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John Tesh and daughter Prima with children in Sri Lanka. Bonnie Gillespie/Operation Blessing

Like most Americans, John Tesh learned of the unthinkable devastation in South Asia while watching the news on December 26. Unlike most, however, he was able to visit a tsunami-ravaged nation.

"A friend who directs the relief ministry Operation Blessing called me the day after the tragedy," Tesh says. "He told me he was heading to Sri Lanka and asked if I'd like to go with him. When I asked if I could take my wife and kids, he hesitated and then agreed."

Two weeks later, Tesh and his family—his wife, Connie Sellecca, and children Gib, 23, and Prima, 10—flew for 30 hours to reach the eastern coastline of Sri Lanka. The devastation was beyond anything they had imagined. In Ampara, a rural district of 500,000 people, 35,000 had died.

"What really got to me was the children we met in the refugee camps whose parents had been taken from them," Tesh says. "It was heartbreaking to hear their stories, but their faces radiated joy as we shared God's love. They glommed onto our son and daughter and treated them like royalty just because they took time to hold them and listen to them."

Although none of the Sri Lankans knew the star-status of John (an award-winning musician, radio personality, and erstwhile host of Entertainment Tonight) or his actress wife Connie, that was fine. The purpose in making the trip was not to perform or sign autographs. They were there to help.

Connie thought of giving Sri Lankan children paper and crayons so they could draw pictures of their ordeal. The pictures appear in a book called Shades of Blue: The Tsunami Children's Relief Project—so named because of how many children depicted the deadly tidal waves in blue. Proceeds from the book (available at www.tesh.com) will help people left homeless in Ampara.

"It was a life-changing experience for our family," Tesh says. "It's likely our vacations from here on out will be spent looking for places where we can go to serve."

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