International Ministries News
Successful Hurricane Stan Outreach in Chiapas, Mexico
Bethany International Ministries, Mexico City, Mexico
In early November, Marcelino Naranjo (the leader of the full-time team we are sending to Asia in early 2006) approached me about his burden to send a team to the hurricane-stricken city of Tapachula in the southern state Chiapas near the border of Guatemala.
To tell the truth, I did not know if it was even possible to send a team, as we had other teams lined up for outreaches closer to Mexico City that month. In addition, the fact that Tapachula is nearly 1,200 miles away on bad roads would make this trip especially challenging to coordinate.
Two days later, I was approached by our church administrator Nahum Navas (who ministered with me the month earlier in South and Central America and came back ?pumped up for missions?). He asked, ?What do you think about sending a team to minister in Tapachula? To make a long story short, we immediately began to plan and mobilize. Soon it became evident that this was a ?God thing?… In a period of two weeks, we had more than 100 people signed up for the outreach, each willing to pay their own way! One lady from the congregation gave a $5,000 gift to help with the expense of getting people to the area. Hundreds of people from the congregation donated food items, as well as used and new clothing.
Hurricane Stan hit Tapachula (one of the poorer regions of Mexico) just before the more publicized Wilma in Cancun. The destruction caused by Stan will take many years to rebuild. Many of the local pastors lost not only their homes, but their church buildings as well.
The team was reduced to 64 people and worked primarily with Christians affected by the hurricane. The following was accomplished during the two-week outreach:
- 1,600 medical treatments
- 450 dental treatments
- 70 physiological / counseling sessions
- 90 chiropractic treatments
- 450 haircuts
- 20 tons of food & clothing distributed
- Legal assistance to 12 pastors
- Partial reconstruction of two homes
- 120 elementary school children received daily instruction by a certified teacher, as the public schools were not yet functioning
The team saw many miracles during the outreach… and guess who we selected to lead the team? Marcelino! One really has to be careful when asking the Lord to do something… many times we become the answer to our own prayers!
Photos: Michelle Ode
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