27th October, 2005

A team from Christian mission organisation Gospel for Asia was among the first missionaries and relief workers to respond to the devastating 8th October earthquake. DAVID ADAMS spoke via email with founder and president K.P. Yohannan...

What sort of reports are you receiving from GFA workers in the field within the earthquake area - can you describe what they are seeing?
"Our initial report came from our 40 Bible school students and the pastors and leaders in Jammu and (India-admnistered) Kashmir. The walls of the Bible school cracked and a lot of other damage. But within 24 hours, they realized that hundreds of people had died not far from where they were. Reports began to come in of even greater devastation toward the India/Pakistan border and then beyond into Pakistan.

      "Immediately, a team of over ten people traveled 13 hours toward the most severely affected area. The reports we received from them were much more painful and descriptive than we saw or heard from the media. They told us of the thousands of people who were just roaming around - their whole village completely demolished and scores of their people dead.

      "When they gave away blankets and drinking water, etcetera, to these people, the sufferers were not focused on the items they received, but rather they were so grateful for people to grieve with them and listen to their sorrows. They would wail and weeping beating upon their chests, trying to describe the loss and pain they had experienced."

How are people in the region coping in the aftermath and what are the most immediate needs?
"We must use our imagination to truly comprehend what these people are facing - tens of thousands have lost everything. They lost their houses, cattle, animals, kitchen utensils, food items, drinking water, electricity and whatever else they had. This is their condition - all they have left really is their survival instincts and whatever help they are able to get from others. Government authorities and NGO’s like Gospel for Asia are trying to provide what they can. But the need remains huge."

How hard was it getting the team into such a restricted area as Kashmir?
"We made some calls and got through to some of our missionaries so we could find out what was going on (n- one was allowed to make calls out of the community). We thought we’d never be able to get into those restricted areas because it was controlled by the army. By the grace of God, we have some connections with one of the senior government official. He helped our team to travel long hours and get to some of these areas and aid the people. We were able to take a medical doctor and a few other people to help. It was surely God answering our prayers to make that possible."

We're hearing much of the devastation but have you also heard any stories of how God is miraculously moving in the area?
"In times of crisis and devastation, people cry out to God. He is merciful and gracious to respond. For instance our team began to minister among a particular village where 400 houses were completely destroyed. Many people there had lost their relatives and were in deep distress. As our team gave them the much-needed relief supplies, they were also able to share about the Lord and His grace. People were very open to hear the Gospel."

How long will it take for the area to recover from a disaster as big as this?
"It is only up to our imagination as it was in the case of the tsunami. It is going to be one to two years at least- something we’ll be doing for the long-haul. Now with the severe winter and the rain that will be coming, it makes it more complicated. It looks like one of the most difficult tasks will be getting any kind of shelter for these people. It is hard to find enough tents in the world that are good enough to protect people from the severe winter. So this is something that we can pray for - for God’s grace and mercy that a severe winter will be held back."

Kashmir remains in dispute. Are there any signs that this event - which has affected both countries - may help to bring India and Pakistan closer together?
"It is still to be seen in the days to come how this calamity will affect these two nations. But because of the horrendous suffering and the need both countries are facing, I imagine there will be an element of working together to help these people in need. We really need to be praying for peace in this area."

Can you provide any guidance for Australian's praying about the earthquake and its aftermath - what are some of the prayer requests you've received?
"As the body of Christ in Australia and God’s people at large, our hearts must be concerned for people anywhere in the world, especially in times like this earthquake in Pakistan and in Kashmir.

      "The latest report says that maybe over 100,000 people lost their lives in this earthquake. This is horribly sickening. We can only pray effectively if we can feel the pain of those who are suffering just as Nehemiah felt the pain for his people back in Jerusalem. God always honors sincere, broken hearts who are willing to stand in the gap for a lost world.

      "Pray that God will use even this calamity to bring people to Himself that somehow hundreds of thousands of displaced people will look to the living God for answers and find Jesus to be their answer and hope.

      "Pray that this will open doors for us to send more workers to help these people any way that we can and that they will be well received.

      "Pray that God will touch the hearts of people to provide resources to continue to meet the needs of the suffering people. It’s going to be at least one to two years of relief work and will take quite a bit of money to meet the needs of the people. We need to see some major breakthroughs, and we can pray for that."