Asian Earthquake Tragedy
Over the next few Sundays please bring as much as you can, dig deep into your wallets, to help our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka.
"For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. " Luke 12:48 (KJV)
More images of the devastation caused by the tsunami are here
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Feeding in Batticaloa |
Tsunami Report by Barry Silverback: 6th January
A very big thank you to all those who responded to the Tsunami disaster appeal and gave to aid the victims in Sri Lanka . As a movement we are actively involved in the nation of Sri Lanka ministering to many Pastors and churches. Thousands have been affected and hundreds lost their loved ones. Families have been totally torn apart by the devastation of the tidal wave.
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Relief to people in Batticaloa |
The following stages of relief have been suggested by the field workers in Sri Lanka and give a general idea of the direction of our involvement over the next weeks and months of this year and beyond.
THE FIRST STAGE
The provision of basic relief supplies, food, clothing, clean water, medical services and immediate temporary shelter. Money from Australia , New Zealand and other countries, is what is needed at this present stage .
THE SECOND STAGE
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Feeding people |
The providing of cooking utilities and utensils, gas, kerosene cookers, lighting (kerosene lamps), pots, pan, buckets, plates, cups etc.. The cleaning of water wells and the restoring of basic water facilities to families and communities (villages). This will require the purchase and transporting of motorised water pumps to each home, village and community. In addition, where people still have a house to return to, we will also look to provide mattresses, linen, and bedding.
The continued supply of adequate clothing, school stationery supplies, school fees etc. and meeting the ongoing medical needs will be a major focus of our initial support. In addition we are looking to provide trauma counselling and medical support. We are currently investigating the role that medical personnel could play in supporting relief operations. I envisage that we will take in counselling teams from Australia for this part of the restoration programme.
THE THIRD STAGE
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Supplies delivered |
The repairing and rebuilding of damaged housing, and the erection of simple dwellings of a more permanent nature will be the focus of this stage. Buildings that can be added to at a later stage but will immediately give proper shelter and a home for families will be assisted. We will provide mattresses, bedding and basic items for the home to enable a restoration of normalcy of living conditions.
Food assistance will be required for some time as all gardens in the affected areas have been destroyed; fishing boats and small fibre glass dinghy/canoes have been lost or destroyed. Fishermen will need some assistance to restart their fishing again. Also some people will have to find some form of employment or income to survive on a weekly/ monthly basis.
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Food from Colombo Churches |
This is the direction in broad terms of where we will be heading in our efforts to assist the people of Sri Lanka in the restoration programme.
THE FIRST STAGE (we are currently in this stage)
The first stage of getting food, water and clothing to the people of these Eastern provinces has been the major focus of our efforts. Dry rations, rice, tin fish, Milk powder, flower etc have been distributed in Batticaloa town - Ps Roshan and his church people are working long hours in the field to distribute these rations. It is difficult work as the people are desperate and often angry and aggressive which makes it more challenging for those distributing the food rations.
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Food distributed |
BATTICALOA - Eastern sea board of Sri Lanka
Pastor Roshan (a close friend and coordinator for the Leadership Ministry Schools for the Eastern province), continues to work tireless each day with his workers distributing the food (dry rations) which are coming in from Colombo and other people in the region.
He has just purchased a water pump (donated by a Colombo church) to pump out the wells in the homes of the people who are staying in his church. Many homes are still standing (although badly flooded) but the people are not keen to return to their homes. Roshan thought that if he were to clean out the wells then the people would be more likely to return to their homes. He started this work yesterday.
There are also a number of Pastors whom we know personally, having visited their homes and had meals with their families, who have also lost members of their immediate family as well as church members. They are very sorrowful and doing the best they can to cope. The recovery of dead bodies is continuing each day but this task is nearly completed. I have started to write to the Pastors and encourage them in their sorrow - using Roshan to carry the letters to them for me. It is very saddening and also challenging for Pastors to have to face their congregation members with the many deep questions that a disaster of this nature raises. We are hoping to put together counselling teams to assist in the counselling of those who have been traumatised by this great disaster.
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Food received from Colombo Churches |
VALAICHENAI TOWN AND KALKUDAH VILLAGE AREA - Eastern coast of Sri Lanka north of Batticaloa Truck loaded with relief items
Pastor Somanathan arrived in Valaichenai from Colombo with a big truck load of rations from Colombo . They drove all night (10 hours). They unloaded the items at the Bethel Children's Home which has been setup as a distribution point.
The kinds of items that they brought were - rice, sugar, flour, tea, tin fish, men's and women's sanitary items, feeding bottles for babies, glass, plastic cups and plates, plastic buckets, clothing and 400 men and women's sarongs (sarongs are a wrap around skirt or cloth worn around the bottom half of the body to cover the legs). The cost to provide this truck load of support (excluding donations from church people in Colombo) was:
Truck Hire - 19,000 LKR
Food - 600.000 LKR
A total cost of approximately $8,000 AUD
Distribution
Distribution of the food and clothing items to the make shift refugee camps commenced yesterday.
Ps Somanathan learned yesterday that there are many people, traumatised and grieving at the loss of family members, who will not go into the refugee camps but have instead chosen to live with their relatives. He discovered one house with 18 people in it and another with 50 people. These people are also in great need and Somanathan is now distributing relief to families in this situation.
Taking care of refugeesThe UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION has arranged to set up some specified refugee camps with tents and basic facilities. People will be moved into this camps in the near future. The United Nations has promised tent accommodation (first stage) and then later some form of tin shed. Eventually permanent style housing will be constructed.
Number of camps and schools
At the moment there are at least 12 schools currently being used as make-shift refugee sites. Some of these have 2000 people in them, some 3000 and others 4000. In addition to this there are at least 7 other camps around the village and the town region.
Bethel Children's Home cooking and delivering a 1000 meals a day
The Bethel Children's home is cooking 1000 parcels of food for one of the camps today (6th January). Our team go into the camps each day and ask how many meals (meal parcels) are required. Bethel Children's home is cooking a minimum of 1000 meals a day.
It is school holidays at the moment so all the children are helping the staff to cook meals each day. 12 people from Ps Somanathan's church and 2 from Ps Rajes Church (our churches in Colombo ) came with Somanathan yesterday to assist in this programme. The workers and staff are all very tired and some have colds due to the constant monsoon rain but they are in good hearty spirit.
A number of local Pastors have lost members of their family and had their houses badly damaged from severe flooding. One of these pastors regularly visits Bethel Children's Home. There will be much restoration work to be done in the ensuing weeks and months.
TRINCOMALEE AREA - North Eastern coast of Sri Lanka.
6 hours drive further north of Batticaloa and Valaichenai
Pastor Gladson, of our CRC church in the northern town of Trincomalee , has been feeding 900 people a day. We have just released some funds for this feeding programme - it costs Rp20,000/day ($270) to feed this number of people.
Ps Gladson is coordinating the churches in the town as they work together, each church supplying and working with what they can get together. There were about 6,000 people killed in the rural area around this town.
CHILDREN'S NEEDS
From the news reports here in Australia you can see that children have been badly affected by this disaster. They have suffered horrifically - more than 50% of all the deaths throughout Asia have been children.
There are many children orphaned, dislocated from their families and relatives who themselves will not be able to support and sustain their children properly.
We need to do something more for the children of Sri Lanka. We need to lift our involvement with children through the following things:
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CURRENT BETHEL CHILDREN'S HOME in the town of Valaichenai.
Immediately take in more children into our Bethel Children home. This will result in some overcrowding but we can manage this for a short period of time. We will have to increase our support to the home to provide for the additional children. This will cover some basic medical needs, schooling if we can secure places for them in existing schools, accommodation, food, clothing etc. -
LAUNDRY BUILDING REQUIRED - new small property recently acquired - Valaichenai town area.
The immediate building of a laundry (fully equipped with machines and irons) needs to be built on the boys home property (approx 1.2 acres) which was recently purchased. This is an urgent need and will service both the boys and girls homes in the Valaichenai district . -
PROPOSED NEW PROPERTY TO BE PURCHASED - Valaichenai area
The purchase of 15 acres of land in the Valaichenai area for a farming project to support the children's homes. This land will provide some agricultural exposure and experience for the children as well as provide some income. There is currently 1000 palmaria tress on the land with plenty of room for us to plant coconut trees (these provide good income through the selling of coconuts). We will also be able to stock it with goats and chickens, etc.
The land we have in mind is now available and a preliminary approach was made to the owner prior to the tsunami event happening. As soon as funds are available, or we have the promise of funds, we will reopen negotiations for the purchase of this land. The land will cost approx $12,000 AUD and once we acquire it we would like to immediately build a home for staff and some of the older aged children who would be directly connected with that project. We also would like to erect a building for training and Biblical studies for the children and for the CRC students attending block courses in ministry training. However the main purpose for the securing this property is to provide additional facilities for the increasing number of children, and to give them exposure to an agricultural project which will provide some form of self support for the children on a yearly basis. -
NEW CHILDREN'S HOME CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION - town of Vavuniya
The completion of the existing home under construction in the northern part of Sri Lanka in the town of Vavuniya .
This building is about 70% completed. We need some electrical work, wiring, installation of fans, lighting and plumbing installation to be done. There is plastering work (inside and outside), concrete floors to be poured inside the building and foot paths laid around the building. The tiling of the floors and bathrooms, the installation and fixing of ceilings and the painting of the building inside and out also needs to be done.
We need to purchase, beds, mattresses, linen, pillows, and completely set up the kitchen with fridge, gas cooking facilities, etc. We will have to construct a concrete water tower and sink a pipe well to ensure adequate water all the year round. We have a large well but water is short in the dry season.
The Well is also available for the community as this is their only water source. (It's a real joy to be able to minister to the community in this way and improving the resource will be wonderful blessing). Because the well bottom is solid rock we cannot go down deeper, hence the need for a pipe well to be sunk. We will also have to purchase an electric and petrol water pump for the water tower and install plumbing to and from the building. -
The securing and training of adequate staff and their monthly support.
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PROPOSED PLAN FOR THIS CHILDREN'S HOME.
This one house/home has the capacity to accommodate 35 children. It is planned to build 2 more of these homes (5 bed roomed), a main utility building - housing washing, ironing, cooking, library, typing /computer, eating room and medical clinic for both the children and the immediate community - on this two acres of land.
THE CHILDREN OF SRI LANKA .
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We must do something more for the children of Sri Lanka and the time is now. This is a burden shared by many of us from Sri Lanka and also from here in Australia . Please help us to help some more children of Sri Lanka. Thankyou
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Thank you all for the wonderful caring and concerned hearts that you each have shown through your giving, your prayers and your phone calls and emails, it is deeply appreciated. We would like to do something substantive for the restoration and rehabilitation of the people and the children or Sri Lanka and to this end have a set a goal of raising $150,000 over the next few months.
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The response to our initial appeal has been "phenomenal" with $80,000 - $100,000 having being given or committed. One small church in NSW has already raised $30,000 and committed ongoing support to the longer term developing of the children's ministry. I am sure that we can easily reach this target of $150,000 in the weeks ahead.
HOW TO RESPOND
If you would like to give to the Tsunami appeal your support can be forwarded to the CRC Missions Office, 27 Sturt Street , Adelaide , SA, 5000. Cheques should be made payable to CRC Missions International.
If you would like more information on any of the above projects or have people that would like to assist in the building, counselling or medical projects referred to please contact Pastor Kevin Hughes at the missions office, telephone 08 8212 2322, email "missions at crcchurches.org". Website: www.crcchurches.org
God bless
Pastor Barry Silverback
International Director.
Update: 6th January, 2005
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| Ps Gladstone & Elizabeth - Trincomalee |
TRINCOMALEE
An estimated 1200 people lost their lives in the recent tsunami. Many others have lost homes and belongings. There are many church members in the refugee camp as their houses have been swept away or are under water. Church members are involved in donating, preparing and distributing 400 food parcels each day to about 900 people who are in isolated areas which are receiving no other aid at present.
Yesterday we sent $1800 to assist with the feeing program.
VALACHENAI
I was able to speak with the Matron at our Children's Home late last night. Everyone is doing well but very busy and in good heart. The staff, all of the children and Bible School students are preparing and distributing over 400 food parcels per a day to help needy families in the area. Some places are quite remote and the parcels are being delivered on foot, bicycle or motorbikes. Pastor Somanathan arrived with a truck load of food and medical supplies and a team of 12 from his church in Colombo .
Kevin Hughes
Update: 30th December, 2004
Recently Barry Silverback reported on the situation in Sri Lanka following the decimation caused by the recent Tsunami. Since that email Barry has spoken with Pastor Somanathan, the Sri Lanka Chairman, on a number of occasions.
At the time of writing this letter Somanathan has returned to his home town - Valaichenai. The Tsunami hit this part of Sri Lanka , and all the east and south coasts, very severely. In Valaichenai there are several independent Pentecostal churches, along with the AOG and the Foursquare. The Foursquare church is pastored by Somanthan's brother and the AOG Church by Somanthan's brother in law. These pastors, along with many leaders from churches along the east coast, attend the leadership schools that Barry conducts.
Somanathan reported that they have buried over 300 local people and 260 military personnel in Valaichenai village area. The military camp on the sea side was wiped out. There are currently another 180 bodies that they know of which cannot be removed because of the danger of live artillery shells and floating mines. The military are currently working to clear the area but they are being hampered by constant heavy rain. People from the villages over the main river which divides the area have just today started to appear, their villages were wiped out, which will increase the death toll in this one small area.
The next town called Batticaloa is 45 minutes drive from Valaichenai. The town was saved but the immediate town boundaries were devastated with a huge loss of life. Somanathan's brother "Christy" (Foursquare church) has buried 16 of his members.
In Batticaloa we also have a good strong working relationship with Pastor Roshan. He has lost at least 12 of his immediate church members and has had to conduct burial services for them this week - some of them in the same grave. In this town area one of the Pastors from an independent church, who is a personal friend of Ps Barry, lost his 13 year old daughter as she was going to attend a church service. He has had to bury her, while still awaiting news of several other members of his church who are missing.
The Foursquare pastor in Batticaloa witnessed the loss of his wife and family while trying to save someone else. Homes along the lagoon front which borders the sea were totally removed - nothing remains.
Just one hours drive south of Batticaloa is the area of Kalmunai and Akkaraipattu. This region was devastated with a huge loss of life - nearly 2000 people. Tragically 50% of the death toll in all countries (especially Sri Lanka ) has been children. Oh that we would do something more for the children that remain, for both the immediate and the longer term. Bethel International Children's Homes is something that can be considered in the longer term to give hope and a future for the children that remain - the children who now have no parents or family.
In Kalkudah where we have our CRC Bible School, the village was devastated with hundreds of people losing their lives. The Bible School itself was fully covered by water and everything in the college destroyed and half of the building demolished. The people next door to the college, from whom we rent the property, were all killed - their whole family and immediate neighbours wiped out. The Bible School will need to be rebuilt but there is a much more urgent need to provide food, shelter and support for the families and town people in the area. Not only will the Bible School need to be rebuilt but so will almost every house in the immediate region.
Somanathan said today (Thursday 30/12/04) that there are bodies every where in Kalkudah and many more in Batticaloa when he visited yesterday. The older boys from our children's home and some of our men staff along with church staff from Colombo are working in the field every day collecting bodies and helping authorities in their work. Somanathan's wife Patricia and children are in the children's home and all the staff including Roslyn Chand (our Fijian Indian Missionary to Sri Lanka ) are cooking hundreds of meal each day and delivering them to the refugee camps set up by the authorities. They requested help to feed 1600 people tomorrow but the home cannot cope cooking for this number. They will do what they can.
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| Feeding refugees at Batticaloa |
Pr Roshan and Pastor Christy are doing the same kind of work feeding and distributing material to the people and bringing in dead bodies. We have given $1500 to Roshan to help with needs in his immediate area and will follow that through with more funds as money comes in.
The whole east and south coasts have been devastated. There is an urgent need to provide food, shelter and medical aid. Barry has already released $4,000 to assist in this task but this is will only scratch the surface.
Pr Somanathan travelled back to Colombo this morning to collect more food, medical supplies, clothing, and cooking gas and will return to the Children's home Monday. He is hiring a truck to take the supplies back with him.
Barry will be making a trip to Sri Lanka in the next couple of weeks and hoping to determine how we can most appropriately respond to the need. Government and foreign aid will be distributed in the coming months but there will be a need of ongoing support for the local town's people.
There will be great suffering and a deep searching for answers in the light of the Tsunami and it is imperative that we respond to both the spiritual and physical need of the people of Sri Lanka . To this end we want to present the urgent needs to raise financial support to our whole CRC Movement.
Over the next few weeks we would like to raise an initial $30,000 toward the relief work in Sri Lanka . The National Executive has agreed to advance Barry $10,000 to take with him to Sri Lanka in anticipation of these funds being raised. We would encourage you to promote this appeal this Sunday and throughout the next few weeks giving people an opportunity to contribute to the appeal. We really do need to touch the people of this nation with our love and compassion. Somanathan was deeply moved on the phone today with the appreciation for the CRC and CRC pastors who are showing care for his nation. He was in tears as he faces the suffering each moment of the each day.
Rick Warren in his recent tool box provides a good summary of why the church should respond to this need.
Why your church should help a church in Asia immediately
http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=187&artid=7801&expand=11. IT TEACHES OUR PEOPLE TO BEAR SPIRITUAL FRUIT
"Our people must learn to help all who need their assistance, that their lives will be fruitful." Titus 3:14 (Living)2. IT PROVES OUR LOVE FOR GOD
"If anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help-how can God's love be in that person?" 1 John 3:17 (NLT)3. IT IS PLEASING TO GOD
"Don't forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to God." Hebrews 13:16 (NLT)4. IT IS AS IF WE'VE DONE IT TO JESUS
"When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to me!" Matthew 25:40 (Living)5. IT IS A POWERFUL WITNESS TO THE WORLD
"If you feed those who are hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the darkness, and you will be bright like sunshine at noon." Isaiah 58:10 (NCV)
Rick also puts it well when he says "It is in a crisis that the Church shines best - with its witness of loving acts and compassionate care. It is the church's responsibility to BE THE CHURCH in times like this, partnering directly CHURCH-TO-CHURCH around the world." Let's dig deep and respond to the needs of our family in Sri Lanka .
Gifts can be forwarded to the CRC Missions Office, 27 Sturt Street , Adelaide , SA, 5000. Cheques should be made out to "CRC Missions International". Gifts can also be made on line through the CRC Web site: www.crcchurches.org.
Thank you!
In His Service,
Bill Vasilakis Barry Silverback
National Chairman International Missions Director