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Finding Hope in Disaster

Within days of the destruction left behind by the Eaton Fire, the small community of New Birth Churches in Downtown Los Angeles was already preparing to respond to the need. Although they are a congregation of roughly 60 members, they have faithfully served about a thousand hot meals almost daily for the last four weeks.

“Right now, people are suffering,” shared Pastor Mario Solorzano. “So, a hot plate of food, some clothes, some blankets. It just eases the pain a bit.”

Each morning, church volunteers gather early to pray that the Lord would soften the hearts of the people they will meet that day. Then, they start preparing food, pack it into their vehicles, and drive to Altadena. Folding tables are set up along the curb for them to start preparing to-go meals.

Anyone who comes by is offered free hot meals, water, sports drinks, medical supplies, and whatever other donations they have received.

Pastor Mario usually begins his conversations with people by asking, “Is your home okay?”

Usually, if their home is burned, they start crying. If they don’t want to talk, I go ahead and pray for them. And then I try to introduce Jesus to them. I say, ‘Do you want to receive Jesus Christ? He can ease the pain you have right now. He can comfort your heart. He can do what other men cannot do.’ And we have witnessed people say, ‘Yeah, I want to receive Jesus.’

Mario and his church volunteers have encountered many stories over the past few weeks and have seen God working in the lives of the people they’ve met. Watch the video below to hear from Pastor Mario.

 

One young man who walked up to the tables shared that his home of ten years was one of the houses across the street that had burned to the ground. He had worked as a gardener before losing his home. His wife and six kids were sleeping in the car before a church offered them a place to stay. But despite losing his home, he shared his gratefulness for his life and that God saved them.

 

Andrea, Mario’s wife, has been serving meals alongside her husband since the beginning. She shared a story of a man who spent 18 hours pouring water on his house and the desperation he and his neighbors felt trying to save their homes.

The stories they tell us are heartbreaking. The people are still in shock. They can’t believe they have lost everything. Seeing how they receive that plate of food, that small bag of love we bring, with so much care, we notice how their hearts open. We can see that their hearts are opening to the church, allowing us to bring them His love. 

Five other church partners recently joined New Birth Churches for a larger event to bless Altadena residents impacted by the fires. The churches brought food and resources that were distributed to the families who came to the event, along with additional donations from Children’s Hunger Fund.

While these churches are serving those directly affected by the fires, we know we will continue to see the devastation of this disaster unfold in the weeks and months to come. Many who did not lose their homes lost their incomes due to the fires. Job loss does not qualify for emergency relief, though many suddenly face food insecurity.

We are so thankful for the faithful churches who continue to serve. If you would like to contribute to emergency relief and support the work being done by our partner churches to minister to those directly and indirectly impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires, you can donate here.

 

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