Church group will get a glimpse of post-tsunami progress in India
Volunteers set sail March 1

The Simi Church of Christ is organizing a mission trip to follow up on the aid given to survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated the southwest coast of India.

Pulpit Minister John McCranie and eight members of the congregation spent two weeks during August 2005 in and around the affected area, working at medical camps, orphanages, schools and homes throughout the Chennai area.

In Operation: Safe Haven II, McCranie and five congregation members will leave for India on March 1 for two weeks to further the work they started.

Dr. Paul Renganathan, director of the World Bible College in Chennai, India, credits the Operation: Safe Haven 2005 team with funding six medical camps, providing 94 pairs of eyeglasses and providing rice and Bible lessons to "several hundred tsunami-affected people."

Mark Killian, member of the 2005 team, said, "Before the mission was over, we knew in our hearts that the brief three-week mission was not enough and that we, Lord willing, would be returning to continue the work."

He added, "Our hope (for Operation: Safe Haven II) is to build upon the labor of love that we began 17 months ago."

The Operation: Safe Haven II team will include McCranie, Killian, Jerry Hayes Jr., Tyson Gosch, Brian Mulford and Wesley Garcia.

Each team member is collecting donations to offset trip expenses.

For more information about the trip, call the church office at (805) 527-2328 or visit www.scoc.info.