Earthquakes in Haiti, Chili, and China. Floods in Tennessee. War in Sudan. As the world has suffered from a brutal string of disasters in the past year, U. S. churches have recognized the need to send humanitarian aid in the name of Christ. Yet most congregations are not equipped to provide a meaningful response to suffering on a massive scale. How can American Christians get involved in bringing hope to victims of disasters?
Kevin J. Turner is president of Strategic World Impact (SWI), a missions agency that works exclusively in disaster areas, war zones, and places where Christians are persecuted. He’s personally spent 20 years ministering in some of the most ravaged—and dangerous—places on earth, and he has the scars to prove it. His organization provides direct relief aid like food, water, and medical assistance. SWI workers also proclaim the gospel through interpersonal relationships and by showing the Jesus film.
We asked Kevin to help us understand ways that U. S. churches can respond to calamities with wisdom and compassion.
Tell us a little about your experience working in war zones and disaster areas?
I was born again in 1989—radically set free. I started preaching the gospel on the streets and sharing in my workplace. Then one year later, I was on a plane headed to Honduras and Nicaragua. This was at the end of the Sandinista and Contra fallout, so I was really stepping into a war zone. But once I experienced that type of ministry, I knew it was the only life for me.
After my trip, I went away with the Lord; I fasted and prayed. God very clearly gave me a vision for assisting the church in strategically responding (to humanitarian disasters) for a strategic harvest.
My wife and I have been married for almost 22 years, and we have three children. They’ve all served overseas with us—working in refugee camps and war zones. As a family, we’ve been through quite a lot. I have seen several people killed by my side. I once spent ten days in the mountains running for my life. Three young men from Yemen came to kill our family. We’ve had a lot of very crazy experiences, but there’s nothing I would give back.
My children have seen firsthand that there are greater thing to live for than the mall or the next movie. I thank God for those opportunities and the things our family has suffered for the sake of the gospel.
Clearly, relief work can be a dangerous occupation! Yet you believe it’s extremely important for the Church to respond to these catastrophes. Why?
Wars and natural disasters can actually be stepping stones for Christians to be the hands and feet of Christ. This world isn’t looking for a better sermon on love: They’re looking for a better demonstration of it. When we see people in need, Christians get to come as ambassadors of hope. We say to them, “We’re helping you because we are following Christ.” And afterwards, if people inquire further, that’s our platform to share the hope within us.
This is an absolutely amazing time for the church to be the church! So go out beyond your four walls and radically intervene in people’s lives. Do it because the love of Christ compels you. These are divine situations that the Lord has allowed so that his love can come alive. If you look at the Gospels, you’ll see that Jesus continually met real needs—whether they were spiritual, physical, or mental. He gave people hope, and some of them responded, “Jesus, I want to be on board with you. I can’t go back.”
Many churches want to send funds or resources in the aftermath of a disaster. Yet they also realize there’s a great deal of potential for scams and unwise use of funds. If a church wants to help, how can they wisely make a contribution?
Often, money creates problems, not solves them, because you do have scams. There are also difficulties that arise from good intentions and poor methods. After Hurricane Mitch in 1998, I saw where shipping containers full of winter jackets were sent to Honduras. There were two problems with that. One, it was a massive waste—they simply weren’t needed. And two, these containers with junk in them clogged up the port and the distribution system. So that form of “help” actually hurt the situation.
I’m not saying the church shouldn’t collect special offerings, but one thing is absolutely essential: That church members go and see how the funds are being used. I believe it brings a great change to the church; it really helps them focus outwardly. Also, they’ll know that their gifts are not feeding an organization’s bureaucracy or corruption within the country.
Partner up with organizations that have a good reputation for working in disaster areas and war zones. At SWI, we work with churches that have a heart for the nations, but don’t understand how to help. So we go in and do an assessment, then come back and tell people what is needed.
Now, some agencies will say to you, “Send us money, but we don’t want you to come.” I would advise you to partner with an organization that says, “Yes, we need funds to do this—but we would also like some of your personnel to be there.” Otherwise, we’re tempted to overlook the greatest ministry of all: The ministry of presence. Just being there in the middle of someone’s pain provides a massive amount of comfort. We can give people an ear for their sorrows and hurts.
Of course, not every church has the resources to send a team. One way that they can be successful is by asking, “Do we already have missionaries serving in that country?” If they’re on the ground in the midst of things, partner with them.
Let’s say that a church wants to begin helping with disasters in a hands-on way. What can they do to prepare their team?
The right way to do it is to take a step back before the disaster and say, “Look, God’s calling us to respond to the needs of people who are suffering around the world. Let’s train some of our people so that they can go into a situation with knowledge, and actually play a part in helping people without doing something wrong.”
Sometimes well-intentioned Christians think they’re doing something positive—but they’re not. For instance, you’ve probably heard in the secular media about a Baptist church from Idaho that went to rescue orphans in Haiti. Now, that’s admirable, and I thank God for their efforts! But there were some ill-conceived plans that landed them in a lot of trouble and caused harm. (Members of the church were arrested and jailed for trying to take children out of the country.)
How does your organization, Strategic World Impact, equip people to serve in war zones and disaster areas?
Every June, we offer our DART course—Disaster Assistance Response Training. It’s for individuals, for missionaries, for anyone who wants to learn about the right way to help those in dire need. We actually set up a mock refugee camp. We teach participants how to do an assessment of the situation, how to set up a camp, how to provide basic medical aid.
We have a whole course on culture, and we teach you how to understand the basic cultural dos and don’ts in the area that you’re traveling into. We teach you about Islam, and we discuss other religions as well. So it’s a really holistic course: It goes from boots on the ground all the way to returning. We teach churches how to effectively send people into situations where they can be helpful.
We also equip people—and here’s most the important part—to be safe while they’re providing aid. In 1993, more humanitarian aid workers were hurt or killed in the line of duty than UN peacekeepers. So we teach you how to stay safe while you’re ministering to others.
Clearly, ministering in war zones and disaster areas can be quite dangerous. What would you say to someone that wants to get involved, but is intimidated by fear?
Walking in obedience to the Lord can be frightening. But remember, a person is usually more afraid of the unknown than the reality. If you’ve never driven down a highway at 75 miles per hour—with another car whizzing by you in a lane that’s three feet away—you would probably say, “That’s crazy!” But we accept it as a normal part of life, so we do it every day.
Still, I have faced death. I have scars all over my body. I was in Northern Nigeria when Muslims were killing and burning Christians alive in churches. I was attacked in Egypt, I was attacked in Eritrea, I was attacked in Sudan. Yes, it’s scary when you’re going through it, but there’s such a massive reward, because your life matters.
I have a friend of mine—a very dear friend—who traveled with me into war zones. He was with me in Pakistan and Sudan. Then he came home and went on a short-term missions trip to Mexico—a “safe” country. He was playing soccer with some kids when he had a massive heart attack and died. The point is, whether we’re in Afghanistan or Chicago, none of us have a guarantee on tomorrow. The safest place you can ever be is right in the will of God. Then when you die—and you will—you will leave a legacy.
I know those are some tough words. I’m not saying that everyone should work in war zones. But everyone should be involved in taking Christ to the world.
I think all churches would like to pray effectively for people who are suffering. Yet many Americans have never lived in a war zone, or even experienced a major natural disaster. How can we pray intelligently for people who have lost everything?
Well, we need to pray with knowledge, and that means getting informed about the event that’s touching our hearts. From the pulpit, pastors can update the church on the situation. Then intercessory teams can pray in an educated manner. I believe the greatest thing that we can do is get on our knees and cry out to the Lord of Heaven, asking him to intervene and respond. The Bible says he goes before us to open gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron (Isaiah 45:2)! If God opens a door, no man can shut it.
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