wfn.org | TCN Editorial: Overflow of love needed in typhoon aftermath

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>2999 Edition

>August 17~23, 2009

Editorial: Overflow of love needed in typhoon aftermath

>Translated by Lydia Ma

August 8th was supposed to be a joyous occasion for families  gathered together

to celebrate Father’s Day. We never imagined this year’s  Father’s Day would

become a nightmare for so many in Taiwan when a natural disaster  caused them

to lose their loved ones, friends, and property. For these people,  what happened

on Father’s Day weekend this year will forever be a painful  memory in their lives.

In times like this, our hearts are filled with grief and doubt,  and we may even

complain or wonder why God would allow Taiwan to experience such a  crisis.

However, we have also discovered that many Presbyterian churches  and relief

committees actually rushed to disaster areas and were among the  first few

people to relay news back to the rest of us and mobilize  humanitarian aid by

>sending rescue teams and material resources.

To our consolation and relief, churches within disaster areas  quickly mobilized to

help their own members and other victims in their neighborhoods  and tried to

reestablish communication links with the outside world. Churches  outside

disaster areas also quickly mobilized members to participate in  relief efforts.

PCT affiliated hospitals, universities, and seminaries also  assembled volunteers

>promptly to help rescue and relief efforts.

At a time when people were too shocked to know what to do, seeing  church

organizations partner with other social organizations in rescue  and relief efforts in

such a display of solidarity calmed many people’s hearts.  People outside of the

PCT also began to trust churches after witnessing their commitment  to Taiwan,

and even enlisted themselves as volunteers at various PCT rescue  stations.

Youth, who are typically seen as a selfish and uncaring  generation, also began to

join rescue efforts. We see glimmers of hope for Taiwan even as we  grieve

>because of these instances.

Though government organizations have been severely criticized for  their

performance, we must still express our deepest appreciation and  admiration to

volunteers and workers at the frontlines of rescue operations. Our  priority for now

is not to point fingers, but rather, to rescue victims still  stranded in devastated

areas and help them settle down. Resettlement and rebuilding  efforts in the

aftermath of Typhoon Morakot will surely be an enormous  undertaking and will

>require our long-term commitment and help.

Houses are not the only things that need to be rebuilt after the  storm. Plots of

farmland in many aboriginal reserves have been destroyed by the  storm.

Taiwanese people and government will be challenged to make  appropriate land

use and planning policies after repeatedly ignoring this issue in  the past in favor

>of economic development.

Despite these challenges, many churches devastated by the typhoon  have

already led the way and become our role models by opening their  doors to

accommodate victims who lost everything even though these churches  were also

badly hit. These churches not only assembled members to help  rescue efforts,

but also crossed an ethnic divide by welcoming brothers and  sisters from

aborigine churches in need of a place to stay.

We have also heard of church members from northern Taiwan who  overcame a

geographical divide and travelled all the way to southern Taiwan  to be volunteers

in rescue operations. These are real life illustrations of what we  mean when we

say “with man it is impossible, but nothing is impossible  with God.”

As stated in PCT confession of faith, we firmly believe “the  Church is the

fellowship of God's people, called to proclaim the salvation of  Jesus Christ and to

be ambassador of reconciliation. It is both universal and rooted  in this land,

identifying with all its inhabitants, and through love and  suffering becoming the

sign of hope.” This is the PCT perspective of the role of  churches.

If we can now put into action what we believe about  “Christ’s love” and let it show

not only through tangible reconstruction efforts, but also through  changed hearts,

then, we might transform the sufferings before us into blessings  beyond this

world. May “Christ’s love” shown through actions  encourage, inspire, and bless

those who give and those who receive, and may God bless Taiwan.

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