Crawling deep into their hearts

Mr. Suda, laughing with the church team.

They hardly knew any Japanese, but a church team from Singapore was in Japan to show God’s love with their acts of service.  As one OM worker writes, “what they could do in those few days were so limited, but I believe God has used them in an amazing way through their attitudes. With very little words, they could crawl deep into the hearts of many Japanese people.”

One of those people was Mr. Suda, whose house was being cleared of rubble by the church team.  For the first few days he was quiet, not offering a greeting for the team.  "At first I was so disappointed”, said one of the volunteers, “he didn't even bother to thank us, but then I realized my pride. Am I serving God or man? I also realized that my few days of hard work under the scorching sun, in the filthy smelly water, removing damaged house items from the owner's house, is nothing in comparison with what he has lost during the tsunami."

The next day, Mr. Suda greeted the team with a whispered thank you. On the last day, during an afternoon break, he sat with the team and began to talk.  They were able to explain their beliefs as Christians, and even pray for Mr. Suda and his neighbor.  By day’s end, he was not only smiling, but dancing and joking around with the team.

A team member said, "What we do is so little, just like drops in a bucket. But many drops make a pond, and many ponds make a flood."

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:10  

Please continue to pray for the people of Japan. You may also give toward OM’s work in Japan, and learn how you can go on a relief trip.  Thanks for your partnership.

You are needed in Japan.

Ready for a tough assignment? Help sort through rubble in one of the most devastated areas of Japan. Learn more about the trip here and pray about going.

"Where were you when the tsunami hit?"

This man watched his home wash away in the tsunami.

One village where OM Japan is working had 100 houses before the tsunami hit. Only 12 remain now, and many villagers are still unaccounted for. One family lost their cousin, a fireman, during search and rescue. OM has been helping remove the foundation of their house, to make way for a temporary home the family will receive.

OM ministry leader Stephan Smithdorff writes,

One of the highlights of working side-by-side with these precious people, is to sit down during lunch and tea breaks with them and to listen to their stories. Our favorite question is: 'Where were you when the tsunami hit?' One elderly neighbor said he was at home, but he ran up the hill, and watched the waves wash away his house in front of his eyes. It must be hard to see all your possessions drifting away into the ocean.

One elderly lady kept on cursing the tsunami for ruining their lives, but as the days went by, she stopped cursing and started to thank us for coming to help, pleading with us to come back again.

While Ming Siew, one of our team members, took a prayer walk at sunrise, she was invited in by two brothers who have lost both their wives and all their children, except for one daughter. Two days later while some of us sat in a local public bath, the man sitting in the bathtub with us, was one of the brothers! Instead of us encouraging him, he kept on encouraging us in our volunteer work.

Slowly we can see relationships are expanding as we return to the same area week after week. Everyday brings another opportunity to pray for people and see God at work in the lives of our dear new friends. We stand amazed and humbled at the privilege to be part of what God is doing in Japan today.

Please continue to pray for the people of Japan.  You may give to OM's relief efforts here.

miracle and motivation in Pakistan

One OM Pakistan team had a flat tire.  In the tire repair shop they met a Muslim man and gave him a New Testament.  A week later, they saw the man again and he told them, "I was reading about the miracle of Jesus and I thought of praying for my sick relative. I said, 'God, if the power of Jesus still works, heal him.' The same day, the sick patient was healed.”

In another city, a team member took his family to visit other families displaced by the flood.  It was during the three-day celebration called Eid in Pakistan, the end of Ramadan, normally marked by celebrations and gift-giving.   But this year, it was a time of despair for many.  Homeless from the floods, the displaced families were very happy that someone spent time with them.  They said, “We cannot forgot this moment until the end of our life; while we were hungry you fed us and you visited us.”

Each of the three OM teams are being strengthened by reports like this.  But physically it is difficult.  One leader motivated his team saying , “We are all very tired but let's allow our enthusiasm to continue until the final bag has been delivered to those in need.”  And they have.  The number of families served is now over 4,300 (around 30,000 individuals).  Medical teams have helped over 4,200 patients.  Thanks for your gifts and intercession.

Please continue to remember the OM Pakistan team in your prayers.  Pray for their strength, their protection, and for continued wisdom and leading of the Holy Spirit.  Click here to give to OM Pakistan flood relief.  $35 feeds a family of 6 for two weeks.

signs of life among the ruins of Pakistan

“There is still 2-3 feet of water standing in different areas," says the OM Pakistan team leader, "The city looks like the ruins of a ‘lost city’, as the devastation is enormous.”  But his team continues bringing good news to the people of the region.  Women on the team began providing henna tattoos to the local women, as a way of lifting their spirits.  These tattoos are made with a temporary pigment, normally in intricate paisleys and lace-like patterns.  But the ladies on the team are drawing henna gospel designs.  Applying the tattoos is a lengthy process, which makes for a relaxed time of sharing the gospel with local ladies.  Many of the ladies are illiterate, so these pictures are a powerful way to communicate God's story.  And it will stay with them -- the henna designs should last about two weeks.  Please continue to pray for these ladies and their families.  Pray for God's provision for them, for their safety, and for openness to the love of Jesus.
  

Pakistan update page

To keep current on news from the Pakistan flood, bookmark omusa.org/pakistan.  The timeline has been moved to this page and more updates are being added.  Thanks for your continued prayers and support for the Pakistani people.  Your gifts are crucial during this time.

Give to Pakistan flood relief.

TIMELINE: Pakistan floods

See a timeline of relief efforts in Pakistan. 

Please continue to pray for victims of the floods.  And please give to Pakistan flood relief.  Thank you. 

URGENT prayer needed for Pakistan

Families patiently awaiting food distribution last week.

Not all crowds have been this calm.

Please pray for peace as food deliveries continue throughout the country.

The crushing need for immediate aid in Pakistan grows.  Many people are now sleeping on major roads, with their homes gone and nowhere to get food.  The OM team there has been working round the clock assessing needs, handing out food, and running a medical clinic.  The team is asking that you pray strength for them.  Pray the Lord would renew them physically.  Pray for their protection as crowds are growing increasingly more desperate for food and therefore more aggressive.  Flooding continues today, even reaching areas initially spared by the waters.  Pray for an end to the flooding.  Pray against disease and famine.  Pray for God's provision for the people of Pakistan.

Your gifts are allowing the team in Pakistan to provide aid during this crucial time.  Thank you for giving to Pakistan flood relief.

feeding the 5,000 in Pakistan

With warnings of more floods to come, OM Pakistan continues working in teams to provide dry goods to those who have firewood and cooked food to those who do not.  A team leader says:

Our desire is to provide a daily meal to 500-600 families every day. It means that we should be ready to feed 4,000-5,000 thousand people.

To help them accomplish this, the team hired a local professional cook who regularly prepares for large groups.  Please continue your prayers for Pakistan.  Pray for relief from the rain, and pray strength and continued wisdom for the OM Pakistan team.  You can help by giving to OM Pakistan flood relief. Thank you. 

adapting to changing conditions in Pakistan

OM Pakistan continues to seek the Lord for wisdom as the need grows larger from two weeks of constant flooding.   The relief team is thankful for a local church that has offered to partner with them.  They will be bringing food to many, including 100 families sheltered at a Christian Center.  About half the families are Christian, the other half Muslim or Hindu. 

After taking food to a local hospital, the team found that medicine was in short supply, particularly anti-venom for snake bites.  One leader said the team was "shocked over the rate of patients receiving medical aid from the hospital. Almost every family was suffering with skin infection, high grade fever, stomach problems and other diseases spread during the floods."  He added:

While our objective is to save the lives of people by providing them food we do not want to see them dying with diseases. We feel this is an emergency need and are going set up a three-day medical camp with the help of our partner. These three days are very important to see what is the result of it and what is the response of people. There will be four doctors for checkups. The estimated cost of the one day's medicine will be about $800.

Can you help get medicine to the people of Pakistan?  Thanks for your gifts to Pakistan flood relief.

Would You Take Food From Christians?

Delivering food to flood victims, an OM team arrived at the Madrasa, or Muslim seminary. "We asked the chief Mullah if they needed food," said a team leader, "They said they were very hungry and had not eaten in the last 2 days. We asked if they would like to take food from Christians. They said, 'We think you are better than our Muslim who is selling food with very high price.' They accepted food packets from our team and were very happy."

The team marked each bag with a sticker that says in the local language:



HELP FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
From: Pakistan Christian Brothers
Contact: Christian Brother N
Phone No.: xxx xxx xxxx



Pray that many long-term connections will be built as OM Pakistan continues to serve their neighbors during this time. Pray for many workers to come alongside, as the scope of this tragedy continues to grow.

You can give to Pakistan Flood Relief Here.  Thanks for your help and prayers.

OMusa.org

Serving in Dangerous Conditions

It has not been easy to deliver food to stranded families in the flooded streets of Pakistan.  A leader explains,

Most of the houses are very badly damaged and it is dangerous to live in them because the walls are cracked. We visited a school where around 250 families have been living for the last few days.

Some sources are already calling this the worst disaster in human history, and it is ongoing.  Water levels keep rising as rain continues.  Many people have been asked to move to safer ground. One area that was already flooded is in danger of flooding again.  In these drastic conditions, the team continues to find many who have been unable to find or prepare even the most basic meal.  Dry firewood is becoming scarce, so in addition to dry goods, OM Pakistan is also beginning to deliver pre-made meals.

Please keep praying for this team.  They face tough physical conditions, including a couple instances of violence.  They continue to adapt their distribution to these ever-changing conditions and ask your prayers for wisdom.  Pray for their protection and for God's peace throughout the region.

Thanks for your help reaching those displaced by the flood.  Click here to purchase a $25 food packet.

OMusa.org

Pakistan Flood Relief Update

It is being called the worst disaster in human history.  Not in lives lost, but in people affected, over 14 million so far have been displaced, hungry, or homeless.  OM Pakistan is working to meet the most immediate needs of getting food to those with no resources.

In the first few days of floods in Pakistan, OM teams delivered food to nearly 1,000 families, and their work continues. One recent development is the beginning of Ramadan, which includes the observance of daily fasting. During Ramadan it is illegal to distribute food between dawn and dusk, so any relief work must be done at night. Please pray that those needing food would be able to get to it safely.

We thank you for your help getting food to Pakistani families. You can buy a food packet for $25.

OMusa.org

Ramadan begins

Muslims begin their 30-day observance of Ramadan today, where they fast daily from dawn until dusk. You can learn more and pray through this time with The 30-Days Prayer Network.

Please pray specifically for Muslims in Pakistan. Many have already been without food for several days because of flood waters and continuing rains.  Most firewood is wet, so even those with food have been unable to cook it  Those needing food can only receive aid from dusk until dawn, according to law.  Pray for these nightly relief efforts, that people will be able to get goods safely.  Pray for the OM Pakistan team and for all those distributing food during this time.

Give to Pakistan Flood Relief here.  Thank you for your help.

Pakistan needs your help

OM Pakistan is working under extreme conditions to get food packets out to neighboring families.  They have no electricity and rains continue to threaten the region.  But supplies are thankfully still available in cities on higher ground.  So the team there is buying food, assembling it into family packets, and distributing them to those left homeless by the flood.

You can reach out to those hardest hit by purchasing one or more of these food packets.  Each costs  $25, and will supply a local family with flour, sugar, cooking oil, and lentils.  Buy a food packet by clicking here.

Please continue to pray for OM Pakistan, that they would have the strength and the wisdom they need during this time.  Pray they would make many lasting relationships within the community.  Already, many local people have volunteered to help with the distribution.  Praise God for these helpers!  And thanks for remembering the people of Pakistan in your prayers.

give food for flood victims

People in the Sindh province of Pakistan remain on high alert as the rivers and flood waters are expected to continue rising there.  Please pray for the people of this area, and for the thousands already displaced or isolated due to heavy flooding.

OM Pakistan is reaching out to 1,000 local families in the hardest hit areas with food packets.  You can help their relief efforts by purchasing these packets for $25 each.  Each includes flour, sugar, cooking oil, and lentils.  Buy a flood relief food packet here.  Thanks for your gifts to the people of Pakistan.  Subscribe to this blog for updates from the field.  

survivors thank you for your help and encouragement

Thanks to all of you who are continuing to support OM's ongoing work in Haiti. In this video you can meet some of the people directly affected by your prayers and gifts. You may give to this long-term outreach here. For prayer updates, subscribe to this blog (using the links in the sidebar). Thanks again for your love and compassion for the people in Haiti. You are transforming lives and communities.


Haiti Earthquake from OM USA Video on Vimeo.

Last Day for OM Film Crew in Haiti

by David Doughty

Today was extremely busy because we had to make up time from yesterday. It started at another orphanage where we interviewed a young man who survived a building collapsing on him, breaking his arm; a girl whose feet got burned; and also the woman who runs that orphanage.

We ended the day getting shots of the Parliament building destroyed as well as the Palace. At 5 pm every day, the guard marches out to the flag in front of the palace and takes it down. It was really emotional to see them take down their country's flag in front of a destroyed building with perfect precision and stance, even playing a bugle. No one moved during those 5 minutes. Cars stopped on the street, people stood at attention all around. Words couldn't find my throat, let alone my mouth.

Today's picture is from our driver's house.  He lost both his houses and his car that he used as a taxi service. He lost everything. We interviewed him in the rubble where his houses use to be. This area also had an overwhelming smell that I didn't connect with for a few minutes. I will spare the descriptive words I would use to describe it, because I don't want you to visualize like I did after finally connecting the dots, realizing that there were still people buried under the rubble we were standing on.

We leave tomorrow for the airport and a 12-hour travel day.  Thanks for your continued prayers.  

OM Film Crew in Haiti

Carsten Best and David Doughty, videographers for OM, are in Haiti this week interviewing survivors and shooting footage of the overwhelming aftermath. Doughty was able to get online and send this report of their first day on the ground:

Carsten Best interviews a young girl who
became orphaned in the January 12 quake.

Thank you for your prayers. As soon as Carsten and I landed in Haiti, we got picked up and immediately started shooting video while we were driving through the heart of Port au Prince. The devastation is.....hard to put into words. We quickly (after sitting in traffic for 2 hours) checked into our hotel room then went to an orphanage to start our interviews. The picture here is of a little girl that had a semi-wealthy life style, so after the earthquake her world turned upside down. She found the orphanage during a prayer meeting, and that is where she met Jesus. She then realized there was more to life than living for yourself. What mattered then, doesn't matter now.

After that, we went to a church that is mostly standing, though all the buildings around it have collapsed. A little girl who lived next door lost both her parents and we interviewed the aunt who is now taking care of her. This place was a lot harder to be at because you are standing on the roof of a three story building when you get out of the car. Some people have lost their minds, and then you turn around and you have people bathing in the streets out of a bucket. Then you walk into the church and 6 girls gather around a mic and are singing praises to the Lord as the worship band practices with various instruments. There is such a stark contrast of beauty and death. It's the ultimate extreme that I will never forget.

There is no telling what we will find next. I don't think exciting is the right word for it....sobering.....surreal....that might touch more of the emotions that surround everything. Sometimes I find myself thinking...this can't be real. Seeing the National Palace in ruins reminded me of an end of the world-type movie. Again, thank you for your prayers. Please keep them coming.

greetings from Haiti

OM USA staff member Ray Cooper is in Haiti awaiting the 40-ft container of supplies shipped from OM and scheduled for delivery Monday. He writes:

Greetings from Haiti. These past three days have been filled with kids, kids, more kids and truck rides.  Our team has grown in size. Adding to the three of us are 4 locals who join us each day. All four of them work with youth at their church or orphanages and are eager to gain new ideas and stratagies about childcare.  It's been a blessing to have them join our team. 

The team is praising God for taking care of every need, including transportation and even extra time at the end of each day to debrief and plan for the next.   Please pray for this team as they plan on visiting five more orphanages.  Pray for safe travel and good connections with the kids and the staff.  Pray strength for those serving as translators as they stay very busy in this role.