Ministries help Sri Lanka flood victims, spread Gospel in Ukraine

Sri Lanka was hit last week by the worst rains in the country since 2010. As of Tuesday, the death toll has gone up to over 100 with more than 100 persons still missing. With this devastation, many agencies and ministries have offered help.

"We ask for prayers to help these precious people find relief from their suffering and experience peace and comfort from the Lord," K.P. Yohannan, founder and international director of Gospel of Asia, said in a statement. "We pray that relief efforts will help them rebuild their lives after the storm's damage to their homes and their families."

GFA has distributed almost 5,000 packets of food to the victims of the flood, who have no choice but to stay in relief camps. Workers supported by the ministry are also helping in the recovery and clean-up efforts so that those affected can restart their lives.

According to the Lanka Business Online, the Diplomatic Missions in Colombo and the Sri Lankan Missions, along with the Red Cross Society of China, the Turkish Red Crescent Society, and the governments of the United States, Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia have likewise extended a helping hand, both in cash and in kind.

The rain in the recent week was reportedly equivalent to one-fourth of the area's usual yearly rainfall. It not only submerged houses but also caused mudslides that swept away some homes.

"Over 530 houses have been completely destroyed and another 4,000 partly damaged," Sri Lanka Disaster Management Center spokesman Pradeep Kodippili told Agence France-Presse.

While some ministries are working to help disaster victims, others are working to spread the Gospel. In Eastern Europe, Russian Harvest Ministries is trying to have the Gospel reach everyone in Ukraine in five years.

"What we see taking place in Ukraine is historic," said ministry president Peter Mehl in a statement. "It is like the early 1990s when the country first opened to the Gospel. The war in the East and the economic crisis have caused people to once again recognize their need of a Savior. We are working around the clock in order to take full advantage of this historic opportunity."

According to a press release, Mehl launched "Ukraine - Vision 2020" on Jan. 1, and its current teams reach 300,000 people each month. The number is expected to steadily increase as they put up evangelism training centers, train partnering churches in terms of evangelism, and train and release new evangelists.