Between the impact of the initial earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, coupled with the substantial aftershocks that have rocked the country, about 200 million people in Chile have been left homeless. The national office of the Pentecostal Church of Chile has begun to build houses,  "casitas de bendicion" ("houses of blessing"), for these newly homeless.  They have turned the open-air patio of the church into a  factory to construct the walls and frames of prefabricated homes (photos below).   These homes will be transported in trucks to sites where foundations will be poured and pilings built.  Each home costs about $1,500 to construct and transport.  The Church has a goal of completing 300 homes before winter.

Donations to this program, "Lifting Up Hope", may be sent to MACUCC, One Badger Rd., Framingham, MA 01702, made payable to "MACUCC" or donated online through Global Ministries.