WorthyNews: Christians Suffering In Brazil Flooding Killing Many

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

RIO GRANDE, BRAZIL (Worthy News) – Christian aid workers said Wednesday they are rushing food parcels and other relief to Christians in Brazil’s critical agricultural state of Rio Grande do Sul, where flooding caused by massive torrential rains left more than 150 people dead and some 100 missing.

According to experts, the devastating floods in southern Brazil have been exacerbated by deforestation, much of which is driven by soybean farming.

Activists have urged the country to restore its forests and their vast water-retaining root systems. Still, those appeals came too late for the Christians in cities and rural areas that the Barnabas Aid organization supports.

“The waters have risen again, causing a lot more damage,” said Daniel, a church leader in Rio Grande do Sul who uses one name. In comments shared with Worthy News, he said that the flooding had done “a lot of harm and taken what was left in many places.”

Weeks of flooding have changed parts of the state into a wasteland with destroyed houses, damaged cars, branches, and debris seen in towns such as Cruzeiro do Sul following the devastating floods that hit the region.

His church was quick to help in the rain, moving any aid already received before the water levels rose again, Daniel added. “People are tired and exhausted because many of them have already managed to set their property right. They had started organizing their lives again.”

This is the “third flood Brazilian Christians have endured since September 2023. They must start again, in many cases without even the simplest needs met,” Barnabas Aid told Worthy News.

ASKING FOR PRAYERS

Daniel said he asked for prayer for his church and Christians in a nation where many face poverty, “We really need the prayers of all the brothers and sisters … that God can keep us encouraged so that the Church can be firm in doing what only it can do – to provide spiritual assistance to all these people.”

Barnabas Aid told Worthy News that it is “already on the ground, providing food parcels for affected Christians and working with our church partners to distribute aid where needed.”

However, it launched a donation campaign hoping to increase assistance for its projects in Brazil.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, also known as Lula, pledged to reduce hunger and poverty after he became the country’s leader again last year following his previous 2003-2011 presidency.

He also pledged to tackle “climate change” and environmental issues, including signing a deal with other southern and southeastern Brazil states to reforest 90,000 hectares by 2026.

Yet these plans have come too late for Rio Grande do Sul. Witnesses said that as water levels started to return to normal after the record-breaking floods, people briefly returned to their properties to assess the damage and salvage what was left.

But more rains hit the region last week, nearly matching the record levels experienced a few short weeks ago. The Taquari River rose to almost 28 meters (91 feet) above average, according to official estimates.

The renewed flooding underscored the need for more aid, including believers praying for strength to endure the latest challenges to hit the turbulent easternmost nation of South America.

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