2 February 2005: Aaron The guys are making slow, steady progress...one small success at a time. They are virtually without incoming email though as the download speeds there are brutally slow (uploads aren't much better but they are manageable). The big project now is to get a water pump and power generator system going for a small village. Eric is heading up this project and is working to get needed spare parts and another agency is ready to donate a couple of nice generators. Then they are going to pull a couple of boats out of the mud and hopefully put them to immediate use. I was on the phone with Eddie last night and in the middle of a sentence, he yelled, "$h!t, gotta run...buildings shaking!" They had a very sizable aftershock and everyone went running into the streets. I held my breath for about 5 minutes until he finally called me back. No damage or injuries, but it is just one of the many challenges everyone faces up there. We would like to begin thinking of ways to accept donations, perhaps in the form of supplies (water filtration systems, generators, motorcycles, boats, etc.) but we don't really have any idea on how the logistics and accountability for such things is done-while we want to stay autonomous and self financing, many people are asking how they can help and the total need is definitely great. $$ could possibly be done through Paypal or something like it. You could start by having someone knowledgeable in such things look into it and donate some research into how it might work...and run with it. As for me, I am progressing well and spending my days translating instructions into Indonesian and preparing things like personal resumes and business cards/logo for our operation...there is a big need to be seen as "legitimate" here. I have the start of a pretty good overall look and feel of our operation and will announce it, hopefully later today once I run it by the guys. The website is a big step in this direction as well. My US cell phone #512-750-5096 is not much good here. Voicemail works on that number and I do check it every couple of days, but for emergencies, my Indonesian number below is best. You should go ahead and list it on the website so people can contact me directly...I have had a few issues come up back home that could have been handled quicker this way. The time here is 13 hours ahead of Austin. Once again, thanks for all you have done. We need to remind everyone...NO large emails. We simply can't handle them, and if we are on any joke distribution lists etc, please have everyone take us off them. Ciao and love, Aaron Lyman |
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