We watched from 12 time zones away as Hurricane Sandy over five days moved toward and finally hit the East Coast of the USA. We were thankful that people had plenty of warning before this very unusual, very large storm struck the mainland. We were also thankful that Jeannie, Chris and Amara just a few months ago moved from lower Manhattan (flooded pretty badly) to upper Manhattan.
On this same weekend, a typhoon came ashore. It was predicted several days ago to hit North Vietnam. We received significant rain and some wind in Hanoi but no damage. However today a Vietnamese friend dropped by our offices and told of very serious destruction in the area where his family lives; two hours east and south of Hanoi near the coast.
They and their neighbors received no news of an approaching typhoon. Everything seemed very calm on Sunday. He told of how his family was playing outside in the late afternoon. Life was normal at 6:00 pm and the destructive typhoon hit at 7:00.
He showed a picture of one house window completely blown out. His flat roof lost some tiles and leaked water. Many others who who had a peaked roof lost their whole roof. He laughed about people walking around trying to find the roof that belonged to them, their doors or other belongings. It was a very costly typhoon for all of them. He has money to make home repairs but said most factories or stores that usually would sell what he needs are also trying to recover from damage.
Beyond the loss and the costs, how sad that for whatever reason these folks had received no typhoon warning. They had no chance to prepare. What a contrast with the many days of hurricane warnings provided for all Americans living on the East Coast. It does not seem fair.
The parallel regarding the availability of God's Good News is pretty obvious. In North America those who are seeking Christ have a choice of many different churches in easily identified buildings. They are fairly likely to have a nearby neighbor or colleague from work who is a believer. We know of course that they may still not be exposed to the Good News.
But here, the possibility of not hearing and of not knowing is so much greater. Young people here know a lot about the world through television and the internet. But my friends who work on university campuses report that better than 95% of their students have no knowledge of Jesus or the Bible. For them it is as though no one ever brought life changing Good News; as though life can only be lived in what is "normal" for them. They have no knowledge of the God who loves them and the Saviour who died for them. It does not seem fair.
On this same weekend, a typhoon came ashore. It was predicted several days ago to hit North Vietnam. We received significant rain and some wind in Hanoi but no damage. However today a Vietnamese friend dropped by our offices and told of very serious destruction in the area where his family lives; two hours east and south of Hanoi near the coast.
They and their neighbors received no news of an approaching typhoon. Everything seemed very calm on Sunday. He told of how his family was playing outside in the late afternoon. Life was normal at 6:00 pm and the destructive typhoon hit at 7:00.
He showed a picture of one house window completely blown out. His flat roof lost some tiles and leaked water. Many others who who had a peaked roof lost their whole roof. He laughed about people walking around trying to find the roof that belonged to them, their doors or other belongings. It was a very costly typhoon for all of them. He has money to make home repairs but said most factories or stores that usually would sell what he needs are also trying to recover from damage.
Beyond the loss and the costs, how sad that for whatever reason these folks had received no typhoon warning. They had no chance to prepare. What a contrast with the many days of hurricane warnings provided for all Americans living on the East Coast. It does not seem fair.
The parallel regarding the availability of God's Good News is pretty obvious. In North America those who are seeking Christ have a choice of many different churches in easily identified buildings. They are fairly likely to have a nearby neighbor or colleague from work who is a believer. We know of course that they may still not be exposed to the Good News.
But here, the possibility of not hearing and of not knowing is so much greater. Young people here know a lot about the world through television and the internet. But my friends who work on university campuses report that better than 95% of their students have no knowledge of Jesus or the Bible. For them it is as though no one ever brought life changing Good News; as though life can only be lived in what is "normal" for them. They have no knowledge of the God who loves them and the Saviour who died for them. It does not seem fair.
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