Short-term missionaries heading to Indonesia to help

USA/Indonesia (MNN) — As millions in Asia are still wrestling with the aftermath of the tsunami, an evangelical group of volunteers is heading to the area hit hardest by the disaster, Aceh, Indonesia.

Wycliffe Associates is a support organization for Wycliffe Bible Translators. Part of that is coordinating volunteers to help with construction needs. The organization’s president Bruce Smith says even though they don’t have translation work in Aceh, volunteers are on their way there. “We’ve got two teams that are planned already for the month of March. One will be leaving the first week and one probably later in the month. These will be small teams, four to six people. The first team will be kind of a rough type of operation. There’s not housing accommodations for the team to stay in, so we’re going to have to have tents and pretty much rough it will we’re there.”

Smith says this is a unique situation for Wycliffe Associates. “Many of the places that are directly impacted and especially this particular province, has not had language work under way. But, obviously this is something that we want to anticipate in the future and we want to be able to help them during this desperate time of need so that it prepares the way for that work down track,” says Smith.

Even though Wycliffe does have work in Aceh yet, Smith says Indonesian’s are actually leading the work. “We’re working in close partnership with local organizations. This is not new ground for them. This is their back yard. It is new for us and that’s why it’s important for to have staff on the ground in position permanently and that’s why we have that staff on the ground right now.”

$100,000 is still needed to help Wycliffe provide for the emergency needs of the victims. Your investment could help begin new Bible translation work in an area previously unreached with God’s Word.