Here is a report from Gabriel Garcia (pastor, Mexico City) and Jesse Api about their visit to Acapulco to assess the damage from Hurricane Otis:

“On Wednesday, Nov. 29, we made a visit to all the houses of UCG brethren in Acapulco, Mexico. Those who went were Antonio Aguilar (from Iguala), Roberto Hernandez (Mexico City), Jesse Api (Ohio), and Gabriel Garcia (Mexico City).

“To get to Acapulco, we used the church vehicle from Tabasco to take all the donations that came from members in Mexico, both physical and monetary, as well as all the goods purchased with the money from Good Works. The vehicle is a 2014 Toyota HiAce van, with capacity for 15 passengers and the ability to remove the seats to make it a cargo van.

“The roads in Acapulco had been cleared up and there was a large military presence. However, the side streets leading to the hills and other towns were still cut off by trees and telephone poles.

“All the brethren received us very well, and we could see that they were protected by God. The night of Hurricane Otis, they thought that they were going to die. In the darkness, with the wind, noise, rain, and even screams of neighbors asking for help, they prayed to God and He heard them.

“Most of the houses in Acapulco are made of light material. The tin roofs were easily blown off by the force of the hurricane, and about 7–8 roofs of the members’ houses we visited suffered this fate. Because of this, some of them had their clothing, household appliances (large and small) and beds ruined.

“Their current condition is stable, but they obviously need help to rebuild their roofs, as well as to better fix their homes; several have all their belongings temporarily stored elsewhere.

“In the meantime, we gave them food, water, cleaning and hygiene items, as well as a loudspeaker with 60 sermons on a USB memory stick for Sabbath services.

“Five different houses were visited, some with multiple roofs, and about 15 people visited, all members of the church. Measurements, photos and assessments were prepared by Mr. Jesse Api for a future visit where the damaged parts of the houses will be rebuilt.”

—Mario Seiglie, senior pastor, Spanish-language areas

(Good Works is accepting donations to the Acapulco disaster relief fund; donations can be made at goodworks.ucg.org and clicking on Hurricane Otis Relief 2023.)