One year after deadly tsunami, villagers
in India thank Southern Baptists for help
CHENNAI, India (BP)--When Cole Elbridge* stood to accept the village leader’s appreciation, he did so on behalf of Southern Baptists who have given nearly $17 million to help survivors of the tsunami that ripped through southern Asia’s coastlines on Dec. 26, 2004, leaving a quarter of a million people dead and millions homeless.
Tsunami brings Sri Lankan home to meet Jesus
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| Giving thanks Silva thanks God for sparing his daughter’s life during the tsunami and bringing him back to Sri Lanka to be with his family – a decision that ultimately led to his new faith in Jesus Christ. |
“I want her to know how her mother [saved] her in the tsunami -– not her father, because I was away,” he said.
Having worked the past six years in Saudi Arabia, Silva, 32, had been home only once for a short visit after his daughter’s birth. That changed Dec. 26, when a friend called to ask whether he had heard about the tsunami. He hadn’t.
Workers see answers to prayer in tsunami relief efforts
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (BP)--Southern Baptist workers serving in tsunami-ravaged areas in South Asia credit the prayers of faithful Christians for their ability to minister and for the spiritual fruit they are witnessing.
Tsunami survivors, year later, responsive to Baptist compassion
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| Jumping for joy A Christian believer in Sri Lanka does a cartwheel on the beach after helping baptize his new brothers and sisters in Christ. He – and they – were led to faith in Christ through the tsunami-related aid ministries of Southern Baptists. |
“At that house, two women died,” she said. “At that one, a man died. At that house, one woman died.”
Then Jenat*, a 33-year-old mother of two, went to the only thing remaining in her home -– an altar to Buddha -– and gave him glory for saving those who lived.
Volunteers call for help in aiding S. Asia’s earthquake survivors
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (BP)--The earthquake that rocked South Asia Oct. 8 has created a unique opportunity for sharing the Gospel, and more followers of Jesus need to go and help, a volunteer in the region noted.
In Pakistani winter, Baptists bring hope to quake survivors
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| Teen in Pakistan ‘I’ve seen what state Pakistan is in, and I know the devastation; but I also know that God is there, working and active,” says 16-year-old Darren Pogue, a Southern Baptist volunteer who responded to medical needs in Pakistan following the Oct. 8 earthquake. |
As winter weather threatened to compound her tragedy, Hadia also was losing hope -– until Southern Baptists built her a temporary home, what they call a model home.
“Over the past two months, a wonderful partnership between the compassionate giving of Southern Baptists in the U.S. and the sacrificial service of International Mission Board personnel on the ground have resulted in ministry to thousands of displaced Pakistanis and Indians,” said David Garrison, the IMB’s regional leader for South Asia.
Pakistanis in quake zone receive food, medical care, tents as winter looms
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (BP)--Fear grips the mountainous peoples of Pakistan -– not always a panicked fright, but usually a quiet, compliant dread.
They fear frequent aftershocks that continue to topple buildings. They fear facing winter without adequate shelter and provisions. They fear aid will never reach them or that there will not be enough for everyone. They fear the chaos of relief camps.
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| Village visit Three Pakistani earthquake survivors stop to talk amid the remains of their devastated village. |
They fear the unknown.
“There have been several aftershocks along the way,” said Thad Crisler*, a worker directing Southern Baptist disaster relief efforts in Pakistan. “One of the biggest effects for earthquake survivors is it just scares them.... It’s a reminder of what happened last time. The fear just regenerates in them.”
Volunteers treat post-traumatic stress, pray for quake victims
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (BP)--Southern Baptist medical volunteers working in Pakistan’s quake zone say many of the patients they are treating suffer from post-traumatic stress -– and nearly all are in despair.
Stranded on a mountainside, Baptist workers minister to Pakistan’s earthquake survivors
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| Care in the countryside Relief workers in remote Pakistan create a makeshift sling for a woman who suffered a broken arm in the Oct. 8 earthquake. |
“All the places that we have been, there’s not a single person who hasn’t lost a family member –- at least two or three family members,” Gabdon said. “I think it was very important for the people to show us the graves of their family members -– and to make sure that we heard about the ones who were lost.”
Quake survivors’ needs differ from tsunami, but sharing Jesus is key to both efforts
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (BP)--The Oct. 8 earthquake that shook northern Pakistan and India has the region scrambling once again to meet enormous needs as recovery continues from the Dec. 26 tsunami that ravaged the countries of Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives.
Southern Baptist disaster relief response to the earthquake will be similar to its response to the tsunami: meeting medical needs, providing food, building temporary shelter and helping individuals generate income.
