Progress in Serving the Suffering

Progress continues by the FH team in Chincha. Lauren reports that by Friday 8/24, two of the soup kitchens or comedors were in operation and about 800 people were registered and given meals. By Saturday, the third comedor was on line, and that day about 1500 people were served. The food is simple, made mostly from dried foods such as rice, lentils, beans, and oatmeal, with additional protein being provided by canned tuna. It is the aim of FHI to maintain these comedors for a few weeks and then eventually turn them over to local officials. Lauren is working on securing grants from other agencies to help sustain the long term operations of the comedors until the need no longer is there.

The recovery teams are able to reach the most severely affected parts of the city by partnering with local associations of Pastors who are also among the homeless. Lauren reports of the dedication of these pastors who are working in the comedors to serve the needs of their communities in spite of personal loses and the needs of their own families. Please pray for these local Christian leaders.

One thing that made it very difficult for the Peruvian government to respond quickly to this disaster was that the offices of the Civil Defense for the southern part of the country were in Pisco, the hardest hit of the cities. Those offices were destroyed along with the homes of the civil defense workers. Of course, lines of communication and transportation were interrupted, which made the implementation their disaster plan almost impossible. Remembering our government’s initial response to hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, it is not surprising that Peru has had a difficult time with immediate response to this tremendous disaster, but much progress is now being made. Our telephone connection was not very good on Saturday night, so Lauren went outside in hopes of better reception. After a few minutes, she said “Wow, it's freezing out here, I’ve got to go back inside”, which reminded us that it is winter down there, and there are still thousands of people sleeping outdoors every night. Please continue to keep those people in your prayers. We thank you for your continued support of this important mission of compassion.

Report from Lauren in Chincha 8/23/07

Lauren is unable to reach a computer since she is leading the FH team in the earthquake recovery area. However, through the wonder of mobile technology Mom & Dad talk with her almost every evening since she arrived back on the scene in Chincha.

She reports the team has received over 30 tons of food today from multiple relief agencies and are setting up kitchens in three different communities. They hope to serve around 1500 of the people most severely affected by the earthquake. The team of around 10 workers are divided among several communities assessing their needs and making local government contacts to work within existing structures and support their recovery.

We both sense in Lauren the weight of her responsibilites and at the same time the joy of making a difference and serving the Lord.

We are happy to update her blog for her while she has no internet access, and will do so as we make telephone contact each evening. Thank you for your continued prayers for Lauren's safety and her work.

Earthquake Update - 1st Visit to Earthquake Zone

Yesterday I returned from our first visit and relief effort in the earthquake zone in the province of Ica (south of Lima). The devastation is incredible with 60% of homes being destroyed and another 25% damaged around the town of Chincha. In the town of Pisco, the destruction seems to be total. As we spent the last three days delivering a few supplies (mostly medical goods we had in storage) and coordinating local churches how FH will begin to deliver more relief in the next days and weeks to come, I was overwhelmed by the destruction and the great need of the people. Today I returned to our office in Lima to organize the relief that we will begin later this week. Wed. or Thurs. I will return with a team of staff from our Lima office, to open 3 soup kitchens and distribution centers in some of the hardest hit and neediest areas around the city of Chincha. We will be partnering with the local churches in the area, so that our efforts not only help those in need, but also empower and enable the local church to respond to the needs of all the people in their communities. We hope to reach 2000 people for the next 7-10 days and may be able to do more depending on the outcome of several funding requests.

When I came home to my apartment here in Lima tonight, I was exhausted and realizing that I am completely overwhelmed by the task the Lord has set before me (helping to coordinate the FH-Peru response). I know that it is only through the Lord's providing of connections, and resources, and through his strength and wisdom that we will be able to effectively serve these families. So my prayer is for just that....provision, wisdom and strength.

My body is tired, and I know there are many long days ahead, but the Lord is faithful to provide and I offer to him all the work of our hands and minds and hearts in the next days and weeks to come. That he would use me and FH to glorify him and to share His love in tangible ways so that His light break through this darkness.

Is this not the fast you have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo
the cords of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share our food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter;
When we see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from our own flesh?
Then our light will break forth like the dawn, and our healing will quickly appear, and our righteousness will go before us;
Your glory, O Lord, will be our rear guard.
Then we will call, and You will answer;
We will cry and you will say “Here I am.”
If we put away the yoke from our midst, the pointing of the finger and the malicious talk, and if we extend our souls to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then our light will rise in the darkness, and our gloom will become like the noonday.

Isaiah 58:6-10

Earthquake Update

Today has been a long day. I got to the office about 9 and the entire staff met for prayer. We then went out to the communities to see how the earthquake yesterday had affected the families there. Gracias a Dios (as they say here), the families were fine, there were no deaths, only a few minor injuries, and the communities suffered minimal damage. We returned to the office to report back (hearing from staff who had visited all of the communities. The people though were quite shaken up and many commented that they had never received any training on what to do in an earthquake.

Here are a few pictures of the damages suffered in the communities....








Tomorrow I will preparing a short training/ debriefing that our staff will be able to share with the communities sometime in the next few days. This will be followed up though by some much more in depth training and planning with community leaders (this is a project I have already been working in my position of disaster response and preparedness coordinator).

The majority of the damage of the earthquake occurred near the epicenter (some 70 miles south of Lima). Here is a brief overview that a friend of mine wrote up: As some of you have already heard, last night two consecutive earthquakes rocked Peru between 6 and 7 pm. They felt like one long earthquake and lasted about 2.5 minutes. The epicenter is about 70 miles south of Peru just off the coast of a city called Pisco. The quake was rated at 7.9. The damage in Lima has been minimal, but reports this morning say that 80% of the city was destroyed. The death toll right now is 337 people and another 1500 injured. Reports are just starting to come in now from our communities in Lima and so far there haven’t been reported any serious damage or injury.

Today I attended a government meeting with the FH-Peru country director and the national manager. From that meeting we have decided to send a small team (of which I will be a part), to go to Pisco to assess the needs, and see what connections we can make to respond to the immediate emergency situation there. Please be pray for safety and wisdom as we travel and try to figure out how to help meet the needs of the people. I should be returning to Lima sometime on Saturday or Sunday (and my parents will be kept informed of my whereabouts while I am gone).

Please also pray for:

The family member of those who have died. May they find comfort in the arms of loved ones. May they see they humble themselves before the makes of mountains, tectonic plates, and fault lines. May they find comfort and strength in the Lord Pray for the many injured and their families and they are rushed to flooded hospitals and some evacuated to Lima. Pray for healing and comfort for these families Pray for the families in the communities in which we work here in Lima. They are built on the sides of bare, rocky hills. Many of the homes are build on foundations held up by rickety retaining walls made simply of rocks stacked on top of each other. This paltry construction leaves the communities very vulnerable to quakes and aftershocks. When these walls fall down, the crush everything in their path as the roll to the bottom of the hills. I will go to the communities this morning to see if there has been any damage. Please pray that this earthquake will bring urgency to a new disaster relief prevention plan that we have been in the process of initiating on a national and local level. Pray for the leadership of Peru as they respond to this crisis. May they seek the Lord’s wisdom as they make many decisions about how to respond. Pray for the rescue workers and thousands of medical personnel that are responding to this crisis. Pray for Food for the Hungry’s leadership as we decide how best to respond to this crisis. But most of all, pray that God’s name will be made great through this disaster. God uses disasters like this to call attention to His sufficiency and sovereignty. May Peru get the message that they need Him. May they humble themselves before Him.

Thank you for your prayers. I will be updating you as soon as I know more information.

Blessings,
Lauren

7.5 Earthquake, but I am Safe and Sound

Many of you may have heard that there was a very larger Earthquake tonight that struck near Lima, Peru, magnitude 7.5. It was very strong, very scary, a few items moved around in my home, and books off the shelves, a few new cracks in the plaster, but I am ok. I was actually on a bus when it struck and only felt the tail end of the almost 1 min. of shaking. We don't know yet how the earthquake has affected the communities where we work (the homes there are built on steep hill sides, and on very unstable ground and rocks), so please be praying for the families there, that everyone is safe. I am going out there tomorrow morning to see how things are and will let you all know.

Thanks for your prayers.

Lauren