VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 11/18/09)—One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) has released $6500 in emergency relief funds to International Ministries' (IM) partners in El Salvador to meet the immediate needs of the people following the massive flooding and mudslides there on November 8. At least 130 people have died and over 13,000 have been left homeless. The country’s president has declared a state of national emergency.
International Ministries missionary Kim Kushner has taken part in the relief efforts there. She traveled to the town of San Martin where she had spent a week the previous month assessing their recovery from an earthquake that leveled the town in 2001. The town had almost completely recovered from that disaster when this disaster hit.
“Late Saturday night, San Martin was transformed. Houses built on the steep hillsides and on the edges of precipices disappeared. They simply don’t exist anymore,” Kushner said. “Several households were caught off guard and the families were buried in their homes or washed down the hillside. 100% of corn and bean crops, just one week short of harvest, were washed away. Temporary plastic, tin, and bamboo pole structures are being built to house families on the soccer field…little to no aid has arrived in the community.”
The Baptist World Alliance reports that the First Baptist Church of San Vicente collapsed following heavy showers and flooding – the eight people inside at the time, including seven children, are still among the missing.
“The coastal zone on the Pacific side and places bordering have been flattened,” wrote Gloria Cabrera de Rivera, former president of the Baptist Women's Union of Latin America. “The volcanic mud slides have flattened anything that they have come in contact with and carried away human lives, houses and anything that existed.”
American Baptists have a long and rich history of reaching out to those in need. The people of El Salvador are only the latest such group needing help. To carry this tradition onward, please send your contributions to the relief effort to: One Great Hour of Sharing, Attention: World Relief Officer, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482. Checks can be made payable to “One Great Hour of Sharing” with OGHS- El Salvador Relief on the memo line.
You can continue to follow Kim’s experience from her IM profile on www.internationalministries.org
American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.