Elder Joseph
B. Wirthlin:
“On December
26, 2004, a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, creating a
deadly tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people. It was a terrible tragedy.
In one day, millions of lives were forever changed.
“But there
was one group of people who, although their village was destroyed, did not
suffer a single casualty.“The reason?“They knew a tsunami was coming.
“The Moken
people live in villages on islands off the coast of Thailand and Burma
(Myanmar). A society of fishermen, their lives depend on the sea. For hundreds
and perhaps thousands of years, their ancestors have studied the ocean, and
they have passed their knowledge down from father to son.
“One thing
in particular they were careful to teach was what to do when the ocean receded.
According to their traditions, when that happened, the ‘Laboon’—a wave that
eats people—would arrive soon after.
“When the
elders of the village saw the dreaded signs, they shouted to everyone to run to
high ground. “Not everyone listened.
“One elderly
fisherman said, ‘None of the kids believed me.’ In fact, his own daughter
called him a liar. But the old fisherman would not relent until all had left
the village and climbed to higher ground” (“Journey to Higher Ground,” Elder
Wirthlin. Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 16).
