When Disaster Strikes

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When Disaster Strikes

Project(s): 00-634

Country: Philippines, Haiti, Sudan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Burma, Zimbabwe

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When Disaster Strikes

How Christians suffer

Relieving the needy in their d...

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“We are overwhelmed with victims,” were the words of local mayor Fauzi Bahar as he appealed for help following two huge earthquakes near Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, Indonesia. The first, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck at 5.15pm on Wednesday 30 September 2009. The second came shortly after, as people battled driving rain in the pitch dark to dig survivors out of the rubble. Huge cracks appeared in roads, and buildings buckled and collapsed; at least 1,100 people were killed.

Just four days earlier, on 26 September, Typhoon Ketsana caused catastrophic flooding in the capital of the Philippines, Manila, and surrounding areas, leaving 240 people dead and nearly half a million homeless. When the Marikina River burst its banks, streets became raging rivers within minutes. Homes and businesses were inundated with mud and flood waters; people scrambled to take refuge on rooftops as wind and rain lashed around them. One week later Typhoon Parma hit the Philippines; although it spared the already reeling capital city, it struck the northern part of Luzon Island. This was closely followed by a third storm, which caused flooding and landslides in two provinces of the northern Philippines.

In parts of Africa relentless rain caused disruption in September 2009. Flooding in Sudan demolished homes and a church in a camp for internally displaced people, mainly Christians from South Sudan, who had fled from the civil war that racked the country for 22 years. In Niger the intense rain caused rivers to break their banks and a dam to burst outside the town of Agadez. Destruction was widespread.

In Haiti a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake on 12 January 2010 left up to 200,000 people dead. Haiti is considered one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. The earthquake is a historic disaster and served only to compound the problems faced by a nation that is suffering the legacy of decades of international neglect. As people struggled to find food and shelter, looting and lawlessness gripped the country.

Natural disasters are not all of such vast proportions; they do not always lead to large scale destruction, nor do they always gain world-wide media coverage. But for those caught up in smaller-scale disasters, the effects can be just as destructive. In 2009 the Chin Christians of Burma (Myanmar) were facing starvation due to a largely unreported famine. Severe drought was followed by a plague of rats. “My family normally eats rice, but the rats have destroyed everything we had. The only thing left is rats and wild potatoes for our family,” said one Christian. The immense hardship left thousands starving; at least 40 children died.
christian, persecution, charity, church, persecuted, sookhdeo, Islam

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  • “Whomever we kill, we kill because Allah says we should kill and we kill for a reason.” With these words the spi... http://t.co/Dyl8A6id 5 hours ago

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  • “Whomever we kill, we kill because Allah says we should kill and we kill for a reason.” With these words the spiritual leader of Boko Haram urged his followers to carry out more assassinations and bombings. The group is fighting to establish an Islamic state in the North of Nigeria, and in 2011 its violent campaign claimed the lives of more than 280 people. Tensions have been particularly high since April, when Muslims went on the rampage in protest against the re-election of the country’s Christian president, unleashing their rage against Christian targets among others. Pray for order and stability in Northern Nigeria, and that Boko Haram will not succeed in its objectives. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 5 hours ago

  • On 3 November a prayer meeting was drawing to a close at a church in Tabak Village, Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria, when gunmen burst into the building. They opened fire on the congregation, which was made up mainly of women and children. Two women died at the scene, and twelve other people were wounded, some critically. The next day six churches in the mainly Christian neighbourhood of Jerusalem in Damatura, Yobe State, were bombed as part of a wider series of attacks by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. One minister said that gangs of young men were roaming the streets throwing improvised bombs into church buildings. Pray that God will comfort His people in their grief and distress. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Thu, Feb 2012 00:00

  • Just as Paul worked as a tentmaker while bringing the Gospel to others (Acts 18:2-4), so nine recent Bible school graduates in Senegal learned a practical skill to support themselves in their ministry while also receiving a solid nine-month Biblical training. Support from Barnabas made this possible. Every weekday morning the students immersed themselves in theological training, and in the afternoons they learned skills such as farming, baking and breeding livestock. Pray that God will inspire and lead them as they work and witness amongst non-believers in Senegal, where the overwhelming majority is Muslim. Ask the Lord that their Muslim neighbours will respond with faith to their message. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Wed, Feb 2012 00:00

  • Since the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in February, hard-line Islamist groups that his regime had kept on a tight leash have grown in strength and influence. They have emerged with the largest share of the vote in the first parliamentary elections since the revolution. Key figures from the leading party, the Muslim Brotherhood, have made statements revealing their intention to implement sharia law, which would be a very worrying development for Egyptian Christians and also for the revolutionaries who wanted to see Egypt become a secular democracy. Pray that the country will not become an Islamic state and that all citizens will be fairly represented in the new political order. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Tue, Feb 2012 00:00

  • The protest in Cairo (see yesterday’s prayer point) was sparked by the destruction of St George’s Church in Aswan province on 30 September 2011. Muslims, angry about renovation work that was being carried out on the dilapidated building, had previously threatened to demolish the church. A mob descended on St George’s after Friday prayers and demolished the dome, walls and columns before torching the building. Other property owned by Christians was also burnt. This incident was the latest in a long line of violent attacks on Christians in Egypt, which have intensified since the revolution. Pray that the Lord will encourage the congregation that has lost their building and provide them with alternative premises in which to meet and worship Him. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Mon, Feb 2012 00:00

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