As people continue to count the dead bodies along the borders of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, Christian organizations worry about their missionaries, but are determined to help in any way they can.
Gospel for Asia, a mission organization that works in the un-reached parts of Asia said that their Bible college, located in the Jammu region, which was near the epicenter of the 7.6 magnitude South Asia earthquake on Oct 8, was "severely damaged."
GFA's President KP Yohannan said, "By God's grace, so far, we have not heard any of our believers or missionaries [who have] lost their lives," according to Mission Network News.
He added, "but we are not sure about that because a lot of earthquake areas we are not able to get any information because of the government restrictions."
From Northern India, Yohannan was able to contact workers at the Bible college and said that 30 to 40 students and missionaries are working among the victims and helping wherever necessary.
Meanwhile, the students and missionaries are working with the Pakistani embassy for permission to send 50 of their people into the earthquake devastated territories to help the relief teams and to minister to the people, Yohannan told MNN.
"These are hard and difficult Muslim communities and as our people are going in there right now, they're going very carefully, carrying God's Word." Yohannan said according to MNN, but this is "a great opportunity for the Body of Christ to demonstrate His love to the suffering and needy."
In India, a majority of the houses were destroyed, leaving 50,000 people homeless. They gathered together in an Army camp in the town of Poonch, about 250 kilometers northwest of Jammu, Reuters reported.
Authorities said about 32,00 buildings collapsed or were damaged in Kashmir, meanwhile the count was 526 in Jammu. They are still searching for bodies as the death toll climbs to 1,300 with over 4,400 injured.
In Pakistan, the death toll is approaching 30,000 and is expected to rise as more remote regions become accessible. The authorities estimated that four million people were directly affected by the earthquake and millions are in need of shelter and food.
Recalling the earthquake in Gujarat a few years ago, last year's tsunami, and the flooding in Bombay in July, Yohannan told MNN that he didn't understand why there was so much trouble in this region, but he said that the students and missionaries were sensitive to the situation and committed to sharing that "Jesus is the only hope even in the midst of all despair and hopelessness."
Relief Services Respond to Devastating Earthquake in South Asia
