GFA Providing Water Wells for Pakistani Flood Survivors

They survived the horrific floods that swept across their country during the summer of 2010. But life was not much better for the people of Pakistan when they returned to their villages after the flood waters dried up. Their homes were damaged, their crops destroyed and they had no water to drink.

Gospel for Asia-supported Compassion Services workers were in Pakistan in the days after the flooding, giving the affected people food, clothing, blankets and other immediate needs. The teams discovered that many of the villages they visited did not have an adequate supply of clean water-even before the floods hit. So they decided to do something about it.

During the months after the floodwaters receded, several Jesus Wells were drilled in the villages affected by the floods. And several more wells are in the works, too.

"The work of our Compassion Services teams is twofold. First, we want to meet the immediate needs of anyone who is suffering as a result of a disaster. That's why they are often the first ones on the ground offering food, water and clean clothing to individuals and families," said Gospel for Asia president K.P. Yohannan. "But we don't want to simply touch down and take off again. So the second facet of our Compassion Services Ministry is to help these people rebuild their lives. That's why, months later, you will find Gospel for Asia-supported workers in villages rebuilding houses, providing seeds to replant crops and in this case, drilling wells to alleviate a long-term need. The love of Christ compels us to love these desperate people and to ease their many burdens."

"Doors of Satan" Unblocked for Flood Relief Team

Six Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries traveled across arduous roads and hilly terrain to reach a mountaintop where people from a flood-hit area in Jammu and Kashmir, India, waited for aid.

The relief team set out October 9 and journeyed for four days to reach their destination. Just a month prior, a strike had halted all traffic from flowing in and out of a region they had to cross in order to reach the people in need of help. The region was also treacherous for Christians with persecutions being a common occurrence.

"By God's grace, all the problems were solved, and the roads were cleared. God unblocked all the blocked doors of Satan, and our teams safely crossed over the borders where anti-Christian elements persecuted Christians just a month ago," said a GFA field correspondent. "Their journey was thrilling and also dangerous. But the Lord helped them to reach their destination safely without any problems."

When the six-member team finally reached the mountaintop, they distributed goods to 100 families. Each family received rice, flour, sugar, salt and dahl; woolen jackets and blankets to keep them warm; and cattle feed for their livestock.

The workers ask for prayers of blessing concerning their future plans, and that the families who received aid will learn of salvation through Jesus.

Floods Displace Millions in Bangladesh; Damage Churches, Bridge of Hope Centers in India

Flooding has claimed yet another area of South Asia. This time heavy rains inundated the impoverished country of Bangladesh and its neighbor, the state of Manipur, India.

In Bangladesh, 17 people have been confirmed dead, dozens more are missing and thousands are unable to return to their flooded homes. News reports say the flooding was caused by three days of pounding rains that created a tidal surge. Waves as tall as five feet crashed into populated areas along the tiny country's coastline.

Thousands of Bangladeshis are living in shelters, waiting for the water to subside.

"This is another heartbreaking crisis for one of the most poor, downtrodden countries in the world," said Gospel for Asia President K.P. Yohannan. "It is another opportunity for us to show Christ's love by responding to the suffering as He would have us do."

Although Bangladesh was once one of the wealthiest areas on the Indian subcontinent, it is now one of the poorest, with 55 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Because of its geographic location, it is especially susceptible to natural disasters. Floods and cyclones routinely cause major damage and create intense heartache for its 156 million residents.

Gospel for Asia's Compassion Services teams area already in Bangladesh reaching out to the people with practical help and the hope of Jesus.

"As has happened in the past, we have our people on the ground who are able to respond to these who are in desperate need," Yohannan said. "They are already responding to this, we just need to get them more help."

Manipur Flooding
Floodwaters also swept across much of neighboring Manipur, India, damaging several GFA-supported churches and Bridge of Hope centers.

The floods came after several days of incessant downpours, which caused four rivers in the state to overflow their banks. The worst damage is in the Imphal City, where people did all they could to move their families and their few meagre belongings to higher ground.

The local farmers are devastated as their fields of fully ripened, ready-to-harvest rice are now ruined. A large number of fish farms were also damaged by the rain.

Four Bridge of Hope centers and one church also sustained damage. The buildings will be closed until the water recedes and necessary repairs can be made.

Of course, homes were damaged, too. Local government officials estimate that 55,000 households were affected by the flooding. Several GFA workers from the Bridge of Hope centers, as well as the missionaries, are also dealing with flooded homes, too.

The government has set up relief camps, and Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries are out in force, distributing emergency food rations, dry clothing and bed linens and other household items to the victims. The teams also take time to listen and pray with the people.

GFA workers in the affected areas shared the following prayer requests:

• Pray for God's comfort on those affected by the floods. Pray that the Lord will comfort and take care of them.
• Pray that God will protect them from sickness that often comes from the contaminated water.
• Pray for the faith of Christians to be strengthened through this difficult situation.

Continued Hope for Pakistan's Flood Victims

GFA Leaders Call for Response as New Flooding Leaves Millions Homeless

After more than a month of battling massive flooding in Pakistan and the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, Gospel for Asia's Compassion Services relief teams are now on the front lines bringing hope and material aid to the victims of new floods in three North India states.

Floods in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi have left an estimated two million people homeless and another 380 dead in their wake.

Even as the Yamuna River, which flows through the nation's capital of New Delhi, began to recede, it remained high above the danger level. Further upstream, mudslides washed out 1,500 roads and highways, stranding some 3,000 religious pilgrims for a week and cutting them off from relief efforts.

A major rail bridge in the city of Ambala, where Gospel for Asia ministers to slum dwellers and supports a womens' Bible college, was threatened by the floods, and several mainline trains had to be diverted to other routes.

In addition to homes, the waters also took a devastating toll on farmland and livestock, wiping out the livelihood of thousands of poor farm families.

"Imagine how desperate and demoralized you would be if you lost your home and possessions, and in addition, your teenaged son was drowned in the floodwaters," said GFA President K.P. Yohannan.

"That's the kind of tragedy that has been experienced by hundreds of families in these flood-stricken villages."

"All around this river, you have people by the hundreds of thousands living in mud-brick houses," Dr. Yohannan tearfully explained, "and these simple huts have been completely washed away by 25 or 30 feet of water.

"And within the house, all the furniture, beds, clothes, utensils and the kids' books—everything is completely ruined. Everything the family has, which is not much, is all gone."

It is to these desperate families, Dr. Yohannan said, that GFA Compassion Services teams are currently ministering.

"Our people are now desperately trying to bring these suffering men, women and children the basic necessities they need, including food, water, clothing, shelter and medicines," he said.

"We have churches in these areas, and some of them are suffering from the crisis, too. But by the grace of God we also have missionaries and volunteers on the scene—even those who have suffered their own losses—who are able and willing to minister to those around them who have lost all hope."

Dr. Yohannan pleaded for American Christians to "not grow weary in well-doing" and continue to stand with those who are bringing relief—and God's healing love—to those who have lost so much.

"When I hear these things, I think, 'Oh man, what on earth am I going to do about it?'" the GFA founder said. "But then I calm down and say, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?'

"Sometimes it is to pray more. Sometimes the Lord shows me that this is an opportunity to demonstrate His love in a tangible way. But we will never be able to do what we should do if we are looking at ourselves.

"Rather we should be looking at things like the Macedonian believers did in the New Testament. They were in terrible poverty and had nothing for themselves, but they thought about others who were suffering and contributed and shared what they could. I think this is the biblical and godly attitude we should maintain.

"This is a time for people to pray and do whatever they can to relieve the suffering of people whom God loves in the name of our Lord. Now is the time to show the world what God's love really means."

Flooding Spreads Beyond Pakistan,
Leaves Parts of India Underwater

The massive flooding of the Indus River has now impacted the lives of some 20 million people and left more than 1,600 dead in Pakistan. The floods have also spread into India.

In the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, 145 people are dead and another 500 are missing after flash floods hit the state earlier this month. Thousands of stranded villagers had to be rescued from floodwaters.

Further south, incessant rains have pushed the Godavari River over its banks and into homes and churches in Andhra Pradesh, India. The floods left 11 villages underwater, 10 people dead and hundreds of others missing. Among those affected are at least 1,000 Christians, including several Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries and their congregations.

The annual monsoon rains caused the floods, which have been plaguing the state on India's eastern coast since early August. The state has received about 23 percent more rainfall this year than is normal during monsoon season, which runs from June through October.

This is the second round of catastrophic flooding to hit Andhra Pradesh in less than 12 months. In October 2009, floodwaters destroyed thousands of homes there and devastated the neighboring state of Karnataka.

Gospel for Asia Compassion Services teams in Jammu & Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh are now in the affected areas distributing aid. Teams have been working for several weeks in Pakistan, where UNICEF reports that 6 million children are homeless and 70 percent of the country's crops have been destroyed.

One of the immediate needs in all the flooded areas is clean drinking water, which is being provided by the Compassion Services teams. Continue to pray for the flood victims. Pray specifically for safety and health of those in the areas where contaminated water brings the threat of disease. Also pray for the residents and aid workers faced with the task of helping the people rebuild their homes and lives for the long term.