The Church of the Nazarene quickly mobilized support for 200 people who lost all their homes and belongings in a landslide that occurred at dawn on August 8 in Purulhá, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala.
After coordinating with Rev. Miguel Ángel Alvarado, the pastor of the Central Church of Purulhá, Baja Verapaz, a team representing Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) from the North Central Field traveled to the disaster site, taking an alternate route to reach the shelter where the people had found refuge. There they delivered 25 pairs of shoes (The Shoe that Grows), and 60 Crisis Care Kits containing: a towel, toothbrush and toothpaste, bath soap, nail clippers, shampoo, paper towels, comb and a stuffed animal for the children.
Later, more Nazarene Churches nearby continued to serve and provide for the needs of the people in the shelter. They brought food and clothing. The local pastor said this was raised by the entire community as an initiative of the Church of the Nazarene.
The NCM and Disaster Response team from the Verapaz del Norte district also went to the shelter and delivered clothing and food for the families.
The Church of the Nazarene of the Purulhá community, with the support of the district superintendent, donations from its members and people from the surrounding communities, visited the shelter to deliver clothing and shoes for children and adults, and a bag of non-perishable food for each family.
In an effort to encourage the 30 children who are in the shelter, they invited the community to donate sweets, juices and cookies to give to each child. Inside each package they placed a biblical message.
Currently the Church of the Nazarene in Purulhá is collecting toys, sweets, and other items with the aim of visiting the children and carrying out activities with a biblical message for them.
The church continues to be active, seeking donations of non-perishable food for families through its Facebook page.
Source: Dámaris Kellogg, NCM Norcentral and José Ángel Alvarado, Purulhá Church of the Nazarene
