Pray for CLC Chile

Dear all,

The following is a compilation of emails that we have received from various sources as we try to establish what is happening in Chile.

As I am sure you know, 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.

Gerardo Scalante, Neil Wardrope

CLC International