Disaster Relief Team Member Billy Hobbs of Arizona drives rebar into concrete to strengthen walls at a house in Fagasa, American Samoa.

With all of the focus on Haiti since the tragic earthquake that struck there on Jan. 12, it’s easy to forget that Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is also working right now in American Samoa to help the people there recover from a devastating earthquake-generated tsunami that swept the island last September. The needs in American Samoa are great, however, and Baptists have a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel there by being there for the people during this difficult time when they are feeling a bit forgotten by the world.

Kentucky Baptists have sent two of our very best disaster relief volunteers — Larry and Elaine Koch — to the island to serve as coordinators for all Southern Baptist work through April. Larry is retired as disaster relief associate for the KBC and Elaine, a nurse, is a seasoned disaster relief volunteer. The couple is coordinating volunteer teams from Southern Baptist state conventions for the North American Mission Board and assessing the remaining needs of the area.

Click on the map to enlarge.

Thus far, the work in American Samoa has been relatively slow. The American Samoan government limits the actual number of volunteers that are allowed to go to the island at a given time and financial resources are lacking as well. The people of American Samoa are generally very poor.

“It is possible that people (in the United States) consider this as an island paradise and may think the people here are rich which is definitely not so,” Elaine reported in a recent e-mail. “Fortunately bananas, coconut, avocados and papayas grow in the yards so that, along with rice, makes up most of the food.  They do also eat a lot of taro.  They seem to just roll with the punches.”

Please be in prayer for the people of American Samoa, for Elaine and Larry Koch, and for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams that will go to the island. With the current difficulty in getting traditional disaster relief teams into Haiti, it might be that some disaster relief teams could consider plans to work in American Samoa until access in Haiti becomes greater.

Because of the distance, teams probably need to plan for at least a two week trip. A team from Kentucky is set to arrive on Feb. 28.

Gifts directed to the work in American Samoa are also needed at this time and can be made through either the North American Mission Board or the Kentucky Baptist Convention.