Partners International in the Midst of Suffering

Dear Friend,

In both Myanmar and China, our ministry partners are working to bring food and comfort to survivors of two of the worst disasters in recent history. Thank God the Burmese government is finally allowing more aid in, but they are still limiting the involvement of individuals.

In Myanmar, a committee of pastors and businesspeople set up by our partner leader continues to provide relief to 750 families in the Yangon area, including distributions of rice for each family every two days.

While our first task in any crisis is to meet the immediate needs of those affected, our longer-term vision is to rebuild communities, physically and spiritually, by strengthening the witness of the local church.

Our Crisis Response Coordinator, Mr. Eng Hoe who arrived in Myanmar the end of last week, will be training about 30 leaders of local churches and ministries starting tomorrow. Eng Hoe says, "Please pray the right people come, and that they will really catch the heart and the vision of what God has in store for Myanmar." Because most of the people helping are not trained to handle a disaster of this scale, the trainees will be learning basic principles of crisis response.

In China, after an all-day arduous trip by plane and then by vehicle, our associate worker traveled to our partner's relief camp close to one of the most damaged areas. She writes:

"It was a surprise to see so many people residing on the sides of the road and in the public squares. People are lying all around. Some in good condition are staying in their car or tent. (They fear returning to their homes because of the constant aftershocks.) Some in bad condition just lie on the ground with a quilt. With the damage from the earthquake and the rains, the road has become very muddy and hard to drive on. Our car suffered some damage going over the rugged road.

"Our ministry partner has established a relationship with local churches; together we are providing rice soup each day to survivors with help from several local churches. Later we will partner together in more long-term development work. We talked with local officials directly. One of them was so touched that we would come over dangerous roads to help with disaster relief. With his support and help, we drove to the most damaged town in the region. The local officials received us and briefed us on the disaster situation."

Our main goals in the coming months will be helping families rebuild their lives while also bringing spiritual comfort and counseling. It will take a long time to heal people's anxiety, fear, and grief. But, we have seen how in a crisis, God opens doors to otherwise inaccessible areas and people groups. Often, the religious, political, cultural, social, and economic structures that are barriers to the Gospel are broken down and belief systems are shaken. People in a crisis search for meaning and purpose and become open to the love of God. I am glad to know our partners are there now and will be there months down the road, ready and willing to share God's love.

We are grateful for you who have who have already helped with the relief needs in Myanmar and China. Your prayers and support are still needed. In fact, survivors in the region near the earthquake epicenter continue to experience aftershocks, and many fear that flooding will add to the difficulty in the damaged areas. If you would like to contribute toward our relief efforts, please visit our website (Myanmar Relief or China Relief), or call us at (800) 966-5515. Thank you.

Under His Wings,

Jon Lewis
President and CEO

Partners International
1117 E. Westview Court
Spokane, WA 99218 USA
(800) 966-5515
www.partnersintl.org
www.harvestofhope.org

Partners International is a global ministry that works to create and grow communities of Christian witness in partnership with God's people in the least Christian regions of the world.

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