Relief Efforts by SIM for the Flooding in Peru

"Huaico! Huaico! Huaico!"

06 Apr 2017

"Huaico!" is the word they use in Peru to describe a wall of mud coming down a hillside.  On March 17th, it was a word repeatedly screamed by people trying to alert others to wake up and escape with their lives before a wall of mud engulfed their homes.  This is the story that SIM missionary Martin Wieland heard people in the district of Lurigancho tell him when he asked them to describe what they had experienced.  Martin has partnered with the organization Paz y Esperanza (Peace and Hope) to help provide relief to those who have lost everything they owned.  They had to escape carrying their children and anything they could carry not even knowing to where they should run.  Chaos ensued as family members searched for their children, husbands and wives.  At times an entire day passed before they could be reunited with other family members and know they were safe.

"What will you do now?" 

"We don't want to just lie on the ground.  We have to get up again.  Thanks to the help we have received we have the strength and hope to start again.  God will give me the strength and help I need.  We have to continue forward for our children.  We have to encourage others who have gone through this tragedy with us.  We have to stay united to continue forward."

Thanks to your help, SIM Peru has been able to provide God's love in a tangible way.