Relief

The death toll from the devastating Bangkok floods is now at 506. Drowning is considered to be the prominent cause of death as floodwaters continue to rise.

Last week, Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told reporters that the peak tides had passed through the region and that Bangkok will avoid the worst of the floods. However, it appears that Bangkok is getting hit hard with 12 of its 50 districts having already faced ordered evacuations and flood water inching closer and closer into Bangkok’s southern district.

Some areas in the north of the city have seen receded waters, but other areas remain under threat and authorities are working diligently to keep the commercial heart of Bangkok dry. more >>

Thailand’s overwhelming floods have officially caused more than 500 deaths, according to the country's interior minister. Sunday a new string of evacuations has been ordered for eight more localities in Bangkok. Twenty-five of Thailand’s 64 provinces have been overwhelmed with water, causing many of Thailand’s 65 million people to be displaced.

Bangkok’s 12 million people aren’t all affected by the water; so far the central business district is still waterless.

Despite evacuations being planned for 11 areas of Bangkok, many residents are refusing to leave, deciding instead to remain inside their homes and jobs and hope for the best. more >>

Officials in Bangkok have warned that there are now no major barriers between the flood waters and the heart of the Thai capital Saturday.

The flood waters spread through Bangkok’s largest outdoor market on Saturday; alarming officials at the possibility of the floods spreading to Bangkok’s city center now just six miles away.

The floods are the worst Thailand has seen for 50 years, and has killed nearly 500 people. more >>

Churches throughout the world will be celebrating Orphan Sunday this weekend, a campaign that originated in Zambia and honors children without parents, and adults that adopt or help orphans in many ways.

Church volunteers and ministries will be providing gifts to families with orphans, making resources available to those interested in adoption or helping, and delivering special Sunday sermons addressing the issue of orphans throughout the world. Organizers say events are planned in more than 45 states in the U.S.

“The day in itself is an honoring of what the Lord wants us to do. We are recognizing that we are talking a step of faith and listening to what God is truly calling people to do,” Vanessa Vasquez, national director of Orphan Sunday, told The Christian Post. “For some people that may be adopting, for other people that could be donating a monetary gift, it could be volunteering, or agreeing to be foster parents.” more >>

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has said she plans on visiting famine-stricken Kenya “soon.”

In her first interview since marrying Prince William, Middleton stressed the need of monetary donations to help appease the “terrible crisis,” according to The Telegraph.

Middleton, visiting a UNICEF aid depot in Copenhagen, Denmark, said, “It’s really just how shocking the situation still is. It has been 100 days and it’s still going on. A huge amount still needs to be done. At the moment, hundreds of children are still malnourished.” more >>

Hoping to help restore an impoverished nation’s hope through a sport that many in the country love, a Florida-based ministry has launched a basketball outreach program in the Central African Republic.

With the approval of CAR’s government, OneHope is sending a team of about 15 people to teach basketball and the Gospel to the country’s school children this month.

The ministry, whose mission statement is primarily about sharing God’s love to kids, has one other task at hand on this trip – taking the first steps toward training a national basketball team in order to not only return to its past glory, but to help it qualify for the Olympics. more >>