The loss of life after the recent tsunami in Asia is staggering—over 160,000 dead and still counting. And millions of family members are left behind, grief-stricken, to pick up the pieces and try to rebuild their lives. For those of us on the other side of the world, the plight of the survivors often hits home the most when we see snapshots of individuals whose lives were shattered.
In the tidal wave, many lost their homes and possessions—everything they owned. For others, their houses still stand. Yet they have lost something infinitely more dear—their families. Parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles—many lost their lives in the tidal wave.
As GFA pastors in Tamil Nadu (India) helped clean houses filled with mud and debris, they saw eyes filled with anguish and unanswered questions. In one home they found a mother and her teenage daughter. The father and two other children had died. In another home, a 15-year-old girl and two-year-old boy were left with no mother and father to wrap their arms around them and ease their fears for the future.
It is to people like this that Gospel for Asia workers and volunteers are reaching out with the comfort of God’s love. Even as they bind up physical wounds in medical camps staffed by volunteer doctors—and distribute food and clean clothes to survivors—they are committed to providing each family with a New Testament and literature pointing them to hope in Jesus.
In areas where men and women are losing their minds from the trauma of sights such as watching family members die before their eyes, our missionaries have found that simply sharing Scripture is bringing comfort to these people. If you would like to partner with our brothers and sisters in Asia to minister and bring God’s wonderful hope to tsunami victims, please click here.
