China
(MNN) — Together with an NGO partner, Food for the Hungry has been able to
provide winter clothing for 1,540 people in an isolated village hard-hit by the
Sichuan
earthquake.
Since the roads leading to the village were in poor
condition, very little outside relief has been received. As winter temperatures began to sink to the
30-40 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, a neighboring church noticed the village's plight and drew
attention to it.
Chinese churches in the United States raised a generous
donation of over $20,000 to fund the clothing distribution.
The 7.9 magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks killed over
55,000 people in Sichuan
province in the month of May 2008. Since
then, the church that raised concerns about the isolated village has been very
active in earthquake relief.
Members of the congregation distributed food and medicine,
volunteered at local hospitals, helped clean up homes belonging to other people
in the community, and cared for a group of children orphaned by the
earthquake. In addition, the church
partnered with the local government to provide counseling services.
The local government has responded to the congregation's
efforts and the increased number of Christians in the area by granting it a
plot of land on which to build a church building.
If you would like to help China's earthquake survivors, click
here.
