Less than a month after a 7.1 earthquake shook the Philippines, Super Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the area on Nov. 7, leaving extensive damage to the area and unimaginable death tolls.
Foursquare Disaster Relief’s Chad Isenhart arrived in Manila just hours ago to assess the damage in the area, and to see what damage Foursquare’s 1,900 churches located in the Philippines have suffered. Chad is working with Philippines National Leader Val Chaves to assess the greatest needs in the area, and to see how the U.S. Foursquare Church can provide relief in the coming weeks.
Chad reports that he is headed to the island of Tacloban, which has 45 Foursquare churches. The city was at the center of the typhoon; Chad estimates that 90 percent of Foursquare churches there have been destroyed, and he says that it has been confirmed that church members have died. He and Val Chaves haven’t been able to get to many of the churches to confirm the safety of the pastors, as roads are totally inaccessible.
The Foursquare Church has more than 1,900 churches, 2,400 workers, eight Bible colleges and one missionary family in the Philippines. To date, Foursquare Disaster Relief and Foursquare Missions International have been able to make contact with very few churches to confirm their safety.
The Foursquare Church is encouraging the Foursquare family to pray for our Disaster Relief team, and to give generously so the team can respond well. Chad says funds are needed urgently for clean water and living supplies. Click the “donate now” button below to make a tax-deductible donation.
Those who would be interested in volunteering to help the Philippines are encouraged to fill our the volunteer form at foursquaredisasterrelief.org. Currently only international first responders are allowed into the country. Those who have been trained in disaster response, including those who have received Chaplains Disaster Response Training, are encouraged not to respond in the Philippines until the area has been further assesed.
Follow the story on Twitter with #foursquarerelief to see Chad Isenhart’s live updates from the Philippines and to learn additional ways you can pray for those responding.
