(ABP) — Baptists continue to mobilize supplies and prayer in an effort to minister to victims of natural disasters in China and Myanmar.
Latest news reports May 19 indicated the death toll in China had risen to 34,000, with 220,000 injured, in the wake of the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Sichuan province May 12.
Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar (Burma) on May 3, killing at least 78,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. The country's ruling military junta continues to resist most international assistance.
Franklin Graham, founder of the relief organization Samaritan's Purse, was in China at the time the earthquake hit. His organization continues to collect supplies and plans to send them to the area by the end of the week.
Working with the China Association for International Friendly Contact, Samaritan's Purse is sending rolls of plastic sheeting, water filtration units, hygiene packets, medical kits, blankets and other supplies.
Myanmar's leaders continue to resist international assistance efforts. But as of May 19, some help had been accepted from the Baptist World Alliance and Samaritan's Purse.
Graham's organization was among the first non-government relief agencies allowed to send supplies to Myanmar. According to its website, one cargo-plane-load of supplies arrived from Thailand on May 14. Because of government restrictions, Samaritan's Purse is working through local churches to get relief materials delivered.
Airlifted supplies include water purification kits, rolls of plastic for emergency shelters, emergency health kits, blankets, clothing and mosquito nets.
A Baptist World Alliance Rescue24 team was granted visas and has entered Myanmar. The team currently is stationed in Yangon, among the largest cities devastated by the cyclone. The team is working in five camps near the city, serving approximately 15,000 people.
According to news reports, the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation, a BWA affiliate, is organizing a meeting of national Baptist convention representatives and relief workers in Bangkok, Thailand, May 24 to discuss needs and ways in which to meet them.
BWA, through its relief arm, Baptist World Aid, expects to send a relief team to China by Thursday or Friday. According to the BWA website, volunteers from the United States — North Carolina, Virginia and Texas — and Singapore, Australia and Hungary are on standby to form additional teams. Members of Hungarian Baptist Aid are leading both teams.
According to a post on its website, the Southern Baptist Convention's relief organization, Baptist Global Response, is hoping to have a team in China sometime during the week of May 19.
The organization sent five initial disaster-relief responders to Bangkok in the wake of the Myanmar storm.
American Baptists have given two $5,000 grants, one for each country, to assist with relief efforts.
Contributions for both countries can be made online at www.thefellowship.info/give (CBF); www.abc-oghs.org/give (American Baptist Churches, USA); www.bwanet.org/bwaid (Baptist World Alliance); www.baptistglobalresponse.com (SBC Baptist Global Response).
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