China (MNN) — China's one-child
policy is exacting a great price in the wake of the deadly quake. The policy was launched in the late 1970s to rein in China's exploding population
and ensure better education and health care.
Many among the more than 22,000
people killed across central China were students in school.
Construction experts blamed
substandard building practices, materials and construction for the fact that so
many children were buried under collapsing school buildings.
International Bible Society-Send
The Light's Sues Hyde explains that the loss is felt more deeply by families who
have lost not only a child, but their future. "Many parents have had one child, and that one child was lost. Right now, they do not feel hope; they do not
feel any kind of comfort. They feel very
desperate."
The surviving parents are finding it hard to restart their
shattered lives. Hyde says, "It
actually takes the longest to rebuild the emotional and spiritual lives,
compared to rebuilding the physical life. One of the things that we have done
is provide a disaster journal. Disaster
survivors often have similar questions."
As the task of survival becomes
less urgent, people begin wondering why they survived when others didn't. Some question why they had to experience
hardship, while others feel overwhelmed. Others wonder if they are allowed to
grieve or be angry, and ultimately, they begin to wonder about God.
The disaster journal helps people
walk through the grieving. It also allows for believers to respond. Hyde says
they're working with the indigenous church to make sure these resources will be
ready when the questions start coming. "God's Word can give them hope. It can
bring some comfort to them. Pray that other believers who are in their lives
will allow God to use them to bring them that hope."
As funding comes in, they're
hoping to be able to develop some radio broadcasts that will address some of
the needs in a wider scope. Pray for the
people impacted by this disaster. (Click here if you can help.)
IBS-STL Global is one of the
largest Bible and Christian literature ministries in the world, translating the
Bible into languages of 1 million or more speakers and distributing Christian
resources to people worldwide.
