Missionaries are also coordinating the collection and shipment of goods from Assemblies of God churches around the country. Desperate people have ransacked and pillaged grocery stores and warehouses. Some supply trucks have been stopped and cleaned out even before arriving in the city. Pastors have had to take extreme measures to organize food distribution. Often, supplies have to be unloaded behind closed gates and doors.
Continued prayer is needed for the coordinated effort of helping local church families.
People are staying at a nearby church campground. Disaster relief funds will take anywhere from 3 to 5 days to become cash in our hands. Our Visa cards have helped us get cash quickly in these first days. Organizers are planning to set up shelters of guadua at the churches and campground. Guadua is a Colombian thick bamboo that actually withstood the earthquake best.