GFA-supported Compassion Services teams grew in the wake of natural disasters, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, that pummeled areas where GFA-supported workers were ministering. National workers had always responded in times of crisis, but as the ministry grew—and disasters seemed to increase in ferocity—the need for coordinated relief effort took form.
Present the Moment After Tragedy
In the hours following a cataclysmic event such as a tsunami, cyclone or earthquake, stunned silence punctuated with grief-soaked sobs hangs heavy in the air. Compassion Services teams—often the first to arrive—bring provisions for survivors and listen to those who endured such horrific experiences.
These relief workers quickly erect emergency shelters and distribute food rations. Along with provisions for basic needs, survivors are given comfort and hope.
Kalei, a mother and grandmother who survived 2013’s Cyclone Phailin, which ravaged the coastal shore of Odisha, India, escaped the storm with nothing but the clothes on her body. Her family’s mud hut was washed away by torrential rain, along with all their possessions. Compassion Services came to her village with groceries and clothing to help the immediate need.
Then there were the side-by-side earthquakes in Nepal during the Spring of 2015. It was the worst disaster in the nation’s history. The 7.8 and 7.3 magnitude earthquakes, occurring two weeks apart, toppled cities and villages across the rugged landscape of the nation, whose northern border runs through the Himalayan mountain range.
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Learn more about the need for Disaster Relief Work, Gospel for Asia’s “Compassion Services” with relief teams who love the Lord who are focused to help victims of natural disasters find a firm foundation.
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