| |
AFTER
HURRICANE
MITCH
The Samaritan’s Good Work wishes to thank all who sent contributions to aid the victims of the catastrophes in South and Central America in late 1998. The following are excerpts from some of the thank you letters we received. |
 |
The landscape in Honduras was severely damaged by Hurricane Mitch, and many roads and buildings were washed out. Although the believers suffered loss of property and damage to their homes–in some cases, they lost their homes–we are very thankful that God spared their lives. |
|
With this letter I want to thank you and especially the brothers and sisters of the Good Samaritan Department for the help that they offered us. I greet you with 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.
I would like to give you a brief report about the tragedy we passed through in the storm that lasted for two days. It began to rain very heavily at about 7 a.m., and it didn’t stop raining until 3 p.m. the following day. The roads were flooded, and the water was running like a river. When my house began to flood, we tried to bail the water out; but finally nine days later the walls collapsed. But God, who does not abandon His children, sent us help at that moment through a neighbor, who, when he saw our distress, offered us his home; he went to another house several kilometers away.
When Brother Pedro Ruiz, from Guatemala, visited us to distribute the help you sent to us, I could hardly believe it. My heart was filled with gratitude to the Lord as I remembered again how He takes care of His children.
Many people lost their homes and some even their lives. Some bridges collapsed, and crops were lost.
We are a church of 85 members and others who meet with us. We ask you to remember us in prayer.
–René Martínez Nievez
Son Sonata, El Salvador
|
|
I belong to one of the many families affected by Hurricane Mitch; but thanks to God’s mercy and love, I am still alive. Even though we passed through many afflictions and found ourselves surrounded by water, we are thankful to the Lord that He preserved our lives, because all my brothers and sisters in the faith were rescued.
We thank you for the help you sent us through the brethren in Guatemala.
Many greetings to all the brothers and sisters. May the peace and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
–Gloria Oviedo
Monterrey Choloma Cortés, Honduras
|
|
|
|
It is a tremendous joy to us to be able to speak to you through this letter, even though we don’t know you personally, and to thank you for the help you sent, which we received at a most difficult time.
The hurricane caused many losses, our houses were filled with water, and many material goods were destroyed. But thanks to our good God, we are well, even though thousands of people died. But in His love, none of our brothers and sisters from the church perished.
We ask you to pray very much for us, because some have said that many more hurricanes will pass through Honduras. Only God can deliver us in these last days.
–Nicolás and Bessy de García
Monterrey Choloma Cortés, Honduras
|
|
I am one of the many victims of Hurricane Mitch, and I am very thankful especially to the Lord, who was merciful to us and preserved the lives of His children in this place, granting us help in our time of need and providing us shelter. We are very thankful to you for the help you sent to us through the brethren from Guatemala. We also thank these dear brethren for the efforts they made to visit us, because we were cut off from communication.
May the Lord always be with you all.
–Gloria Zavala
El Higuero Choloma Cortés, Honduras
|
|
|
|
I am originally from El Salvador, and I have been working for God’s honor in this country since 1970. I want to thank you for your generosity to all the believers who were affected by the disasters caused by Hurricane Mitch. The turbulent waters made a restraining wall collapse and swept away my house, where I had lived peacefully with my wife and five of my children. Thanks to God, we were able to escape in time and were not hurt.
Through Brother Pedro Ruiz, I received the amount of 5,000 Lempiras. Thank you for this money, which you gave me and which will certainly be a great help in the critical situation here.
May the Lord be with you always.
–Alfredo Castañeda Medrano
Aldea El Higuero, Honduras
|
|
I am pleased to write and thank you for your generous love for us, the brothers and sisters of El Higuero.
Thanks to God, we are well, even though we lost our crops and some other things, and some of our believers lost their homes. But there was no loss of life [among the brothers and sisters of the church], even though what happened seems like a nightmare, since much of Honduras was leveled. We thank God that, although we lost material things, He still granted us life. With His help, someday we will be able to replace what was lost.
Greetings with 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
–Maria Fidelia Torres
El Higuero Choloma Cortés, Honduras
|
|
|
|
Thank you for the great help that you gave us. I received it as a wonderful gift from the Lord, because these days have been difficult for the people in Honduras. We lost our home and everything in it; but we thank the Lord that He spared our lives. I ask the dear brothers and sisters to pray for us at this painful, sad time.
Best wishes with 2 Corinthians 13:14.
–Lidia Burgos
Aldea El Higuero, Honduras
|
|
Months later, the victims of Hurricane Mitch are still trying to cope with the effects of this disaster. Some will never completely recover.
Please remember your brothers and sisters in your prayers.
|
|
