Superintendent of Guatemala’s Atlantic District, Mario Pineda, had some unexpected news when he received a call from Mr. Pedro Cortes, leader of COCODES, the Community Council for Urban and Rural Development, in the community of Nueva Bendicion in Izabal, Guatemala.
The community leader asked Pineda to meet with him because he had something to give him. On March 6th, Pineda and his family arrived in Nueva Bendicion and were told that the community had decided to give a 37 square meter plot of land to the Church of the Nazarene in order to start a mission since there was no church in the area.
The land was a display of gratitude for the church’s service in the aftermath of hurricane Iota which caused severe damage in this and other communities in November 2020. During that time, the District along with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries for the North Central Field and the Disaster Response Team brought shoes, clothes, food, medicine, emergency kits, among other items to the people of the area. Some persons from the community said this was the only help they received.
Pastor Esly Aguilar from the ‘Los Positos’ Church of the Nazarene is currently responsible for the new congregation which is made up of nine persons. While there is no building as yet, the church meets in the home of one of the members.
“Thank God for the help we received from NCM and from the Region. We were able to reach people who were in desperate need and show that God loves them and did not forget them in times of distress,” said Superintendent Pineda.
Source: Damaris Kellogg, NCM Coordinator for the North Central Field of the Church of the Nazarene
