Flooding in Manilla

 

JIGSAW FLOODING AND EVACUATION CRISIS.

 

Written by Lendehl, Vice President of JIGSAW Philippines. 9th Aug 2012

Call for Prayer for those who continue to be devastatingly affected by the flooding in Metro Manila.
 

ONCE AGAIN MANILA IS IN CRISIS AND THE MOST VUNERABLE ARE THE CHILDREN AND THE POOREST OF THE POOR, THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OF JIGSAW, INCLUDING JIGSAW WORKERS THEMSELVES.

We bid your prayers for the children, their families and Jigsaw staff in Metro Manila suffering from intensive flooding. The continued typhoons and downpours of rains beginning Monday has caused the overflowing of major dams and rivers in Metro Manila and nine surrounding provinces causing heavy flooding. The La Mesa dam, which supplies water to the National Capital Region of 12 million people, spilled excess water for a second time early Tuesday into the rivers flowing into Quezon City, Malabon, Valenzuela and Caloocan, where several villages were submerged, creating full emergency alert from the government.
We pray for Jigsaw workers specially those living in Area4 where one of the Jigsaw center is located.   
The community has been 60% submerged in water where the Jigsaw staff worked tirelessly in bringing the children and their families to a safer ground. Jigsaw staff and families stayed overnight of Tuesday in the Jigsaw main office. Alert level has gone down to Green/extreme signal on Wednesday morning which meant that the water is catastrophic but has slightly subsided and safer to go back home. All of them went back and started cleaning their houses and try to put the broken pieces of their lives back together where they could only to be frustrated when torrential rains started pouring again in the afternoon. At 3 PM today, water level at the Marikina River raised to the 20-meter mark, way above the critical level of 18 meters. This prompted local authorities to raise Alert Level 4/extreme emergency again. The staffs have to go back at the office as this is on higher ground and is concrete while the children and families went back to government evacuation sites.
 

PLEASE PRAY
1.     Please pray for the rain to stop
2.     Pray for those who lost their family members in the floods.
3.     Pray for Jigsaw children and staff who have to be back in the evacuation sites.
4.     Pray for the traumatised communities Jigsaw works in and especially for the children.
5.     Pray for Strength and comfort for the people.
6.     Pray for Jigsaw staff as they seek to be a strength even as they are too driven from their homes and communities.
 

Painted Jigsaw Cross in Pakistan

We received the following inspiring report from Frederica in Pakistan:







Painted Jigsaw Project:
The individual paintings are assembled



I have been busy, and the photos show why. These are from a Community Art Project that I devised. The idea, in brief (proper proposal on demand if requested) is to make a Painted 'Jigsaw' Cross, composing of 12 squares, each one divided into 2, ie two triangles.To be painted individually by the 'Group', making 24 separate paintings. Then finally assembled by the Group to form a Cross.
The reasoning behind this is laden by symbolism, numerology, and Biblical knowledge, old and new Testaments. The number 12 is significant especially as 3 is the Sacred Number, as in Trinity, and 4 as the Earthly number (think 4 corners of the earth). Making 12 a Perfect Number.





Painted Jigsaw Project
Profound Group Decision making





Wikipedia has long and wonderful lists of where 12 crops up, not only for Christians, but in almost all religions too, plus inches in a foot etc etc. The children, I originally expected 12 but over 30 turned up for the first session, including several associated generations, grasped the intent at once, and I encouraged them to paint freely, and brightly, while initially they were read from Revalations 21. v.10-21, (very last section of Bible) which explains in beautiful imagery the Holy City, with 12 almost everything, pearls, jewels etc, all very bright and beautiful (unlike some of revelations which is quite gruesome).

Enough said, enjoy the colours and shapes they produced. Even if the symbolism leaves you cold! This idea has great potential though in many mediums and I intend to exploit it to the Max.

Aamir from CMS has an idea for me to design one in different marbles and stones, for something large and outside.






Painted Jigsaw Project
All glued and ready when dry to hang.