Revival After Disaster

After disasters struck Brazil and the Caribbean, the Church rose up to help their people. Edward Densham, who is deeply passionate about Samaritan's Purse work through the local church, sat down with Kristy Graham to talk about how he has seen disasters serve as launching points for revival in the Church.

When major flooding happened in Brazil, congregations across denominations banded together and realized the opportunity they have to be witnesses for Christ in their communities. Months after the flood waters receded, the Church is still having a powerful influence for Jesus Christ.

“I think what [people in Brazil] saw is that God sees [the storm] as an opportunity, and there's things that He's going to do for His kingdom through that disaster.”—Edward Densham

Jonathan Stone, who served on the Disaster Assistance Response Team after the flood, traveled back to Brazil months later, and what he saw amazed him. The church was more unified than ever before. Samaritan's Purse hosted a retreat for church leaders from southern Brazil with the purpose of pouring into those who had given out so much since the storm. While in Brazil for the retreat, one of our podcast correspondents, Grace, talked to Jonathan about this revival. Droves of young people are coming to faith because they see the Church alive, reaching out to their people.

“Suddenly these churches that were all very segmented and individualistic, now were working together. They were sharing their resources. They were caring for the people, the victims, together. And this unity has now become a validation point of the Gospel. It is so beautiful.”—Jonathan Stone

At the pastor's retreat, Grace also talked to Carolina, a pastor's wife, who has been on the frontlines of the flood response since the beginning. Carolina shared stories of people that she had met while serving. She entered houses that she would have never gone into otherwise, receiving the opportunity to pray over people and tell them about the hope of the Gospel. One woman made a significant impression on Carolina.

“They said, ‘Oh, God sent us, we are here to help you, you are not alone.’ And in the end of the day, she was singing and praising God because God is good. And so, sometimes we think we're just cleaning houses. No, we're not just cleaning houses. It's the hand of God helping people and showing you are not alone.”—Carolina Lo Lacono

Edward Densham spoke about how, in 2017, one church in Dominica stepped up after Hurricane Maria. He remembers going around to different churches in the area that were damaged in the storm and seeing what help they needed. At one church, the pastor was down in the ditch digging with his hands and beginning to rebuild because he wanted to reach back out into his community as quickly as he could.

When Hurricane Beryl tore through the Caribbean earlier this year, Jamaica was hit hard. Samaritan's Purse sent much-needed supplies and equipped pastors to distribute them to their people, opening the door for conversations. Grace was on the ground shortly after the hurricane, and she talked with Pastor Osmond about what it was like to distribute supplies and watch people who wanted nothing to do with the church become trusted friends.

“That very first Sunday, I drove the whole day handing out the tarps, and I realized it created a change in my immediate community. People were calling to me—the respect has changed.”—Pastor Osmond L. Bartley

Please pray for these affected communities in Brazil and Jamaica as well as the local churches continuing to minister. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit samaritanspurse.org.