The name Nargis ("daffodil" in Urdu) and the date May 2-3, 2008 will not be forgotten. They have left wounds and scars in the hearts and minds of the people living in the cyclone affected areas of Myanmar.
Immediately after Nargis struct, the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) set up a temporary Emergency Relief Taskforce, the Nargis Relief and Rehabilitation Central Committee (NRRCC). Local churches, associations and partners of MBC began sending any assistance they could offer upon hearing the news.
Through coordination and networking, MBC's NRRCC provided relief and recovery assistance to a total of 14,160 beneficiaries. Recovery inputs provided to the affected churches and communities included both food and housing items as well as providing for future agriculture and fishing.
The post cyclone work continues for the MBC. In late March of this year, Baptist World Aid, the Asian Pacific Baptist Fellowship, Australian Baptist World Aid and the British Baptist Missionary Society met with the MBC to review work done and plan for the future.
Excursions were made into the delta region to see firsthand what has been done and to sit and listen to the people tell their stories about the cyclone and the gratefulness for the care given. They could see where the need to continue emergency food aid was still necessary. Clean water and sanitation is a must. Wells and latrines had been built, but more are still needed.
The rebuilding of communities will take a long time. The Myanmar Baptist Convention is committed and dedicated to this God-given task of serving the affected people. MBC is assured that God will lead them in this ministry. God will touch the hearts of the people all over the world to remember the Nargis victims and do whatever they can for them. Though the road ahead is filled with hurdles and uncertainties, MBC is certain of God's precious promises.