compiled by David Carney

Was God asleep when the waves of the tsunami pounded the shores of several Asian countries? You and I well know that our God never slumbers nor sleeps. He is always at His post as Lord and Ruler of the Universe! Listen to these two stirring stories of God at work in the aftermath of the tsunami.

God opens the hearts of the Hindus!

Tom and Jerilyn Kane are BIMI missionaries serving the people of India. They have seen the destructive force of the terrible tsunami firsthand. And they have also seen the awesome power of God at work in the hearts of Indians in the aftermath of the storm.

Tom tells of 15 Hindu fishermen who requested help. Tom and a national pastor gathered the men together and bought them a net. They told a harrowing experience at sea during the tsunami. They reported being 80 kilometers out on the ocean when they saw the “wave” coming. They said they thought they were dead. They hunkered down on their crude raft/boat (Tom described it as being of the Tom Sawyer variety) and began crying out “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!” When Tom asked these fishermen why, being Hindus, did they cry out to Jesus. They replied that they knew in this predicament that their gods would not help. Jesus was the One! Tom was able to lead several of these precious souls to the Lord.

Violence in the Wake of the Tsunami

By Ray Shull, Missionary to Cambodia

When the tsunami hit Southeast Asia, my family and I discussed how we could help make a difference. After hearing about the destruction in Sri Lanka, our hearts were touched with the desire to make a difference. It was then that I heard three of the missionaries here in Cambodia, Tom Johnson, Mary Broeckert and Dick Burdine, were planning a medical trip to Sri Lanka. Tom and Mary are medical doctors, and Dick was a missionary in Sri Lanka for one year in 1989. Together we went up the East Coast, visiting and evaluating the needs of the refugee camps, then setting up clinics to treat the physical needs of the people. Before each clinic we would invite people to a service and present the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We prayed that we would find open hearts, but we were especially astounded by the openness to the Gospel that we found among the Hindu people. They were very open and receptive to us. In several of the camps, we would have more than 200 Hindus come and listen to the sermon. In one of the camps that we visited, Tom Johnson and I preached together. What a thrill to hear so many people praying out loud accepting Christ as their Savior! I’m not sure of the total number at that time, but it was more than 25. This was the way we were received at every Hindu camp. People were coming to Christ by the score. During one-on-one salvation presentations, 22 people accepted Christ as two Christian young men dealt with people as they left the medical treatment area. Five or six more made professions in another area where a smaller group of people were seen. I could not believe how well the Gospel was being received. I remember talking to some of the men in the group about the fact that Satan was not going to be happy with us.

We went into a Muslim neighborhood and did a clinic. We were not able to pass out tracts or the Bibles that Dick and I had brought. We were well received by the Muslims there, and we did not think there were any problems to be concerned about. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Someone in the group had passed out some of the Bibles to an undercover Muslim who was not interested in getting a Bible, but in using it against us. This man was a doctor. He took the tracts and Bibles to the Mosque, and the community was warned about our presence.

The following day, we went to another Hindu area and had fantastic results. I was able to lead about 20 Hindus to the Lord that day. I talked with one man who had offered blood sacrifices out of his own body to his 3 million pagan gods. He had scars up and down both arms where he had cut himself to offer his own blood to his gods. As I talked to him about sin, repentance and eternal punishment, he nodded in agreement. At the end of the Gospel presentation he gladly trusted Christ as his Savior. One of the teens that I led to the Lord came back and brought more of his friends, and they also were saved. It was truly a glorious day. Little did we know what was waiting for us just a few short miles down the road.

When we returned to the Muslim neighborhood, we had no idea that they were looking for us or that we had been the talk of the town the day before. We walked into a small eatery and ordered some food. While we were there, Tom handed out a few tracts, and the fireworks started. Three Muslims came and sat down at our table and asked us what we were doing in their town. We told them what we were doing, and they didn’t like it at all. We told them we were sorry that they were offended, but that we were leaving right now anyway. We walked out to the van and noticed many people beginning to walk toward us. Our driver was not there, so I went back to the eatery to look for him. I couldn’t find him, so we all just sat inside the van and waited. It was then that the crowd began to grow and become violent.

A few hundred Muslims surrounded the van, and began to throw rocks, breaking out the windows. They all started yelling and throwing insults at us. The crowd grew larger and larger. They now were trying to tip the van over on us, and were pulling things out of the van and throwing them in the street. From the second story rooftops, bricks were raining down on the roof of the van. This continued for about 20 minutes. About five of the Muslims were attempting to keep the mob from getting into the van and dragging us out. They were trying to restore order, but with little success.

At this time the police arrived and tried to break up the mob. I began to think that there might be hope after all. As the officers got close to our window, the crowd picked them up and shoved them back out of sight. It was at this point that I thought all was lost. None of us were going to survive. We just sat and prayed for God’s mercy to envelope us. We had a peace and calmness through it all, but we were sure that we would not survive. As I sat in the front seat of the van, I watched as a man picked up about three or four bricks that were still mortared together. He raised them above his head to throw them through the window at me. I remember looking into his eyes and seeing only an evil hatred. There was nothing that I could do.

Just before he threw the bricks, a man from the Special Forces of the Army opened the front door of the van and jumped in. He slammed the van into reverse as the other soldiers took their machine guns, wielding them like clubs. The crowd was pushed back just enough for the van to get through and speed us away to the police military station. By this time, the main street of town was packed with more than a thousand people. These brave military men risked their lives to save ours. I couldn’t believe it. We were going to escape. This Special Task Force is like our elite forces. God sent them just in time to rescue us from certain death.

I did not think I would live through the attack of those Muslim extremists. As I sat in the van and watched an angry mob break out the windows and throw things at us, my thoughts went to my family and children. I prayed that God would take care of them in my absence. I was sure that I would be in Heaven in a few short minutes. But God in His goodness and kindness has granted me more time on this earth to serve Him. I am now safely back in Cambodia, enjoying the love of my wife and family. The Lord was so gracious to preserve my life in the midst of a very trying time.

BIMI is accepting donations to the Southeast Asia Fund for Tsunami Relief.

All gifts should be directed to:
S. E. Asia Fund #388 designated “Tsunami Relief.”

1. Here are some of the teenagers that I personally led to Christ. The young man in the center brought his friends back to me also.

2. A Hindu who offered his own blood for sacrifices. There were scars all over his arms. Now saved.

3. I was well received by the common Muslims, but when the leadership found out about us, we became the talk of the town.

4. Dick is preaching the Gospel to about 100 men and women in a refugee camp.