GREENFIELD, Wis. — A congregation at the Emmanuel Chin Baptist Church came together in prayer Sunday and looked to do what they could to help their home country days after a catastrophic earthquake hit Myanmar.
Stanley Chung, a pastor of the church, first heard the news when he got a text message from one of his friends and fellow pastor.
Watch: Prayer and donations for Myanmar earthquake victims:
"That was devastating news for our people," Chung said.
According to Chung, the 382 members of the congregation came to the US as refugees and the church holds services every Sunday where the community can gather.
This Sunday was different than a typical service. Members of the congregation looked to help those affected by the earthquake.
"The first thing that we did was pray for them," Chung said. "Today we are going to collect donations and we are going to share what we have with them. They are our people."
Donations will be accepted for the next two weeks.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake that devastated Myanmar left over 1,600 dead as of Saturday,
It happened around 1:30 p.m. Friday and around two hours later, the area experienced a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.
The capital of Myanmar, Naypyidaw, recorded another 5.1-magnitude earthquake following the initial quake.
A search and rescue operation utilizing police, disaster relief and military is underway to remove the rubble, find survivors and recover the deceased.
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