The earth trembled beneath their feet—but while buildings swayed in Thailand, they crumbled in Myanmar. In the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that struck Southeast Asia in late March, two neighboring countries—Thailand and Myanmar—have been left grappling with its impact. Yet the contrast between their realities couldn’t be more stark.

Northern Thailand, including cities like Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, felt the jolt. People poured into the streets, anxious and shaken, but mostly safe. Cracked walls and disrupted routines marked the extent of their ordeal.

In Myanmar, the earthquake has carved deep scars—on the land, in homes, and in hearts.

As of April 3, more than 5,300 people are confirmed dead, with over 11,000 injured and more than 1,100 still missing. Nearly 50,000 people are living in makeshift relief camps, many under tarps and plastic sheets in open fields. Entire families have lost not just their houses, but their churches, their schools, their sense of normalcy—and in many cases, their loved ones.

“Some have lost beloved family members. Heartbreakingly, their church buildings have also collapsed, leaving them without a place to worship or gather as a community,” said Rev. Rolin San, Director of Foreign Missions at the Christian Reformed Church of Myanmar. “It was deeply painful to witness the suffering firsthand. Seeing the devastation with my own eyes left me feeling overwhelmed and helpless at times.”

In Mandalay, Sagaing, and Inlay—the worst-hit regions—people line up for drinking water. Food is scarce, and electricity remains unreliable. Hospitals, already under-resourced before the quake, are now overwhelmed or completely destroyed. The fear of disease outbreaks looms large as families sleep in overcrowded shelters or on the streets.

Yet amid the debris and despair, a quiet, determined solidarity has emerged.

Faith communities in Thailand have extended their hands across the border. The Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT), a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, was among the first to respond. Supplies—bags of rice, bottles of drinking water, eggs, and hygiene items—are being packed and sent to those who need them most.

“We are all part of one human family,” said Dr. Prawate Khidarn, Assistant to the General Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs at CCT. “While Thailand was spared the worst, we are called to act—not just in compassion, but in justice. Our neighbors in Myanmar are suffering. And they must not suffer alone.”

In Kalaymyo, in northwestern Myanmar near the Chin State, volunteers from the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar are doing what they can. Mrs. Van Lal Hming Sangi, Woman Desk Secretary for the church’s General Assembly, shared that youth groups from Kalaymyo and Yangon continue traveling to Mandalay to help victims, despite ongoing aftershocks.

But the need is vast—and growing.

The Presbyterian Church of Myanmar (PCM) has opened its Mandalay center to shelter displaced people. Plans are underway to dig deep wells, restore electricity, and reinforce damaged structures, but limited funding and continued tremors have slowed progress.

“Help is not just a matter of charity. It is a matter of justice,” a PCM representative said. “We are doing what we can with what we have, but we need our global church family to walk with us.”

The World Communion of Reformed Churches, which counts both CCT and churches in Myanmar among its members, has issued an appeal for urgent assistance. This is not only a time to rebuild homes, they say, but to rebuild hope.

As the aftershocks—both literal and emotional—continue to ripple through Myanmar, one thing is clear: recovery will take more than time. It will take presence. It will take solidarity. It will take us all.