You help when others don’t: 4 ways you’ve been supporting relief work across the world

You help when others don’t:

4 ways you’ve been supporting relief work across the world

Supporting this

When a disaster or conflict hits a nation, we know you want to help. Thanks to your faithful support for BMS World Mission, you are.

Four disasters, each marked by terrible suffering and loss. You will have heard about the conflict in Ukraine, the civil war in South Sudan, the lingering devastation from Nepal’s earthquakes, and the impact of a tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. What you might not know is that by giving to BMS, you’ve supported the people who desperately need help. We’re in a strong position to respond in times of disaster as we’re part of a global family of Baptists.

BMS World Mission is part of the Baptist Forum for Aid and Development (BFAD), a collective of Baptist organisations from across the world devoted to supporting those left in crisis as they rebuild after a disaster strikes. But vital help wouldn’t happen without your support. “It has been a joy to see the Baptist family come together,” says Rachel Conway-Doel, BMS Relief Facilitator. “The potential we have to make an impact is very exciting.”

Here are some exciting ways that you, the BMS family, have already helped:

1. Keeping people warm in Ukraine

A truck carrying boxes.
Vital heating equipment is being distributed to people in danger of freezing in Ukraine, where temperatures can drop to minus 25 degrees in winter.

Over 1.5 million people have been displaced in Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russia separatists, leaving many of them with no means to stay warm in sub-zero temperatures. Thanks to your generosity, we’ve been able to help provide people in Ukraine with thermal underwear, ceramic heaters, coal and wood to help them get through the dangerous winter months. We’d like to say a special thank you to all those who’ve responded to our Ukraine appeal in the last few months. You’ve really made a difference!

2. Standing by the people of Nepal

A street of collapsed buildings
Nearly 8 million people were directly affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal in 2015.

The media might not be there anymore, but BMS has continued to stand with the people of Nepal to help them rebuild after the catastrophic earthquakes that hit in 2015. Your giving has supported the rebuilding of public buildings and schools and provided disaster risk management training to help communities be better prepared should such a tragic disaster occur again.

3. Giving crucial support to South Sudanese refugees

Woman using a hand cranked wheelchair/tricycle
Many people with disabilities had to be carried out of South Sudan. You support has helped provide wheelchairs for people unable to walk.

Five years of civil war in South Sudan has forced more than two million people to flee this young nation. Many have sought refuge in Uganda, reaching camps that stretch for miles. BMS funds have so far helped provide vital food rations to 1,700 children suffering from malnutrition, as well as food, agricultural tools, wheelchairs and pastoral support to people with disabilities.

4. Coming to the aid of tsunami survivors

A destroyed van.
Thousands of people we displaced after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami on the island of Sulawesi last year.

Over 2,100 people were killed and 87,000 displaced after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in October last year. Your support provided people on the ground with emergency food and personal hygiene kits and helped to build shelters and provide counselling support to trauma victims.

It’s thanks to your heart for demonstrating God’s love that we can stand alongside people who need help. When South Sudanese refugees say praise God for providing food and a wheelchair, it’s because of your solidarity in the gospel. And when an earthquake victim who’s lost their home is able to take shelter, it’s you who’s helped to provide that roof. But there are so many others we would like to support.

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Please, give today and come to the aid of those who need to know Christian love across the world. Thank you.

Krakatau volcano/tsunami disaster: BMS call for prayer

Krakatau volcano/tsunami disaster:

BMS call for prayer

Praying for this

You will have seen images of the devastation in Indonesia after a tsunami struck coastal towns. Please join us in prayer today for those affected by the disaster.

More than 400 people were killed and hundreds left injured after the tsunami hit towns on Indonesia’s Sunda Strait. It struck at around 9.30 pm local time on Saturday 22 December and is believed to have been caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano.

The tsunami destroyed buildings and hit tourist destinations. The death toll is expected to rise over the coming days. BMS World Mission is talking to trusted partners in the region about what response will be needed.

You can help today by joining us in prayer. Please pray for:

  • The responders on the ground as they work to find survivors.
  • Those who have lost loved ones. Pray for strength in this most difficult of times.
  • The people yet to be found. Pray they would sense help coming.
  • The long-term response. Pray that people will remember the region affected in the months and years to come, and that it would recover from this disaster.
How you can give to BMS relief work

BMS is able to respond quickly to disasters around the world because of our network of Christian partners in affected areas – and thanks to the generosity of UK believers who give before disasters happen.

To play your part in enabling churches and relief workers to help those most in need, even when the media isn’t interested, click here to give to BMS relief work now.

The tsunami is the latest disaster to hit Indonesia. In August, hundreds of people died after an earthquake struck the tourist island of Lombok. Then in September, an earthquake and tsunami struck the island of Sulawesi, killing an estimated 2,000 people.

Thanks to the giving of people like you, BMS provided £8,000 for the Lombok response and £20,000 for the Sulawesi response, with the funding going towards food and hygiene kits, shelter construction and psychosocial support.

We thank you for your prayers then, and appeal again today for your support.

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“Please encourage your church to pray for the people of Indonesia’s Sunda Strait,” says BMS Relief Facilitator Rachel Conway-Doel. “Pray too for our partners in the region. They need your prayers and love today.”

Indonesia earthquake and tsunami: update on our response

Indonesian earthquake and tsunami:

update on our response

I'm supporting this

BMS World Mission is responding to the situation in Indonesia, where over 1,500 people have died after an earthquake and tsunami struck.

You will have seen images of the devastation on the island of Sulawesi, which was hit by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday. Access to the affected areas is challenging for responders due to damaged bridges, landslides and fuel shortages.

The official number of people killed in the disaster is expected to continue to rise. Many of the deaths happened in the city of Palu.
BMS has been communicating with partners in Indonesia in response to the tragedy. You can help today by joining us in prayer, and you can also make a donation at the bottom of this article.

The scene of devastation caused by an earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi
People suffering from disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi need your prayers today.

Prayer points for Indonesia:

– Please pray for the people of Sulawesi who are suffering unimaginable grief right now. Pray that they have the basics of food and clean drinking water, and medical help.

– Please pray for the first responders as they search for survivors. Pray they have shelter themselves and are kept safe as they work in dangerous, very difficult conditions.

– Please pray for the partners we’ll be supporting. Pray they are given all the resources they need from agencies and governments from around the world.

– Please pray for the long-term response. Pray that people will remember Sulawesi in the months and years to come, and that this city and the surrounding area would recover from this tragedy.

“Your prayers are crucial at this time, so please continue to pray for people in Sulawesi,” says BMS World Mission Relief Facilitator Rachel Conway-Doel.

“Please pray for our partners who are on the ground assessing both the immediate and longer term needs for the area. We will be working closely with the local churches, as they respond to the affected communities. Thank you for your continued prayers, generosity and love shown towards all those affected by this disaster.”

We’ll bring you updates on how BMS is supporting the response in Sulawasi. To make a donation to the response, please click the button on the right.

Thank you for your prayers and generosity in this most traumatic and difficult of times for people in Indonesia.

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