Dr. Javier Villafañe, a member of Calvary Cartagena, Colombia, listens to the story of one of the elderly ladies in a shelter. He joined his Pastor Tim Mallory in the relief trips and provided medical assistance when needed and spiritual support for all.
Since the week of August 10th, Colombia-based believers have continued to minister to those affected by the earthquake. According to Pastor Tim Mallory of Calvary Cartagena, Colombia, God has created opportunities to reach some of those most significantly impacted in the hard-hit city of Pereira, Colombia.
Pastor Hernando Vargas Manrique of Capilla Fidelidad in Jamundí, Colombia, shares the Gospel in the shelter.
Though the pastor didn’t know it at the time, days before the earthquake occurred, God was already opening doors for ministry in Pereira. Elizabeth, a woman who attended Calvary Cartagena, moved to Pereira just one week before the earthquake, having been transferred there in her role as a director in the prosecutor’s office. After the earthquake hit, Elizabeth used her professional connections to assist Pastor Tim, Pastor Hernando Vargas Manrique of Capilla Fidelidad, and the team of believers with them in accessing shelters housing individuals affected by the earthquake—individuals the team wouldn’t otherwise have been able to visit.
Andres Felipe from Capilla Fidelidad brings smiles through his puppet ministry. Assisting him is Paola Molina, a missionary serving full time in Calvary Tierra Bomba, Cartagena.
“I said [to Elizabeth and her husband], ‘Wow, the Lord definitely sent you there for this season,’” Pastor Tim recalled. “We were just very amazed [at] how God opened doors to go to the shelters.”
Though weeks had passed by the time the team began making trips to Pereira—the city’s airport closed for 16 days after the earthquake, preventing a sooner visit—the need in the shelters remained great. “We have hundreds of families, just sitting there, waiting. A lot of them have lost family members, have lost their homes,” Pastor Tim said. “There are people stealing from one another, there are fights. It's a rough situation. [The shelter staff] were glad to have us, and we were able to encourage them—and it was cool because the coordinators of the shelters pointed us in the direction of certain people. They were like, ‘Hey, that person really needs help.’”
Pastor Hernando shares in another shelter in a coliseum in the center of the city.
One psychologist, for instance, had been supporting a woman who was staying at the shelter and was struggling with suicidal thoughts. Having learned that the visiting team of pastors and missionaries were Christians, the psychologist specifically sought the team out and asked them to speak to the woman, whom the team then had a chance to pray with and encourage.
Pastor Tim added that the Calvary Chapel pastors are now praying about the possibility of starting a Calvary Chapel in Pereira, while also planning more mission trips to the city in the near term. “This is going to be serious, long term, months and years of rebuilding,” he reflected. “We really feel called by the Lord to continue to walk with these people, so we do need people to continue to partner with us in prayer.”
Destroyed buildings and rubble are common sites since the earthquake, representing the loss of homes and jobs for many people.
Left and Right: Pastor Hernando preaches in two different shelters.
Tim Mallory prays over an elderly woman who is sick in a shelter bed; she has so much pain that she cannot move.
Tim Mallory (center) and Alex Carrascal, who has a clown ministry at Calvary Cartagena, encourage a young Venezuelan woman who lost everything in the earthquake, but recognized that the Lord was using her loss and suffering to draw her to Himself. The team encouraged her the previous week on a first visit, and she was very thankful for a follow-up visit.
Thank you for reading! If this story inspired you, we invite you to partner with us in continuing the ministry God started over 27 years ago. We appreciate your prayerful consideration in joining us to reach more souls for Jesus.
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