From “Heaven’s Family:”
Although it won’t make international news, our spiritual family in the state of Orissa, India, is facing a major test. Fanatical Hindu mobs have been on a rampage, determined to exterminate Christians, whether they be Evangelical, Protestant or Roman Catholic. Those mobs have been looting, raping, murdering, and burning down homes and churches. Some believers have been hacked to death or burned alive. Those who have escaped are fleeing to the jungles to preserve their lives. Over 50,000 Christians have been displaced. At least 4,000 homes have been destroyed, as well as hundreds of churches. 13,000 people are living in nine relief camps.
Heaven’s Family is well connected to believers in India, having already provided some relief earlier this year after a similar, but lesser, persecution in Orissa. We’ve also distributed thousands of books to Indian pastors in at least four languages. And we are continually involved in assisting Christian widows, orphans and lepers in India.
One of our primary partners in southern India, pastor K.V. Daniel, has informed me that 110 Christian families among his churches have lost everything, and four of their small orphanages have been destroyed. Right now, believers in Orissa urgently need food and shelter. After the Indian government is able to stabilize the situation, believers will need help rebuilding their lives.
Cuban Cries:
Over the past week we’ve also heard cries of help from our family in Cuba, first devastated by Hurricane Gustav (which made landfall at category 4–winds at 150 mph) and then by Hurricane Ike (which made landfall at category 3). The Cuban Housing Institute says that Hurricane Ike severely damaged over 200,000 homes and completely destroyed 30,000, which may be a conservative estimate. Keep in mind that many Cuban homes are very primitive.
Fidel Castro is quoted as saying, “Hurricane Gustav hit Cuba with the force of an atomic bomb, leaving more devestation that the previous 14 hurricanes over the past 5 years combined.” Cuba’s communist economy will never be able to facilitate the rebuilding of Cuba, as it has not been able to even keep Havana, its capital, in repair, long before the recent hurricanes. Cuba has been slowly crumbling for fifty years, and it has just experienced its worst natural disaster in fifty years.
If you are moved to help relieve the sufferings of Jesus—incarnated among “the least of” His brothers and sisters—Heaven’s Family is here to serve you. 100% of all that we receive towards our Christian Refugees Fund over the next few weeks will be sent to Orissa to bring relief to our family there, and 100% of all that we receive towards our Disaster Relief Fund over the next few weeks will be sent to Cuba to assist our family there.
