Southern Baptists responding in Iran; volunteers mobilized
After an earthquake killed
thousands in Bam, Iran, Southern Baptists are responding. A volunteer
team of Southern Baptist men is headed to Iran, ready to meet physical
needs.
“We’re going to offer that cool cup of water in times of need,” said one of the men. “Jesus said, ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
The men are no strangers to working in crisis situations. Most of them have served together before-in locations as distant as Venezuela and as close to home as Ground Zero in New York City. When the call came for relief in Iran, they were scheduling flights and packing bags within a few hours. They know the challenges they’ll face there. When they go out to minister, they’ll carry three days of personal food and water rations with them and sleep in sleeping bags.
They ask Southern Baptists to pray that God will keep them safe, enable them to meet people’s needs and give peace to their families left in the United States.
Long-term work planned
With the death toll expected to top 30,000 and with at least 60 percent of the city in rubble, further assistance will be needed in Iran. Relief workers and their local partners hope to work with residents of Bam and the surrounding areas to reconstruct and develop their communities.
“We are in the process of working with local contacts in Iran in determining ways we can meet needs,” says the director for the International Mission Board World Hunger and Relief Ministries. “We have already authorized $50,000 and will be able to help more if needed.”
The earthquake ravaged Bam’s economy and left the city’s employed destitute. Most of Bam’s survivors have lost their livelihoods through personal injury, loss of business or death of a spouse. Relief workers and their local partners will explore opportunities to provide job training for these individuals and help develop industry in Bam and the surrounding region.
Relief aid will be implemented in several stages. The first stage will involve immediate emergency and relief distribution and last from two to four weeks. Projects for the reconstruction of local communities and Bam’s economy may follow.
One relief worker with earthquake relief experience spoke of going into Iran: “Even though the needs are overwhelming, I am ready to get my hands dirty and my heart broken.”
The pre-dawn earthquake, measuring 6.7, struck Bam on Dec. 26 and decimated the historical city.
Contributions to relief efforts in Iran through the International Mission Board World Hunger and Relief Ministries may be made here or by calling
(800) 999-3113. Every penny of your donation will provide food, shelter and other immediate needs in the aftermath of the earthquake in Iran.
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