Texas church offers food, aid, and conversion to tsunami victims

[Ian David]

SRI LANKA
Attempts to spread religion decried
By David Rohde
The New York Times

MORAKETIYA, Sri Lanka - A dozen Americans walked into a relief camp here, showering bereft parents and traumatized children with gifts, attention and affection. They also quietly offered camp residents something else: Jesus.

The Americans, all of them from one church in Texas, have staged plays detailing the life of Jesus and had children draw pictures of him, camp residents said. They have told parents who lost children they should still believe in God and held group prayers in which they tried to heal a partly paralyzed man and a deaf 12-year-old girl.

<snip>

The Americans in Sri Lanka belong to the Antioch Community Church, an evangelical congregation based in Waco, Texas. The church is one of a growing number of evangelical groups that believe in mixing humanitarian aid with discussions of religion, an approach more established Christian aid groups such as Catholic Relief Services call unethical.
<snip>
.. they could provoke a violent backlash against Christians in Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist country that already is a religious tinderbox.

<snip>
In an interview Wednesday, Pat Murphy, 49, a leader of the team, said the group is nongovernmental organization and not a church group. But the church's Web site says the Americans are one of four teams dispatched to Sri Lanka and Indonesia who have persuaded dozens of people to "come to Christ."

More:
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/10712957.htm


SEE ALSO:

http://www.riversidecc.org.uk/pg_news.php?nid=18

Tsunami Relief Effort - Dawn Manoleas - 16 Jan 2005

THE FOLLOWING ARE EMAIL EXTRACTS FROM DAWN
WE WILL ADD THE NEWS AS IT COMES IN...(most recent first)

Click here for news on the teams from Antioch Community Church's website
http://www.antiochcc.net/

Update on the ACC Teams sent to Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Please pass it on and please pray for the teams there and those that are back as they debrief and recover. appreciate your faithfulness.. God is doing GREAT things in the mist of this disaster.

Subject: Sri Lanka and Indonesia Teams from Antioch Community Church

Dear Friends: Sunday, January 16, 2005

Much has happened since I last communicated with you. Our team arrived in Sri Lanka and we have hit the ground running, continuing the good work our first team began over two weeks ago. As internet access in a third world country can be hit or miss (particularly with the damage done by the tsunami), I will give you the highlights.

The drive from Colombo to Tangalla (130 miles taking 8 hours), was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. Television cannot portray the unfathomable amount of devastation and destruction visible on this coastline drive. I will only say that fighting back tears for hours and hours was my own personal experience. As our first team to Sri Lanka split into two teams (one going to the east coast and one staying south), our second wave here did the same. We are team three of four so far (with more coming). We are based in Tangalla (Tango as it is called by Sri Lankas), spending most of our time, energy and resources here. God guided our first team to a refugee camp from a fishing village whose homes and boats were almost a complete loss. Its name is Morakatiara. There are four hundred people, 87 families, living in an unfinished government housing project with no running water or electricity. The housing project is only twenty yards from the location of the original village.

Many other camps are located in schools and large shelters along the coast. God has allowed us to adopt this camp and the ramifications for the Kingdom are amazing. We have been serving these families by providing medical care (four nurses and a dentist) and we have distributed great quantities of medicine and vitamins. We have also delivered to each family a first aid kit and have given them instructions as to caring for simple medical needs.

As we treat the body, we always ask if we can pray for them and in virtually every case, they are happy to let us pray. Meeting this important and practical need has been a huge blessing to them and to us! We also brought with us enough school supplies and curriculum to do two hours of school for ages two through twelve for at least two weeks. Yesterday was day one for the children and you cannot imagine the sheer joy on the faces of these children, and their parents, as they learned, played games, sang songs, drew pictures and, in short, did something that resembles normalcy for them for perhaps the first time since the "big wave" took so much of their lives away.

The atmosphere in the camp changed dramatically as mothers and fathers watched their children at school and then received with delight the pictures the children had drawn. We had no idea how impacting school would be. God has granted our teams favor with some of the leaders here which is making our work go smoothly and adding credibility to anything we do. One of our main contacts is the second in command with the Sri Lankan Navy installation here in Tango. They are overseeing all of the refugee camps in Sri Lanka and he is truly a friend and an ally. He is providing men virtually every day to assist with our team's efforts. Yesterday, we delivered to every family a small cooker which will allow the women to cook in their homes instead of having to come out and cook over a fire on the ground. These uniformed navy men are thrilled with what we are doing for their people and are most enthusiastic to help us.

There are also army personnel from Kandi who are on location. As we serve and love these dear people, we have been given a remarkable opportunity in a relief effort, that is to build relationships with the people we are helping. Most aid workers come to a camp, drop supplies and leave having never learned one name or heard one story of the victims. Not only are we learning names (though we need help with Sri Lankan names) but we are being invited into homes for meals (by the way, they really like spicy food, I learned from experience!), they are telling us their stories about the day their world changed and we are becoming friends. They are the most generous and hospitable people I have ever met. As we build relationships, we are sharing the gospel, praying for them and loving them in every way we can...and it is making a difference.

One of the elders of the village, Tudai in whose home we shared a meal the day before, when asked how his heart was doing replied with great emotion, "since your people have come and have cared for us, my heart is much better, thank you thank you thank you." Two days earlier he could hardly speak of his sadness and his concern about the future. "I am a fisherman and with no boat, how can I work, and with no work, how can I rebuild my home?" He is still grieving a great loss, not of a family member, but of a life he has known for decades. I shared with him that the God who created him and the sea, loves him so much
that He willingly gave His son to live and die for him. It wasn't a natural disaster that took the life of Jesus. He gave it willingly because of His great love for him and for me. I prayed for him, asking God to transform his life with the power of the Holy Spirit, opening his eyes from the deception and emptiness of Buddhism, allowing him to see and know the one true God. Pray with me for the soul of Tudai and his family. His son accepted Jesus last week and is starting to read the book of John. God is moving in this village and in this nation! We believe this is their hour.

{OPENING HIS EYES FROM THE DECEPTION AND EMPTINESS OF BUDDHISM!!!!}


We are working on a proposal that will allow us to be the provider of permanent homes for these families. If this happens, we believe this will be a major breakthrough in seeing perhaps this entire village come to Christ. I can't go into detail now, but please pray for us and for them as this is a spiritual stronghold of major proportions.

We are being challenged mightily by those whose interests do not want to see Christ and His Church gain ground in Sri Lanka. More of this later. Pray IICor.10:3-5. God is moving,

He is caring for us as we care for these. More later.. Pray for Sri Lanka! Blessings,

Pat Pat Murphy Executive Director, Global Hope

14 Jan 2005

Greetings,

Our second team arrived yesterday including some nurses, teachers, and construction people. We are continuing to work within one main village area to get them back on their feet as well as going to different camps where the Navy encourages us to go work. One focus now is trying to get the men back to work of some kind, whether it be in their own homes, mending nets, or building new boats. We are working with some people to try to get new fishing boats and nets for them and to help them work through their fears of the sea. The government is working on finding new land for them to resettle and after that point we will help in the rebuilding process. There is much to do and the process and paperwork in so much devastation is incredible. Our second focus continues to be helping with the kids as the schools have been destroyed and won't be able to start for several weeks. There are still many effects from this event and we want to help them work through their emotions as well rather than having so much time with nothing to do.

Please continue to pray for wisdom to know how best to help. These are a people who have been taken over by so many nations and we want to enable them to not feel destroyed once again, but to be able to rebuild and continue to have ownership of their nation.

Thank you for all of your prayers. They are very important to all of us. We couldn't do what we do if others weren't behind us supporting us as we go. The need around us is great, but God is bigger. He knows the hearts of men and in the midst of so much grief and pain, He can rebuild lives.

Blessings, Dawn

Here is another update on the Antioch Teams in the Sri Lanka / Indonesia area.. and plans for teams to be leaving this week..

-----Original Message----- From: Pat Murphy
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 2:18 AM
Subject: Sri Lanka and Indonesia teams from Antioch

Dear friends, January 10, 2005

Here is the latest from Antioch Community Church's relief effort in SE Asia. As of this morning, we have thirty-five people on the ground in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Our Sri Lanka team has split into two teams with one staying in the south near Tangalla, and one going to the east to Kalmunai. Our team to Indonesia is a self-contained MASH unit with several doctors and nurses. They have been flown by the US military to a remote area of Banda Aceh and have set up a field hospital with the capability to treat virtually any and every medical need they encounter. The fact that they made it into this nation is a miracle in and of itself. Not only are they in, but they have cleared the way for team # 2 to Indonesia to have safe and secure passage later this week. Thank you Lord for making a way! In Sri Lanka, our teams are seeing God open doors and hearts allowing the love of Jesus to penetrate these hurting people. We are negotiating with local authorities for the privilege of and responsibility for rebuilding a small (400 people) fishing village in the south that was totally destroyed by the waves. If we are given favor in this, it is likely that the entire village will come to know Jesus.

This is beyond our wildest dreams of what God would do as we first felt God saying, "go". This make-shift refugee camp is home to over one hundred children, many of whom have lost a mom or dad or both. We will be setting up an interim school for these children this week as teams # 3 and 4 head for Sri Lanka on Tuesday loaded down with school supplies and medical aid. I am on team # 3.

Our team in the East has been working in several refugee camps and has provided food, medical care, play for and with children, prayed for the sick and those grieving and shared the gospel in deed and in word. They have seen people healed physically and then lives transformed by people giving their lives to Jesus. They have formed a small group of new believers and after meeting with them for several days have turned the discipleship process over to a local church nearby. In Sri Lanka, after burying the dead, these people are now in the process of starting to rebuild their lives, literally from the ground up and there are many groups who are vying for the very hearts and souls of those whose lives have been shattered. There are factions of Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Communist all attempting to gain ground making the spiritual climate quite intense.

Please pray for these laborers as they navigate this treacherous landscape. So many of you have given to make this possible, and we are grateful. What started out as sending one team to Sri Lanka has grown to sending and supplying six teams total to these two nations. While our financial needs have grown, the response from friends has grown along with it. We have received almost $150,000 of a $200,000 project, and it appears that some long term projects will be born out of these initial trips.

There are still great needs and we want to do all that God has set before us. You can help make an eternal difference by supporting those who are taking both the love of Jesus and the message of the gospel to these devastated people. If you weren't aware, last week, congress passed legislation allowing a 2004 tax deduction for all gifts given to aid the tsunami victims, as long as the gift was given by the end of January 2005.

If you would like to be involved in this with us, please send your donation to;

AMI (Antioch Ministries International) 505 N. 20th St. Waco, TX 76707 We will keep you posted on developments regularly.

Thank you, for your partnership.

Blessings, pat Pat Murphy Executive Director, Global Hope

10 Jan 2005

Hi everyone,

I wanted to send a quick update to you. Thank you for all of your prayers and please continue to pray for all of us here. I am currently working with our team in a city called Tangalle. We are working with a neighborhood of fishermen that lost everything. The whole neighborhood of about 80 families lost all of their homes and are now living in these abandoned flats nearby. We have been doing some basic medical needs, helping through some counseling, working with the kids doing fun stuff as well as some counseling to help them with their fears and anger, and we have been talking to the men trying to determine how to get them back to the sea and their livelihoods.

Many from the team I am with are leaving on Wednesday, but a new team with some more trained people arrive on Thursday. This new team has some doctors, nurses, teachers, construction workers, and some to help more specifically with counseling. I will probably stay a little longer than my original ticket date of the 17th to help in the transition and to help make sure these people in this neighborhood are followed through on. There are many needs all around us, but we are trying to focus on one neighborhood to get them settled and back on their feet. It is very interesting that we are working with a fishing village and their need is for people helping with how to get these fishermen back on their feet.

Please pray for much wisdom as we continue to give to the needs around us. We are purchasing household items as well as food and clothes and then helping to provide new housing for them. There are many agendas from many people from many organizations that have come and made promises, but not followed through, so we want to make sure these people are not hurt.

Thank you for all of your love and support. I will keep in contact as I can and I will let you know more of my plans as I figure them out myself.

Blessings, Dawn

01 Jan 2005

Hi everyone,

I made it to Columbo, Sri Lanka fine. I am staying with one of the girls who is from here and is home for Christmas, but works in Waco. I know her from church in Waco. A 20 person team from Waco arrives early Monday morning and Tuesday morning we will go down to Galla to serve there and in other cities along the southern coast. This is the area most devasted. There have been several whole villages that were wiped out last week down there and we will go to help them as well as helping the thousands who are now searching for family and are homeless.

The team from Waco is bringing 16 boxes of medical supplies we will distribute. We will determine the greatest needs and see what other items need to be purchased and what we can do to help. I will try to keep you updated as I can.

Please continue to pray for wisdom for each situation and for each person we speak to. Everyone in this nation has been affected in one way or another. The family I am staying with were down at the beach when the wave hit and are still wondering how they made it when so many others didn't. They are thankful, but still in shock themselves. They have been down south helping distribute food and water and are encouraged by the chance to serve with even more to help in this devastation.

Thank you for your prayers. You are a part of everything going on as well and we couldn't do it without people supporting us back home as well.

Again, I will keep in touch as I can.

Blessings, Dawn

30 Dec 2004

I wanted to let you know I am leaving early in the morning to join our team coming from Waco to help in the relief efforts in Sri Lanka. I will be gone until around the 10th or so. Please keep all of us in your prayers that we would be a light in the midst of this terrible disaster.

Thank you guys. I am thankful for each of you. Thank you for your prayers while I am gone. I will try to keep you updated if I can. I am not sure on how communication is right now, but if I can I will keep you updated.

Bless you guys,

Dawn
http://www.riversidecc.org.uk/pg_news.php

[silverlib]

1. This is the same church

base of the two girls held hostage in Afghanistan if my source is correct.

[Ian David]

2. You are correct

In fact, they have ties to both Pat Robertson and George Dubya Bush:

AMERICANS FREED IN AFGHANISTAN ASK PRAYER FOR PHILIPPINE HOSTAGES

Video of Burnhams Reveals a Harsh Situation

by Deann Alford

WACO, Texas (Compass) -- Imprisoned Christian aid workers Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry were freed from Afghanistan's Taliban as the country fell, city by city, to opposition forces. But a homecoming worship service showed they haven't forgotten believers still in captivity.

Crediting their release to worldwide prayer, Mercer and Curry are using their new celebrity status to raise prayer support for New Tribes Mission (NTM) workers Martin and Gracia Burnham currently being held hostage in the southern Philippines.

Curry told a crowd of 4,000 at Baylor University in Waco on December 8 that the Burnhams were celebrating their anniversary with an overnight stay in May at Dos Palmas island resort when Islamic Abu Sayyaf rebels attacked. The guerrillas took the Burnhams and 18 others hostage.

Curry and Mercer also brought up the Burnhams' plight at a press conference the same morning at their home church, Antioch Community Church, and during a 700 Club appearance. Martin Burnham's parents and sister have also appeared on the television show to raise awareness of the couple's plight.

"We were encouraged to see praying for them on the 700 Club," NTM spokesman Scott Ross told Compass. "It's been neat to see a different organization having gone through a similar event supporting our people."

More:

http://www.worthynews.com/news-features-2/american-missionaries-ask-prayer-burnhams.html


See also:

(PDF} Bush greets freed pair
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
... Both women talked of re- turning to Afghanistan, espe- cially ... 7-8 at Antioch Community
Church near Waco, Texas, where they ... Hostage missionaries seen on video ...
www.tulsaworld.com/assault/A_2_11_27.pdf - Similar pages


Also:

EIGHT AID WORKERS FREE AT LAST
... Christian aid workers detained in Afghanistan arrived safely ... Jimmy Seibert of the
Antioch Community Church in Waco ... aid workers being taken hostage and reading ...
www.worthynews.com/news-features-2/ aid-workers-freed.html - 22k - Cached - Similar pages

Christian News Northwest: News Article Archive: Feature Articles
... and Heather Mercer were held hostage by the ... began its military campaign against
Afghanistan and its ... members of Waco’s Antioch Community Church, were released ...
www.cnnw.com/articles/articles04-02.html - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

A nation heals - SBC Baptist Press
... are praying," Curry wrote to Antioch Community Church in Waco ... of two women on trial
in Afghanistan said their ... persecution because of the Iran hostage crisis, a ...
www.bpnews.net/bpcollectionnews.asp?ID=14 - 101k - Cached - Similar pages

Bible Network News :: Asia Pacific - Christians jailed for sharing ...
... office of Shelter Now International Tuesday, Aug 7, 2001, in Kabul, Afghanistan. ...
Pastor Jimmy Seibert of the Antioch Community Church in Waco Texas, the home ...
www.biblenetworknews.com/ asiapacific/111501_pakistan.html - 35k - Cached - Similar pages



Also:
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&c2coff=1&safe=off&q=Antioch-Community-Church+and+hostage+afghanistan&spell=1

[Streetdoc270]

3. All that ever comes from this

is the poor and the victims of whatever tragedy becomes them are forced to pretend that they beleive what you beleive to receive the help that Christ directed those to give without strings or questions.

Christain charity should be given regardless of the faith of those in need and if any of them want to 'convert' to the teachings of Christ it will be because that they have been touched by the kindness of strangers, not because it was the only way they could get food.

[beam me up scottie]

4. Isn't this illegal???

Who can I call to get these leeches thrown out on their jesus-lovin asses?
Someone had started another thread asking if this type of proselytizing was unethical.
This should clear up any remaining doubt!
I'm serious, can we do anything?

[Ian David]

5. You could stir up hatred in the countries where they're proselytizing