Asia (MNN) — International Aid is overwhelmed by the generosity of those who have given to help with tsunami relief.
Their initial goal of $2 million (USD) was surpassed and contributions total more than $3.25 million. Through those gifts, IA has been able to ship nearly $11 million in relief supplies to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries hit by the tsunami.
With IA’s 25-year history of delivering aid efficiently to those affected by disasters, many people knew that IA was a way they could get involved. IA’s Dean Agee explains why people have responded so incredibly, “I think that the tsunami hit people on many levels, and the stories of families that were torn apart by the tsunami, really caused a desire to engage and help because we could relate on a very human level.”
IA is moving from the rescue phase to relief and restoration. It’ll be a long-term physical and spiritual effort that will take months and years. Agee says they are in it for the long-haul, but they need continued support for those long-term development efforts.
Since IA works with indigenous churches and other groups that are in the area long-term, they have relatively free access to areas generally closed. Agee says, “So far we have been able to operate relatively freely, and certainly one area that we would ask for prayer on the part of your listeners is that we would continue to have that access.”
They see that access as a God-given opportunity, “We believe that by showing God’s love through our work, that that will create relationships and people will ask questions. They’ll want to know why we’re there. And so, we believe that by being faithful to the calling of caring for the least of these, we’ll also have an opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission.”
If you’d like to help International Aid as they continue with the reconstruction and rebuilding phase, go to their website www.internationalaid.org or call toll free in the USA (800) 968-7490.
