A cloud burst and subsequent land slides ravaged a sizeable area of the state of Uttarakhand on June 16. Global Mission hosts several J127 Clubs within orphanages in the region. We’d ask for your intercession on behalf of the children, their families, and all of the individuals impacted by this natural disaster.
Floods are common during the Indian monsoon season. However, cloud bursts are rare – and often devastating. This weather phenomenon is characterized by sudden, un-forecasted, extreme amounts of precipitation. In fact, more than an inch of rain can fall in just a few minutes.
The following message is from David C Cook staff in India:
Most of the orphanages in the north are in Dehradun, which is the capital of Uttarakhand. We have a few Clubs in orphanages in Mussoorie, a mountainous region. Here there have been numerous landslides causing untold damage. There is no new loss of life, but keep praying for the children’s families, who are in constant danger.
During the cloud burst, one orphanage in Mussoorie lost electricity for three days, water pipes were damaged from the landslide, and they lost electronics such as computer, radio and TV. The children were scared to sleep fearing another cloud burst. We have not been able to get in touch due to poor connectivity.
We heard from another Club in the Roorkee district. Most of the children had gone home for summer vacation. They are not sure of what happened to these children and their families. We will possibly know by next week when schools reopen and children come back to the orphanages.
Pray for Uttarakhand as the Lord leads. The following are suggested requests. Please lift up:
- Orphanages in Dehradun, Mussoorie, and Roorkee, for the children’s safety, and for their emotional, spiritual and physical health
- The facilities themselves that already suffer from decay and poor infrastructure
- The families and friends of children
- Farmers, laborers and those in the tourist industry who suffer from losing just one day of wages. Homelessness and unemployment in the flood’s wake are devastating families.
- Relief efforts, both for stranded pilgrims (numbering nearly 3,000), the injured, and the misplaced.
- Those who have lost loved ones (more than 1,000 people have died; thousands are missing)
- The spiritual condition of the region. May the Lord Jesus draw many to Himself through this crisis.
Uttarakhand is often referred to as the “Land of the Gods” due to many Hindu temples and pilgrimage centers found throughout the state. The region’s chief deity is Yamuna, the Hindu river goddess. Christianity comprises less than 2% of the population.
Update: In 2018, David C Cook transferred oversight of the J127 clubs to an in-country partner which continues to shepherd and grow this program. By supporting David C Cook’s Life on Life curriculum, you will be helping support this program as well.
