God Meant it for Good

By John Stiles

AREQUIPA, Peru - An earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale hit on Saturday, June 23. Although it lasted just two minutes, many buildings collapsed. In the town square, the Catholic church's steeple fell through the cathedral roof.

During the terremoto as an earthquake is called in Peru, two of my children and I fled to the nearby park. From that vantage point we could see the hardest hit areas covered by a cloud of dust and smoke. The ground under our feet shook so much we could not stand.

After the movement stopped, we rushed home to check for damage. Most of the dishes in our cupboards fell out and broke. My wife, Aimee, and our other two boys returned from the market where they had been when everything started crashing.

Fellow ABWE missionaries Steve Douglas, Aaron Karr, and I checked the damage to our downtown church building. Although one ceiling had fallen, the damage was not structural.

We learned that the epicenter of the quake was off the Pacific coast near our camp 2 1/2 hours away. In horror we watched news clips of the area: the ocean receded almost a half mile, then a 100-foot tidal wave swept inland. Yet when we contacted the guard at our camp, he told us everything was in perfect shape.

Three days after the quake, Aaron and I drove to camp. Many places on the road were passable by only one lane of traffic. We drove around a stretch of 10 feet of packed mud caused by a mudslide. Almost all the houses in the town of Camana had disappeared under rubble.

At the camp guard's house, a woman approached us asking, "Are you the Americans who own the camp, the place where the Word of God is taught? God supernaturally protected His holy ground!"

She was right. The ten-foot-high wall around the camp kept flood water out. Not a drop entered the building, yet 50 yards away the few houses remaining stood under chest-deep water. People waded to their houses to see what they could salvage. We prayed about how we could help.

With money advanced from ABWE and help from New Life Baptist Church in Arequipa, we bought 100 blankets and assembled 100 boxes of food. On July 2, Steve and men from the church contacted the mayor of Camana to see how to distribute these items to people who needed it most.

We visited the tent towns set up by the Red Cross and the Peruvian government. We talked with officials who carried lists of people who had lost everything. We offered relief supplies and invited people to a special program.

Two hundred fifty people jammed our chapel. Teenagers from Independent Baptist Church in Towanda, Pennsylvania sang gospel songs and performed a mime before Steve Douglas preached. Thirty people made salvation decisions! Seeing this response, the Arequipa church thought it was time to start a church at the camp. This has been one of our prayers for over 12 years.

We continued giving out food and supplies. From July 23 to 26, an Impact Team conducted VBS and showed evangelistic films. During the week, 40 more people believed on the Lord Jesus. Each night we gave the people something to eat. Once we included a special type of bread. A boy said, "We only eat this at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I guess this is even better than Christmas because Jesus was born in my heart today!"

In August, Dr. Jack Sorg and a medical team treated 200 people in two days of clinics. While people waited to be seen, they viewed gospel videos. Some said, "You told us we need to receive Jesus as our personal Savior. Can we do that today?" During those two days, 34 more people came to faith in Christ.

Looking back, we recognize God's working in a mighty way:

• The earthquake and tidal wave hit during the off-season for tourists. Otherwise loss of life might have reached thousands.
• God preserved His camp in the midst of devastation.
• Just two weeks before the quake, we installed a permanent roof on the camp's chapel, giving us a place to hold meetings and help people.
• God provided funds to meet physical needs of earthquake victims.
• The timing of the groups who ministered was perfect; their schedules had been set eight months earlier.
• Best of all, people were saved and on Sunday, October 14, a church was started for the glory of the Lord!
  

ABWE expresses thanks to donors who helped provide relief to those affected by the earthquake in Peru.

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