(Photo courtesy of Partners International)
Indonesia (MNN) ― In disaster-prone Indonesia, what happens when immediate relief aid is gone? How do people rebuild their lives from nothing? Where do they start? That's where Partners International comes in. Their dedicated assistance opens doors for the Gospel.
"We arrive later with ongoing assistance," explained Partners' Carlos Calderon, providing "retraining for the women, education for the children, ideas on income generation for the men."
In October, West Sumatra suffered a magnitude 7.5 earthquake, which claimed over 200,000 lives. After witnessing Partners' ongoing response to this disaster, the Minangkabau people, previously closed to the Gospel, have welcomed church planters into their midst.
"We have church planting teams among them, welcomed by their communities," says Calderon. "We're staying with them, suffering with them, eating with them, and sleeping where they sleep--basically being part of their family."
This integration of faith into daily actions is a crucial part of Partners' ministry, Calderon explained. Partners sends teams willing not only to speak their faith, but more importantly to live it.
This year, Partners is doubling their relief ministry efforts. You can help mobilize Partners teams to respond to disasters like the October quake.
"Within two days, our ministry partners in Indonesia were in place, bringing electrical generators, water purifiers, rice, blankets."
Click here to help Partners double their disaster relief efforts in 2010.
