Central China earthquake news and Amity

Central China Earthquake News and Amity's Response

A massive earthquake (magnitude 7.9) struck central China Monday, May 12, at 2:28 PM. The epicenter was is in Wenchuan County Sichuan Province, which is located on north latitude 31.0°, east longitude 103.4°, about 60 km northeast of Chengdu, Sichuan province. In addition to Sichuan, another 20 provinces around Sichuan, including Yunan, Gansu, Chongqing, Guizhou, etc, are also affected. The earthquake struck during school hours and many school buildings collapsed, trapping or killing thousands of school children. The estimates of the number killed, injured, or made homeless are still rising as emergency workers enter the area. Within hours the Amity Foundation sent a staff person to Chengdu to organize relief efforts.

Link to CNN site with home video (with narration by ITN) taken starting 20 seconds after the earthquake began. Download video (.flv format, 31 MB, 4 min, 5 sec duration).

Prayer Request from Judy: Monday, May 12

Letters from Judy: Wednesday, May 14 Tuesday, May 20

PowerPoint File: Heroes of the Sichuan Earthquake, (1.3 MB) forwarded by Kim Strong of the Amity Foundation. It has many on-the-ground photos, tells personal stories, and is very moving.

Further Information: Amity Foundation East Asia, China, and India Mission

Donation information:
Bank transfer to Amity H ow to send a check to Amity or contribute by credit card through Paypal Contribute through American Baptist Churches

Earlier Reports:
Week1:    Tuesday, May 13     Wednesday, May 14    Thursday, May 15        Friday, May 16       Saturday, May 17   Sunday, May 18
Week 2:   Monday, May 19     Wednesday, May 21    Friday, May 23            Saturday, May 24    Sunday, May 25
Week 3:   Monday, May 26     Tuesday, May 27         Wednesday, May 28    Friday, May 30
Week 4:   Wednesday, June 4
Month 2: Friday, June 20

Latest Reports:

Wednesday, Aug. 6

Hi Everyone,

Rev. Gu, who is the pastor of the Mianzhu chuch that was destroyed in the earthquake, is one of my students in Nanjing Theological Seminary. She is a graduate student and was in my Theological English Class--an excellent student, a wonderful person of deep faith and committed pastor. The day after the earthquake, she was in my first class of the day. Back at that time we prayed fervently for all the people suffering from the quake's effects and then I learned that her town and her church were greatly affected. She had not been allowed to return home at that time, but stayed in touch with her family and all of her parishioners via phone and text messages, ministering to them and supporting them as they struggled to understand and to respond to all those in need around them. After her last exam, she was allowed to return home and to minister face to face again. We here have all continued to pray for her, for her congregation, for all those they are ministering to and for the reconstruction of their church. I have confirmed that the "tent church" (referred to in Amity's message below) where the 200 or so believers stayed through the soaking rain storm -- praising God in song -- is indeed her congregation. Even from a distance, I find I am moved by the strength of the whole congregation's faith and their witness there in their community. I thank God for Amity's plan to help them put up a prefabricated church building in the near future. Please join me in praying for the believers of Mianzhu as they witness and serve and worship in such significant ways and for Amity which is reaching out to them and to so many others seeking to put their lives back together, now nearly three months after the initial quake hit their area.

Judy Sutterlin

Tuesday, Jul 29 2008 17:59 PM

Dear friends,

Church reconstruction is one of the most important task in Amity's reconstruction work.

On July 27, Sunday, Mr. He Wen, Amity's Associate General Secretary and Mr. Gong Sheng, Programme Coordinator attended the Sunday worship in the tent church in Mianzhu. When the service was about to begin, it rained heavily all of a sudden. Soon the heavy rain turned to storm and the tent church was soaked in water.However, not a single one left the church, instead, more and more people gathered to the church tent to join the service. It was estimated that over 200 people attended the service. The singing of Hymn songs echoes the thunder in the air which really made all of the people present very moving.Amity includes the building of the prefabricated church in Mianzhu in the rehabilitation plan.

A team of 7 Amity staff will set off tomorrow. They are to carry out a specific need based assessment in Wo Yun Village where Amity will start reconstruction and integrated development programme. Amity is one of the first (if not the first) organizations to localize a specific village for post disaster rehabilitation.

All schools in Mianzhu will re-open on August. While the prefabricated school rooms are most available, teaching equipment becomes a great necessity. On finding out the situation from 6 schools and investigation from the local education bureau, photocopiers, speed printers, computers and regular printers have been purchased and distributed to 3 schools in Guangji, Han Wang and Jiulong schools. Pictures are available at http://www.amityfoundation.org.cn/article/view1860.aspx

Best wishes,

She Hongyu

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 5:34 PM

Subject: update on Amity's responses to the reconstruction in Sichuan July 22

Dear friends,

Greetings from Nanjing!

General relief situation in Sichuan:

The central government has designated 21 provinces and autonomous regions to each be responsible for one heavily hit county for reconstruction and rehabilitation work. Jiangsu Province, in which Amity is located, has been assigned to work in Mianzhu County. Each of the 13 prefectures/cities in Jiangsu will help one particular township in Mianzhu. Another 5 counties, which are economically strong though not up to a city level, will also support one county each. Therefore, altogether 18 townships in Mianzhu will be in the hands of 18 cities/counties in Jiangsu.

What can Amity as an NGO do when the central government has given powerful assignment to city/county governments that go with strong financial support? After a day's investigation, assessment and discussion in Mianzhu, the Amity team in Sichuan came up with some strategies for future actions:

1. Education aspect:
Many organizations/government of the assisting provinces have offered to build schools. However, some teaching faculties, sport supplies, books and toys are neglected. Amity has asked the Education Bureau to provide a list of schools with insufficient supplies and is to start an independent investment on basis of the list. It is expected that the first batch of supplies will be dispatched before the end of July.

2. Churches in Mianzhu
Amity will help construct a transitional church in Mianzhu which will hold 1,000 people for worship. Amity will also construct transitional board rooms as office and accommodation for pastors and preachers;

3. Construct Social Service Centre
Amity will construct a Social Service Centre by the church to provide health and other social service to the victims. Reconstruction Site Office will also be established either close to or in the church.

4. Integrated community reconstruction.
Amity will finalize the area for community reconstruction.

The Amity team on the site is doing their best to play the important role of Chinese Christian-initiated NGO in the reconstruction. We hope that our effort will bring some real changes to the life of the people there.

Best wishes,

She Hongyu

Monday, 21 Jul 2008, 6:06 pm

Dear friends,

It's been quite a while since I sent the last updates on Amity's responses to the earthquake in Sichuan. I'm sorry to keep you waiting for and wondering about our further actions on the earthquake.

After the emergency relief, government of China announced that the master plan would be worked out in a 3 month time at the end of August. All reconstruction plans will have to be based on the plan that provides. That, therefore, has kept many organizations waiting as we do not want build something which will be torn down or demolished if it does not fit with the government plan and waste all the good will and trust from all of our donors!

However, the weather is getting rather hot and humid in July. If it was hot for us here in Nanjing, it is a lot hotter for the victims in the temporary shelters. Amity decided to send a team of 7 headed by Mr. Qiu Zhonghui, General Secretary of Amity to the quake area for:
1. Setting up a Post-Disaster Rehabilitation Office in Mianzhu, Sichuan Province. Mr. Gong Sheng, staff of Disaster Management Programme, has been appointed director of the office.
2. Need assessment of the situation on the ground and make decisions on how Amity could get involved.
3. Searching for opportunities for volunteer involvement

Other members of the team include:
Mr. He Wen, Assistant General Secretary/Director of the Project Management Centre;
Ms. Tan Hua, Assistant Programme Director, Disaster Management Programme;
Mr. Gong Sheng, programe coordinator, Disaster Management Programme;
Ms. Li Yang, Vice Director, Publicity & Promotion Division;
Ms. Huang Qingrui, Editor, Amity News Letter (Chinese)/programme coordinator, Publicity & Promotion Division;
Ms. Beate Engelen, editor, Amity News Letter/ Amity Hong Kong Office

Currently, the team is visiting three places:
Team 1, headed by Mr. Qiu, is visiting churches for transition and reconstruction plan;
Team 2, headed by Gongsheng, is visiting education bureau for reconstruction of schools;
Team 3, headed by Mr. He Wen, is visiting Guang Ji Township, where Amity worked during the emergency relief period, for community rehabilitation possibilities

Now it is already two months since the quake, afterquakes still happen at the site. We wish our staff a safe journey and smooth assessment work done on the site.

Best wishes,

She Hongyu