Compassion Perspective: World News This Week

But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. Mark 13: 7-8

Earthquake in Indonesia

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake recently hit Gorontalo, Northern Sulawesi in eastern Indonesia–Six people have been killed and at least 150 people have been injured. No Compassion-assisted children or child development centers were affected.

Landslide in Indonesia

Recent heavy flooding in Indonesia caused a landslide in Cianjur, a city in West Java province and low-lying areas in south Bandung continue to experience flooding. No Compassion-assisted children or child development centers have been affected by the landslide.

Political Protests in Nicaragua

Protests and rioting have started up since the recent election results for mayor in Managua, Nicaragua. Most protests are taking place in the street intersections, disrupting many local business offices including Compassion Nicaragua’s field office. Public transportation has also been disrupted and many of our field office staff members are leaving the office earlier in the day as a safety precaution.

Flooding in India

A cyclone has recently hit several parts of India. Since then, heavy rains have caused flooding. Nearly 5, 000 people have been evacuated in the areas of Machilipattnam, Nellore and Ongole in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Although we have child development centers in the affected areas, no Compassion-assisted children or centers have been affected.

’Two’ Schools Collapse in Haiti

Nov. 17, 2008 – Grace Divine, a two-story school in a slum of Port-au-Prince, has collapsed. This occurred only days after a school in Petionville collapsed, killing at least 95 people. Nine people were injured in the Grace Divine accident, including eight students and one adult. Four Compassion-assisted children attend Grace Divine and one child was injured in the accident. The injured child was treated at the hospital and has since been released with pain medication.

Nov. 10, 2008 – According to news reports last Friday, a school collapsed in Haiti, killing 92 people and injuring more than 120. The school is located in Petionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, where we have Compassion-assisted child development centers. We have confirmed from staff in Haiti that no Compassion-assisted children or their families have been affected.

Please pray for God’s protection over our children, staff and families in these affected areas. As always, Compassion International will contact you if your sponsored child has been affected.

”The End is Not Yet”

Sponsoring a Compassion child is so incredibly helpful to these children living in poverty. As you can imagine, the conditions in which they subsist are bad enough, but throw-in natural disaster and violence, and things go from appalling to horrifying rather quickly. Child sponsorship obviously does not prevent these events from occurring, but it certainly helps when tragedy does strike. And in so many instances, the benefits the children receive (educational, vocational, spiritual to name a few) enable many of them to rise above poverty thus placing them in a better position to endure the harsh realities of life; the harsh realities that are magnified by living in squalor.

I have very personal knowledge of how Compassion is able to assist these kids. Allison Juan is a child I sponsor in the Dominican Republic. Several years ago he sustained a bad cut on his leg that became severely infected to the point he almost had to have his leg amputated. Only because he was enrolled in the Compassion program was he able to see doctors, go to a hospital to receive an operation and then get the medicines he needed to get healthy again. If not for Compassion International, Allison Juan would be an uneducated, one-legged, street beggar and a burden on society. But because of Compassion this child is healthy and poised to rise above the ranks of poverty…and do so in Jesus’ name!

Allison Juan is poised to rise above…Are you?

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And of course, for consistent Compassion-related issues, please visit the Compassion International Blog