Indonesia
(MNN) — Five days of severe flooding has damage estimates topping 450-million
dollars (USD) in central Jakarta.
The deluge of water crippled the city's
commuter and goods supply networks, damaged telecommunications in the business
district, flooded thousands of homes and killed 44.
Back to the Bible's Dave Hansen, says Frans Silalahi is their
national director. He's en route home to
oversee response during this time of crisis.
While 60% of the city is under water, there are a few places that
survived intact. Silalahi's home is one
of them.
Interestingly, his home happens to be right next door to the
Back to the Bible office in Jakarta–and
neither was damaged. They're one of the
few groups who have electricity and clean water pumped from their well.
As a result, "He actually will be planning to open up
the office and his home to get kind of a refugee center, if there are those
people whom he can help. We've committed
to him 'anything you can do to help people, we'll be right behind you.'"
With more rain in the forecast, Hansen urges prayer.
"Pray that when Frans gets back into Jakarta that he'll know how to try to
reach out to people who at least live in the area that he's in who are having
difficulties or who have been evacuated out of their home. Pray that they'll be
able to share the love of Christ with them by meeting some of their human
needs."
Ministry has been growing.
KAMI, as Back to the Bible's Indonesian ministry is
known, recently launched a second radio station. This one serves the people of
a remote part called the Central Celebes. Silalahi also reports that people are receptive
to the hope of Christ.
Prior to the floods, he trained staff members to assist
callers responding to the Heart to Heart call-in program. While there, he was
amazed at how many calls came in until 2:00 a.m.–including text messages and
prayer requests from the non-Christian sector of the listening audience.
In meeting with inmates in a local prison, he learned that
many of them are also listening. Only a few months into broadcasting, response
to their programming from the Sumatra station
is twenty times that of all other Indonesian stations combined.
Please be in prayer for the staff as they face new
challenges in the post-crisis days ahead in central Jakarta. Click here if you want to help.
