In the Midst of Disaster
By Bethany Armistead
What do wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya, or Afghanistan
mean for us? We watch the devastation of human life
on the television day after day, but why does this
happen to us? The foundations of the earth tremble
and quake as volcanoes erupt, destroying homes, towns
and families. The oceans rise up and claim entire cities
in their path of destruction, hurling Tsunamis and
floods in places like Aceh and more recently, the
Philippines. What does all this mean? And what should
we do?
The world seems to be falling apart. But amazingly,
Jesus predicted it and told his followers not to be
alarmed when it eventually happened. Not only that, he
told his followers that it was “the beginning of birth
pains,” ushering in a new era. Jesus seemed to make a
distinct link between
these disasters and the
gospel. Betsy Brown also
believed that disasters
and the gospel were
intimately connected,
becoming the door by
which people came to
the gospel. Betsy applies
this biblical prophecy to
what happens around
her. She’s come up with
a plan, which now
shapes her life and
ministry.
Betsy Brown started
as a typical worship
leader from Dallas, Texas. In her youth, she felt that
God was leading her into missions but had no idea
where she wanted to go. She considered many places
but each time she sensed the Lord saying, “No, I have
set you apart for a different purpose. Your mission
field is the world.” Her career as a worship leader
acquainted her with many people in church planting
movements (CPM) around the world, and it was those
contacts that introduced her to relief works. When an
earthquakes hit Turkey and India, Betsy went to help.
However, it was really her second experience, the
Tsunami in Aceh, that Betsy began to see the
connection between relief works and preaching the
Gospel. In Aceh, Betsy also learned a key principle
needed to bring those two things together: the
importance of being prepared. She shared, “People had
7
been praying for [a breakthrough] in Aceh...[but when
the tsunami hit] it was total chaos. Everybody knew it
was an opportunity, but we were taken by surprise and
nobody was prepared. It really bothered me. The
church had prayed for years and years and years. They
knew this was their moment, but they hadn’t prepared.”
The need to be prepared has since shaped her
ministry. Months before the outbreak of civil war in
Syria, Betsy got a call from her Syrian pastor friend,
who sensed the impending violence and asked her to
train members of his congregation as a response. Betsy
studied the needs and developed a series of shelter and
evacuation cards. She made plans to go to Syria.
Despite the obvious dangers, her drive to remain
faithful to her understanding of God outweighed her
need for a personal
safety. Betsy arrived in
Damascus and spent 3
days training the church.
Most of the congregation
attended the training, but
didn’t believe the
violence would actually
come. Two weeks later
the first car bomb
exploded in that area, the
beginning of a long and
violent conflict. It was
confirmation: the church
was ready and able to
respond.
Jesus said that disasters
and wars would come. Betsy anticipates wars and
disasters as characteristic of God’s end-time plan for
the Nations. Wars and disasters become a door that
Betsy becomes ready and able to walk through. Her
experience in Syria confirmed that theory. But Betsy is
not content to walk alone; she wants the church of
Jesus Christ to be prepared to walk through those same
doors. Betsy urges us to consider: “What if the church
was in the posture of, ‘we know something bad is going
to happen, so we are going to prepare now.’
Immediately when.. [disaster hits] BANG! We are
there.”
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as
unwise but as wise, making the most of every
opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Eph.5:
16-17)