The shopkeeper thanked the team from Samaritan's Purse for coming to his village a few days after two powerful earthquakes rocked West Sumatra, Indonesia. But, he said, the real need is further up into the mountains. He knew of villages where no aid had been received.

His son took our team deeper into the hills outside Padang. The road soon became impassable, covered by landslides, and the journey continued on foot.

After about an hour, they arrived at a village of 50 families. The young and fit or those with motorbikes had gone to collect food. When they returned they refused to share with the old and weak.

Further on, our team reached a larger village called Koto Tinggi. Every house in the village was seriously damaged, most beyond repair. Food and shelter were critical needs.

Samaritan's Purse wanted to help, but faced major logistical challenges. It had taken three hours to drive from our base camp in Padang to the shopkeeper’s village, and another two hours by foot to reach Koto Tinggi. How could we transport supplies to this isolated region now virtually cut off from the outside world?

Our ministry partner in Indonesia knew of only one way. “There are miracles if you rely on God,” he said.

Our team prayed, and the answer came the following day when the United States military provided a helicopter.

“When we heard that the flight was given, we were delighted and thankful,” a team member said.

U.S. Marines and Indonesian Air Force personnel loaded Samaritan's Purse emergency relief supplies into a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter in Padang. Up in the hills, the Indonesian military helped local residents clear trees and create a landing site.

When the helicopter landed, soldiers and villagers formed a chain to pass the supplies up the hill to Koto Tinggi, where they could be stored and distributed to nearby villages.

Over the next 10 days, we delivered 1,000 boxes of food, and 2,000 bags of rice, 700 tarpaulins for use as temporary shelters, 1,000 tool kits, and 1,000 hygiene kits.

“The locals had so little, but they wanted to show their gratitude and hospitality,” a team member said. “On one occasion, a villager shinned up a palm tree and threw down dozens of coconuts, which were then speedily opened with a machete and handed round to everyone waiting for the returning helicopter.”

After a series of Asia-Pacific disasters, Samaritan's Purse also continues to work in the Philippines and Samoa to provide desperately needed relief supplies.

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Samaritan's Purse , Indonesia , Emergency Relief , Airlifting Aid in Indonesia