A Snake in the Kitchen

Author: Dr. Kelly Micheal Hilderband

As we approached Phang-nga town,
I saw a sign pointing the way to the
beach; we turned towards the sea.
Helicopters were flying overhead
searching for bodies. We saw
buildings flattened and concrete
walls pushed down and flattened. All
this was up to two to three miles
from the sea. We had not seen
anything yet.... The flat lands below
where the land touched the sea were
totally destroyed. Debris was
everywhere. We saw a Thai naval
boat that had been thrown from the
sea more than a mile inland, resting
on the side of a hill. Hotels were
gutted out, up to the third floor.
There were ponds of water where
there had been dry land before. Cars
and trucks had been uplifted and
tossed aside. We saw the frame of a
building sitting lonely among the
debris with only a small Seven-
Eleven sign left to tell us what it once
was. - Dr. Kelly Michael
Hilderbrand, A Snake in the Kitchen:
The First Ten Years in Thailand.
Here is the story of a Hawai'i
family's trials and amazing
adventures - including assisting in
relief efforts in the aftermath of the
2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami - as they
followed God s call on a mission to
Thailand