It was close to midnight when the earthquake (8.2 on the Richter scale) shook the city and the families of Juchitán, Oaxaca. Hundreds of families were affected. The family of Noemí Anzueto is one of them.

Noemi is an active elder of the Church of the Nazarene and Campus Director for the Mexican Nazarene Seminary in Juchitán, Oaxaca. She is also a student in the SENDAS Master’s in Family Counseling Program.

The following testimony represents somehow what many other families have experienced. This is only a brief part of Noemi’s testimony that shows what Noemi experienced during and what she had lived through after the earthquake in the past few days. Here is a brief compilation of what she herself has shared from her heart:

«I glanced at my watch and it was 11:49 pm. I thought I ishould go ahead and iron my clothes for Sunday. In that moment the house began to shake. I was alone on the second floor with my daughter when I heard a rumbling noise and everything started a move faster. I could see how sparks flew out of power transformers outside, I could see the building of a 5-story clinic rocking back and forth and could only think if that building is moving like that, how will my tiny home survive this? I could only plea for God’s mercy. Thank you, Church of the Nazarene, thanks to Compassionate Ministries, thanks to Edi Montejo, thanks to Stephen Sickel, thanks to the volunteer doctors, thank you all for your prayers. Thank you, Nazarene Church.»

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The Church of the Nazarene responded immediately to the disasters and is currently providing meals through distribution centers in the affected areas. These centers are providing three meals a day for more than 12,000 people. Twenty-five doctors have offered their much-needed services since the city’s hospital was destroyed in the earthquake. In addition, eleven psychologists arrived for the weekend to provide assistance to those who suffered trauma and stress due to the disaster.

Nazarene churches in eight districts continue to donate food and supplies to help earthquake victims, but more help is needed. Please consider giving through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries so the work can continue and reconstruction can start in Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Currently, Noemí and her family are housed in the facilities of the Emmanuel de Juchitán Church in Oaxaca that has served as a refuge for many other families as well.

We pray that Noemí and her family, as well as other families in Juchitán find refuge in the loving hands of our God. We believe that the church at times like these becomes the hands of our merciful God to all these families.

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