There has been much i have wanted to write about recently, but this trumps them all (and provides activation energy!).

Do you remember the earthquake in Pakistan on Oct 8th? It was bad, in some ways worse than the tsunami.

Relief supplies are coming in, but so many badly affected regions are high high in the mountains (higher than helicopters can operate), or behind blocked roads that may not be cleared before winter sets in. The Pakistani government has not been ablt to get the materials there.

So FrontRelief is looking for delivery teams:

Emergency in Pakistan: men needed now

I just received a phone call from a FrontRelief leader in Pakistan. My emotions overflowed with the sense of the urgency in his voice. Here is what he told me:

This is an incredible opportunity and a desperate need. WE NEED MEN HERE, NOW, to get into the valleys where all the houses have been destroyed, and where until now no relief people have showed up. We could save thousands of children’s lives. I can’t sleep. It’s 1:30 in the morning. I’m calling all the pastors I know. January is too late. It can‚t even wait until Thanksgiving. The winter snowstorms are coming, and we must get there first. We have portable shelters to set up. This shelter is amazing, far superior to tents. The shelter will last through the winter. And the materials can be re-used to help build permanent homes in the spring.

We need men now. They will work in teams of two to four, with an interpreter, for 2-6 weeks. They will travel in small trucks into the valleys to assemble the shelters. The clever design of the shelters means that they can be assembled in a short length of time. This rescue will change the lives of all who can come and help the survivors.

I am appealing to you to let others know of this emergency. Can you or someone you know respond to this emergency?

Respond by [address deleted, reply here if you are interested], and we will send you an earthquake-response team application which we will expedite as quickly as possible.

Yours for saving lives,

Jose Rodriguez
US Director, FrontRelief

Sarah and I are considering if i can go. I think that amongst my friends, i could get a whole team together.

So for those of you who have any flexibility with work schedule, please consider coming. Two weeks isn’t that long to be gone from home, but can make a huge life-saving difference to countless families in the Himalayas. They need the help.