What Must I Do?
mood: 
anxious
anxiousThis past weekend, while children in some parts of the world were still opening Christmas presents and others were reading about the birth of Christ, the earth began to experience another set of birth pangs: The largest earthquake to hit the earth in 40 years. This 9.0 scale earthquake with an epicenter in Banda Aceh is right at a historical crossroads of the worlds religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam – a region that has long been resistant to the Good News of Jesus.
Perhaps you have been asking with many people around the world, “Why? Why would God permit such horrible evil? Why would He let so many myriads of people die so suddenly?” However, the people in Banda Aceh, Indonesia are asking a far more painful question, “How long?” (see Revelation 6:7-17). For more than 20 years there has been a separatist movement in Aceh. Of the 4,000,000 people in Aceh, 40% were already in severe poverty, struggling to find a roof over their head, daily food, and adequate clean water. The ongoing conflict between separatists & nationalists, coupled with worsening poverty has resulted in rising despair and hopelessness.
Now, the recent earthquake, tsunami, and aftershocks have utterly broken the people. The majority of the people in Aceh live relatively near coast. Overwhelmed by stress, someone just shouting “Water!” frightens people away from temporary relief shelters, which are then subject to looting. Their nerves are shot. Anger is beginning to churn from frustration after many days without basic needs. Yet, deep within, they are wanting to cry out for help, for mercy, for grace, hoping that God will hear.
The Lord Jesus is the desire of the nations and the hope of all peoples. However, there are very few local Christians in northern Sumatra to take the love and light of Christ to them. One village of 150 Christians near the beach was wiped out, as though the fog of night sought to smother the lighthouse of God’s life on the edge of the island. There is much darkness, but it will not conquer the light! Though well over 100,000 have died so far as a result of the earthquake, there are people still alive there who need our help.
The Indonesian people are still recuperating from an earthquake that just took place about a month ago in Nabire and another one earlier. This requires a great deal of people, time, labor, and money. The Indonesian government estimates that the fiscal cost for restoring Aceh alone will be over one billion dollars. Their resources are limited. But God’s resources are not. He was able to take a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands. He can supply the needs of the Aceh as well.
You may not feel like you have much, but if you have an idea where most of your family is right now, you have more than the vast majority in Aceh. If you would like to share the love of God with these lost people, join us in praying for the perfect peace of Christ to come to them. If you would like to share some of the Lord’s blessings with the bewildered people of Banda Aceh, no matter how much you are able to share, the people there would receive your gifts as a gift from God. But as a couple who has relatives and friends in Indonesia, Indonesian friends around the state, and ongoing contacts with Christ’s servants there, I would highly recommend the following agency as a very trustworthy means for contributing to the urgent needs in Indonesia (They are a 501(c)(3) organization):
Asia Harvest Head Office
1903 60th Place
Suite M1204
Bradenton, FL 34203
U.S.A.
Phone: (1) 877-868-5025
Fax: (1) 877-868-5025
Website: http://www.asiaharvest.org
Email: office@asiaharvest.org
My wife’s family is alive & well, by God’s grace! Please do pray for those who have lost loved ones and remain at risk though.
May God bless you!
Mert & Sheila Hershberger
655 North Murphy Avenue
El Dorado, AR 71730-4329
USA
870-863-7065
mertaka@everybody.org - none_cla@yahoo.com