On Friday, September 28, 2018, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia, triggering a tsunami with waves up to 10 feet high. Water toppled and swept away buildings in the coastal city of Palu, home to 350,000 people, on the island of Sulawesi.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has deployed a local team to the area and is conducting an assessment of medical and humanitarian needs in coordination with the Indonesian national response mechanism. The team is composed of medical, logistics, and water and sanitation specialists.

According to the official report of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, as of September 30, 2018, the earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi have resulted in the deaths of at least 832 people, including 821 from Palu city and 11 from Donggala regency. Another 540 people are severely injured, 29 are missing, and 16,732 people have been displaced. The number of casualties is expected to increase as there are still many people reportedly buried under collapsed buildings.

And so we pray this news. . .

Lord, in your tenderness hold close those
who have lost loved ones in the
earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.
Be present to those who have homes,
possessions, livestock and pets in this tragedy.
Be with the medical, logistics, water and sanitation
specialists who are working in the area.
Support the wise counselors and religious leaders offering
support and encouragement to the victims everywhere.
Lord, in your power bring hope out of the despair
which the people of Indonesia must be feeling.
Give them the strength and the courage to
weather the long storm of recovery and personal renewal.
For those who are homeless, open the way for them
to find a new place to live and work to help them flourish.
For those children separated from their parents.
give them shelter with people who care.

Help us, Lord of Connections, to feel empathy
with our suffering brothers and sisters in Indonesia.
Open our hearts and minds to keep them in our prayers
as they traverse the long hard road to recovery.

— Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat


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