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AsiaLink Ministries
Box 939
Cambridge, ON N1R 5X9
CANADA
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Phone:
519.624.0223
Fax: 519.624.0304
E-mail:
info@asialinkministries.org
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Many have given towards the immense challenge left behind by the Asian
catastrophe and we want to keep you informed. We have also been blessed by
people offering themselves, their prayers, equipment, teams, medicine, and
so on. It is a great thrill to see the various parts of the Body of Christ
coming together and cooperating to get help to those who need it. It is
important that we give you more information on what is happening and on
how funds are being dispersed. It is also critical that all that is done
is bathed in prayer so please use the following as material for bringing
before the Lord. As you read the report from our co-workers in Asia ,
please pray fervently for the rescuers, some of whom have been traumatized
by what they have experienced.
Efforts have helped people in Sri Lanka, Thailand , and India . Deaths are
also reported from Burma, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Maldives, Seychelles,
Kenya & Somalia. Total number of confirmed dead currently stands at
156,000, making it one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory.
The main focus has been on the worst affected area - Aceh in Indonesia .
The Christians who are on the ground helping are real heroes. Here is the
latest report from our partners on the ground.
Great Tragedy, Unbelievable Death Tolls
What you see here on the ground is unbelievable. Even though we had
heard the death toll in Aceh was 95,000 before coming, it has to be much
more. It is now 15 days since the quake & tsunami and there are still
many, many thousands of bodies everywhere. We see mass graves being dug
and bodies put in 3 deep. This was 5km from the coast. Just nearby are
several large boats. One boat maybe 60 ft long. And there are several more
"parked" around the city showing the sheer force of the tsuanmi.
We are overwhelmed at what we can see, but what we can't see is so much
worse. We can see where 10,000 lived in one town - it is gone, wiped
clean. Inland spread out over several kilometers it looks like a swamp
with twisted cars, shattered houses, mangled electricity poles and hidden
bodies yet to be retrieved and counted. This scene is repeated in hundreds
of other places. When you see this you know a death toll of 100,000 is far
too small. It would have to be 200,000 or even many more.
The stench is sickening but the teams pulling out the bodies are heroes.
How can they keep doing it? But they must. For the sake of the living they
must.
Transportation and Supply Problems
Our team has gone to the district of Aceh Jaya where we have set up
our base camp. This is one of the worst hit areas. Tragedy is everywhere.
This is worse than the city of Banda Aceh the capital. Transportation is a
nightmare with no roads, and most boats destroyed. Right now, more than
anything we need a boat to transport teams, medicines, food, and equipment
to islands along the coast.
Today I went by helicopter to survey the overall scale of the disaster and
how best to transport the medical/food supplies. The people urgently need
clean drinking water so we are prepared to take a well drilling team and
their equipment to the needy areas.
At 5.00 am we were woken with a 6.2 quake. So that was the wake up call to
start the day. As I write this at 6.30 am a call comes to my door. A team
of Indonesian doctors has been stranded for 4 days without supplies. It
will take 8 hours to reach them by boat, but there are none available.
Medical Workers
Some medical workers have been here 10 days and are now on their way
home. They are exhausted and some even traumatized by what they have seen
and felt here. But the work must go on. We will need more doctors and
nurses in the coming weeks and months. When the international aid teams
and governments pull out, who will look after the people. The local
medical workers of Aceh were wiped out by the tsunami. This area which is
Muslim populated needs long term love and care.
Rebuilding villages
The governments are planning the rebuilding of the city, but the
distant villages are often left far behind. This is where we can
demonstrate Christ’s love by rebuilding their villages, providing clean
water, treating their sick, counselling the traumatized, loving the
orphans, the widows and the destitute.
Specific Action Taken
The initial assistance to victims in Aceh was through teams from
Jakarta who had responded by traveling to the region by road, boats and
helicopters. They went in with supplies that were flown in through a
chartered Hercules plane from Jakarta . The initial response team
comprised 150 medical personnel and other volunteers. They continue to
help in the devastated areas.
The next step now is to help by setting up refugee camps in Bandar Aceh
(which has already begun) and in Medan (hopefully in the next week). We
are also now arranging for construction teams from the US and Australia to
help set up the camps, i.e. build toilets, water facilities, cooking
areas, and common hall for eating and meeting. We are also flying in water
pumps and Indonesian teams to operate this from our refugee camps and
resettlement areas from Maluku. They are expected to be there in a week. A
team from Alaska will also be there in 2 weeks to set up the water pumps,
tanks, pipes, etc. Four units of water purification units (on loan) are
also being flown in. This will produce about 15 gallons of clean water per
minute. A mobile clinic is also being fitted and will be driven up to Aceh
from Jakarta within the next 1-2 weeks.
As the camps are run to take care of about 1000 families, during this
period we will also need to begin to look at rebuilding their homes and
gradually moving them back to their homes. This whole process can take
anything between 6 months to a year. During this period, the main priority
will be to feed and provide medical care (physical and emotional) to these
1000 families.
Please help us. Right now we are needing to purchase a large
boat to reach the islands and many coastal communities that have been
hardest hit. This is the most desperate need, but we will also need
ongoing supplies and personnel for the rebuilding phase. The teams need
your prayer support as they are operating in the most trying of
circumstances with death and chaos all around. Pray for the thousands
of Muslim people that have been devastated by the tsunami.
If you would like an update (e-updates are also available), let us
know please. We will keep you informed and trust we can count on your
continued support. Thank you!
Tsunami- What's being
done?
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