Myanmar (MNN) — Gospel for Asia has been given permission to receive and distribute supplies to the people who need them so badly following Cyclone Nargis.
GFA's good reputation in the country has gained them several privileges. While many international media sources have reported that aid has been diverted, GFA has been assured that
theirs will get where it needs to go. They have also been given permission to open any of their 400 churches as medical centers. K.P. Yohannan reports that this is nearly a miracle. The only obstacle will be finding Burmese doctors and nurses since the country
has not been allowing any outside teams to cross their borders to work.
Also, a church leader was granted permission to open temporary orphanage to take care of 90 children that came into their care after the cyclone. The children have no families and are entirely alone.
The GFA Bible college in Yangon that was damaged during the storm opened its doors to survivors right away. And they are still open. They're providing shelter in their campus building which is usable despite the damages. Missionaries, using a projection screen, show
a film about Jesus there each night. Almost 90 percent of the population of Myanmar adheres to the Buddhist religion.
Currently, the threat of starvation is an issue, so missionaries are focusing on the two greatest needs: rice and water. Once GFA's shipment of food and medical supplies arrive in Myanmar, a group of 300 Christian students from the Bible college have volunteered to be there to help with the distribution.
There is further concern for the country because there has been rainfall several days since the cyclone, and the monsoon season hasn't even hit yet. This makes helping survivors and doing relief work difficult, but GFA has not stopped. They have 500 indigenous missionaries in Myanmar who will be in it for the long-haul, even if rebuilding takes years, says GFA president K.P. Yohannan.
