By Kirk, CBF field personnel
For us, it started with a text message from our condo management as we were finishing lunch: “Dear residents, there is an earthquake. Please evacuate the building.”
Easy to say, hard to do. Our building is 33 stories high, with thousands of residents. People jammed the fire escape stairways as the building swayed. Dust and chunks of plaster rained on them. It was 95 degrees outside, hotter inside. Someone fainted. Others screamed. Texts of love were sent to friends and relatives people thought they might never see again.
The same scene was repeated in scores of high-rises, hotels, hospitals and malls across this busy city of 12 million. Fear and chaos were everywhere. Remarkably, only one building collapsed; tragically, some 80 workers, mostly migrant construction workers from a neighboring country, were inside.
Despite the chaos, what Bangkok experienced on March 28 pales in comparison to what happened in Myanmar—the epicenter of the quake. Hundreds of low-rise buildings crumbled, entombing thousands. The military government took the opportunity to bomb ethnic minority villages—including churches—while simultaneously demanding earthquake aid from the West—aid which may or may not reach the intended recipients. And, of course, the West has much less aid to offer than it did just a few months ago.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1)
Please join us in praying for the people of Bangkok as they recover from the emotional shock of the earthquake. May many find Jesus as their refuge and strength.
Join us also in praying for the people of Myanmar—those who have suffered catastrophic loss through the earthquake and years of civil war, including the 100,000 refugees who used to receive food, medicine and education from the United States government. Pray for church leaders among the ethnic minority groups, as they try to assure their flocks that God is still their refuge and strength. And may beauty rise from the ashes.