Pray: Tsunami Killed 100 World Vision-Sponsored Children in Sri Lanka—World Vision’s James East says 100 sponsored children were killed when the Dec. 26 Tsunami inundated the Sri Lanka coastline. While assessment isn’t finished, there are more needs, especially in Thailand, he says. “This disaster did not hit an area where we have ongoing sponsorship programs, so we have to create two new ones, one on the Myanmar (Burmese) border and one in a coastal area north of Phuket.”.

Mission Network News

Praise/Pray: “Once their tears dry up, then they can read God’s Word”—A newly-formed organization of Indonesian Christians—including several Bible League partners—is responding to the extreme humanitarian and spiritual needs of the earthquake and tsunami victims within their devastated country. This organization has the capability to respond quickly in delivering such relief items as food, medicines, and blankets, said the Bible League’s director of Southeast Asia ministry, and can ensure that those items will go directly into the hands of those in need throughout Aceh Province. Among the regions hardest hit by the disaster, Aceh’s death toll is expected to exceed 100,000. Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, and thousands more may perish from injuries or diseases. Once the immediate, basic needs of the Acehnese are met, these Christians will be able to continue to provide for their spiritual needs.  “Once their brains are no longer numb from grief, they can begin to ask questions, and someone can come alongside them and share God’s Word. It’s a very holistic approach to this tragedy.”

From Bible League

Praise: Presbyterian Minister Dies While Preaching About Heaven—A Presbyterian minister collapsed and died at the pulpit after saying, “And when I go to heaven….” The Orlando Sentinel reported that about 240 parishioners at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oviedo, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 9, were listening to their former senior pastor, Jack Arnold, 69, deliver a message on what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Near the end of his message he told the congregation that once he had completed the work the Lord had for him, “I’m out of here.” Arnold said a few more words, began  swaying, grabbed the pulpit and fell backwards. He died of apparent cardiac arrest. Arnold taught and mentored hundreds of Christian leaders who are now serving across the U.S. and the world. During his final sermon, Arnold quoted Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Assist News Service via MissionNet

Pray: A Sad Sidelight of the Tragedy—In Sri Lanka, police arrested a man charged with trying to sell his two granddaughters, after their home was destroyed by the tsunami. The case highlights concerns that child traffickers are seeking to take advantage of the widespread chaos to abduct and then sell children, especially orphans, into the sex trade or forced labor. The report said A. H. Somadasa, 63, was charged in the coast town of Balapitiya, and then released on bail. His granddaughters, 9 and 7, were released to the custody of their father.

Based on a newspaper report