Java field reports

Thurs 1/1/06 12.00pm Via Email

Lynne O'Brien has put together a 6 page report giving her personal perspective of the relief efforts in Jogya. It is a very moving report, and I encourage you to download the report and read it.

Here is an excerpt from her report...

We came back to Surabaya last night and arrived at 12.30am. The truck came back with us. We are buying a truck load to send to Jogja. There were no blankets left to buy there or in the surrounding cities. We will also be sending trucks back with medical supplies and various other items from our warehouses.

As our leader is fond of saying, we are prepared of God like Joseph in the Old Testament. God filled Joseph’s warehouses with grain against the time of famine. God has filled the warehouses of our organisation against such a time as this.

You, our sponsors and donors have been and continue to be a part of the marvellous plans of God, who before the crisis happens, has already been preparing the way. WE are your hand and feet here. We are you voice and your smiling faces as we come bearing the products that you have sent. When you send us money to buy rice and blankets, we are your love in action to those who need it most and those whom God loves. Without you we are “feet” with no soles on our shoes! Without us you don’t have the hands and feet. Together we show the beauty of a wonder working and loving Father who cares for all of His children.

Click here to download it now.

Wed 31/5/06 1.43pm via Email

We went to Jogya on the second day of the quakes and arrived early morning on Monday with truckload of emergency products (medical supplies, food, baby clothes, baby formulas, tarps and purchased local products: rice, blankets, and noodles ) we can have. Our team consists of 4 groups and all do the distributions in 4 different locations which are still untouched by big donations, and then we will discuss our focus areas

a group with our ambulance and doctors for medical assistance and food distribution , went to Gunung Kidul areas (70 families) , Wedi (150 families) and Klaten (70 families). They found out those places have not been reached because of their location, in these areas, there are about 50% christians, many are stressed, there was a woman in Wedi who committed suicide because of despair, she lost everything and her family. our team gave first aid help and did the bandage with very simple available stuff.
another group with our pastors and moslem religious leaders, distributing in other areas , we have not got the report yet.
another group of intercessors that links with a Prayer Network, and with the above group will coordinate a Prayer Together for Jogya and for the Nation and a Prayer of Repentance
the last group visited a Public Hospital Panembahan Senopati, Kecamatan Bantul, the worst devastated areas with more than 3000 dead, and found that the hospital that only has 150 beds are now occupied by more than 1150 patients. The conditions of the patients are very pitiful,and scattered everywhere lying only on simple mats or even newspaper. I gave what ever we have, such as antiseptic soaps , lysol, and others, and they seem to badly need medical equipment. I already talked to the director, Dr. Endang Purwanti and plan to arrange sending medical equipment to this hospital, we will also send crutches, wheelchairs etc.

After visiting the hospital, we visited about 5 villages located in a remote areas, which are christians areas, 97% of the houses are destroyed they have not been reached after the quake there were visited only once with medical team, but no other distributions have been done. In one visit, they all cried when we came. We are sending our ambulance today and work with YKPMI to take some of those who have bone fracture to the hospital.

Their condition under their scanty shelter is very pitiful, no blankets, no mattresses, and no sanitation. we distributed soaps, baby things, dried soups, blankets, and today rice and food (bought locally).

We plan to send more containers tomorrow.

Wed 31/05/06 11.13pm via Email

One of our teams (the intercessory team) has worked together with a prayer network with about 19 pastors and has made arrangement with our moslem clerics to hold prayer of repentance together with at a village tomorrow with about 700 people, the christian pastors and the moslem clerics will speak and pray together. The same event was initiated during an earthquake in 2005 and until today they are still praying together. This reconcilliation event is urgently needed in our disintergrating country.

Tues 30/5/06 9.39pm via SMS

We visited 5 christian villages that are quite unreached yet. how they cried when we came. only a few dead but 95% of the houses were destroyed. tomorrow our ambulance will take the bone fractured people who have not been treated and taken to the hospital. We will also buy biscuits four the patients in the hospital. tonight we are preparing 1000 food packages for tomorrow's distribution

Tues 30/5/06 4.50pm via SMS

Today we distributed 2 tonnes of rice - 12000 packs of noodles, water, baby food, blankets etc.

Tues 30/5/06 4.13pm via SMS

The teams arrived 4am on the 2nd day after earthquake. We went to 3 locations, one intercessors, one with ambulance and medical team, one with a religious team to arrange for "praying together for the nation & repentance". All carry relief products and distribute in several different areas. We have distributed to 1000 families. We bought locally rice & noodles, blankets. We have baby formula, clothes, & supplies and children gift boxes from Samaritan's Purse. With the money you send we can buy 5000 packets of food. Each will contain 2kg of rice, 4 packets of noodles, and a bottle of oil. We can add from our own products - soap, clothes, toys and school supplies for children. but we can buy blankets, biscuits,milk and other things locally. Each packet will feed a family for a day or two. We try and reach the unreached groups in the villages.

Tues 30/5/06 2.20pm via SMS

Death toll as of this morning - 5000. I expect it will go significantly higher after just coming from one of the hospitals. There is no way they can care for people. the hospital we came from has 150 beds. At this point there are 1150 people with more continuing to pour in. I cannot send the smell or the heat and do you compute the measure of human suffering. We have equipment & medicines & people and a God who can help. Still have aftershocks ever hour or so in some places.

Mon 29/5/06 6.30pm via SMS

Whole villages - and not one house standing. people sleeping outside, too scared to go inside. It's raining almost everyday. Hospitals aren't coping - so people are outisde under tarps. Some areas get help - but then other's don't

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