January 17, 2026 – Day 1 of Emergency Relief Distribution for Indonesia Flood Victims
Hello. Today is the first day of distributing emergency relief supplies for the flood victims in Indonesia.
After completing his survey of Mindanao in the Philippines, Sunim departed from Manila Airport at 1:10 AM and headed to Indonesia. He arrived at the transit point, Kuala Lumpur Airport, at 5:15 AM.
After having breakfast with noodles at a restaurant in the airport, he headed to the boarding gate. The plane departed from Kuala Lumpur Airport at 7:45 AM and after a 1 hour and 25 minute flight, landed at Banda Aceh Airport in Indonesia at 8:10 AM local time.
Upon exiting the airport, Mr. Amir, who has been providing both material and moral support for this Indonesia emergency relief effort, warmly welcomed them.
They immediately headed to the flood-affected Peusangan area in Aceh Province. Departing from Banda Aceh Airport at 8:50 AM, they drove non-stop for 4 hours.
“Would you like to have lunch?”
“No. We don’t have time to eat. Let’s hurry and distribute the relief supplies.”
During the drive, they had Indonesian bread that Mr. Amir had bought instead of a proper lunch.
The scenery outside the window remained peaceful until they approached the Peusangan area in Aceh Province.
However, as they entered the Peusangan area, mud piled up along the roadside began to appear. Some villages were completely covered in mud with only rooftops visible.
At 1:00 PM, they arrived at Krueng Beukah village, the first affected village in the Peusangan area. Out of 95 households in total, 82 households had suffered flood damage.
Volunteers from FDP (Forum Dakwah Perbatasan), JTS’s local partner organization, and village residents warmly welcomed Sunim and Park Gina, JTS President.
“Assalamu alaikum!”
(Peace be upon you.)
After exchanging greetings, Sunim first checked the preparation status of the relief supplies. Preparations were underway to distribute one set of five items – wheelbarrow, shovel, hoe, squeegee, and gloves – to each household.
For this first emergency relief effort, it was decided to prioritize providing cleaning tools to remove the soil piled up inside houses. During the survey a few days ago, they had tried to provide kitchen utensils as well, but due to the severe flood damage throughout Aceh Province, it was impossible to procure kitchen supplies in large quantities. Fortunately, cleaning tools and gas stoves could be secured in large quantities from Medan, a nearby major city.
However, upon arriving at the site, they discovered that the wheelbarrows were not pre-assembled. Due to the long-distance transportation, they had to be assembled on-site. FDP volunteers and village residents were carefully assembling the wheelbarrow parts that had arrived in boxes.
When Sunim arrived, only 8 wheelbarrows had been assembled, and 74 more needed to be made to distribute to all households in this village. Sunim, JTS President Park Gina, and the FDP representative gathered for an urgent strategy meeting. President Park made the first suggestion.
“Can’t we distribute the wheelbarrows in boxes and have individuals assemble them at home?”
Sunim shook his head and said.
“Individuals cannot assemble wheelbarrows. The bolts and nuts need to be tightened firmly, and tools are needed to inflate the tires. We can’t give tools to everyone.” 
The FDP representative also said.
“We’ll try to assemble them as quickly as possible.”
Eventually, President Park made another suggestion.
“We have no choice. Then please have all the men among the village residents help with wheelbarrow assembly. Let’s all work together to speed things up.”
Sunim accepted the current situation and began assembling wheelbarrows with the village residents. The key was tightening the bolts and nuts. They repeatedly turned and tightened them while holding spanners that matched the nut sizes.
It was hot and humid weather with daytime temperatures rising to 31 degrees Celsius. The inside of the tent was almost like a sauna. Each time a wheelbarrow was completed, Sunim had to continuously wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“It’s really hot.” 
When he found a socket wrench among the tools and used it on the nuts, he could apply force relatively easily. Sunim made a suggestion while working.
“This tool provides the best leverage. If we distribute these tools and screwdrivers to more people, the work will go faster. Let’s provide 10 necessary tools to each village.” 
Although having one or two power tools made the work somewhat easier, it was insufficient to handle the entire site. As they took turns using socket wrenches and worked in pairs to tighten bolts and nuts, the pace gradually increased. Seeing Sunim tightening screws faster than anyone else, a village resident gave a thumbs up.
“Good man!”
Air pumping equipment was needed to inflate the wheelbarrow tires. Fortunately, there was an electric compressor that allowed them to inflate the tires relatively quickly. As the wheels took shape with the inflating air, smiles gradually spread across the residents’ faces.
Initially, each resident was assembling one wheelbarrow from start to finish. President Park Gina gathered the FDP volunteers for efficiency.
“Let’s divide roles like a factory operation. Here, only focus on inflating tires, over there, only assemble the wheelbarrow legs, and as each process is completed in order, finished products will come out. Let’s change the system.”
By dividing roles among the residents – assembling connecting parts, inflating tires, inserting all screws, and finally tightening bolts and nuts with tools – wheelbarrows were completed one by one.
The work pace increased steadily. Sunim said with a smile.
“There, one more completed! The factory is running well. Please tell other villages to assemble them this way too.” 
Seeing Sunim working while sweating profusely, the residents brought a desk and chair so he could work in the shade.
Women and children also watched the work site and approached Sunim to cheer him on in awkward Korean.
“Annyeonghaseyo. Kamsahamnida. Thank you, JTS! Komapseumnida, KOREA!”
Sunim said with a smile.
“You speak Korean quite well.”
Meanwhile, a truck loaded with gas stoves arrived. FDP volunteers joyfully moved the gas stoves to the distribution area.
As the number of assembled wheelbarrows increased one by one, vitality filled the site. Although the residents had lost much due to the flood damage, they assembled wheelbarrows with bright smiles. Beyond simple relief distribution, the residents’ determination to continue their lives could be felt.
After 2 hours and 30 minutes of non-stop work, all 82 wheelbarrows to be distributed in this village were completed. They organized all the tools used for delivering relief supplies and moved the items to make it easier for residents to receive them.
Sunim took a breather after working non-stop with the residents. FDP representative Mr. Azar approached, placed his hand on his chest, and greeted him.
“Sunim, thank you so much for coming all this way to help our people. You have provided exactly what the residents needed most.”
Sunim responded to that sentiment with a bow. Sunim asked.
“What does FDP mean?”
“It’s Indonesian. It’s short for Forum Dakwah Perbatasan (Border Mission Forum). We provide relief and support activities in Indonesian areas that need help, regardless of boundaries like religion or political orientation.”
“That’s similar to JTS.” (laughs)
Meanwhile, preparations were complete. Everyone clapped together in joy.
Sunim gave a short talk to the residents before handing out the aid supplies.
“The flood happened so suddenly; you must have been very frightened. I first learned of the situation after seeing the news in Korea. I was deeply saddened to hear that many people had lost their lives or were injured. After Jina Park, the representative of JTS, surveyed this area and provided some initial support, she reported the extensive damage to me. Following that report, I came here myself to look around and assess the situation.
We Will Start by Clearing the Mud from Inside the Homes
When I visited your houses, I saw mud piled high in the rooms; everything was covered in it. To scoop the mud out of your homes, you will need shovels. To move that mud outside, you will need wheelbarrows. Some of the mud has hardened, so it appears that hoes will also be necessary. We have prepared these most urgent supplies first.
However, this support should not be the end. I saw you all gathering at the mosque to eat together. During Ramadan, you need to eat at home. That’s why it seemed each household needed a gas stove. I wanted to prepare dishes and kitchen utensils to distribute together this time, but we couldn’t suddenly prepare large quantities in this area where supplies are scarce. Today, we first prepared tools that can be used to clear soil from inside your homes.
Sunim also toured the damaged rice fields. Each field had soil piled up more than one meter high. How to farm in the future is a major problem. JTS will continue to discuss with FDP and do whatever we can to help you even a little. Thanks to good organizations like FDP, we were able to carry out these activities. 
I am also happy to be able to participate in this work. Although these supplies are insufficient, please take one set each and use them well. May the grace of Allah, whom you believe in, be with you in your lives. Assalamu alaikum!”
“Wa alaikum salam!”
Hearing Sunim’s words, the residents’ eyes became moist.
A commemorative photo was taken in front of the 82 wheelbarrows that were assembled together.
“Thank you, JTS!”
Sunim shook hands with the residents and FDP volunteers, once again giving them encouragement.
“Now, let’s begin the distribution. Please line up and pull one wheelbarrow each. We will distribute the relief supplies.”
The distribution of relief supplies finally began. FDP volunteers had distributed relief supply exchange coupons to households in need in advance.
After checking the coupons, as residents came one by one pushing their wheelbarrows, Sunim was the first to load gas stoves onto the wheelbarrows.
“Terima kasih” (Thank you.)
Following this, FDP volunteers distributed squeegees, shovels, hoes, and gloves in order. Since there were many trees in the village, residents decided to make and attach the hoe handles themselves. Each time a heavy hoe was loaded onto a cart, it made a cheerful “thunk” sound.
A father pulling a wheelbarrow with his daughter, a son pushing a cart alongside his mother, and a grandmother slowly moving a wheelbarrow with her granddaughter followed one after another. On that day, smiles bloomed on the faces of residents who had lost their homes after a long time.
The villagers returned home and began shoveling out the mountains of soil one scoop at a time.
After finishing the distribution, Sunim took a commemorative photo with the FDP volunteers.
“Good work. Now let’s go to the next village.” 
As Sunim was about to leave for the next village, an elderly woman approached pulling a cart. She greeted Sunim and gave multiple thumbs up gestures. Although they couldn’t communicate verbally, the residents expressed their gratitude through their eyes and gestures.
At 3:50 PM, after completing the relief supply distribution in Krueng Beukah village, Sunim moved on to the next village.
A river was visible through the car window. Sunim pointed to the river and said:
“Because of the sudden heavy rain, landslides occurred upstream, causing this river to overflow and engulf the village. Since the forest is covered with soil, it looks as if nothing happened, but everything is buried under more than a meter of soil.”
After crossing the bridge, the scars left by the flood were clearly visible. Along the riverbank, uprooted trees that had been swept down by the river were tangled together.
After a 20-minute drive, Sunim arrived at Kubu village at 4:00 PM. All the villagers had gathered at the mosque and were assembling wheelbarrows. This was a large village with 235 households, so there were many more wheelbarrows to assemble.
After surveying the preparation status, Sunim spoke to the FDP representative:
“It seems they don’t have power tools here. They’re assembling everything with spanners and wrenches. The bolts and nuts need to be tightened properly to avoid problems later. Please ask all the men to join in assembling the wheelbarrows.”
The men who had been just watching began to join in the wheelbarrow assembly one by one.
Sunim gathered the men and showed them how to assemble the wheelbarrows efficiently. Sweat continued to pour as they tightened bolts and nuts with spanners and wrenches.
Although all the villagers worked together on assembling the wheelbarrows, it seemed unlikely they would finish before sunset. Sunim asked the FDP representative:
“Can you continue working after sunset?”
“Yes, we’ll turn on the electric lights and continue working through the night.”
“Good. Then let’s hold the relief supply distribution ceremony tomorrow morning for this village.”
After postponing the relief supply distribution ceremony to tomorrow, Sunim held a meeting with Park Gina and the FDP representative about tomorrow’s schedule.
During the meeting, children ran over and kept greeting in Korean:
“Annyeonghaseyo. Kamsahamnida. Saranghaeyo.”
After agreeing to hold a strategy meeting with FDP activists at the accommodation in the evening, Sunim left the village at 5:00 PM.
After a 30-minute drive, Sunim arrived at a restaurant in Bireuen, the nearest city. He had dinner and took a brief rest with the FDP activists who were providing driving and interpretation services.
After dinner, Sunim returned to the accommodation and from 8:00 PM, discussed tomorrow’s schedule and the relief supply distribution plans for the remaining villages with the FDP activists.
The meeting concluded after 9:00 PM, ending today’s activities.
Tomorrow, Sunim plans to distribute relief supplies in Kubu village in the morning, then in Pante Baro Kumbang village in the afternoon, and finally complete the distribution in Sawang village.
