Peru's earthquake
The frightening thing about earthquakes is that you don´t know when they are going to stop. The earth trembles like a bouncy castle and walls start to sway. It could be all over in 3 seconds, or it can get stronger and go on until the walls fall on all beneath. So it was that over 500 died and 1500 were injured in Ica, Peru, last Wednesday, and 600 prisoners escaped from jail. If you calculate the number of Christians involved it's equivalent to the entire St Vincent Street congregation being killed and everyone belonging to the Free Church in the Glasgow Presbytery being injured.
The first plane with international aid to arrive in Ica came from South America's poorest nation, Bolivia. And this was despite this week's report of the ongoing dispute between Bolivia, Peru and Chile over maritime rights. An earthquake is a common foe that unites the Andean nations. The world's most vulnerable seismatic area is off the coast of Peru, so Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia are all at risk.
Following a history of such disasters, many towns such as Moyobamaba or cities like Medellín, have been rebuilt to seismatic protection standards. No doubt the same will happen in Ica. But probably most of South America's population live in unprotected accommodation.
Where is God in all this? Peru's churches are fuller than they have ever been in the entire nation's history. Maybe that's where God is: the comfort, divine strength and eternal perspective that he alone gives is now known by so many more since the country´s worst earthquake 40 years ago.
Photo: Night storm over Medellín
The first plane with international aid to arrive in Ica came from South America's poorest nation, Bolivia. And this was despite this week's report of the ongoing dispute between Bolivia, Peru and Chile over maritime rights. An earthquake is a common foe that unites the Andean nations. The world's most vulnerable seismatic area is off the coast of Peru, so Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia are all at risk.
Following a history of such disasters, many towns such as Moyobamaba or cities like Medellín, have been rebuilt to seismatic protection standards. No doubt the same will happen in Ica. But probably most of South America's population live in unprotected accommodation.
Where is God in all this? Peru's churches are fuller than they have ever been in the entire nation's history. Maybe that's where God is: the comfort, divine strength and eternal perspective that he alone gives is now known by so many more since the country´s worst earthquake 40 years ago.
Photo: Night storm over Medellín
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