Date: Fri,
07 Jan 2005 16:54:21 +1300
Subject: Tsunami
From: Lynn Green
International Chairman of Youth With A Mission
Dear Friends,
For the past week and more I have been seeking the answers to an often
repeated question, "Did YWAM have team in the area hit by
the earthquake or the tsunami?" Of course the answer is yes,
but how many teams were there? Did they all survive? What
are they doing now? Can we help? For some days I have
been collecting information and now pass it on to you so you will be
informed and so you can PASS THIS ON TO OTHERS, as you see fit.
We had many teams in the area, from the most hard-hit part of Sumatra
and nearby islands right through to Sri Lanka and the eastern coast of
India. In the midst of all the terrible loss of life, we can
give thanks that... all YWAM staff survived. Some teams were
very near the epicentre and some were due to have been on the beaches
that day, but for different reasons stayed on higher
ground. We are very grateful.
Now they are engaged in relief efforts and they desperately need our
prayer. One team leader recently telephoned to say that they
were spending much of their waking hours simply finding bodies and
placing a body bag by each one so the military could deal with them
appropriately. At times they have felt it is just too hard
to continue, yet they have. Our more permanent teams have
lost friends, neighbours and fellow believers by the
scores. Our short-term teams are deeply shaken having been
so traumatized in a foreign setting. Normally they would
need lots of time to debrief, receive counsel and come to grips with
the tragedy that engulfed them, but they have no time for
that. They hardly have time to eat. Please pray
for them!!
As you know the great threat now is disease. Our people are
at great risk. Do ask God's protection for them and that
they will get, and be able to follow, the best advice for avoiding the
deadly diseases that so often follow this kind of disaster.
So many people have asked what they can do to help. I will
give that information below, but first I want to list just some of the
work that our teams are doing in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands: *
in several locations, like northern
Sumatra and Thailand and along the Indian coast our teams are
coordinating the entire relief operations for large areas.
at hospitals – setting up a variety of
stations for people looking for loved ones assisting
people making long distance telephone calls to loved ones (a
local company is doing this for free)
translating with Thai hospital with the multiple languages of people
affected. 28 Embassies have come to Phuket to set up embassy inquiry
stations.
listening to stories of people caught in the Tsunami
and trying to find [the right] words for those who may have survived.
Answering questions from inquiries.
Finding multiple language doctors to assist
patients.
Coordinating teams to go to local Thai temples where
several thousand bodies are being kept for identification. Many if not
most are unrecognizable due to salt water, decomposition and injury but
loved ones still are coming and wanting to look and see. The Thai
Forensic department is here taking DNA samples of all of the dead so
that they can be traced more than just through visual identification.
Today many are arriving from Scandinavia searching for
loved ones and trauma teams and counselling teams are also hopefully
arriving to be available for families in need.
distributing food packs and water to fishing villages
in India and Sri Lanka.
appealing for funds to replace fishing nets so
families can start earning a living again as soon as
possible.
arranging and repairing the intact furniture and
appliances, disposing the debris of the destroyed buildings, and
beginning to rebuild.
coordinating medical efforts in Sumatran
villages.
In many previous disaster situations, YWAM has provided staff for the
work done under the banner of other agencies. We are always
happy to do that and this is no exception. If this, the
greatest natural disaster of modern times, follows the pattern of
previous disasters, there will be an outpouring of offers for help and
money but then the world's attention will shift to other
subjects. But the needs will be very long
term. Our teams will still be there in a year's time and
longer helping to rebuild and offering help in the name of
Jesus. It is worth noting that some of the hardest hit areas
are those that actively persecuted those who seek to follow
Jesus. Let's pray that this will result in much greater
openness and receptivity.
YWAM is not [just] a humanitarian organization. We are a
missions movement, seeking to follow Jesus of Nazareth with all our
strength. He taught us to love our neighbors and even our
enemies and to express that love by helping those in
need. Jesus' example is at the heart of the vast majority of
humanitarian efforts today because most of the organizations in that
field have Christian roots. But there is also a tremendous
pressure on those organizations to drop the "religious dimension" of
their work so they can be the recipients of governmental and other
"secular" funds. Over a generation or two, [for too many]
their roots in Christ are obscured.
We will not cease to minister in the name of Jesus.
Our
assistance is available without regard to race or religion and we
are not aggressive or insensitive in our relationships with those in
need, but we do give credit where credit is due: Jesus is
our example, the Holy Spirit our helper and we live for the glory of
God.
Please do pass this report and appeal on to all whom you know.
Yours for the Kingdom of God,
C. Lynn Green,
International Chairman
To make a donation:
Donations for Aceh Relief, Indonesia,
can be made to:
Community Development Center
Bank : BCA - Branch: Duta Mas Fatmawati, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Acc. No. 7300300370 - Swift Code for Foreign currencies: BCA:CENAIDJA
IMPORTANT: All donations must accompany a note indicating "For Aceh
Relief (ALJP)"
Please send an email to Jeff Patterson at jpatterson@ipcnetwork.com and
Andy Sutedja at sutedja@telkom.net informing them of donations made.
For TAX DEDUCTIBLE receipts in the USA:
Write Checks To: "U OF N FOUNDATION"
Mail the checks to:
CASHIER
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740, USA
ATTACH NOTE: FOR: ACEH RELIEF (CODE ALJP) CDC - JAKARTA - ACCOUNT #
6306
Then please email Lisa Vos at lisavos@uofnkona.edu
For relief in India, Sri
Lanka and Nicobar and Andaman Islands:
FUNDS TRANSFER: Below are instructions for those in the
U.S. Europe, Australia, and Great Britain. If you are in another
country and want to wire money please email us at Sudhakar@pqsa.net or
tks61@yahoo.com and we will send you the wiring instructions for your
country. For those in any country including those listed below if you
want to send a cheque by mail you can make the check out to Youth With
A Mission and send it to:
Youth With A Mission - 121 Vasantha street, Golden George Nagar,
Nerkundram, Chennai Tamil Nadu 600107 India.
Please include a note in the envelope that the money is for the Tidal
Relief Project in India.
For US Dollars from the United States: If you would like a
tax-deductible receipt, please make your checks out to Youth With A
Mission and include a note in the envelope that the check is for the
Tidal Relief Project in India. Send it to YWAM - P.O. Box
61700 Honolulu Hawaii, 96839 USA.
By Wire from the US: TO TRANSFER FUNDS IN USD TO the ACCOUNT AT
CHENNAI: PLEASE INSTRUCT YOUR BANKERS TO TRANSFER BY SWIFT TO: ABN AMRO
BANK, CHENNAI SWIFT CODE ABNAINBBMAS UNDER ADVICE TO CREDIT
A/C NO.772533 IN THE NAME OF Youth With A Mission WITH ABN AMRO BANK,
CHENNAI. AND TRANSFER THE COVER TO OUR ACCOUNT NO.
661001151741 WITH ABN AMRO BANK, NEWYORK. Please
inform us when you transfer funds so we can track it
(mailto:Sudhakar@pqsa.net).
For Australian Dollars: TO TRANSFER FUNDS IN AUD TO OUR ACCOUNT
AT CHENNAI: PLEASE INSTRUCT YOUR BANKERS TO TRANSFER BY SWIFT TO
ABN AMRO BANK, CHENNAI SWIFT CODE ABNAINBBMAS UNDER ADVICE
TO CREDIT A/C NO. 772533 IN THE NAME OF Youth With A
Mission WITH ABN AMRO BANK, CHENNAI. AND TRANSFER THE COVER TO ABN AMRO
BANK, MUMBAI A/C NO. ALG0006973 WITH WESTPAC BANKING
CORPORATION,SYDNEY. Swift Code of West Pac Banking Corporation
is WPACAU2S. Swift Code of ABN AMRO Bank Mumbai is ABNAINBB
Please inform us - Sudhakar@pqsa.net - when you transfer funds so
we can track it.
For Euro: TO TRANSFER FUNDS EUR OUR ACCOUNT AT CHENNAI: PLEASE INSTRUCT
YOUR BANKERS TO TRANSFER BY SWIFT TO ABN AMRO BANK, CHENNAI SWIFT
CODE ABNAINBBMAS UNDER ADVICE TO CREDIT A/C
NO.772533 IN THE NAME OF Youth With A Mission WITH ABN AMRO BANK,
CHENNAI. AND TRANSFER THE COVER TO ABN AMRO BANK, Mumbai A/C NO.
529481375 WITH ABN AMRO BANK, AMSTERDAM. SWIFT CODE OF ABN AMRO BANK
AMSTERDAM IS ABNANL2A Please inform us - Sudhakar@pqsa.net - when
you transfer funds so we can track it.
For Great Britain Pounds: TO TRANSFER FUNDS IN GBP OUR ACCOUNT AT
CHENNAI: PLEASE INSTRUCT YOUR BANKERS TO TRANSFER BY SWIFT TO ABN AMRO
BANK, CHENNAI SWIFT CODE ABNAINBBMAS UNDER ADVICE
TO CREDIT A/C NO.772533 IN THE NAME OF Youth With A Mission WITH
ABN AMRO BANK, CHENNAI. AND TRANSFER THE COVER TO ABN AMRO BANK, MUMBAI
A/C NO. 902756 WITH ABN AMRO, LONDON. Swift Code of ABN AMRO Bank
London is ABNAGB2L Swift Code of ABN AMRO Bank Mumbai is
ABNAINBB. Please inform us - Sudhakar@pqsa.net - when you
transfer funds so we can track it.
For Thailand:
US Dollar Account Bank: Standard Chartered Branch: 6
Battery Road Singapore Account Number: 01-740-2737-0 Account Name: YWAM
Asia Relief & Development Routing # CHIPS UID - #057 220 SCB NY -
AC 3582 088 503001 - SWIFT # SCBLSGSG.
If you want tax deductible receipts from USA please send checks
to:
UofN Kona Foundation - Accounting Dept - 75-5851 KuaKini
Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 USA Please include a note: For Asia
Tsunami “YWAM Relief - Bangkok
