India (Tsunami Relief)
Village Design
India Christian Ministries
EMI Project 5374

April, 2005

Photos and Documents
Tsunami Village Site Plan (.pdf)
House Elevation (.pdf)
Church Design (.jpg)
Village Design 1 (.jpg)
Village Design 2 (.jpg)
Well Design (.jpg)
Team In Action (.jpg)

Status Update
April 18, 2005

...the whole city was stirred, saying “Who is this?”
Matthew 21.10

A crowd of easily 100 people, many of them Hindu, quickly surrounded us in the small coastal village in Andhra Pradesh, South India. The whole village was stirred. There was excitement and hope in the eyes of these people. Some of them went off to find the old man they had been telling us about. He had been bedridden for six years, unable to walk, they said. One week ago at an Indian Christian Ministries (ICM) crusade, Jesus healed him. People formed a corridor as the man came out of his house with a cane. He smiled and tossed the cane aside and began to walk toward us a bit unsteadily. People laughed and grinned and you could see clearly that they wanted to know, “Who is this Jesus who heals the lame? Who is this Jesus who provides food and shelter for us when no one else will?”

Our eMi volunteer team of eight spent the week investigating the coastal villages where ICM had been working. We gave away bags of rice, shared the Gospel and prayed for people who were hurting. At the end of the week a portion of our team met and worked in a similar way with the Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI). These coastal villagers had previously been closed to influence from outsiders. But the Tsunami changed that. Their world has been shaken and in many cases washed out to sea. Now they are asking, “Who will help us?” To date ICM has used funding from eMi to purchase and distribute 150 tons of rice. Now ICM and eMi will partner together to construct a new village for the Tsunami victims.

The waves of the Tsunami washed away houses, boats, fishing nets, and in many sad cases, lives. In a similar manner the waves washed away a way of life that was closed, isolated and backwards, a positive change. The children of these villages do not attend school because their parents need them to fish. The profit margin on fish they catch is unnecessarily low because all profit is going to a rich middleman. The system as it is requires all able hands to fish. ICM and HBI are helping them to understand market value of the fish they catch. By providing loans for refrigeration equipment they empower the fisherman to transport and sell their fish in local markets. Similar efforts are being made in the areas of sewing and boat making.

Many people have lost their homes as a result of the Tsunami and ICM wants to help. In addition ICM has been working with Christian families who have been exiled from their home village as a result of their faith. Now eMi and ICM will partner together to construct a new village to provide for 50 homeless families. In addition to homes the village will have a “community center.” The center will consist of a medical clinic building which includes a village administration office, a school building and a church building. The entire village sits on three acres that the villagers have purchased. Now we need to help them with construction.

Each home will sit on a lot of approximately 1550 square feet. Each house has three simple rooms, a large living / sleeping area, a front porch for guests, and a small kitchen in the back of the house. This is a typical village home layout. The entire house is less than 300 square feet. But ICM will build a concrete roof on these houses which makes the home much nicer than typical village construction. Each home will have access to safe drinking water from a specially designed wells. Water tests form local wells in the area indicated that the water is contaminated. In addition to the house each home will have a separate toilet and bathing structure. All water used for washing (gray water) will be used to water a ‘kitchen garden.’

eMi partners with organizations like ICM and HBI and together we are the Body of Christ. But together have not completed the Body. By the time the old man had made his way through the crowd to stand before us, it was clear that he still had some pain in his legs. The remaining pain was the most poignant aspect of his healing. He was healed at a crusade, hosted by ICM with an evangelical leader from the USA speaking. This old man and many others are being practically provided for with rice, clean water and a place to live thanks to eMi and our partners. He will grow in his faith through the encouragement of an ICM pastor. But the Body of Christ, and his healing, is not complete. More is needed because our work is not done. In India alone, hundreds of millions do not know the answer to the question, “who is this Man?” By giving to eMi’s Tsunami Relief efforts you are part of the Body of Christ that is helping to complete the work. That work will not be done until Jesus himself returns to walk on the beaches of South India.

Until that day, we press on!
For His Kingdom,
Glen Woodruff
CEO

Project Team
Glen Woodruff - EMI Team Leader
Scott Powell - Civil Engineer
Trevor Kimzey - Structural Engineer

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