E mail from Bankok Bethel ?

NikL

This letter seems to be making the rounds of Dubdumb.
Thought I would post in case it is not up yet...

Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 10:45 AM
Subject: Re: Tsunami

Dear Brothers,

So many of you have shown interest in the welfare of the brothers staying in the coastal areas affected by tsunamis this past
Sunday (Dec.26, 2004) ... emphasizing the truth expressed in our day's text today (Prov. 17:17). We are happy to report that to
the best of our knowledge none of our local brothers were hurt or lost their lives.

However we are sorry that we cannot say the same of our tourist brothers vacationing in these areas. Just a few minutes ago I
talked with Sister Renate Steinl from Austria, now in Bangkok, who was staying in Kao Lak (a resort very popular with
Europeans north of Phuket) with her husband who is also in the truth. She described how they were alerted by someone yelling
at the top of his voice, realizing that some terrible thing must have happened. So they ran out of the bungalow they were staying
in and soon saw the tsunami bearing in on them -- "higher than the trees" she described it. Of course they didn't get far before
being swept away... She survived, but so far we have no clue on what happened to her husband. So there is still hope that he is
found, though many people died in the resort area.

Just yesterday I got the glad news that a Sister from England who had a similar experience, was reunited with her (unbelieving)
husband who by some had been presumed dead already. Several ones of our brothers (including two special pioneers from
Switzerland and one from Britain who serve here in Thailand) are touring the area, looking up hospitals etc. and showing pictures
of the missing Austrian brother. It could be that he is severely injured or suffers from memory loss and thus was unable to make
contact himself ... however I personally rate the chances are rather slim that he will be found; hopefully I will be proven wrong in
this regard.

Then there is the Finish sister who also was separated from her husband. We were alerted by the brothers in Finland of her
ordeal. The brothers spent many hours till finally locating her in a hospital in Phangnga. She doesn't speak English (like the
Austrian sister) and needed help to explain her stand on blood. Finally she was operated on successfully without blood. Her
husband, a brother, is presumed dead--as far as I heard it. While still in the operating room our special pioneer phoned we
should select a hospital in Bangkok because she would be taken there with an ambulance shortly. I tried to arrange for that,
asking a Finish Sister (former missionary here) to be ready to receive her. Soon afterwards he phoned again, saying that no
ambulance was available (something I doubted from the very beginning), and that we should find one in Bangkok to get her (a
round trip of about 1,700 km). Government agencies said they couldn't help and I should try to find a private hospital who would
be willing to let us hire an ambulance... It finally turned out that it was agreed that she should be transported to nearby Phuket
and there a special plane from Finland would pick her up. Hopefully she is back in Finland now. I had so far no news on her
husband.

Now just as I am writing this email, I got a call from an elder from Krabi. He phoned yesterday telling us that a German couple
who had been vacationing at Kao Lak (the same resort mentioned above) hasn't been seen since and that he is worried that they
may have been victims of the tsunami. I spent a couple of hours yesterday trying to trace them (via many phone calls, Internet
searches), to no avail. Now he gives me the good news that some sister found their names on a list of those having been able to
return to their home countries. Thus one worry less.

Interestingly some Swedish Brothers went in the field service with the Phuket congregation on Sunday morning rather than
frolicking in the sea. It may have saved their lives as when they came back to their living quarters many cabins had been
destroyed by the huge waves. They thanked Jehovah that they had put his service first over enjoying swimming and sunning
themselves.

There are a number of other foreign brothers having atteded meetings but that have not been heard of since. At this stage we just
can't say what happened to them. Well, one thing we all can do is keeping our affected brothers in our prayers-- I am sure you
all will and already do. One positive aspect of the disaster is that surely people will here and elsewhere give more attention when
we quote Mt. 24:7 where it says about the time of the end that there will be "earthquakes in one place after another."

With much brotherly love,

Ernst

Incense_and_Peppermints

Interestingly some Swedish Brothers went in the field service with the Phuket congregation on Sunday morning rather than
frolicking in the sea.

hehe..."frolicking" Toll surpasses 121,000; aid pours in for 5 million left homeless...

Well, one thing we all can do is keeping our affected brothers in our prayers-- I am sure you all will and already do.

yeah, that's the important thing. now, as far as those other 5,120,997 people go...

One positive aspect of the disaster is that surely people will here and elsewhere give more attention when we quote Mt. 24:7 where it says about the time of the end that there will be "earthquakes in one place after another."

yay! one gigantic object lesson for all those unbelievers..woo-hoo...

Brummie

I find these emails far to self-rightous to read anymore, I dont know whether to pity the people who write them or to send them a donation to help with their education.

Brummie - Cant stomach another JW comment

happy man

Hello.

I can tell you that this is a terribekl dissaster fore evryone here in Sweden, 3,559 peoepl are missing, unbelvebel figure, when it comes to JW , ofcourse we aslo have JW among dead, I heard two famylies as is not heard of, but most trerribel is the children ,60 children come home today from Thailand,widhout ther parents, no words can be told, what can you do or say, only be ther trying to give some efforet.

And never forget thet Jesus dont ask what religon do you have, when he told the story about the hurt man how evryone dont help, all this high priests as think they was so good didnt help, what help do we give, wecan all give some of our money to this peopel in Asia as heve been so hard hitt by natur forceses.

love HM

stillajwexelder

I think a few of these letter writers need to read Carl Olof Johnssons books - The Sign of The Last Days - When and The Gentile Times Reconsidered

Pumple

It's fiNNish, with TWO N's. Finish means "to end something" etc. for christ's sake. Wow, once again some people get saved for "putting jehober first". Great. Why did jehober save them but not the fiNNish sister's (a brother!!) husband? Maybe he was busy drowning everybody...

JustTickledPink

why do JW's go and vacation in paradise (thailand) when the whole earth will soon be a paradise?