In 2022, Russia assaulted Irpin Biblical Seminary after receiving reports of civilians fleeing there. Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association says, “That school endured 30 rounds of mortar fire that turned the second floor of the school into an inferno, destroyed many of the rooms on the first floor, and, of course, vaporized the roof. For all intents and purposes, that building was gutted while 120 people were hiding in the basement below – and they survived.”

Irpin Biblical Seminary (Photo courtesy of Eric Mock/SGA)

Rebuilt and Thriving

Mock visited the school after the attack in 2022 and says it was hard to see. People were reeling from the war.

In time, the Slavic Gospel Association, as well as the seminary’s other supporters, helped them rebuild. Now just over three years later with the war still being fought, Mock says the seminary is like a new place.

“There was joy in the hallways. The professors that were there walked up and gave me great hugs with smiles on their faces, saying, ‘It’s good to see you.’ The students in between the breaks when I was teaching, were worshiping. Literally, they gathered around a piano and worshiped.”

Irpin Biblical Seminary (Photo courtesy of Eric Mock/SGA)

Yet the war was right outside. Mock says that while he was teaching classes there was anti-aircraft fire in the distance and even drones flying around the area to exhaust the people. These drones are sent especially between one a.m. and four a.m. to disrupt sleep patterns. However, people remain hungry for the Word of God and continue to joyfully serve God and each other.

“It was startling to see how much joy there was, how much effort there was to press forward. So as much as the Russian army is trying to bring the people to despair, the churches, the Bible-teaching churches we serve (which are over 1900 churches in Ukraine), these are the churches that are proclaiming hope of the Gospel and shining light in the middle of a dark time.”

A Reminder of Gospel Joy in Trials

Mock says this should serve as a reminder of truth for American Christians. It is like looking at a living hall of faith from Hebrews 12. We can see the Gospel being lived out by ordinary people who now are living in extraordinary circumstances and trials.

Irpin Biblical Seminary (Photo courtesy of Eric Mock/SGA)

“In Isaiah, 30 verses 20 to 22 and verse 21 it talks about, ‘You will hear the voice of the teacher, and he will say, this is the way when you turn to the left or the right.’ And we need to have that laser focus on Him, and that will guide us through these times. That’s what I saw in Ukraine, not despair, but joy. That’s kind of the story behind the story – is God advancing His church, and it’s a glorious thing to see.”

Please pray that God would continue to sustain the church in Ukraine. If you want to get involved with the Slavic Gospel Association, click here.

Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

So what does rebuilding look like? MNN’s own Ruth Kramer sat down with A3’s Joshua Hari at the Lausanne Conference to discuss Japan’s past, present, and future.

“After the disaster, God’s [been] teaching us how to collaborate as a body of Christ in Japan. It’s been more than 13 years, and still[…] [Christians] emphasize the importance of collaboration.”

In the wake of the triple disaster, the local church – in collaboration with the global church – established a network for disaster relief and compassionate support. In the midst of working toward practical recovery, the Church in Japan set another goal – help 2% of Japan’s population find Jesus by the year 2030.

“In order to get to 2% of the Christian population, we need 50,000 churches,” Hari says. “Then each local church would have 58 members.”

Unfortunately, another more recent disaster has shaken the nation once again. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic shook the entire globe. In Japan, many pastors began to resign in a pattern similar to the aftermath of the Triple Disaster.

“We need some spiritual revival to happen in Japan,” Hari says. “Pray for collaboration so that we could see Christ-centered movement happen in Japan.”

Joshua Hari and A3 are calling on the global Church to come alongside Japan’s believers the same way she did after the Triple Disaster. “We need to collaborate together towards the same goal, towards the same visions, to reaching the 2%,” he says. “Pray for us, for wisdom, and for God’s guidance towards the next step.”

Learn more about A3’s work right here. Follow Mission Network News for more updates on the work of the global body of believers.

Header photo courtesy of Wikimedia.

The Turkish government expects to have 40,000 new homes built for quake survivors by the end of the month – still 280,000 short of the final goal.

The road to rebuild for quake-stricken communities in Turkiye will be long. But the Church continues to stay, offering physical and spiritual support.

FMI’s Pastor Izzet says, “Specifically, the Church during this time has really shown in terms of its efforts to help people and its activities that it’s done to help people. Especially churches within the earthquake zone have been great at witnessing and sharing their faith.”

Hard-frame shelters for quake survivors in Turkiye. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

After the earthquake, FMI-supported churches in Turkiye built emergency shelters for survivors. Today, believers are still helping families get into longer-term hard-frame shelters.

Izzet says, “The earthquake really seriously affected Turkiye in a great way. There’s still a lot of people, a lot of victims from the earthquake that just are deeply affected by that.”

In the rubble, FMI is seeing Turkish Muslims find lasting hope in Jesus!

“Physical materials, food, and other things like that seems like it’s fairly effectively being [provided]. But the emotional support, the spiritual support, the only person that can solve those issues and help the kids and the people is the Lord Himself.”

Please continue to pray for the people of Turkiye as they grieve and heal from the earthquake’s devastation.

“We can pray that the seed that has been sown would actually produce fruit and crop. There’s a lot of people who died. But out of that, may we see spiritual revival and lots of resurrection, as it were, that comes from that,” says Izzet.

“May this painful incident that happened in Turkiye be a doorway for people to come to know Christ.”

Click here to support FMI’s ministry in Turkiye.

Header photo courtesy of FMI.

Still, they are meeting fierce resistance, especially as the U.S. and other Western nations supply Ukraine with advanced weaponry.

Rebuilding

In many places, Ukrainians have started to rebuild. Eric Mock says the Slavic Gospel Association is working to restore their Irpin seminary. The building was damaged by Russian mortar fire as many people hid in the basement. “Even now, we’re trying to take care of that building to secure it from further damage due to weather. And yet we’re beginning to press on, looking to training and holding classes in the future.”

“So when it comes to Kyiv, Irpin, and even the area around Bucha, people are trying to recover their lives and move forward.”

SGA is sending as many as 66 pallets of aid into Ukraine every week, distributed by the local churches. Mock says, “This is been a tremendous blessing to a lot of the churches. It allows them to take those pallets and distribute them in cars and vans, getting food, medicine, hygiene, baby formula, and diapers to places where they need to go.”

You can support this work on SGA’s website. You can also read new prayer requests and updates from Ukraine every day.

Pastor and family

Mock shares one story about a pastor and his family. “A rocket came in and blew up his house injuring his daughter and his granddaughter. Even as they fled, trying to get away to the hospital in a safe area, they were being shot at in their car.”

The granddaughter had to have her leg removed. Yet while he stayed with her, the pastor ministered to others in the hospital.

Pray the love of Ukrainian Christians would point many to Jesus.

Header photo courtesy of the Slavic Gospel Association on Facebook.

Adrian Quevedo of Compassion recently spoke to us through a translator, sharing his story of one such disaster in Peru. By late March of 2017, Peru had received 10 times its normal amount of rain. This caused widespread flooding and mudslides. According to Compassion, at least 94 people were killed and 700,000 people lost their homes.

One of the regions hit was Pedregal Grande in Piura where Compassion is active and, at that time, served 240 sponsored children.

Emergency Response on the Mission Field

Quevedo says, “On March 27 of last year,  I received a call from Pedregal Grande. One of the volunteer staff from the survival program called me and she informed me that the river had overflowed and it had drowned all the community in Pedregal Grande.”

(Photo and header photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Quevedo alerted their headquarters in Lima, spoke to a local project director to get more information, and then Compassion workers began the first aid rescue process as they organized response teams.

“We had lots of difficulties to reach that area because it was very risky due to the flooding. The flooding did not only occur in Pedregal Grande but also all around Piura,” Quevedo says.

A lot of the communication happened through social media, and it allowed the rescue teams to get up-to-date information on the children and their families who still needed rescuing.

“The following day we continued helping the children and we received calls all night long from the project staff and the volunteers because their lives were at risk,” Quevedo says.

“Actually, the river flooded the entire houses—all the first floors were flooded and the children and their families, they were on the top of the houses, on the roof. And their lives were at risk because if river’s flow volume was going to increase, then something could happen to them.”

Because there were several surrounding communities also affected by the flooding, the government was unable to respond immediately to the situation in Pedregal Grande. In fact, Quevedo says, “No one knew that Pedregal was also affected by the flooding.”

Not only that, but there weren’t enough resources to go around to help everyone who was in need. So, for the time being, Compassion had to work on their own.  But by 3 pm on March 28^th, they were able to rescue all of the children, their families, and the staff who had been trapped on their roofs.

“We were not only able to help our own sponsor children, but we also helped the people in the same community with the support of volunteers from other churches.”

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

After three days, they were able to confirm that all of the children in their programs were safe.

Following the rescue efforts, Compassion coordinated with their head office to get medication, food, water, and clothes for the children and their families. These items were made possible through gifts made to Compassion’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Over the next several days, the team would have to overcome several challenges, including closed roads that made it difficult for aid to be delivered and for medical help to arrive.

Even after they were able to help the people in Pedregal Grande, Quevedo says they were concerned about isolated communities in the highlands of Piura. The Villa Batanes en Chulucanas was surrounded by the river water, Quevedo says. They knew of another church in San Miguel de Faique, located four hours from the city. Here too, the government was not enabled to respond immediately.

“In this place, there were two rivers and three gorges that were closing all the roads to get to this program. Now in this specific area in the highlands, the heavy rains started in January. We had a contact that worked for the air force in Pedregal Grande and he helped us to rescue the children there.”

Altogether, they were able to transport three tons of food to the people stranded in the highlands.

In Jesus’ Name

Everything Compassion does, even in the midst of disaster, is done in the name of Jesus. Because of this, their work has had an impact on people not only physically and financially, but spiritually as well.

Quevedo explains, “Actually this natural disaster became an opportunity for many churches and for our own projects. People received help through our local churches. And, those same people in the community, they started to put their trust in the pastors and the volunteer staff. Now it has been a great opportunity for people to get closer to the churches so they can know more about Jesus so they can have a personal encounter and a personal relationship with Him.”

But the staff at Compassion was also stretched in their faith through this difficult time.

“This experience has taught us that we need to trust in the Lord despite all the challenges that might come our way. We have seen God’s hand throughout the whole situation. He has lifted us up, and also the communities as well.”

The Rebuilding process continues

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Even over a year later, the recovery process is ongoing. Compassion has been able to help most of the families get housing again. However, they still need financial support to rebuild some of the classrooms.

“We are very grateful to God because we have been able to help many projects. But we still have other projects to continue helping,” Quevedo says.

Will you pray for God to provide the resources? And also, keep the affected families in your prayers, as well.

“’Now when people are interviewed about the situation and how they feel now, they start crying. They really have a deep pain in their hearts because they lost all their belongings. They lost everything they had. And even though we are now helping them to recover, it’s still hard for them.”

If you’d like to partner with Compassion, consider giving to their Disaster Relief Fund, here. This will help the ministry respond quickly to the disasters that take place near their operations around the world.

HA152 , Leogone, Haiti, September 23, 2010.

Haiti (MNN) — In the 5+ years since Haiti’s most powerful earthquake in more than 200 years killed more than 220,000 people, the re-start on life has been slow for the 1.5 million displaced.

Headlines from Port-au-Prince blared about the waste, the mismanaged projects, and the pace of reconstruction. While some Non-Government Organizations are scrambling to answer accountability questions, one organization is moving forward to the next growth phase. “Compassion International raised $31 million in our relief fund immediately after the earthquake. We were able to hit the ground running as soon as the quake hit with our relief and emergency response,” says Compassion International spokesman Tim Glenn.

HA152 , Leogone, Haiti, September 23, 2010.

Because they work with church partners in the community, Compassions’s network was firmly in place when the disaster struck. Not having to waste time setting up a distribution framework allowed the ministry to focus on immediate response in the days after the quake reduced the city to rubble.

“Families were able to come to the local church for emergency shelter, for emergency food, clothing, water, medicines–all of those things. We were able to play a vital role in how the church was actually able to be the Church in those communities, in a time of disaster.”

Compassion already knew where repairs were going to happen and what kind. “The hundreds of church partners…have buildings attached to them where kids actually attend school and attend our program.” Most of those buildings were damaged or destroyed, so the rebuild was focused there. Trial and error on the project led to the formation of a construction company because “we had to get our buildings back up and build them to international seismic standards to make safe places for kids,” says Glenn. Their innovative urban development flew under the radar, but that meant they were unhindered. “We’ve built 30 new schools throughout the earthquake-ravaged area. We’ve built homes, we did emergency supply kits. We did an income-generation loan program that helped launch 450 businesses.”

With a mix of reconstruction, infrastructure upgrades, and social programs, these projects are aimed at building safer and more resilient communities for the future. What that means, says Glenn, is “the disaster office is closed. We no longer need it. We knew it was a temporary thing. We anticipated it would be a 5-6-year work program for that office.” Since all of the $31 million dollars have been spent, Glenn explains, “Now we can put all of our efforts, all of our focus, into doing what we do best, which is child development through sponsorship.”

HA152 , Leogone, Haiti, September 23, 2010.

One last thing to keep in mind about sponsorship programs: they’re one way the Gospel enters a community. Working with the church and other believers, Compassion impacts the lives of nearly 80,000 Haitian children and their families in the name of Christ.

The rebuild makes it possible for even more people to be introduced to the influence of the Gospel. “It’s not just our kids, our Compassion kids, who are going to those schools: it’s other kids in the community. So now we’ve been able to expand our outreach and our ministry, to the communities beyond even the kids in our program. Now all the kids in the community have safe places to learn, to play, and to grow.”

Now that’s a success story.

(Photo courtesy Baptist Global Response)

Nepal (MNN) — The Nepali government is under fire for blocking private initiatives bringing desperately-needed assistance to remote areas. They’re accused of clogging the arteries for relief to the country with paperwork.

With close to 8,000 dead, scores more injured, impassible roads, power outages, thousands homeless, and more yet to be reached with basic supplies, is the government really turning aid back? Jeff Palmer with Baptist Global Response says, “It’s a simple question, but a complicated answer. Number one: they are a sovereign nation. They are the ones, from the very beginning, who have taken the lead in this. Yes, they have asked for help, but they also have set protocols in place as to how that help comes in.”

For example, he says, right after a major disaster, there are people jumping on planes and sending things. All of those arrivals at the same time on a damaged tarmac and an unprepared distribution network created a huge backup. Remember Haiti? A similar situation occurred in the early days of Nepal’s quake but was resolved to get things moving.

It’s natural. Emergencies stir a compassionate response, explains Palmer. “That works well for the first couple of weeks, because it’s all just chaos. But as things begin to settle down and normalcy begins to return, then the government, because it’s their country and their people, wants to have more of a coordinated effort.” However, as it begins to catch balance again, a national government can sometimes be concerned about the huge flood of items past its borders. Communication is a big part of “going with the flow,” so to speak. “There are protocols to follow, and that’s where a group like BGR–and other non-profit NGOs and internationals that are working–find ways that really get to help people but also keep the government in the loop and keep those relationships going, so that we can continue the response efforts and not get blocked out of helping people.”

(Photo courtesy Baptist Global Response)

Because they’ve kept open communication between their partners on the ground, the aid group, and the government, they’re able to help “a village of 100 families and every house is destroyed and non-livable. What we’re looking at is getting folks into temporary shelters because the monsoon rains are coming; it’s that time of the year.” This village was overlooked by the larger agencies for days. A month on, some groups are pulling out. However, “We’re doing some very simple, temporary shelters with tin roofing, and metal frame–sort of like a Quonset hut-type thing. Then, later on, we’ll come back and figure out how to get people into more permanent housing.” (Click here to watch a video on building a safer Nepal.)

Building temporary housing costs more than a standard relief operation, however. Materials that can withstand a monsoon aren’t cheap. BGR has found a local temporarily available shelter kit that costs about $100USD. “We’ve already allocated, in five weeks of the event, about half of the funds that we’ve received…which is a little unusual (to have already spent half of the funds we’ve received already).” BGR is mobilizing small volunteer teams to go in and work with the Nepalese communities to get those shelters built through the end of the year. Palmer warns, “We’re not sure that those funds are going to last to the end of the year, but we have a big God and we trust Him to provide the resources that we need.”

(Photo courtesy Baptist Global Response)

As Palmer observes, the work is hard and takes a toll emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Yet, “It’s been amazing to see story after story of going out to deliver food, and yet also seeing our partners take time to share truth and hope that’s found in Christ.”

Pray for rest, rejuvenation, and continued excitement and vision in their efforts to live out God’s love to the people of Nepal. You can make a difference for earthquake survivors in Nepal. Learn how by visiting gobgr.org/nepal.

(Photo courtesy Vision Beyond Borders)

Nepal (MNN) — It may sound cliché, but the needs in Nepal extend far beyond the images we see on multimedia platforms.

To get the full scope of it, you need to see the rubble everywhere you look, smell the odor of dust mixed with something cloying, feel the roughness of the debris that you move out of your way, hear the sounds of workers breaking up concrete, and taste the emptiness of hunger.

There are few places to get in out of the sun. Tents are warm inside and out, the air feels heavy with the coming rains. Rain means cold mud…everywhere.. Every once in a while, there might be a tremor—just enough to make you wonder if you’re dizzy, and then you look up, just to make sure nothing is going to fall. “Villages look like World War II after they had been bombed. It was completely devastated–whole villages,” says Patrick Klein of Vision Beyond Borders, describing the landscape.

(Photo courtesy Vision Beyond Borders)

The preceding paragraph is somewhat a compilation of experiences reported by many people who have recently been to Nepal with a relief team since the April 25 temblor. Klein just returned from a visit with a team. “They brought a lot of tents in–a lot of tarps to set up for the monsoon season. They’re also working in the villages, trying to sort some of the bricks out, break off some of the concrete on some of the [buildings] so they can begin rebuilding.” He goes on to say another need is for vitamins, both for children and adults. There will likely be minimal access to fresh foods for a while, as the fresh fruits and vegetables may have to be hand-carried over the mountains. Vitamins and basic medical supplies will be in high demand, as will water filtration systems.

The rebuild seems like an insurmountable task. Lack of funds plus a short time frame add to the pressure. “Getting through the monsoon season is going to be the tough thing. When I was there, it started to rain, and it POURED. It was unbelievable. It actually hailed in some places, so we’ve got to try to get people under shelter as soon as possible. They’ll probably be getting a lot more tarps, tents set up, and even some temporary metal structures.”

(Photo courtesy Vision Beyond Borders)

There is also another experience paralleling the disaster. This one is also true of the mission groups on the ground, partnering with the local Church. It’s called “opportunity,” says Klein. “Here were Hindu and Buddhist people that normally would not be open to help from Christians. They were very receptive. Everyone came and said, “Thank you.” Everyone. That might be due, in part, to questions that are coming in the wake of the disaster. “They’ve seen many of their temples collapse, many idols have been smashed, or, in some situations where these temples have been destroyed, people have actually looted the idols.”

The very foundation of their religion has been broken. Klein says, “Pray for us. Pray for the Church in Nepal, that God will really use the church at this time to minister to the needs of the people. There’s a lot of hurting people in Nepal right now. There’s a lot of hurting people with a lot of questions: ‘Why? What is this? What’s happening?'”

VBB is already known in some of the areas where they’re sending relief. They have 5 children’s homes and one safe home for women who have been rescued from sex-trafficking in Nepal. Because their approach to aid comes with hope, “It’s a great time for the Church–for God’s people to be sharing the Gospel. Then, if people want to continue to financially give, we’ll make sure those funds will get there to Nepal and will keep being used to provide food and shelter for people that have been directly affected by the earthquake.” 100% of all donations to the VBB Nepal Disaster Relief Fund support relief efforts.

A disaster relief work team helps churches rebuild.
(Image courtesy Asian Access)

Nepal (MNN) — In the past few years, God has been growing the church in Japan. Now, the church of Japan is in action and caring for its neighbor, Nepal.

Toward the end of September, Asian Access made it possible for a group of Japanese Christians to go to Nepal and serve. However, these weren’t just any Christians: these were the Christians from the area hit by the 2011 tsunami. They’re the people who know firsthand the need after a natural disaster.

While the trip was a short four days, the impact was powerful. For the first two days, the crew worked to clear up debris at a children’s home. As the work continues, there’s hope the children will be able to move back within a month and enjoy their freshly-cleared yard.

(Photo courtesy Asian Access)

For the last two days, the crew headed up to a hilltop village which has barely received any help since the earthquake. When they arrived, they saw collapsed houses yet to be removed. Their next two days were spent doing just that. Digging through mud and clay, they removed 6 of the collapsed homes and helped prepare the land for rebuilding.

On their final day, the team helped unload a 3,000-liter water tank for the village. Until then, the villagers had to bring water from the river for their needs. Now, thanks to Asian Access partners, the villagers have their own water supply.

Despite everything the Japanese team has given, the people of Nepal have given back just as much. The team came home greatly encouraged by how the Nepalis’ continuously have faith in Christ, despite the recent natural disaster plus political unrest. Now the team members want to apply what they’ve learned from Nepal in their lives.

Pray for Nepal and for the church relationship between Japan and Nepal to continue flourishing.

(Photo courtesy Baptist Global Response)

Philippines (MNN) — While schools throughout North America are just ending the school year for the summer, for thousands of students in the Philippines, the school year just got started this week.

Yet, seven months after Super Typhoon Haiyan destroyed the region, many schools remain piles of rubble. Baptist Global Response Executive Director Jeff Palmer says, “In our initial surveys, we found 230+ schools that were either damaged or destroyed in the Typhoon impact areas.” Complicating matters, new regulations requiring higher building standards so schools withstand future typhoons led to delays.

Still, BGR teams got to work. “We partnered with eight different schools to rebuild about 16-17 buildings or repair those. It’s kind of nice to go to a few of those schools and see that they are ready to get back into session.”

The feeling of urgency stems from a basic need for recovery in order to heal the emotional scars. Palmer explains, “Part of that recovery is getting back into normalized life, like getting kids back into schools–getting that rhythm back into life. That’s an important process in the disaster response: moving to recovery, moving to rehabilitation, and on to development.”

Roofs were torn off. Some walls were down. Houses in the neighborhoods slowly were being rebuilt, but there was no money to repair the schools. The Department of Education needed help. Each day the schools were crippled, the future dimmed a bit more for the children. Palmer says, “We worked with about eight schools, about 15 to 18 buildings, like I said. We’ve helped with almost 800 homes now in a couple of different impact areas. In the midst of all of that, we’ve been able to proclaim Truth and give the hope that’s in the Gospel to the Filipinos that we’re working with.”

(Photo courtesy Baptist Global Response)

The six-month rebuilding project cycles new teams in every two weeks, says Don Hargis, who directs disaster relief efforts for the California Southern Baptist Convention, which coordinates with BGR. Baptist Global Response purchases supplies locally, which helps revive the local economy. On-site construction coordinators stay a month at a time. By the end of the project, 84 volunteers will have helped ten elementary schools back on their feet.

The challenge of rebuilding lives in the Philippines will stretch on for months, notes Palmer. “A lot of people are still living in barracks; a lot of people are still living in shanties, and little tents, and temporary shelters, so [we’re] trying to move them back into homes.”

Learn how you can help by visiting BGR’s Typhoon Haiyan project page.