Taiwan Church News 3779 Edition July 29 ~ August 4, 2024 Weekly Topical Prayer and Care Called for the Suffered after Typhoon Gaemi Swept Across Taiwan Reported by Lin Yi-ying As Typhoon Gaemi brought into Taiwan a devastating heavy-rainfalls with multiple landslides, the casualties up-to-date are 10 people died, 2 people missing, and about 897 people were injured on July 28th. To respond such big-scale natural disaster, the PCT Church and Society Committee immediately set up a first-aid task force, code-named as “Blue Bird No. 1”, at the Yen-Shuei Church of Chiayi Presbytery to help and relocate the affected people living at the southern bank of Bazhang River. Due to the heavy-rainfalls, which caused many disasters among central and southern Taiwan, the PCT General Assembly also requested each Presbytery and Ethnic District Assembly to report actual damages. The PCT General Assembly plans to hold a meeting later to determine the financial subsidies and material supports to the inflicted due to Typhoon Gaemi’s catastrophic havoc. On July 29th, a list of the damages on the PCT local churches amid Typhoon Gaemi was submitted as below: Lu-Kang Church of Changhua Presbytery was inundated, and one church member’s house was damaged; three local churches of Tong-Hou-Liao, Jing-Liao, and Yan-Shuei of Chiayi Presbytery were inundated, and 13 church members’ houses were damaged; at Ren-Wu Church of Shou-Shan Presbytery, 10 church members’ houses were inundated. Meanwhile, in the indigenous churches and tribes, 6 church members’ houses were damaged in ‘Amis Presbytery; in Tayal Presbytery, the liaison road to Li-Hsing Tribe of Nan-Shan Village at Da-Tong Township of Yi-Lan County was broken; in Bunun Ciubu Presbytery, a landslide occurred to a pastor’s home, and the Lamungan church was inundated; Ngudradrekai Presbytery reported that the liaison road to the Dona tribe was broken; the liaison road of Cou ethnic district assembly was also blocked. Crashed by a fallen brick-wall from a building’s roof, Mrs Mua Tanapima from Takluk Church of Bunun Presbytery, who was a nurse of Mennonite Christian Hospital in Hualien, unfortunately died in the tragic accident. Her 7-year-old son was also seriously injured. The accident happened in the evening on July 24th, Mrs Mua Tanapima and Mr Tulbus Mangqoqo and their only son were driving through Hualien City. Their car was unexpectedly pounded by a swathe of brick-wall falling from the 5thfloor of the building. Almost immediately Mrs Mua Tanapima died on the site. Their son was still fighting for his life in the intensive care unit of Tzu Chi Hospital in Hualien. Mr Tulbus Mangqoqo ’s relative, Rev Lumav Mangququ, pastor of Bahuan Church complained that it was absolutely misleading for the media to report the family were on their way of traveling amid the ravage of typhoon. On that day, Rev Lumav Mangququ explained, Mrs Mua Tanapima was still working on her shift at the hospital. Mennonite Christian Hospital remarked that the hospital still had normal clinics in the morning on July 24th. Considering Gaemi typhoon’s strong winds and heavy rains, Mennonite Christian Hospital announced at 9 a.m. that all clinics would be suspended in the afternoon. So, Mrs Mua Tanapima left the hospital at 12:32. Her colleagues in the hospital were all heart-broken to learn this tragic incident. Mr Yu Chong-ren, CEO of Taiwan Christian Service (TCS), expressed that Mr Tulbus Mangqoqo is a social work supervisor, assigned by Task Management Center of National Dong Hwa University, which is commissioned by the Council of Indigenous Peoples, to collaborate with TCS’s indigenous house center. Rev Ciban Istanda, pastor of Takluk Church, reported to the PCT General Assembly that Mrs Mua Tanapima ‘s parents had already passed away, but her 90-year-old elder still existent in the family. After learning the tragic death of her granddaughter, said Rev Ciban Istanda, the elder still comforted and encouraged everyone in the family to have faith in God. Therefore, Rev Ciban Istanda asked the churches to pray for this family. Rev Pima Tansikian, pastor of Huapu Church in Bunun Presbytery, said that co-workers of Church and Society Ministry Committee of Bunun Presbytery, and church pastors of Takluk, Bahuan and Mennonite Christian Hospital have all taken turns to pay condolences and care for Mr Tulbus Mangqoqo’s family in recent days. Translated by Peter Wolfe |