Scores of church leaders from southern Brazil gathered for a retreat hosted by Samaritan's Purse in the region. These believers have faithfully served their flood-weary neighbors since May.
Since early May of this year—after unprecedented rainfall caused disastrous flooding in southern Brazil and displaced over 800,000 people across Rio Grande do Sul—Pastor Roberto Machado said there’s been little time to rest.
The group was encouraged to learn of how Samaritan’s Purse and our Operation Christmas Child ministry help to strengthen an ongoing Gospel presence in the region.
Samaritan’s Purse recently hosted a retreat for the dozens of churches who’ve been hard at work serving their communities—even while suffering themselves.
When rushing water invaded their streets and homes, many families were forced to flee with nothing. Overnight, the daily basics—like clean water, shelter, warmth and a source of light to see by at night—all became desperate needs.
As our Disaster Assistance Response Team began rushing relief to the devastated region, we worked alongside this amazing network of Christians already ministering to the many hurting families.
Area churches were involved in water rescues and providing relief to their communities in partnership with our Disaster Assistance Response Team.
This network of faithful pastors and congregations continued to work long after we left.
“This was something that transcended any institution’s capacity to respond,” said Roberto Machado, a pastor whose church building was nearly 15 feet under water. “So, what could the church do in the first place? The church had to go to the field.”
Samaritan’s Purse seeks to partner with the local church wherever we respond. As four relief flights carrying water filtration systems, blankets, hygiene kits and other supplies landed in the region, we were able to equip churches to continue serving their communities.
“Samaritan’s Purse came here, put your foot in the mud with us, in the water with us, felt our pain, and invested resources,” said Machado. “You brought your experience, your expertise…. Samaritan’s Purse was a blessing from God.”
Jonathan Stone, who led the Samaritan’s Purse team in Brazil, said holding meetings to bring pastors together was critical in the early stages of the response.
“The first time, it was less than a hundred,” said Stone. “The second meeting was almost five hundred pastors. This had never been done here before.”
More Than a Building
“First moment, you save, you rescue; second moment, these people are taken to a place where the water did not reach.”
The church leaders met for prayer and a time of refreshing and uniting as they prepare to return and provide relief to the still-hurting families.
Machado’s church deployed nearly a dozen rescue boats to search for people in their devastated city. Other churches that remained dry began to house survivors. Still others housed donations of supplies, food, and water to be distributed to survivors.
Before the flood, churches in the same neighborhood often viewed each other as competition, and churches from different denominations usually didn’t have a relationship, but the flood changed everything. Churches needed to work together and share resources if they hoped to impact their city, and that’s what they did.
“The community was lined up in front of the churches,” Machado said. “People of the most different ideologies, political or religious, people of the most different social conditions.”
“The church has become the center of the community.”
Instead of being known by their denomination or church name, churches became known for the help that they offered, and that has drawn people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“When the Church is united, hell loses and heaven wins,” said Machado. “We are seeing, because of the unity of the Church, people being saved. We are seeing, because of the unity of the Church, families being restored. We are seeing, because of the unity of the Church, the community is having a different view of the Church.”
As parts of Porto Alegre remained covered in noxious floodwaters for nearly a month, Samaritan’s Purse was on the ground providing relief to over 37,000 people at distribution and clean water points. Most of these points were located at the local churches. Since then, the Church has remained steadfast in their commitment to share hope and provide practical help in their communities.
When Stone returned last week to Rio Grande do Sul on behalf of Samaritan’s Purse to host a retreat for 100 pastors and their spouses, the need for rest was palpable.
The churches have not stopped working since the flood. Many of those in attendance lost their own homes and businesses in the flood, but they’ve put their neighbors first for the sake of the Gospel.
The retreat was designed to let them rest in Jesus and renew their strength.
“This break is fundamental for recovery,” said Machado. “You can breathe, you can cry, you can be ministered to, you can have this important, necessary rest to regain strength, to regain the Spirit, to regain vitality, and to walk a few more miles.”
For Stone, returning to see the continued work of the Church was greatly inspirational.
“The momentum and the commitment to one another, I think it’s still growing,” said Stone. “That is something to really be encouraged by for the whole world Church.”
Opportunities for Long-Term Ministry
One result of the cooperation in the area is that churches in southern Brazil are getting excited about Operation Christmas Child outreach opportunities. Philip Warkentien, who works in Brazil with the program, was encouraged by the response of the church leaders.
Participants expressed joy and gratitude as they looked inside special shoebox gifts and considered how their churches might participate in the ministry locally.
“Rio Grande do Sul was not part of the picture up to this disaster,” said Warkentien. “God willing, our desire is this following season, to be able to come into Rio Grande do Sul with boxes, sharing the Gospel news for the little ones.”
According to Pastor Olavo Neto, a key partner who helped organize the gathering, a seed for further evangelism and ministry has been planted in the hearts of the pastors.
“They told me, ‘Pastor Olavo, we would like to get more information about the ministry and how we can join because we want to be part of this ministry. We want to connect this in our city through our church.’”
Please pray for Rio Grande do Sul as God works through the local church. Whether through disaster recovery or shoebox gifts, pray the hope of the Gospel is shared in every neighborhood.
The time of rest, worship, and connection gave the network of churches a new vision for how they could partner together to continue God’s work in their communities.
