So. Baptist Relief Workers Urge Financial and Spiritual Generosity
by Allie Martin
February 24, 2005
(AgapePress) - Volunteers representing the largest evangelical Christian denomination in the U.S. are helping survivors of the south Asian tsunami rebuild their lives.Relief teams from the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention have taken part in a number of aid projects ranging from food and water distribution to medical care, temporary shelter, and sanitation for tsunami victims. Randy Richards, a medical volunteer who is taking part in relief efforts in Banda Aceh, encourages Christians in America to give sacrificially -- and to pray.
"Pray that these efforts will go smoothly, that they can reach the folks that they need to reach," he urges. "That those who need medical care can be given medical care, and that the heart of America can be seen clearly by the folks here."
Officials with the IMB says they are expecting recovery efforts to take years. Richards recalls a personal experience that impressed upon the enormity of the task -- and the necessity for it.
"I held a precious little Achinese baby. When I picked him up, he was burning up with fever and would not have lasted much longer," he says. "So you see those kinds of needs immediately being met. But also you see in the hearts and the eyes of the people the realization that they not forgotten, that they are not the throwaway part of the world, and that the rest of the world is aware of at least part of their suffering."
Thus far, total contributions received from Southern Baptist churches and individuals for tsunami aid have surpassed $10 million. About one-fourth of that amount has been disbursed for nearly 50 aid projects across south and southeast Asia.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
