Photo: Maurice Bloem/CWS

OF TSUNAMIS AND MIRACLES

It is now several months since the tsunami disaster wrought destruction, injury, and loss of life on Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, other parts of South Asia, and parts of East Africa. The devastation brought by the tsunami staggers our imagination and burdens our hearts - so much loss of innocent life. Stirred by compassion, millions of people across the U.S. and around the world have responded to the suffering. In ways great and small, individuals, groups, and nations are reaching out to help. Church World Service is grateful to be one vehicle of that heartfelt response.

When the tsunami hit, Church World Service was no stranger to the affected region. We have been working in Indonesia for two generations, and enjoy long-standing partnerships in Sri Lanka, India, and other affected countries. Thanks to those relationships and the presence of Church World Service staff and partners in the area, we were able to respond quickly.

In February, I was able to witness our colleagues in action and thank them for their courage and for God's grace as exemplified through their lives. On our behalf, they have responded magnificently to the crisis - meeting people, whatever their needs, responding with care and kindness. They have been the source not only of temporary shelter, food, water, health care, and assistance in the reuniting of families, but also of comfort.

From the outset, Church World Service has been committed to assisting the people of Southeast Asia and East Africa in both their emergency needs and in the long, hard task of rebuilding their lives and their communities - which will require significant resources. While we continue to seek and receive contributions for these vital, long-term recovery efforts, I want to thank you for all you have already done to support the work of Church World Service through the CROP Hunger Walk in your community, through our Tools & Blankets Program and our CWS Kits Program, and through other means. Without that support, we could not have acted so quickly and so effectively. With that support, we had trained staff and programs in place, as well as thousands of Health Kits and other emergency supplies pre-positioned in Asia.

In this issue of SERVICE you'll learn more about our response to the tsunami and about our on-going work in more than 80 countries where, with your help, Church World Service is responding each day to the silent tsunamis of hunger, poverty, and disease that may not make the evening news, but shatter lives as surely as a tidal wave.

Someone asked me, "How is it that God could have permitted such a disaster to have occurred?" My response was simply: God is not found in the destruction of the tsunami, God is found in the miracle of our response.

You have my heartfelt thanks for your support and prayers, both for our neighbors in need in the tsunami-affected areas and around the world, and for Church World Service's ministry with them.

God's grace and peace,

Rev. John L. McCullough
Executive Director
Church World Service