Pray in Unity for the City

On 12 May 2008, a 8.0 earthquake struck Wenchuan in northern Sichuan, leaving over 60,000 dead as of May 18, with ten thousand buried alive under the rubble, and causing injuries to hundreds of thousands of people. The nation responded quickly by sending troops for rescue operations. At the same time, more intercessors needed to be raised up and to pray for the rescue operations and the survivors. After three days of preparation, three organizations - The Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union, Jireh Fund and Media Evangelism convened together and held the "Relief for Sichuan: Hong Kong Christians in Prayer and Action" prayer meeting at 3pm on May 18. The meeting was held at the E.F.C.C. Yan Fook Church with close to 2,000 believers in attendance.

Current Situation at Sichuan:

After an opening prayer and worship, the master of ceremonies was on a long distance phone call with the video production team from Creation TV who was at Chengdu at the time. It revealed the tense atmosphere of the affected area, with many wounded suffering from broken bones and kidney failures. The residents were fearful of returning home and camped out on the streets due to the aftershocks. Many of them were anxiously looking for their loved ones who were lost.

Rev. Ivan Ho only arrived at Hong Kong in the early morning of May 18. His family has lived at Chengdu for seven years and has been involved in the gospel ministry at the location. He paid visits to a few of the local churches. According to a local pastor, several of the church buildings were on the verge of collapse after the earthquake. There was a serious shortage of resources including clothing and medical supplies.

Prayer of Response

Mrs. Chan from Jireh Fund began a prayer of response by using Lamentations 3:22: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." She prayed for the parents who lost their children. She also prayed for the doctors, engineers and social workers who were in the area providing medical, rebuilding and counseling services. In addition, she prayed for those in authority, rescue workers and intercessors.

Message Sharing

When Dr. Philemon Choi shared the message, he spoke how the Holy Spirit helped believers in their prayer with groans and sighs. Also, he shared how Nehemiah rebuilt the city wall. He outlined three important steps that should be done after the disaster. 1) Rescue – rescue operation teams were deployed to clear roads blocked by rocks before entering into the stricken area for relief work; 2) Relief – many demonstrated generosity and donations amounted to 6.1 billion, which went to those areas with shortage of water, food and medicine; 3) Reconstruction – Over 6,900 schools collapsed and experienced difficulty finding enough teachers. The most difficult tasks are inner healing and reconstruction. Over five million people were directly affected by the disaster.

Work of Relief Agencies at Sichuan (various agency representatives)

MSI

God enabled MSI to begin its ministry in Sichuan 14 years ago, including training in the areas of medical and counseling. Medical teams were deployed to the affected area for relief work. Counselors were sent from outside China to provide services in the area while more professionals were in contact with MSI for volunteer work. MSI hopes that more orthopedic surgeons will volunteer due to a shortage.

E.F.C.C. Yan Fook Church

A medical team from E.F.C.C. has been sent to Sichuan to assist in the rescue operations. A support team with basic training in counseling might be set up soon to further provide aid in the area.

Hong Kong World Vision

The Vice General Secretary stated that a development project was set up in China at the end of 2006 with 10 staff stationed on site. After the earthquake struck, tents and blankets were urgently transferred from nearby provinces to Sichuan. At certain locations aid was given out to assist the people affected. Special playgrounds were built for teaching and counseling the young children. Bags of children items were prepared and handed out to children.

Prayer Points for the Work of Hong Kong World Vision:

1. Proper food items and tents be delivered to the affected areas as soon as possible
2. Provision of psychological counseling by social workers and counselors
3. Supply of books on psychological counseling to assist the children who are in need of inner healing

Community Relations Supervisor, Salvation Army

Learning from past experience in the South Asian Tsunami, psychological healing needed to be prioritized. In addition, the agency will explore providing preventive education with regard to earthquake. Prayer is needed for the front-line rescue workers.

Prayer Points for Relief Work by Salvation Army

1. Participation of volunteers from abroad in providing encouragements to the locals
2. Relief supplies be delivered into the hands of the people affected.
3. Participation of volunteers so that workload of the PLA and civilian army may be relieved.

Response by Senior Government Officials from the HKSAR Government (Mr. Ambrose Siu-kwong Lee and Mr. Stephen Sui-lung Lam)

After the earthquake, Mr. Ambrose Siu-kwong Lee said that many fire fighters expressed willingness to take part in the rescue operations. The Hong Kong rescue team included fire fighters, paramedics, doctors and nurses. This is a team equipped with modern rescue equipment. The love of God has prompted many of these individuals to take part in the rescue process.

Mr. Stephen Sui-lung Lam shared how he visited the water works and development project at both the Sichuan and Yunan Province. Upon hearing about the earthquake the previous day, he felt saddened by the news and urged everyone to show concern and offer practical assistance to these affected areas. He prayed for the problem of "barrier lakes" to be resolved soon, so that it would create no further harm to the local residents.

Other Prayers for the Relief Work

• May the Lord protect the orphans and comfort the hearts of those who have lost their family members.
• Pray that the Lord would thwart any aftermath of the disaster, including epidemic outbreaks, broken dams and explosion of oil pipes.
• May more orthopedic surgeons and social workers volunteer in the area.
• Pray for the media to effectively transmit news updates from the disaster area to the public so that the audience might become better informed before praying.

Call to Believers to Prayer and Action for the Relief Work at Sichuan

The founder and honorary adviser of MSI, Rev. James Hudson Taylor III, shared his perspectives on this catastrophe. Rev. James Hudson Taylor III called the congregation to serve by aiding in the reconstruction process for the people and the area. He stressed on the importance of prayer as well as living out the Great Commission for the Lord by using our expertise and experience to serve those in China. Believers are encouraged to participate in the "100-day Prayer and Action for Sichuan".

Conclusion

As the meeting came to an end, the individuals with commitments made were prayed for, and the meeting closed with a benediction.

We thank the Lord that many brothers and sisters were willing to participate in the rescue operations in Sichuan. The convening organizations currently liaise with several Christian relief agencies in the coordination of relief efforts. Due to the already large number of medical personnel on site, the relief agencies needed to reassess the current and future relief efforts in Sichuan. Please continue to remember this campaign and the different operational needs in your prayers.