of Diaconal Department, Rev. Nelson Siregar, STh, on Thursday, January 6, 2005.

"God's Miracle Saved My Husband"

The most precious experience in my life and truly God answered my praying is when I finally met my husband, this old companion (pointing to his husband, about 70 years old). The earthquake suddently came and followed by water and everybody shouted, "…water…water…!" They were taking my husband to a becak (an Indonesian bicycle-taxi). Suddently, most of the people were separated and blown by big waves of water. My husband also was blown away. We kept on running to reach a store with a second floor. I was praying to God, "Please lead my husband, O Lord!" My praying was answered by God. A big wave of water threw my husband just to the second floor of the store where we were. Sunddenly again, a big wave of water threw a big ship that destroyed some houses just near the store and almost touched the floor where we were trying to protect ourselves from that big disaster.
It doesn't make sense, all we are in that place, either Muslim or Christian, all of us were praying.
When the waves were calmed, my husband stepped down from the second floor of the store to our houses with water deep up to his chest, he was trying to find out where our child was. God saved our child and took our child to his father. Then, we managed to reach Ketapang (the refugees camps). In Ketapang, from Hutahaean's house, we saw there were a lot of refugees. We reached the refugees camps and we were there for several days before departed to Medan. God saved us there. Accidently, there are water-machine pumps without electricity there. We do hope that HKBP's leaders support us, all of us from HKBP Banda Aceh.
Mrs. St. Pakpahan Napitupulu