The Disaster Relief Ministry works through local trusted partners who know the needs of their people, and how best to get emergency supplies to them. Working through them, we avoid government red tape that often hinders larger relief agencies, and we also are able to reach those no one else is helping. And because we target those missed by others, we are able to better measure the impact donations make, and track our work in the weeks and months following the disaster.
Disaster Relief Ministry responses typically include emergency supplies of food, safe drinking water, medicine/medical care, blankets, tarps and tents, solar lights and metal roofing sheets. We also strive, whenever possible, to help restore communities and local economies so that people can quickly get back on their feet—and not become dependent on outside help. In the Philippines, that meant rebuilding a village fishing fleet after it was decimated by a typhoon.
Valuing relationship with our partners and those whose lives have been devastated, we also put our own feet on the ground so that we can better assess the needs, communicate the situation back to our at-home partners who give and pray, and encourage those suffering with a message of hope and love. And when we encounter those who do not know Jesus Christ—but whose hearts have been softened by calamity—we provide relief and tell them about God’s love and mercy.
