In early October, 2014, a United Church of Christ congregation in Pikit in the Southeast Jursidiction of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, our partner church, was bombed at the time of their Wednesday Prayer Meeting. Two people were killed immediately and an additional third died later. We have asked our Global Partnerships Team to help us understand a little more about why this kind of tragedy happens in the land of our partners and friends.

"We ask the evacuees to leave the classrooms during the day and for them to find refuge in the nearby fields, while we let the children, our students to get into the classroom so that we then hold our classes during the day. When classes are over in the afternoon, the evacuees again can come in and use the classrooms for their shelter at night." This has been reported by Aida Mangagsakan, Principal of one elementary school in Pikit, North Cotabato last August 2013. At least 436 families from five villages have been displaced due to fighting between the government forces and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the remote villages of this town.

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