A month has now passed since the landfall of cyclone Nargis along the Irawaddy Delta of Myanmar.

     Within days of this tragedy, we received word from Pastor Benjamin who lived in the delta outside Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar. We were all relieved to hear that he, his family and the orphans under his care had survived the storm and were safe.

     This great news came with an urgent plea for assistance, which we passed along to many of you. This plea was for financial assistance to rebuild the pastor's home and place of worship and to care for the many orphans that were already in the care of the ministry and the many more that were arriving in Yangon with no place to go.

     Thank you very much for the tremendous response to the needs of Pastor Benjamin. In a matter of weeks more than $24,000 has been given, part of which is already being used to help rebuild the ministry. Additional funds will be distributed in coordination with Pastor Benjamin and as it is needed.

     Pastor Benjamin was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support for his situation. He appropriately gives all praise to the Lord for his provision and is humbled by His provision.

     The current death toll in Myanmar stands at 134,000 with more than 2 million internally displaced people whose homes have been affected by the storm.

     The military government continues to make it extremely difficult to distribute aid, although international pressure has forced an easing of some restrictions.

     As the residents of Myanmar and their plight begin to fade from the headlines, please continue to pray for Pastor Benjamin, his family and ministry as they begin to rebuild.

     Harvesters will continue our evaluation process of Pastor Benjamin and his ministry. We are excited about the possibility of formalizing our relationship with the ministry and can already see God at work. Please pray that God will raise individuals and churches to support this ministry on an ongoing basis.

Pastor Benjamin and his family before cyclone Nargis