|
CHINA EARTHQUAKE
Please pray for all those who are suffering as a result of the recent earthquake in Yushu, China. Hundreds of people have lost their lives and many more have been wounded, as 85% of the buildings in Yushu were flattened. The Chinese army has sent 5,000 troops to the area to search for survivors among the rubble. (19 April 2010)
 Chile Earthquake
We are receiving reports from Chile of the severe earthquake that has hit that land and its devastating effects. Although we have no UK workers linked to Echoes serving in Chile, there are a number of workers from Canada and the USA who are linked to our sister organisations MSC (Canada) and CMML (USA). Some news has been received from David Jones (Canada):
Monday March 1
"As each hour passes and news coverage increases, the magnitude of the devastation caused by the earthquake is more alarming. Here is an update as of Monday afternoon.The government says half a million homes have been damaged and two million people have been affected. These figures are also liable to increase
There is only one report of loss of life of known believers from the assemblies. Some halls were damaged. Two are unusable at the moment until there is an assessment made of what will be required to repair them.
In VALPARAÍSO, where three sisters live, the ceiling in the large kitchen has fallen in.
In PEÑAFLOR, where a lot of poorer folk live, many who attend the meeting there lost their homes. For the moment, a priority is to get some shelter and in theory the government hopes to give them some basic help.
In TALCA, two single sisters whose home is adjacent to the hall report damage to their home making the rooms unlivable. An elder and his brother-in-law next door also report damage done to their homes. Long lineups at gas stations show there is fear of scarcity. Supermarkets in the more affected areas are not open, some waiting for hydro to be restored.
Plans are being made by Christians here in San Felipe and also in Valdivia to take foodstuffs and water to the Christians in the affected area."
Workers in Chile are establishing a relief fund and we are making an immediate transfer of £5,000 from Echoes Disaster Fund through MSC Canada for onward transmission to Chile, and will be sending further relief support as the needs unfold.
Join with us in praying for all who are going through this devastating experience.
Haiti Update
We received this report a few days ago after a visit made to Haiti by our colleagues Bob Dadd and Phil Parsons of CMML USA. They report on work being done and what is still planned.
“An initial meeting was conducted by the leaders of the assemblies in Santo Domingo. The primary purpose of the meeting was to gain an understanding of the steps that had already been taken to meet the needs in Haiti and any plans to develop a more sustained long-term approach to the relief and recovery effort. When the earthquake hit, the brethren from the Dominican Republic assemblies met to form a response strategy. Two groups made separate trips to the capital city. Contact was made with three Baptist pastors primarily working with children and orphanages. Contact was also made with a Baptist pastor who has an official recognition as the head of the evangelical work in Haiti. In the days that immediately followed the earthquake the priority was to help meet the medical needs of injured Haitians. This was an overwhelming task as there were so many injured.
The team included six doctors, three nurses, three pharmacists, a clinical psychologist and various helpers. Medical supplies were purchased and loaded on a flat bed truck along with bags of rice, cases of bottled water and some clothing we carried from the United States. The five-hour bus ride took us from the capital to the border town of Jimena. A local church provided a place to bunk down for the night. Early the following morning and before crossing the border, our doctors selected additional medications stored in a large warehouse. Another two-hour bus ride brought the team to a medical station called Mision Rescate. It is located adjacent to one of many tent cities scattered throughout Port-au-Prince.
Mision Rescate is ministering to the needs of nearly 1,000 people a day. This includes those needing serious medical treatment to those needing water.
The medical station was under the direction of a sister from an assembly in Santo Domingo. She was in charge of the entire operation at this location and had been on site every day but one since just after the earthquake. She shared the need to acquire high quality tents so that displaced Haitians have a place to call home. Soon, the rainy season will arrive and add to the misery of the millions of displaced people.It is impossible to see how the situation will ever be returned to some level of normality. The extent of the problems is so great. The infrastructure is virtually non-existent. Outside help will be needed for years.
The assembly leaders believe that their efforts will not be effective without establishing a base of operations in Port-au-Prince or close to the city. They need a secure location that can be used by the relief workers coming from the Dominican Republic and for storing medical supplies and food. They have identified a suitable property for rent in a suburb of Port-au-Prince. The vision is to use this base, not only for medical and other needs, but also for reaching the people with the gospel.. This will be a large and long-term undertaking for the assemblies. It will require committed people and resources Funds have been forwarded to the brethren so they can begin this initiative.
The ministry of Emmaus Correspondence Schools (ECS) was affected as four of five buildings in the capital city were destroyed. During our visit we had a brief meeting with the ECS coordinator in Haiti, Jean Mathieu Cherine. Funds have been forwarded to ECS to assist in the continuation of that work."
We have sent further funds to our colleagues at CMML and stand ready to send more as and when they are needed.
If you would like to make a donation to the relief work, you can send a cheque to the Echoes office with an accompanying note specifying your gift for Haitian Relief, or if you would prefer, you can make a donation over the phone. Echoes of Service, 124 Wells Road, Bath, BA2 3AH Tel 01225 310893 (29 March 2010)
Further Information
Echoes are also aware of contacts with brethren in the Dominican Republic who have been able to assess the situation first hand, and are making the necessary arrangements to enter Haiti. The Dominican brethren have 25 doctors/translators who are waiting for permission to enter and provide aid. You may be aware that all hospitals and clinics are full and there are no longer places to treat critical cases.
Longer term, Echoes is liaising with the brethren assemblies in the Dominican Republic, which number over 300, who are keen to provide practical help with the rebuilding. There are already engineers/technicians/workman and helping hands prepared for construction projects as most have been made homeless.
| 
