Harvest NOW - Special Report "After the Tsunami"

Harvest NOW Inc. Taking the gospel to the nations..

Special Report – After the Tsunami

Widows are helped by our Tsunami relief work

''My name is Nirmala, I belong to Vani Lanka village, which was completely washed out in the Tsunami that hit the coastal villages of Andhra Pradesh, India. I am a widow and have been working on the seashore with my two children. We lived in a small thatched hut. Unfortunately there is no sign of the existence of our hut. We are not only homeless, but also left with one set of clothes, the same ones worn on Dec 26^th 2004. We were desperate and unable to express our feelings to anyone, as everyone else in our village was in the same state of mind. We lost everything and did not even have a plate to eat from.

Though the local Government set up relief camps, they were closed up within 48 hours, after consoling the victims with almost no help. When we were looking for help and praying that God would show us the way, Harvest NOW Missionary - relief workers came to our place and truly consoled us. They offered prayers for us to the Lord Jesus. They read some words from the Holy Book (Bible) they had brought. They distributed clothes and food, like rice, sugar and vegetables. We were so amazed at their presence in the time of our deepest need.

Though I am a Hindu by religion, I really know God has sent these two representatives of Him to support us. Surprisingly, some how, a faith in the Lord Jesus developed in my heart. I am very thankful to Him for sending these two young people. After having accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior and my God, I feel I am relieved of my present troubles and have left everything in the hands of the Lord Jesus. In my previous days I have never felt this type of confidence in God."

This is just one of the testimonies among many thousands of people.

After the Tsunami - Loving people, touching lives!

Harvest NOW missionaries from a Tsunami affected area writes, “we have just returned from one of our relief camps. The people there were in great need of help, both spiritually and physically. We hired a mini transport van and arrived there by the afternoon. There were 60 people, in our team.

We had informed one of the local churches in the area so the local pastor arranged for a public prayer meeting. This pastor is a very precious brother who has been ministering the Gospel to the fishermen in the coastlines of India for 18 years. He has a base there and has led many fishermen into salvation. He was a great help to the success of our mission.

At this meeting we had a time of worship and I preached the word of God. Our team and the church team distributed some essential food items like rice, lentils, spices and oil. We also gave all the people New Testaments, Bibles and tracts. My father concluded the meeting in prayer. After that we went door-to-door in the area asking about their destroyed homes and hearing about their sufferings. We got to pray for them and comfort them!

The pastor and many others told us "some groups have come here and distributed money, but no one has arranged a meeting like you and preached the word of God to us. You did a great job here because you not only helped us physically but you helped us spiritually".

The small church there, which is made of palm leaves, was completely destroyed. Our hearts were moved as we walked in to see it full of wet ground and mud. There’s no way for them to worship there until the ground gets dry. We helped the pastor with some money and then we returned from our trip.

Every day we are going out to do relief work and God is touching the hearts of the people. He is healing their hurts and pain caused by the Tsunami. It is not just relief they need, but the gospel and prayer, for them and their family members. This is why our ministry is making a difference! Our plans are not only short term but to do long term work in these regions. People are open to our ministry and we are planning to go back to start churches in these fishing villages.

Saved from the killer waves

“My name is Polamma. When earth broke out by the earthquake with a sound like a big bomb, water from the earth forcibly came up and we were drowning. The water was warm. There was a lot of foaming water several feet above our heads. We were not able to see each other. As I was swimming inside the water one lady caught my waist. As she caught me I could not swim.

I was struggling to get to the coast but since she was holding onto my waist, so instead of coming up, I was going further down. I lost all hope of surviving. As the lady let of me, I was able to swim up and keep my head above the water and made it to the coast! Sadly, the other lady couldn’t make it. I thank God for saving my life.

(Harvest Now Missionary)

Harvest Now missionaries are helping to buy nets for fishermen, building small houses and ministering to orphans and children who’ve been affected. Please pray for all the people who’ve been devastated by this enormous tragedy. Please pray for the work that they are doing among them.