Marie Bridges, above, prays at a Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka that was spared damage during the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami. Sri Lankan Buddhists travel long distances to offer sacrifices at the temple, which they now deem as special. This was Bridges’ first trip to Sri Lanka. During the trip, she and other South Carolina volunteers prayed at several Buddhist temples, a church, in hospitals, homes and communities.

Below, Beth Hollingsworth, her daughter Katie, and Bridges prayerwalk at a statue of Buddha that was erected in 2006 in memory of the tsunami’s victims. The statue is a replica of the one destroyed in Afghanistan. Buddhists from Japan helped build the statue “as a symbol of hope for the mental and spiritual rehabilitation of the people in Sri Lanka.”

Bridges and the Hollingsworths are members of Lake Murray Baptist Church, Lexington.