Blackaby: Natural disasters can point to God’s judgment
LEXINGTON, Ky. (BP)--Was divine retribution at work in the tsunami that struck southern Asia in late December? The man whose “Experiencing God” study became an international bestseller thinks so -– a view he says is shared by some Muslim imams.
January Tsunami relief gifts eligible for ’04 tax deduction
WASHINGTON (BP)--Monetary donations given to legitimate charitable organizations for tsunami disaster relief by Jan. 31, such as the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, may be itemized as deductions for the 2004 tax year, according to a new law signed by President Bush.
Sri Lankan tsunami victims receive food, Bibles, commitment
 |
| Helping hands Eddie Fulmer, left, and Cliff Satterwhite of the South Carolina Baptist disaster assessment team hand out a hot breakfast of chicken curry and bread to families in Sri Lanka who lost their homes in the Dec. 26 tsunami. Photo courtesy of the IMB |
Pierce Hosmer,* another team member who serves as the International Mission Board's strategy coordinator for the Sinhalese Buddhists of Sri Lanka, recounted, "This week, [Southern Baptists] have shown God's love for Sri Lankans by handing out hot meals to the homeless. In the days to come, the needs will change, and we will be here to meet those needs as well."
The assessment team worked closely with local Baptist leaders to determine the most effective ways to minister both physically and spiritually to the people in Sri Lanka.
 |
| A grateful family A family in Sri Lanka sits down to a hot meal provided by Southern Baptists. Displaced by the Dec. 26 tsunami, this family lives with five other families in a 20-foot by 20-foot schoolroom. Photo courtesy of the IMB |
"I asked a pastor friend what the people's greatest need is right now, and he said they need Bibles. These people have lost everything. Their Bibles were washed out to sea," Hosmer said. "As of Jan. 9, Southern Baptist gifts had purchased 600 Bibles in the Sinhala and Tamil languages, and 340 of those already had been given out, not randomly but to those who truly longed to read God's Word again -- or for some, to read it for the first time."
About 77 percent of Sri Lanka's nearly 20 million population are Buddhists; fewer than 1 percent of Sri Lankans are evangelical Christian believers, Hosmer said. About 8.5 percent are Muslims, and about 8 percent are Hindus. Southern Baptists are trying to help all of those who are in need, said David Garrison, leader for the IMB's South Asia region.
Tsunami missionaries heartbroken, hopeful
 |
| God's hands, voice, face Debbie McDowell (left), South Carolina director of missions mobilization, and Ed Cox (right), director of the International Mission Board International Prayer Strategy Office, share breakfast with families who lost their homes to the Dec. 26 tsunami. Southern Baptists ministering to survivors pray they'll be God's hands, voice and face. Photo courtesy of the IMB |
"The hopelessness in the eyes of the people and the suffering that has begun are scarring my emotions and soul as they have never been touched before," he said.
As he and his team have assessed damage and worked to meet needs, they've seen scene after scene of heartbreak. They've watched the living searching for the dead and wondering why they weren't killed too. They've been tempted to become angry when they see children left with no parents.
As one man showed bodies entangled in wreckage to Julian's team, the man's face suddenly contorted, and he began to wail. He had just found the body of his older sister.
Tsunami survivors have seen the dead, long to see the living
 |
| Too Common Body bags still litter the streets of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, some 3 weeks after the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami in South Asia. More than 200 bodies are still being recovered daily in the city, which was one of the hardest hit areas. |
“I see myself trying to direct the flow,” a Southern Baptist logistics coordinator said of the volunteers, supplies, medicine and monetary aid coming into the country.
“I have a giant funnel with a hose attached and I have to direct the water into the places that need it most.”
It is difficult, however, to comprehend the need. There is very little clean water and food in the area.
“We have one egg for every two families per day,” said a village chief outside of Banda Aceh.
Southern Baptist disaster relief personnel have been flowing into Indonesia since the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit the area in late December, but regional personnel wonder if there will ever be enough aid to the area.
Aid worker reports progress on front lines
CHENNAI, India (BP)--Four days after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami left millions traumatized in Southeast Asia, the Hindustan Bible Institute in Chennai, India, sent out a call for volunteers to help provide practical relief and spiritual guidance in the face of extreme disaster.
Tsunami crisis demands immediate response from concerned Christians, pastor says
GERMANTOWN, Tenn. (BP)--If a crisis ever demanded that Christians take risks to help people in desperate need, the suffering of millions of tsunami victims around the Indian Ocean is that crisis, the senior pastor of Germantown Baptist Church near Memphis, Tenn., has told his congregation.
Sam Shaw was with his parents in Broken Arrow, Okla., for the Christmas holidays when he heard about the 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami waves that destroyed 3,000 miles of coastline in that region. The death toll stands near 160,000 and is expected to continue to climb. Literally millions are homeless, and hunger and disease pose very serious threats to their lives.
WORLDVIEW: Asia’s earthquake: cracks in the 10/40 Window
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--The mammoth earthquake that shook Asia Dec. 26 opened huge fissures on the Indian Ocean floor, scientists say, and changed underwater terrain far from the epicenter.
Southern Baptist tsunami relief gifts, now at $2.7 million, meet physical & spiritual needs
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Children have clean clothes and families have shelter. The sick have medicine and the hungry have food. The thirsty have water -- and the hopeless are hearing about Jesus. All because of your gifts.
As of Jan. 12, Southern Baptists had given $2.7 million through the International Mission Board Asia Earthquake Disaster Relief fund. Every penny will be used to ease the suffering of those affected by the Dec. 26 tsunami in Asia.
In Sri Lanka, relief gifts have provided school uniforms for children whose homes and clothes were destroyed. And they’ve given safe drinking water, food and shelter to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others. “Your gifts have gone directly to boys, girls, men, women, grieving families -- people who have lost everything,” reported David Garrison, regional leader for board work in South Asia. A video of his report from Sri Lanka is available for viewing or downloading at http://imb.org.
Hope for the future seen as fishermen in India work to repair nets trashed in tsunami
 |
| Starting again BStarting again For this Indian fisherman, it’s time to start working again. His nets were caught in tsunami waves and tangled beyond use, but he’s determined to straighten them out and begin earning his living. Slowly, survivors of the Dec. 26 tsunami are trying to regain their livelihoods and their future. Photo by Rajkumar Doss |
Most had fled the aftermath of the Dec. 26 killer tsunami, leaving everything behind.
"It was eerie,” said Rajkumar Doss. “Where there were once thousands of people, there was now no one. The towns and villages along the south coast were completely empty -– destroyed. Village after village, no one was around. Everyone fled to the camps where they could get food, shelter and water. They wanted to escape the horror and impending disease of so many bodies lying around their now destroyed homes and workplaces.”
