India: Pastor reports from the devastation and asks for prayer

Published: January 19th, 2005

Pastor Thompson is from Gundar, South Eastern India. He oversees about 60 or 70 churches and orphanages in that area which has been devastated by the Tsunami on 26th December. Below is his account of the heartache and weakness felt by the church in the face of such wide-scale destruction and loss of life, but also the hope and the courage they find to minister Christ’s love to those in great need around them.   
 
 
Here the Tsunami waves have left everyone in the sea coast area in lonely situations and caused great damage to the country, many families have been wiped out and many parents have lost their children. Please continue to pray for all of us. We need your special prayers. 
 
On Christmas day night, 30 kilometers away from Gundar we had an earthquake and the very next morning Tsunami waves flowed in to most of the villages in the sea coast areas in India. Most of the people who live beside the sea shore were washed away. The waves came out from the sea up to one kilometer and killed many, many people. In the midst of desolated areas we are walking and trying to comfort the lonely who have lost their
The desolate coastline 
families and houses. Tears are rolling from my eyes when walking in these terrifying locations.
 
By the grace of God all of our orphan children and orphan home staff are safe, but we lost 9 of our churches in sea coast areas along with many believers and 4 pastors.       
 
The disaster took place on Sunday and so some people had gone to the seaside on a vacation and some had gone to worship their gods according to their customs, hundreds of miles from their cities. They will never return, they have gone for ever. There are no houses remaining in the sea coast areas and places stink with the bad smell of the dead bodies. People are terrified; the cry in the country appears to be more than the cry of Ramah in the Bible. [Matt 2:18]
 
Please continue to pray for the people that are dying without salvation, we don’t know what kind of service we can extend to this washed land. People have lost their families, many, with no warning, find themselves alone and empty. We are trying to reach the lost and remain here to comfort, but human words can not help in this situations.  Many are pleading with us to help them. Please continue to pray for those who remain and for India, so that we will be strengthened to extend some relief to those who most desperately need it.
"They will
 
never
 
return,
 
they have
 
gone
 
forever."
 
I remember the days walking with my father in 1977, when the waves of a cyclone rose up to 35 feet high and people died similarly. We fed thousands of people who had lost every thing and took care of the places the cyclone had affected. Its time to share our Lords love with these people we are privileged to serve with courage. Please continue to pray for us to reach those who are in need and in distress.  
 
 

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