Shortly after the tsunami struck, Diana heard the sad news that three of her cousins lost their lives in the flooding. In addition, her uncle lost his home, which was located near the ocean. We join in offering Diana our sympathy. Although she is saddened by the loss of her relatives, she is thankful that all of them were Christian believers. According to God's promises, she knows they have reached their heavenly home.

In our church and school, special offerings were taken for several weeks. The offerings have been earmarked for relief to India and will be included with offerings taken by fellow Christians in the US (Evangelical Lutheran Synod and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). By sending the money in this way we can insure that all of it is used directly for helping people. May the Lord bless all those who were affected by this disaster!

Mark Grubbs is a missionary for Thoughts of Faith, Inc., in Plzen, Czech Republic.