Plea for Help: ‘We are Hungry and Thirsty…Children are Suffering the Most’

March 22, 2017406 views0

Plea for Help: ‘We are Hungry and Thirsty…Children are Suffering the Most’

2017-03-22T09:14:33+01:00

By Bede Ehiogu

Christians are stepping in to provide relief to survivors of massive flooding and mudslides in Peru. Torrential rains have brought death and destruction to the South American country, but the disaster has also “brought out the best” from the body of Christ.Young Christians from Emmanuel Bible Church visited one of the affected cities near Lima. The people of Terrazas del Valle in Chosica received much-needed relief. Their city was flooded after a nearby river spilled over its banks and into city streets, leaving many families without housing, food, and water. CÃƒÂ©sar Carazas of Emmanuel Bible Church said, “The calamities have fallen upon the country and have affected many people. We identify families in towns like this, where the floods have left an impact and the people have lost everything.”Since January, warmer than usual ocean water temperatures and high winds–a coastal El Nino have brought torrential rains, flooding, and mudslides mostly to Peru’s northern coast.Ã‚Â The government says so far, at least 75 have died and more than 99-thousand people have been affected. Villagers expressed gratitude for the timely help they received from the young Christians. One woman said, “I’m so thankful for this help. We are needier than ever. We are hungry and thirsty and the people don’t have water, no food. We are impotent. I feel bad because children are suffering the most.” Rossana Zapata, our Mundo Cristiano (Christian World News Spanish) correspondent in Peru witnessed the relief given to villagers near Lima.Ã‚Â “Help has not only been material but also spiritual,” she said.Zapata reports Peruvian Christians have launched a worldwide prayer appeal on social media called #PrayForPeru.Ã‚Â Volunteer Luz Marina prayed on location.Ã‚Â “We are praying with them. A lot of them have accepted Jesus and That is a great satisfaction for us. We know that we can help them and we are the hands and the feet of Jesus. Blessed are the feet of those who bring good news to those in need,” she said.Community leader AdriÃƒÂ¡n Cercaros said, “We have many families affected and we are very grateful for your presence.Ã‚Â ThankÃ‚Â God for giving us the supplies. You give us spiritual support and this is very important to move forward.” CBN is also bringing timely help, partnering with Peruvian Christians and others in the affected areas. In partnership with Peru’s Joint Command and the founder of Business Solutions Against Poverty, our in-country disaster relief teams have delivered medicines, water, and insect repellent.We’ve joined with churches in Peru’s capital city of Lima, to provide food, clothing, blankets and drinking water for flood victims in the cities of Chimbote and Trujillo. Meteorologists are predicting heavy rains may continue through the end of April, so CBN is organizing more teams to bring help in the days aheadCBN