News from the Field - July 2024 - Open Arms Worldwide

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”

– Isaiah 43:2

Epic Flooding Strikes Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil

“PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil, May 9 (Reuters) – The death toll from severe flooding in southern Brazil has risen to 107, civil defense said on Thursday, as rescue operations continued and authorities began to see the cost of recovering from the devastation in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

In May and June, with our partners from SOS Global, OAW sent two Rapid Response Teams south to Rio Grande do Sul to serve those impacted by the worst flooding there in 80 years. Nearly 200 people have lost their lives, many more are unaccounted for, and thousands are without homes, water, or energy.

Our team worked alongside rescue and recovery teams providing assistance while also ministering to the many children and families who have been affected by this natural disaster. In catastrophic events such as this one, the children are often forgotten as adults struggle for basic survival. Our teams are trained to minister to the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of children and teens in just these circumstances.

Here is the field report from our Field Director, Eduardo Ribeiro, after the first team returned home.

Cruzeiro do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul state – Brazil

“We arrived on May 14th at the Evangelical Mission Alliance (EMA) church where we established our base, and from there, in partnership with the EMA, we started house cleaning work where we cleaned 23 houses, two schools, and a social services facility. These facilities are needed to begin ministering to the children in this community who are still stuck in overcrowded shelters. We managed to donate two cribs, a clothes cabinet, supplies for an expectant mother (diapers, etc), and a refrigerator. We also helped with the purchase of materials for the kitchen at the EMA base. This material will be of great help to the next teams to come. We bought kitchen utensils for the Arthur Eckert program (a program that works with at risk children), and also a computer that will help with children’s registration and to get the program back up and functioning. All of this was handed over to the local director and teachers, thanks to you who prayed and invested financially in this mission.

During our mission we had a fantastic team of psychologists who did great work with group and individual care and providing support to the EMA health team. I would like to take this opportunity to express my admiration for each of the S.O.S. Global psychologists who are role models for me. Seeing each of them acting in their role makes me think that there was no way they could have achieved so much authority without the power and help of God. Praise be to God for these women who have served in the mission.

NOTE: The city of Cruzeiro do Sul still has a great need for support in the area of house cleaning, painting and psychological support. I pray that more workers will make themselves available to the Lord to help in this mission. Thank you brothers for your prayers and financial support. I love you.” – Eduardo Ribeiro

Our staff of missionaries are able to respond to the needs and opportunities that God puts before us because we have an amazing family of supporters, “hope bringers,” from all over the world who believe that Jesus can change everything, and are willing to invest in that belief.

If you are not currently a part of that family and would like to be, click HERE to become a regular financial partner bringing hope to children and teens today.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Meyers
President & Founder

For video and more pictures of the work that was done, visit us at facebook.com/openarmsworldwide/