Disaster Relief Update: Earthquakes in Myanmar, Japan, and Ecuador

Photo: Earthquake damage in Ecuador (photo posted by Jon Lambert).

The week of April 10 saw major earthquakes around the world, including three areas around where the Church of God has a presence: Myanmar, affecting much of the surrounding region, including Meghalaya, India, and Bangladesh; Kyushu, Japan’s southern island; and Ecuador.

Often, in the short term, there is little detailed information as news trickles in slowly, sometimes due to geographical isolation, and sometimes due to the destruction. You can contribute at any time to the Disaster Relief Fund at Church of God Ministries.

The Disaster Relief Committee at Church of God Ministries monitors disasters and works with Global Strategy regional coordinators and missionaries, as well as church leaders in affected regions, to identify needs and ways in which we can partner in immediate needs and in recovery.

We do not yet know the full extent of the damage from these three earthquakes, but there does not appear to have been any damage to church building or homes or loss of life within the Church of God in Myanmar and surrounding areas and in Japan. The Church of God in Japan, on the island of Kyushu, is considering how they might reach out to the affected communities in the mountains where no much aid has been distributed.

In Ecuador, Global Strategy missionaries Jon and Karen Lambert are safe. We understand from them that the church leaders and church members appear to have suffered no loss of life despite the massive destruction along the coast. They do know that the earthquake and aftershocks caused significant damage to the Church of God church building in Tonsupa, where the interior walls were destroyed and a six-foot-wide gap in the floor appeared. In Concorida, the church building is fine, but the home of paraplegic church leader Sister Gloria was completely destroyed. Major landslides are hindering travel to several church sites. We do anticipate that the Church of God in Ecuador will need some disaster relief to help with rebuilding once they have fully assessed the need.

Please continue to pray for each of the affected regions as they grieve losses, deal with cleanup and continue to assess damage. Please pray that the Church of God in each area continues to serves as a beacon of hope and peace amid widespread destruction and chaos. Thank you.

Gifts to the Disaster Relief Fund at Church of God Ministries are used to respond to needs identified on the ground. All gifts to the Disaster Relief Fund are used for disaster relief domestically and internationally at the discretion of the Disaster Relief Committee.

Donations can always be made online to the Disaster Relief Fund at https://www.jesusisthesubject.org/disaster-relief/. Donations can also be mailed to Church of God Ministries, PO Box 2420, Anderson, IN 46018; please note that your gift is for Disaster Relief, Project # 45.04502.

For the most up-to-date news on these disasters, we encourage you to like and follow Global Strategy and Church of God Ministries on Facebook, and Global Strategy and Church of God Ministries on Twitter.