Story number 1 for 25 Sep 2000

Our newscast begins in the Mekong Delta, where the worst flooding since 1961 is affecting Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Along with the millions of displaced, come the disease and food shortages, made worse by the loss of one-and a half million acres of Thailand’s paddy fields. Farms International’s Dave Crist. “Rice crops are a big export item for them. It is not only because of the economy, but also their culture. Since the floods, they’re going to be a lot of shortages of course, and their economy is slipping. That’s all gonna have an effect on the farmer and the person buying rice.” Crist says their program opens the door to the Gospel, which could be especially effective during this crisis. “It becomes evangelistic in the sense that the tithe money that is given from the farmers goes toward their local church. The local Farms board in northern Thailand has asked the churches to use it for evangelistic outreach in the area.”