Servants Banda Aceh

Considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, the Asian Tsunami of December 26th, 2004 will remain an event embedded in most of our minds. Banda Aceh, located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was the closest province to the earthquake’s epicenter. Almost 200,000 residents of that province lost their life to the tsunami.

Soon after this tragic event, Servants started working in Banda Aceh, bringing rehabilitation and training to survivors. Aceh was a relatively unique context for Servants because our ministry there was inevitably more relief-orientated and located in a more rural context than usual. So early on, we sensed that God would eventually call us to a more urban setting once we had finished the temporary stage of disaster relief work.

Thankfully, our desire to work closely with local Christians led to a partnership with the social action arm of a major Indonesian church denomination. By God’s grace, together, we became known in Banda Aceh as people who consult widely, using an incarnational approach to serve amongst and alongside the community. God was gracious during our time there…so much so that Servants was able to transition out of Banda Aceh and into Jakarta in 2009.

Read the continuing story in Jakarta

Stories from Banda Aceh