Banding Together as the Body of Christ: Hurricane Otis

At the end of October, a Category 5 storm named Hurricane Otis hit Mexico. The storm quickly intensified in a matter of hours and went on to destroy an estimated 85 percent of the coastal city of Acapulco. As Samaritan’s Purse got involved, it proved to be a unique response in that departments across the organization came together to help in Jesus’ Name. North American Ministries, International Projects, Hispanic Initiatives, and Operation Christmas Child as well as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association all linked arms to give physical and spiritual relief.

Kristy Graham sat down with the Acapulco Response Manager John Peays, who shared the four areas that Samaritan’s Purse is focusing on to meet needs: food, water, shelter, and emergency relief items. Samaritan’s Purse has equipped families with water filters, hygiene kits, solar lights, and cooking sets. Volunteers are the heartbeat of this response, and Samaritan’s Purse has tapped into the large network of churches in Mexico to recruit volunteers to assist in the rebuild process.

Steven Flores, a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Rapid Response Team chaplain, talked about his time serving in Acapulco. He told the story of a salvation and described how important the ministry of presence was with this disaster response.

“I said, ‘You can change, and God wants you. I believe God sent me here to sit next to you to speak about His goodness and His love. And He wants to change your heart. You can make a difference, if you just surrender to God.’ And I shared the Steps to Peace with him, and he received Christ right there in the midst of waiting in a clinic where people were everywhere.”—Steven

Angel is the Director of Hispanic Initiatives for Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He was in Acapulco shortly after the disaster took place. He told a story about a distribution where pastors didn’t shy away from sharing about Jesus in the streets.

“We went to a rural area as well with Samaritan’s Purse to give some water filters and solar lights. There was a good moment where a pastor raised his voice and started sharing about Jesus. And they started singing and praising God. And then some children were able to give their heart to Jesus.”—Angel

Ten years ago, Pastor Hassan Villegas and his wife saw a huge need to minister in Acapulco, so they picked up their lives and answered the call to go. When the hurricane came through, it was devastating, but Pastor Hassan has hope that it will open doors for ministry that may not have been possible before. Pastor Hassan shared how relieved he was to find out that Samaritan's Purse was coming to help in Acapulco because now the churches can band together to help those who are reeling after the disaster and give them assurance in Christ.

“And so, we're going to be an unmovable force here in Acapulco. And we want to give Acapulco back its glory, but in the Name of Jesus, that it would be credited back to Jesus Christ. That Acapulco would be heard of again, but not so much because of the beaches, but because the Lord is doing something. We want people to hear Jesus Christ is moving in Acapulco.”—Pastor Hassan

Kristy spoke to Jason Kimak, the senior director of North American Ministries, about what this response will look like moving forward. While in the field, he learned that there is still a great need for food, especially in the outer parts of the city. On the rebuild side, there is much work to be done, as teams are still working to tarp roofs and restore churches.

Please pray that the Gospel will continue to transform the lives in the city and that the church in Acapulco will faithfully serve their communities. Pray for those who have lost everything including loved ones. And pray that staff and volunteers serving in Acapulco would have endurance and strength from the Lord. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories on the ground, please visit SamaritansPurse.org.