Mozambique (MNN) — Remember Mozambique's severe flooding in January?
It affected more than a million people, leaving over 150,000 homeless and some 247,000 acres of land ruined. To date, over 100 people have lost their lives, and cholera cases are nearing the 500 mark in the Cabo Delgado Province alone.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, it was the worst flooding to hit southern Mozambique in over a decade. They've issued an emergency appeal seeking approximately $2 million USD to help 5,700 families in the coming 6 months.
Xai Xai, where Audio Scriptures Ministries has a growing presence, sits along the banks of the Limpopo River. With unrelenting torrential downpours, it wasn't long before the river overflowed its banks and headed for nearby villages.
Thankfully, ASM's new recording studio, dedicated in September to putting God's Word into audio for various tribal languages, wasn't affected by the flooding. It's now being used to help meet physical and spiritual needs. ASM opened the studio to a relief organization whose own facility had been threatened by the deluge.
Along with food packages, ASM is giving audio Bibles to flood survivors in Xai-Xai. Pray that the Scriptures will nourish and encourage desperate souls during this time.
Some 1,400 audio Bibles, thought to be delayed by the flooding, actually arrived before waters began to rise. ASM also received a small grant to provide food items for 100 affected families. Teams were able to gather rice, beans, flour, oil, sugar, candles, and soap.
They bundled the items, along with an audio Bible for each family and delivered the care packages first to a group whose entire village was under water. The families didn't have enough warnin, and only saved what little they could carry–which didn't include any of the crops they had recently harvested.
These flood survivors had been promised goods by a government relief agency, but had yet to receive any assistance. When ASM teams arrived with help in hand, the people exclaimed, "God has heard our prayers!"
Pray that flood waters will withdraw quickly and rebuilding efforts can begin. Ask God to comfort those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.
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