(Cover pic from www.corriere.it/ ETH Zurich)
Italy (MNN) ― Italy's worst earthquake in three decades reduced much of L'Aquila to rubble.
Although rescuers did find a survivor more than 40 hours after the quake, most of the operations have shifted to recovery.
The death toll is expected to rise past the more than 260 dead, and almost 28,000 were left homeless living in tents or under open skies.
The first funerals are expected to be held tomorrow and the pope is preparing to visit the devastated region.
It could take more than a month to get a damage and rebuilding estimate, many of the buildings being centuries old. However, officials are trying to get a handle on what t will take to get the region functioning and getting schools reopened.
Greater Europe Mission's Peppo Biscarini says they are more than 80 kilometers away from the epicenter of the quake, but are looking for ways to respond. "The situation is pretty chaotic there. I'm trying to work with the National Evangelistic Alliance now to see what we can set up in an organized fashion."
A
local pastor is organizing efforts for the victims of the quake. Peppo says,
"Apparently for now, the food supplies are good though they need sugar,
salt, bread and oil. Their immediate need is for personal hygiene: toilet
paper, tooth brushes and paste, feminine supplies, and diapers. There is also a
need for underwear and socks." (A
special tax deductible fund for relief has been set up at GEM. Click here to help .)
Keep praying for open doors. "We have had over one hundred aftershocks since the big one on Sunday, so it's not over yet. People are somewhat nervous and open to a discussion on faith."
It's Holy Week, and Biscarini says people, faced with their own mortality, are looking for answers. "We run a specific Bible study for the 'influencers' and this one particular Countess has been invited by some peers and she always respectfully declined participation, but because of what has happened, she was actually eager to come and attend."
For the team, there is great hope. Greater Europe Mission has served in Italy by equipping evangelical leaders at the Italian Bible Institute and through a mobilizing website (www.MissionePerTe.it) and church-planter training manuals.
One church in Italy has "given birth" to three daughter churches in the past seven years. If such reproduction continues, every town in this province will be saturated with vibrant churches in this generation.
Missionaries are working among business leaders and professionals as well and God has called many influential people to Himself. As the vision is passed on, Christians in Italy are trusting God for more conversions, more life transformations, and thousands of new churches in unreached Italian towns.
