As one news
report put it, “One person was killed and at least 25 were injured in a strong
earthquake that hit North Thailand on Monday, May 5, 2014. The 6.3 magnitude
earthquake struck the northern part of the country in the Chiang Rai province
at about 6:08 pm local time.”
Two nights
ago all of us here in Chiang Rai were surprised with a severe earthquake that
even today…. two days later are still feeling the after shocks. The news
reported this earthquake on the severity scale of 6.3 magnitude.
Yesterday, our Staff surveyed the damage around the
Mae Lao epicenter and found two villages with severe damage that we wanted to
help. Most of these folks were too afraid to sleep in their homes and are
currently sleeping in make shift "tents" outside. Very difficult
situation for them. 
After we surveyed the damage yesterday, we decided that the Lord would be
pleased if we reached out to these two villages and provided them with some
food and small items for the 350 homes represented in these two villages. We
then went to Makro (Thailand version of Sam's Club) and purchased food and
small items for this urgent need. After filling up two truckloads of food and
small items, we met several of our YOUTH who helped us put 350 bags together
for the outreach we had today where we went and distributed those bags and
shared that Jesus teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Here is our video update of that outreach.
However,
right now, we are in need of your help in three areas, prayer, donations, and construction/repair
personnel.
Today we found out about a major need for a friend of ours, Ajarn Luka, who heads up a large outreach for the Akha people group here in Chiang Rai. After we finished our outreach to two villages this morning, we drove over to visit A. Luka and his ministry to survey the damage to their work from the earthquake. It was worse than we had anticipated.
Today we found out about a major need for a friend of ours, Ajarn Luka, who heads up a large outreach for the Akha people group here in Chiang Rai. After we finished our outreach to two villages this morning, we drove over to visit A. Luka and his ministry to survey the damage to their work from the earthquake. It was worse than we had anticipated.
Praise God
that most of the children they care for have gone home for the summer so that
no one was hurt. Had the children been in their dorm rooms at the time of the
earthquake, no doubt several would be in the hospital today with severe
injuries.
Several of the roofs of their buildings were
destroyed in the quake and several walls came crumbling down. This is a Christian
ministry that cares for and helps house and provide education opportunities for
over 100 children from the Akha people group in Chiang Rai.
School starts
back for the new year here on Friday, May 16 and all of these 100+ kids will be
returning on May 14 which really gives Ajarn Luka only 1 week to make urgent
and temporary repairs simple to be able to receive the children. Continual
repairs will take several months to complete. If you know of someone with “repair”
skills that can come and help Ajarn Luka with this urgent need, please write me
and I will put you in contact with him.
We still have no idea how much it will cost for
his repairs but there is quite a bit of damage. If you would like to make a
donation to NTIM’s Disaster Relief fund, please do so by sending a check to NTIM,
PO Box 26115, Birmingham, AL 35260 USA or you can donate on line at www.gontim.org. We will be
taking a large portion of what we do receive in the next several days and help
this partner ministry out with some of his urgent needs. Thank you for praying
about giving to our disaster relief fund which has now been fully depleted
after helping these two villages this morning with our outreach. We also would
really like to be able to bless Ajarn Luka with a good donation to his ministry
for these repairs.
Thanking you for your support of NTIM and our
desire to take the love and light of Jesus into this very needy part of God’s
World where less than 1% of the population know Jesus as their personal Savior
but where GOD is building His Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail
over it.
Your Servants to
the Nations in and Around Northern Thailand,
Michael for the
Team
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Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM), P.O. Box 26115,
Birmingham, AL 35260 USA Main Website: www.gontim.org
NTIM is a non-profit
501(c)(3)charitable organization based in the USA. We are committed to
connecting people in need with people who care and are focused in the heart of
Southeast Asia where poverty is high, education is low, needs are great,
darkness is everywhere, and the love and message of Jesus is needed to
transform lives.
Reaching,
Teaching, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving People in God’s World
through acts of love and compassionate is what NTIM and our ministry team is
all about.
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