Jiangyou is a focus of FH
relief efforts because of the statistics.
Although only 394 people died in Jiangyou from the earthquake, 18,000
people were injured. Jiangyou also has
the worst property damage in the area with an estimated 500 billion RMB (approx.
$71,000,000). Soon after the earthquake
hit, FH visited Jiangyou to meet with registered church leaders and other
community leaders to assess how best to respond to the enormous needs.
In partnership with the
local church, FH is building a community health center in Jiangyou. The vision of the local church is to see the
clinic used to meet health needs as well as a place to share the love of God
with the poor in their community. In
over two months, the local church partners, with the assistance of FH, distributed
70 trucks worth of supplies including blankets, tents, water and food. As a result of their community outreach, the
church has experienced a growth in congregation size from 500 to 700 since May
12th.
In the midst of reaching
out to others, one local church partner is also suffering from the effects of
the earthquake. The pastor and many
congregation members had their homes destroyed in the quake, and since then,
have been living in a temporary housing community where nearly 45,000 people
are living together. Please pray for
this situation as there is a toxic chemical between the walls that is making
many people sick, and there is concern that the “temporary” shelter will serve
as their home for up to three years. FH
is assessing ways in which they can further reach out to this population of
people that are displaced.
