We have been able to reach our contact in the Philippines by phone this week. Pastor Chirs Barrios lives in Manila but his family is from one of the hardest hit cities, Tacloban. With the death toll in the country there are not many people who have not been affected with the loss of family members; Pastor Chirs is no exception. It is with great sorrow that we report he has lost 13 family members in the disaster.

He is currently in Tacloban to assist the remaining family members and to help others where he can. We have received an urgent request from Pastor Chris for aid. These are people who have lost everything and are in great sorrow. We are collecting money to send to Pastor Chris for immediate needs and we are also working on a container to send in the next few weeks. Keep in mind that the Government of Canada has pledged to give dollar for dollar for every donation received before December 9, 2013.

We need blankets, non-pershiable food items, construction material, construction tools, personal care items (soap, shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrushes, diapers etc.) The fees of shipping a container to the Philippines is $25,000.00. This includes shipping it to the Philippians, moving it to the final destination, Tacloban and to aquire the needed items to fill the container. Our intention is to send several containers in the coming months, our immediate need is for money to make this all happen. We have provided an option on the web site to donate and you can send a checque or money order to GEMS 2870 Crossley Drive, Abbotsford BC V2T 5H3.

For futher information on how you can help please e-mail us at info@gemscanada.ca

Devastation