A TIDAL WAVE OF LOVE
Gospel for Asia moves into Tsunami-hit community in Tamil Nadu with
help for a devastated community in which 2,000 were killed last December
By Dan and
Peter Wooding in Tamil Nadu, India
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
 TAMIL
NADU, INDIA (ANS) -- The people of
a fishing community on the coast of Tamil Nadu, India, were going about
their daily business on December 26, 2004, when a terrifying sound
exploded from the India Ocean followed by a 60 foot tidal wave that
swept in like a monster from the Indian Ocean, engulfing the beach and
surrounding area, smashing everything in sight into little pieces. (Pictured: Four
fishermen receive the documentation from the new fishing boat).
In just seconds, it killed 2,000 of the residents – men, women and
children -- who had no chance of escaping from the horrifying force of
the tidal wave.
 The earthquake that
produced this devastating Tsunami, measuring about 9.00 on the Richter
scale, had its epicenter under the sea near Sumatra Island in
Indonesia, and unleashed energy millions of times greater than the
Hiroshima bomb. A table produced by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory
suggested that a quake of 9.0 on the Richter scale has a seismic energy
yield roughly equaling 32 billion tons of TNT. (Pictured: Child survivors being helped by
GFA in Tamil Nadu).
In all, the cataclysmic Tsunami that left 227,000 dead or missing
around the ocean's shores in surrounding countries last December.
Just a few days ago, we stood with a team of journalists on that same
beach in Tamil Nadu and, with the sound of crashing waves in the
background, we witnessed a moving ceremony of love by Gospel for Asia
(GFA), who they presented 15 sets of nets and newly-constructed fishing
boats complete with motors, to some of the survivors of this terrible
event, so they could rebuild their lives and their livelihoods.
Surveying the scene with us was Taun Cortado, U.S Radio Coordinator for
Gospel for Asia, based at their Dallas headquarters who led our team in
India. With deep emotion, he said, “As you look around now, you can see
nothing but sand and the coconut trees that somehow survived the tidal
wave, but here there were once many houses that were destroyed
instantly by the force of the Tsunami.
TOTAL DEVASTATION
“This is a fishing community that would go fishing and then when they
got back, they would drag their boats up onto the beach and they would
dry there nets, but now, as you can see, there is nothing left; it’s
total devastation.
“So it’s a real blessing that we are able to turn over 15 boats to some
40 families, so they can get back to earning a living and these are now
all believers. Several of them have come to Christ since the Tsunami
hit.”
He went on to say, “This is the beginning of the expansion of our
giving away more boats, motors, nets, and building new homes for the
survivors. We are trying to get people back to earn a living and in the
mean time, letting them know how much Christ loves them.”
 The
handing over ceremony of the 15 new fishing boats and equipment was led
by GFA Indian-born mission’s director, Brother Ebenezer. (Pictured: Recipients
of new fishing boats during prayer service).
After praying for each boat with the recipients standing by, their eyes
glistening with emotion, he said, “What we are doing at this moment is
we are getting them started by giving them the basic net that they each
need, plus the boat and the engine that they can use.”
Brother Ebenezer said that for about $5,000, GFA can help each of the
recipients to re-start a fishing business so they can begin rebuilding
their lives.
“Anyone that has a need can receive a boat here from us,” he continued.
“We are not looking at what religion they belong to, or from what kind
of caste background or community background that they are from. Anyone
who has a need can receive help from us, providing we have the ability
to meet that need.
“We do not insist on any change of religion. We give them what we give
according to our ability in the name of Jesus and they do understand
that we give it to them in the name of Jesus and they do appreciate
what we do. We are responding to a need and doing this to help the
Christian church to have a good testimony in this time --which is very
important.
WAS A RIOT AREA
He said that this area was once a real trouble spot. “Until about a
year ago, this used to be the most communal riot prone place, but today
there is much harmony among the different communities and religious
groups and people are happy about the help they are receiving with
Christian churches,” said Brother Ebenezer. (Pictured: Brother Ebenezer).
“We did a general survey not only with regard to giving them something
to start getting their livelihood back, but also to help their
children. We have started Bridge of Hope Centers all along the coast
here in Tamil Nadu. There are 20 of them that cater for 2,000 children.”
He then said that he had just talked with a group of four men who had
lost everything in the Tsunami who told him that there had been nobody
to help them – until GFA came along. Now they were among the group that
were given a net, boat, engine and net.
“Life has been at a standstill here,” Brother Ebenezer said. “This
group of men come from very different backgrounds and it is amazing how
these and other families want to come together and work together to
make a livelihood.”
SERVICE IN WEDDING CHAPEL
Before going to the beach, our group visited a wedding chapel where a
service was being held for the community led by the Pastor of the
GFA-sponsored Believer’s Church of India.
Taun Cortado said that the Pastor had opened up the wedding chapel for
local people to receive counseling. “Through that we are seeing the
love of Christ being communicated and so it is pretty amazing what God
is doing here,” he said.
Just before our team left India on Monday, July 26, news came that
India's Andaman and Nicobar islands, devastated by last year's Tsunami,
were shaken by a strong earthquake on Sunday but fears of new killer
waves hitting the Indian Ocean archipelago proved unfounded.
It was another piece of welcome news for the fisher-people of Tamil
Nadu as they recover from the previous disaster with the help of Gospel
for Asia, and other groups.
For more information on the work of Gospel for Asia, go to www.gfa.org.
Peter
Wooding is senior news editor for the UK-based Christian radio network
UCB Europe. He has traveled extensively reporting from places such as
Croatia, Dubai, St Petersburg, Russia, South Korea, Zambia and Israel.
He is also the director of ASSIST  Europe, and
will be leading his first mission trip with the ministry this summer to
Beslan in Russia. Previously Peter served as a missionary for five
years with Youth With A Mission, where he met his wife who's from North
Wales where they now live with their three daughters.
Dan Wooding is an award winning British journalist now living in
Southern California with his wife Norma. He is the founder and
international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic
Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). Wooding is the co-host of the
weekly radio show, "Window on the World" and was, for ten years a
commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the
author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography,
"From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order
a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com.
danjuma1@aol.com.
(Pictured: Dan and
Peter Wooding with GFA founder, K.P. Yohannan in India).
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