Dear Friends and Family,
Once again I would like to thank all of you who have written expressing your concern and/or been praying for everyone in northern Chile. This evening I was able to talk to Bishop Ulises to get an update on what is happening and the Pentecostal Church of Chile's response.
All of the pastors in the northern region have reported in, and so far, there is news of one church building suffering major damage. This is the church in Huara, a daughter church of the church in Pozo Almonte. Huara is a town of about 1000 people in the Atacama desert and most of the houses were built out of adobes. Another area that has been deeply affected is Alto Hospicio, the outskirts of Iquique. Pastor David Ramirez reports that even though the church and the parsonage did not suffer severe damage, many homes in the community are beyond repair.
Bishop Ulises informed me that they still do not have a clear picture of how many people from the churches in Iquique, Alto Hospicio, Pozo Almonte, and Arica lost their homes, but he is planning a trip north immediately after Easter Week to assess the damage. After this trip, he hope to have a clearer picture of the needs and what the church can do to help. It is possible that the church will once again build Blessing Cabins as the preliminary estimate is that about 9000 homes have been damaged and 1000 of those beyond repair. When he returns, we will also be putting together a strategy for a program in trauma healing and resilience development, similar to what was done in 2010.
The Pentecostal Church of Chile in Curicó has joined together with the municipal government to send a first shipment of aid to Iquique and Alto Hospicio. This is particularly significant because it was these two cities that were the first to respond to the earthquake in the Maule Region in 2010.
That is the news I have for now. I will try to keep you up to date with new developments. May God bless each of you and thank you for your prayers.
Shalom
E
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