This Week @ CLC - February 26, 2010
‘Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre?’ Corrie Ten Boom
UPDATED
Chile – We have received more news from our team in Chile in the last 24 hours.
Praise the Lord the Concepcion team are all safe and well, and the shop has not suffered significant damage. However, food is very scarce and electricity and water supplies are cut off. There is significant vandalism in the streets as people try to find basic supplies. Our Concepcion bookshop manager, Edgardo Roldan, reports that neighbours are organizing themselves to protect against physical attack.
Elsewhere, the manager in Valparaiso, Edmundo, is unable to return to his seventh floor apartment as the building is unsafe and in Santiago one wall of our warehouse has collapsed into a neighbour’s property.
Please continue to pray:
1. For protection for our bookshops against vandalism
2. For basic supplies to be restored, and for peace in the streets
3. For the Chilean government as they manage this huge crisis
~LAST WEEK~
Chile - was struck by one of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history early on Saturday morning, killing more than 700 people while leaving untold numbers missing and 2 million displaced, wounded or otherwise affected. The 8.8 quake delivered 50 times more energy than the Haiti earthquake a month ago. Thankfully the destruction was not as great as in Haiti because Chile has very strict building codes. However, the capital Santiago and two cities, Concepción and Talca, suffered significant damage.
We have heard from our National Director Isaac Zuniga that he and his family in Temuco are fine, and our teams in Santiago, Antofagasta, Vina del Mar, Temuco y Valparaiso are safe. So far there are no major damages or personal losses reported by the CLC family. Late yesterday we received confirmation that our team in Talca is OK, but that the city is in a state of chaos with many roads impassable. According to a local news paper - "The city looks like it was hit by a missile".
However we are really concerned about the team in Concepción, from whom we have not received any communication or news. Isaac was considering making the trip to Concepcion overland today (Monday) but this may be very difficult, if not impossible, due the destruction of roads and collapsed bridges.
Prayer requests from Isaac:
• For a quick restoration of the basic services (water, electricity) and communications.
• That the population will wait patiently until the help arrives. The army will take control of two provinces to avoid violence and
chaos.
• For wisdom to know what our priorities should be for the stores.
Because of the ongoing implications of the earthquake, CLC Chile has decided to postpone their annual conference which was planned to be held on March 14th.
Please pray for our staff in Concepcion; Edgardo Roldan (Manager), Héctor Flores, Luis Pena and Christian Yanez
CLC Chile needs our support. Please keep them in your prayers, and we will keep you informed.
Annual Conferences – The following CLC teams will be meeting for their Annual conferences over the next few days. Please remember them in your prayers as we trust God to bless, encourage and lead them in His ways, and to His glory.
Japan – 1-3 March
Colombia – 3-5 March
Philippines – 4-6 March
Bangladesh – Thank you for praying for Christopher Robert’s visit to Bangladesh (weekly news 05.02.10). Christopher obtained his visa to travel from India without problems, and was able to be with the team earlier this month. Dominic Cadet, manager of CLC/ELS in Dhaka, writes to say that the visit was very fruitful and that they are encouraged by the possibilities for the future of the work.
Barbados – Marion Manning, director of the CLC bookshop in Bridgetown, is having eye surgery for cataracts. She was scheduled to have the first operation on *Wednesday (February 24th) and another next Wednesday (March 3rd). Pray that she will make a good recovery and enjoy better eyesight as a result. Marion quotes a verse from Deuteronomy which is an encouragement to her, and trusts it will be for others too.
“The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.” (Deut.31:8 NIV)
* We have heard that Wednesday’s operation was very successful.
New Zealand – The CLC Bookbus is due to get back on the road after more than a year out of action! Praise the Lord for generous gifts that have enabled this to happen for the next year at least, and for the commitment of Graham and Sue Christie who have offered to help with this work for a minimum of one year. Training for this ministry starts in March and, God willing, the bus will be in use from May. Please pray for all the preparation that needs to take place before then. Pray too as the old routes are re-established and new ones planned. It is anticipated that the bus will be on the road for at least 33 weeks in the year. This is an important service to people and church fellowships in towns and isolated communities where there are no Christian bookshops.
Venezuela – Following the recent inauguration of the new CLC warehouse in Caracas, Gamaliel Padilla and his team are still trying to fit out the building with new shelving etc. Because of the difficult economic situation in Venezuela at the moment it is almost impossible to buy products like this, even if you have the money! Gamaliel and Gerardo Scalante have been in Miami this week investigating, amongst other things, the possibilities of buying and shipping some warehouse shelving from there. Please pray for the best solution to this problem.
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