Asian update

When a cyclone hit Myanmar in May, and was then closely followed by a devastating earthquake in China, God moved many hearts to pray and give to help the survivors. Here is an update from Samaritan's Purse that I found exciting!

Myanmar
By God's grace, the situation in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) has been transformed since Cyclone Nargis hit in May. Officials who at first refused permission for Samaritan's Purse to land planeloads of emergency relief are now welcoming our help. One of our first tasks was to set up a series of water filtration systems to provide safe drinking water for tens of thousands of people. Now we are working with local believers to deliver supplies to remote villages that have waited months for help....

Day by day, our staff and ministry partners are making a difference in the lives of the cyclone survivors. Along with bags of rice, heavy duty plastic, and other supplies, Christian workers have distributed back-to-school kits for several thousand children and baby kits for hundreds of pregnant mothers. We have also provided dozens of fishing boats and rice-paddy tractors to help restore the food supply.

Through the efforts of compassionate believers, countless lives have been saved, and many survivors are trusting Christ as Savior.

China
Samaritan's Purse is also helping to rebuild churches that were destroyed by the quake. One congregation in the city of Mianzhu has been so effective sharing God's love through emergency relief that their Sunday attendance has grown to 500 from 200 before the quake. Many people are hearing the Gospel for the first time, and they are responding by placing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ...

Friends, I believe Asia is ripe for the gospel. In the 20th century, the continent was dominated by totalitarian rulers such as Mao Zedong and Pol Pot who wanted to wipe out all religions, especially Christianity. As a result, hundreds of millions of people have grown up in a religious vacuum. They know in their hearts that there must be a God. They are searching, and it's up to us to show them the Way.

We can travel all over the world on our knees, and we have a God that answers prayer. It is encouraging and exciting to see Him bring the message of Christ to those devastated by terrible disasters. We have a God that can redeem human suffering!! He invites us to share in what He is doing and accomplishes much through the prayer of a righteous man or woman.