Jehovah’s Witnesses immediately formed a disaster relief committee to aid the victims.

by suavojr 13 Replies latest jw experiences

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  suavojr

  First, I thought they closed the branch in Chile? and second, check out the comment:

  Jason D. Reed, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Chile, comments: “We are saddened to hear of the suffering of our neighbors that resulted from this wildfire. We mourn the loss of our fellow worshipper, and we keep those who have lost friends or family members in our prayers. We will continue to support the victims with relief aid and whatever else is needed to help them cope with the traumatic aftermath of this disaster.”

  

  MAY 2, 2014 | CHILE

  Destructive Fire in Valparaíso, Chile

  PUENTE ALTO, Chile—On April 13, 2014, a wildfire fueled by strong Pacific winds swept through the historic port city of Valparaíso, Chile. The blaze killed at least 15 people and injured 500 others. Some 2,900 homes were completely destroyed, and over 10,000 people have been displaced.

  The branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Chile reports that one elderly male Witness was among the fatalities. Further, some 89 Witnesses have lost their homes. Many of those displaced have received shelter in the homes of fellow worshippers. The branch office immediately formed a disaster relief committee that is providing assistance to the victims. Organized teams of volunteers have already begun the cleanup. When conditions permit, they will begin reconstructing the estimated 28 homes of fellow Witnesses that were damaged by the fire.

  

  Jason D. Reed, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Chile, comments: “We are saddened to hear of the suffering of our neighbors that resulted from this wildfire. We mourn the loss of our fellow worshipper, and we keep those who have lost friends or family members in our prayers. We will continue to support the victims with relief aid and whatever else is needed to help them cope with the traumatic aftermath of this disaster.”

  Media Contact(s):

  International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

  Chile: Jason D. Reed, tel. +56 2 2428 2600
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  redvip2000

  I can tell you right now that if i was still a witness and something happened to my house, i would decline any offers from the "brothers" to rebuild my home. I would let my insurance company decide on a professional company if needed. The last thing i want is to have a mix bag of people from different professions, working on rebuilding my home.

  I wonder if these people have insurance. I imagine they must.
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  "The branch office immediately formed a disaster relief committee that is providing assistance to the victims."

  Since when does there need to be a committee to tell people "keep warm and well-fed"? This is an organization that discourages the membership from becoming doctors and engineers. Their idea of "disaster relief" is to tell the victims to go out and preach more to recruit others into the JW cult.
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  joe134cd

  I wonder if they will ask for the insurance check after work has been completed.
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  AndDontCallMeShirley

  "The branch office immediately formed a disaster relief committee asked for donations that is providing assistance to that will not be used at all to help the victims."

  .

  "when conditions permit" = when the affected brothers have enough money to pay WT for the "free" construction services.
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  A.proclaimer

  I overheard someone in my congregation mention these disaster relief committees, it's part of the new arrangements being planned out.
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  suavojr

  New ways to make money and still look like the chosen channel of God
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  sarahsmile

  Sorry to hear about the people who lost their homes and loved ones due to this fire!

  I do not care who builds their homes it is up to the owners. Hopefully it will turn out for the best.

  At least they have each other.

  I hope exJWs are helping each other during such hard times! It can be very hard on newly dfd ones!

  Hopefully they are not all alone and families will help each other instead of tear each other apart.
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  zebagain

  redvip2000: My experience of hiring bros is to get workmanship and trade knowledge that is very ordinary and be expected to pay up at full commercial rates that is when you can get them to turn up.
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  Magnum

  Disaster relief is all about making money for the org. It gets free labor. Locals feed and house the free labor. The only thing the org pays for is materials and a lot of that is donated or procured at a discount. The org then gets the insurance check. On many jobs, the labor is the most expensive part; and, again, it's all free for the org. It makes a killing on disaster relief. It gets a check for what the entire job should have cost, and the only thing it paid for is some materials.