‘The flood changed everything – some things for the better’

This is the channel that a flood dug through the town of Puesto Nuevo in April 2001. The government is moving the town to a new location, and the churches that provided such spiritual strength for the victims must now move with it. Argentina. Photo: UBS/ Larry Jerden (ARG01DJ-49)

PUESTO NUEVO, Argentina — When a large part of the town of Puesto Nuevo was destroyed by flooding in April 2001, many of its 284 families lost a way of life. The entire town is now to be abandoned in favour of a safer location.

But thanks to the witness of the area’s Christians and the support of the Bible Society of Argentina, the floods also brought hope for a new life. Pastor Tejerina, who leads the Christian Assembly (an Assemblies of God congregation in the town), said that in the wake of the disaster, so many people came to the church that the building couldn’t hold them all.

“There were a lot of new-born Christians from that flood and we gave them UBS Bibles,” he says. “Other churches had similar experiences.”

Even amid material need the Bibles were very important.

“The people in town lost everything,” Mr Tejerina explains. “They had no clothes, nothing. But they were so happy to receive the Scriptures. We handed out Selections to each of the families in town. Then we gave out more Selections, Bibles, and Testaments until we ran out. Some members of our church gave away their own Bibles. We didn’t expect that kind of reaction, but people were eager to receive God’s Word after the flood.”

Of his 50-strong congregation, one man and his grandmother lost their lives and three families lost everything. The church building itself escaped destruction – although the flood dug out the soil in front of it building to a depth of five metres.

Pastor Tejerina of the Christian Assembly in Puesto Nuevo stands with his wife, Limbania Mendoza, his son, Efrain Elver Tejerina, and daughters Gabriela Jesica (centre) and Ayelen Noemi (right) in the church building they must leave because their town is being abandoned after the devastating floods of 2001. Argentina. Photo: UBS/Larry Jerden (ARG01DJ-56)

“We had to fill it in so people could get into the church,” says Mr Tejerina.

Ironically, however, the government is going to move everyone left in the community to a new town it is building several miles away.

“The government will give us land for a church in the new town, but not a new building,” Mr Tejerina explains. “We’ll have to see if we can get the money.”

While that question is still to be settled, he praises the Bible Society and churches from surrounding towns for coming to their aid.

“We got help from the mayor’s office,” he notes, “and volunteers from the Bible Society brought blankets, Bibles and other help.”

Among those who were eager and willing to help were members of the Assemblies of God congregation in nearby Palma Sola. This community, too, was hit hard by the flood: 25 bodies were found, others probably never will be.

The Rev Claudio Siles is pastor of Palma Sola’s Assemblies of God congregation and a veteran Bible Society supporter.

“One member of our church was heading back to his home when the floods came,” he says. “His house is made of adobe [hard-packed mud dried by the sun], so he knew he was going to lose it. In the end, though, the water went to the east side of town, destroyed a bridge and a friend’s house, but did not touch his home.

“Another pastor was leading his church in a prayer meeting at the time. He was ordered to evacuate the church, but after the prayers the flood diverted to a different direction.”

Despite the help from the Bible Society, churches, and the government, the area around Palma Sola is losing many of its inhabitants. The flood came on top of the economic crisis that was already affecting them. Mud which it deposited on the farmland destroyed crops and buildings and left the land less fertile. Locals say it will be years before it recovers.

“There used to be 8,500 people here,” says Mr Siles. “Now there are about 6,700. There is no production, so there is no work in the fields. A tomato factory had opened, but now there are no tomatoes. They lost everything so they left.”

There are signs of light, however. “People have a great respect for the things of God here, even if they do not profess to be Christians,” he says, “so there is great potential.”

In the wake of the flood, he adds, many Christians have become close to the mayor and others in the government.