Photo by Christian Vinces
Peru (MNN) ― Hunger, thirst and disease threaten the survivors of Peru's magnitude 8 earthquake. Since Wednesday, the area has been rattled by more than 430 aftershocks.
The temblor killed more than 503 people, injured 1,500 others, and left 90,000 homeless. Rescue workers say the lack of electricity, water and sewage services is increasing the fear of epidemics.
A team from HCJB Global Hands has arrived in the quake zone to provide medical assistance, supplies and counseling. HCJB's Sheila Leech is part of a team sent over the weekend to Ica at the request of Samaritan's Purse. "We have family practitioners; we have a plastic surgeon; we have an internal medicine doctor. We have two general surgeons--one who has extensive experience in trauma and orthopedics. We also have an emergency doctor and an intensive care doctor."
The team is rounded out by Dr. Klaudia Wolff, who will be addressing the emotional and spiritual trauma as a professional counselor. "This is the first time we've been in a situation where we have somebody who can actually speak the language who can be used for trauma counseling," Leech said.
Another team member is Sergio LaRosa, a Peruvian pastor associated with HCJB Global for more than a decade who serves with Sent To Serve Ministries in Peru. With the quake's destruction of much of his hometown, Chincha Alta, he waited two days to learn that his mother and sister survived.
"Since Peru is on our doorstep," notes Leech, "it's not an issue for our Ecuadorians and neither is language a barrier. This is a wonderful opportunity for our Ecuadorian colleagues to respond to a disaster situation."
As far as ministry goes, she says pray, "...that really
we would be used as efficiently as possible, and that we would be as effective
as we can possibly be, and that we will show through our presence and through
our medical interventions, the love of Christ, even in this tragic situation,
that there is a God who cares, and hopefully, that we can be the hands and
voice of Jesus in this situation in Ica, Peru." Click here if you can help .
