A new feature added to the Covenant website Tuesday afternoon will make it even easier for individuals to contribute online using a major credit card.

"A permanent online charitable giving function has been under development to support a broad range of Covenant ministries," notes Don Meyer, executive minister of Covenant Communications. "However, there was a strong sense among the ministry team that something needed to be done quickly to provide some kind of online giving capability to assist the tsunami relief effort. So, we adapted existing technology that is part of the online Covenant Bookstore to provide that capability."

Donations will be channeled through the online bookstore to take advantage of the existing online credit card capability, which explains why donors will see the name Covenant Bookstore on the donation pages. However, all of the gifts donated online will be directed to the Covenant Tsunami Relief Fund with gifts acknowledged by the Covenant Business Office as with other charitable donations.

To donate online, visit the home page of the Covenant website at www.covchurch.org and select the special Tsunami Relief Fund link located just below the welcome message. To go directly to the Tsunami Fund link at this time, please see Tsunami Relief Fund.

In other related news, Dr. Tim Friesen, missionary in Chiang Mai who is developing a counseling center for mission personnel in Central Asia, returned home Monday from Phang Na Province in southern Thailand where he provided crisis and trauma counseling for those impacted by the tsunami disaster in that hard-hit area. He was accompanied by his daughter, Abby, a pre-med student at Houghton College.

"Phang Na is the worst hit area of Thailand," he writes in an email update. "Each day search and rescue workers bring new bodies to the temple where forensic teams work to assess the victims. Many family members and friends (foreigners and Thai) are on a pilgrimage going from hospital to collection sites to find any information about their loved ones who are missing. My role as a psychologist was to help in the completion of missing person reports and offer supportive counseling.

"I also provided debriefing for volunteers wanting to talk about working amidst the loss and suffering and the impact on their lives," he continued. "There are opportunities to pray with people that God will bring them peace through this crisis. I was also blessed to have my daughter . . . (age 19) participate in our team . . . wanting to serve in whatever capacity was needed. Please pray that we will mobilize the resources of people and tangible items as an offering of God's love to the people who have lost family members and shelter."