Residents clean up rubble from fire-damaged homes in Vina del Mar, Chile. ASSOCIATED PRESS

COMPASSION FUND/DISASTER RESPONSE

Helping People Across the Globe Impacted by Disasters

YOUR GIFTS RESTORE HOPE

The Compassion Fund enables our missionaries and national partners to respond to urgent situations in their communities, meeting physical needs and sharing the love of Christ.

In Vina del Mar, Chile, devastating wildfires have left thousands without homes. Our missionaries and friends are safe, but many of the blind participants in the CEMIPRE ministry to those with disabilities were directly affected—having to abandon their homes during the fire and then losing those homes. Please pray for those impacted and that we would be able to show the love and mercy of God to those affected. Your gifts will go a long way toward providing for those most in need. Scroll down for recent updates.

Thank you to those who have given recently to help provide relief and assistance in the wake of the New Year’s Day earthquake that struck Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture. We’re continuing to work with churches in the area, and helping to meet spiritual needs in one of the least churched part of Japan.

Will you give to meet needs like these? Your gifts to the Compassion Fund will help bring relief to communities devastated by disasters in parts of the world where MTW missionaries serve, and will introduce many, many to the gospel. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Please give a gift today and help restore hope to those who desperately need it.

Funds received by MTW as part of a disaster response appeal are used for relief and recovery, construction, travel for response teams, and related needs as well as for longer-term rebuilding and church planting. Exceptionally, when there are unspent funds, they will be used in future disaster and compassion situations.

RAGING WILDFIRES IN CHILE

Wildfires that started February 2 spread to heavily populated areas west of Santiago and scorched entire neighborhoods in the following days. And estimated 14,000 homes have been lost and over 100 are dead, with many more missing. The fires have hit many in Viña del Mar, where MTW missionaries David & Danielle Grotton and John and Cathy Rug minister.

We’re thankful that our missionaries are safe, but many they serve have lost their homes and more.

Please pray for the Grottons and Rugs as they make plans for how to provide relief to their community and bring the love of Jesus to people whose lives are devastated. Pray for open hearts and God’s provision during this very difficult time.

Update 4-2-24

Two months out from the date of the fires, some progress is visible. The majority of the rubble has been cleared, electricity and water are being restored to certain areas, and some 10´x 10´ emergency houses have been erected on a number of lots. However, there is still an alarming number of families living in tents, and winter is coming soon. Many times the parents are sleeping in the tents and the children are farmed out to unaffected family members or friends. We met a couple who are living in their van while their six children are living in cramped quarters with their grandmother. Unfortunately, since they were living on land that is not theirs (think squatters), building them even a temporary home is complicated. Please pray for a compassionate and legal solution to this and many other situations like it.

An MTW team of volunteer workers arrives this coming weekend, and as they leave to go home, another arrives for a second week of work. Please pray for safe travel, the wisdom to make the best use of their time and talents, and safety on the job. Most of all, despite a language barrier, may Christ be proclaimed.

READ PREVIOUS UPDATES

UPDATE 2-6-24

These have been very, very long days for thousands of people in Viña del Mar. Approximately 4,000 homes have been completely destroyed or seriously damaged, and the death toll is up to 122, of which only 37 bodies have been identified.

We can turn off the television and distance ourselves from the horrible scenes. But those who lost their homes and/or family members live with it day in and day out. Every time they close their eyes they relive the chaotic scenes of panic and death.

A large number of people have decided to camp in tents on their property to protect it from looting. Also, unfortunately evil people are trying to restart the fires in some areas.

One young woman close to MTW missionaries had a harrowing four-hour experience escaping the flames on foot after their car was hit by a panicked driver. The woman, her husband, and two children lost everything. A man who is blind and a participant in the CEMIPRE center ministry to those with disabilities also lost everything. His neighborhood is completely gone. These are just two stories out of thousands.

MTW missionaries and volunteers have been meeting practical needs among the community, caring for the desperate, and showing the love of Jesus. Compassion funds will enable them to provide tangible relief to even more people.

Please pray for the families whose lives are devastated. Pray that they would sense the presence of Jesus and be drawn to Him. Pray for MTW missionaries and volunteers as they seek to meet the needs of those around around them.

Chile Fire Aftermath Gallery

JAPAN EARTHQUAKE

Update: 2/29/24

Ishikawa Disaster Relief Youth Trip

In response to the needs after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Ishikawa on January 1, the MTW Tokyo team brought the youth group of junior high, high school, and college students from Grace City Church to help. Our mission team of 10 total worked with Noto Help, a Christian disaster response group. (Noto Peninsula is where the earthquake hit hardest.) They split into 3 teams.

Team 1 organized Noto Help’s warehouse of donations including blankets, blue tarps, adult diapers, toilet paper, and many other things, and made 122 variety bags full of essential items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, wet towels, soap, disinfectant wipes, etc. to hand out at shelters. They wrote small cards for each of the bags with messages like “We are praying for you!”

Team 2 played a concert at the shelter. Three from the group headed to the largest shelter in the region, which housed over 750 people after the quake. Now almost two months later, 173 people still live there waiting for temporary housing or to find another living space. We received permission from the director of the shelter to give a concert and set up in the lobby just outside the doors to the main room where everyone could hear us. MTW missionary Roger Lowther’s 14-year-old son, Coen, played the koto, the traditional Japanese harp, and Roger played the grand piano. Many people stood in the hallway or sat on chairs to watch and listen. Those who walked by paused for a bit to listen or comment, “Beautiful!” or “I wish I could play that song” or to just wipe tears from their eyes. One woman told us the music was so deeply moving that it gave her peace. “Thank you for today,” she said. “Because of you, I’m going to sleep well tonight.”

Team 3 delivered water in Suzu City, another 2.5 hours north up the peninsula. Most of the buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged by the earthquake and six-foot tsunami that followed. The group brought 60 cases of water to a medical clinic, a shelter in a school, and a private residence. Many sections of the road were impassable due to landslides, frequently requiring the trucks to use hastily made alternate routes.

Prayer Requests

Pray for the people of Ishikawa Prefecture who are suffering, that they would be comforted.
Pray that God would meet the spiritual needs of the people in Ishikawa as well as the physical needs.
Pray that God would use this youth disaster relief trip to grow and mature them in their walk with Christ.
Praise for protection. A cold front moved into the area coinciding with the trip, causing dangerous snowy driving conditions and discomfort working in unheated buildings.

JAPAN PRAYER REQUESTS 1/31/24

To date, there are 233 fatalities and 22 missing. Please pray for the grieving and injured.
Many buildings and homes collapsed. The family of one of our Japanese friends lost their home in the resulting fire. Pray for comfort and guidance for the many families who will not be able to return to their homes.
The peninsula is difficult to access because of damaged roads and bridges. Many are without power. Running water cannot be restored until roads are fixed. Pray for relief to get where it is needed most.
Because of the heavy road damage, much early relief had to be brought by plane or helicopter. On January 2, a large passenger jet collided with a Japan Coast Guard relief plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport (airport closest to us). 5 relief workers died. Pray for the safety of first responders.
Ishikawa is one of the least-churched areas of Japan at this time. Pray for spiritual needs to be met along with physical needs. (*See note on Christian history below.)

A team of musicians and artists from Grace City Church Tokyo, including students and young adults, is ready to go to Ishikawa to help where needed. Pray for wisdom with the details and good communication and cooperation with the tiny churches in the area.

Your Recent Gifts Have Supported Relief Efforts in the Following Countries/Regions

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You can also mail checks to:

Mission to the World
P.O. Box 744165
Atlanta, GA 30374-4165

Please put "Compassion 40043" in the memo line.
Thank you.

COMPASSION FUND/DISASTER RESPONSE

YOUR GIFTS RESTORE HOPE

RAGING WILDFIRES IN CHILE

Update 4-2-24

READ PREVIOUS UPDATES

UPDATE 2-6-24

Chile Fire Aftermath Gallery

JAPAN EARTHQUAKE

Update: 2/29/24

JAPAN PRAYER REQUESTS 1/31/24

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