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Christians are denied help in Indonesia; ministry responds

A powerful earthquake shook eastern Indonesia Friday, causing panic among residents. The region is still recovering from a 7.6-magnitude quake that devastated western Sumatra last month and killed more than a thousand, reports MNN.

The focus has already shifted from relief to recovery. Doctors without Borders reports that many aid organizations have already withdrawn. Indonesian authorities are assessing the gaps in order to relocate aid efforts.

In the meantime, ministry teams are still finding remote areas where no aid has arrived yet. Unfortunately, it may not be an issue of location.

Paul Estabrooks with Open Doors says they're finding out that not everyone is getting help: "It's the Chinese Christians who have been discriminated against in the aid distribution, both for ethnic and religious reasons. In this case, it seems to be pretty much strategically planned."

An Open Doors worker (unnamed for security reasons) writes, "Christians in Padang--especially those in the Chinatown area--have been crying 'foul' because of the little help they had been receiving from the local government."

The news leaked out via SMS messages. As the worker investigated, he found that aid ministries were still very cautious about being identified. "On my second day in Padang, I met two men from two Christian organizations. They were interested in helping the believers in Padang and Pariaman, but they could not do it openly. They asked if they could channel their help through Open Doors."

Estabrooks says that those talks led to a partnership, and now, "Christian colleagues are there distributing aid to Christian families who have been overlooked and those who are in serious condition." They also formed an alliance with the National Prayer Network (JDN, to broaden their ability to help affected Christian families.

The worker further reveals the scope of the devastation affecting Christians in Padang. "In my visit to Pariaman, northwest of Padang, 165 families and individuals (mostly Catholics) were affected. Forty-one houses were heavily damaged, and 72 may still be repaired. Although help from various sectors, local and international, has been overwhelming, and the relief stage is almost over, these believers have yet to receive direct help. Some of them were said to have been lured to leave their faith in Christ in exchange for food packages or medical assistance."

Estabrooks says they're calling attention to the situation. You can help. "Pray for our colleagues that God would help them find all of our brothers and sisters who need help, and that the body of Christ in Indonesia would be a channel of love and hope to the people in that area."

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TAGS: Indonesia earthquake Doctors without Borders Open Doors Chinese Christians persecution

[10/26/2009]

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