Weekly Prayer Update
Friday, July 12, 2024
Hurricane Beryl Response in the Caribbean
Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Beryl churned through the southeast Caribbean, thousands of people remain homeless across Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. On the two smaller Grenadian islands, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, 90-95 percent of all buildings were destroyed.
On the main island of Granada, Fontenoy Church of the Nazarene opened their doors as a shelter for community members, and the pastor held a prayer meeting for anyone who desired spiritual support while taking shelter. The congregation in Victoria lost part of their roof, the only church damage from the island that’s been reported so far.
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries and Nazarene churches in Trinidad and Tobago collected items to provide immediate support to impacted people on the islands of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The volunteers partnered with other organizations and local officials to distribute the items.
Beryl caused wide destruction in Jamaica, knocking out power and communications across the island and leaving people without clean water and sanitation. The staff at Mission of Sight, a medical aid organization in Jamaica founded by Nazarenes, is working to provide relief to their team members, patients, and the surrounding community. A mission trip group from Carthage Church of the Nazarene in Carthage, Missouri, was scheduled to serve in and bring relief items to Jamaica beginning on July 6. Their trip continued as planned despite the lack of power.
At least 11 lives were lost in the Caribbean and Venezuela due to Beryl.
A Prayer for help and hope from Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Amen.
Hurricane Beryl Response in the United States
After finishing its final path across the Gulf of Mexico, Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm. In Houston, 2.26 million customers lost power. Currently, more than 1 million remain in the dark as hot temperatures threaten the health of vulnerable and elderly populations.
Due to lack of power at the campground they use, the South Texas District Kids Camp was cancelled, but Graceway Church in Houston hosted an alternative mini-camp experience for kids who had planned to attend. Graceway has also opened their church to as a cooling center for anyone who needs a place to recover, rest, or work.
In Louisiana, Nazarenes are responding to those impacted by the storm’s outer bands, some of which spawned tornadoes. Friendship Church of the Nazarene in Sabine Parish has delivered crisis care kits to families in need, and an emergency bath and restroom trailer has been deployed in Chalmette, near New Orleans.
Flooding and damage continued as Beryl weakened to a post-tropical cyclone and moved northeast through the United States, dropping heavy rain from the Great Lakes to New England and Southern Canada. Tens of thousands of people lost power or were evacuated from their homes.
At least 10 lives were lost in the United States due to Beryl.
We pray for all who are recovering from Hurricane Beryl, from the Caribbean, to Mexico and Texas, and through the midwest United States to eastern Canada. Help all who are suffering without electricity in summer's high temperatures and all who must rebuild their homes before they can return. Provide food, medicine, and other vital supplies to all who are in need. Lord, hear our prayers.
Health Care Ministries
Many obstacles can prevent someone from getting the medical care they need. Cost, location, stigma, and lack of resources can layer, compounding the barriers between a person who is sick and a health care professional. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries partners with clinics, hospitals, and community-based healthcare programs around the world to overcome these barriers. Lives are being transformed through education, training, resources, and support for communities in need of both physical and spiritual healing.
We pray for people struggling to access health care. We pray that through health care ministries, those who are sick or in pain would come to experience the healing of Christ. Lord, hear our prayers.