Update from World Vision

In previous years, our youth have participated in Word Vision's 30 Hour Famine and have sponsored children through their sponsorship program. 

Here is the message Richard Stearns, World Vision President, is sending to churches around the country:

THE WORST NATURAL DISASTER IN RECENT HISTORY:
VICTIMS NEED YOUR PRAYERS AND HELP

As I write this, news reports are saying the death toll may reach over 100,000. You may not have read that a great proportion of those victims are children. It's truly heart-breaking.

The number of dead will continue to rise unless we take immediate steps to help.

The first step is to pray. The place hit hardest is Sri Lanka. Then India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives and Myanmar. Bangladesh has reported deaths as well. And even Somalia, in Africa -- 3,000 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the tsunami -- is reporting that entire villages were washed away and people have been left homeless.

When you pray for these countries, please remember the many relief workers and our World Vision staff working around the clock. Ask that God provide them with the compassion of Christ and the energy they need to confront the enormous need.

Our staff reported that beaches are littered with bodies. Water supplies are already contaminated. Thousands more could die in the coming days and weeks from typhoid, cholera and hepatitis epidemics.

If you can, dedicate time at a prayer meeting or during services this Sunday, January 2, to praying for those who have been hit by this incredible disaster (emphasis mine).

The next step is to give. I'm asking you to bring this need to your congregation this coming Sunday and take a special offering on behalf of the World Vision emergency tsunami relief effort.

We are ready to step in and help as many people as possible with our Family Survival Kits. Each Kit costs $100 and includes items such as blankets, tarps for temporary shelter, water purification tablets and cooking supplies. Medical supplies and food will also be distributed as needed...

I'm grateful for everything you do on behalf of the victims of this terrible disaster.

I want to thank you, too, for what you do for the poorest in the world in the name of our Savior."

An update of World Vision activity, click here.