In June, 2018, one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions took place approximately 27 miles from Guatemala City. Volcán de Fuego (Spanish for "Volcano of Fire"), is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It is a stratovolcano that has had more than 60 eruptions since 1524, including a major eruption in 1974 which produced pyroclastic flows that destroyed the region's winter harvest with ash fall that covered nearby cities.
This most recent eruption was listed as the largest of the Fuego volcano since the one in 1974 and caused the death of more than 300 people leaving several injured. The most affected places were the villages, hamlets and colonies adjacent to the volcano. Many of them belonging to the municipality of Escuintla, Alotenango and San Pedro Yepocapa, which were buried by the violent pyroclastic flows. Additionally, two thousand people were evacuated to temporary shelters.
Members of Aglow Guatemala, reached out in many ways to the victims of this horrific event as the hands and feet of Jesus. They shared the Word of God with the firemen who supported this tragedy and gave these firemen a donation of complete uniforms, special boots, Bibles and vitamins.
Other victims of the “Fire volcano” have been visited every 15 days for the past year by Aglow. For each visit Aglow members evangelize from home to home and then hold a gathering of the people in that place. The people are prayed for, given clothes, snacks and gifts. The women who are pregnant receive baby bathtubs full of gifts of new clothes and cleaning products for the newborns.
The visiting Aglow women have come to realize that few of the people attended church before, but slowly, the participants have increased and now wait for Aglow to come each time. The people are joyous when the Aglow women arrive. Each time Aglow has visited, there have been several people who have received Jesus into their heart.
In these times when extreme difficulties occur in the nations, may we remember Aglow that we are the hands and feet of Jesus and “in as much as we do for the least of these, we have done it for Him!”