By JACK PALMER
palmer@crescent-news.com
Members of a Defiance church are prayerfully awaiting news regarding the fate of an orphanage they are supporting in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar.
Last fall, Family Christian Center (FCC) held a pie
auction to raise funds to build the Shalom orphanage in Yangon, also known as Rangoon.
With the help of matching funds, the church raised more than $15,000.
"As of early April, we were informed it was about 75 percent done," said Sue Nofziger, a member of FCC's mission connection team.
"There were over 20 orphans who were going to live there, and we think they had moved in anyway. Their caregiver was a widow named Emily.
"We are not able to verify what has happened to them or the building because of the lack of communication and electricity," said Nofziger.
Cyclone Nargis pummeled Yangon for more than 10 hours from Friday night into Saturday, with 20 inches of rain and winds above 140 mph. The country is reporting at least 22,000 deaths and another 41,000 missing. An estimated one million people are homeless.
Shalom is one of 10 orphanages in Yangon being supported through a faith-based organization called "Heaven's Family."
"We have received news from only one of the affiliated orphanages in Yangon and they are okay, they just had their kitchen blown away," said Nofziger. "No one else has been able to get through. We haven't heard anything about the Shalom orphanage."
Yangon, the largest city and former capital of Myanmar, has a population of six million and serves as the country's most important commercial center.
Nofziger said that another FCC member, Darlene Briskey, of Hicksville, actually traveled to Myanmar last November, visiting the Yangon orphanages and meeting the children.
"She had an amazing trip, so we feel very connected to all of this," said Nofziger. "We need to get the Myanmar government to let American rescue teams in.
"We know, at a minimum, that they are going to need a lot of help to repair damages and rebuild. We plan to send financial aid from our church when we are given an adequate address and information."
Persons wishing to donate may do so online at www.heavensfamily.org.
"Heaven's Family is a broad ministry, which includes a program called 'Orphan's Tear.' I know them and totally trust them that every dime will go to the orphanages without fail should anyone else want to donate," said Nofziger.
"With the uncaring government in Myanmar, widows and orphans are considered 'at the bottom of the food chain' and regarded with disdain instead of compassion. Absolutely no one looks after them.
"We are hoping and praying for the best," added Nofziger. "It is in God's hands now."