Colombia Earthquake Aftermath
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Since the week of August 10th, Colombia-based believers have continued to minister to those affected by the earthquake, with God creating opportunities to reach some of those most significantly impacted in the hard-hit city of Pereira, Colombia, shared Pastor Tim Mallory of Calvary Cartagena.
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Though the pastor didn’t know it at the time, days before the earthquake occurred, God was already opening doors for ministry in Pereira. A woman who attended Calvary Cartagena, Elizabeth, 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 who the team otherwise wouldn’t have been able to visit.
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“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 just have hundreds of families, just sitting there, waiting. A lot of them have lost family members, have lost their homes,” Pastor Tim said. “There's people stealing from one another, there's 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.’”
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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, who the team then had a chance to pray with and encourage.
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Pastor Tim added that now, the Calvary Chapel pastors are 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.”
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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