There’s just something about an earthquake that rattles a person to the core. So when it came to helping believers and local churches reach out to their communities after the 8.1 earthquake in Mexico City, we knew that trauma care had to be at the top of the list.
The team with church planters and other workers they trained on the ground.
It’s amazing all this all-Spanish-speaking team of Mexicans, Chileans, Argentines and US-Americans was able to accomplish in just 10 days! Already by the end of day one, this team of mostly “strangers” was already knit together not just as a team but as family.
Team leader Pastor Martin Guerena (Northwest Chapel, Dublin, Ohio) writes,
“I just want to say that the team was so amazing, God ordained, and united that we became like family during the days we have been together– praying, crying, laughing, singing and serving together– and that was a story unto itself. Each person had an important role to play without which we could not have done what we did.”
The team developed materials including a simple tract specifically for Mex. City earthquake victims.
While there were many highlights as they helped close to 50 believers not only process their own trauma but also in providing trauma care to others, one incredible highlight we’ll mention here also comes from Pastor Martin. He writes,
“A Catholic parish in the center of one town where we served allowed us to minister to 33 of their parishioners. Most were women and children with a few older men because the younger men were working. The amazing thing is that we were not only able to give them some practical ways to deal with their stress and emotions, but we were also able to share the Gospel with them. We also were able to witness to and spend time with the community organizers (one of whom has been reading her Bible and was receptive to the Gospel).
Relief supplies were distributed to earthquake victims in the poorest and hardest hit areas of the city.
“Many professed faith in Christ, but only God knows how many of the 33 accepted Christ as Savior that day. The team has since been praying that God would start a church in [that town] and that the two community organizers we worked with – would be a part of that new church plant.”
Please PRAY with us that new churches will indeed be planted even as those trained by this team minister to physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
