DISASTER STRIKES ICA

Disciples of Jesus Christ have the identifying mark of love. (John 13:34, 35) How well this was demonstrated in March 1963, when disaster struck the town of Ica, 170 miles (270 kilometers) southeast of Lima! Because mistakes were made by those controlling the floodgates on the river, the town and many vineyards were inundated. The waters swept away the local Kingdom Hall, as well as many homes, including those of some Witnesses.

However, Christian love went into action. All over Peru Jehovah’s people acted as one. Quickly, a relief fund was set up and two tons of clothing and food also were sent to stricken fellow believers in Ica. Yes, God’s servants really care about each other.

OVERCOMING KINGDOM HALL CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS

Besides the love they have among themselves, Jehovah’s people manifest other godly traits that often contribute to the success of their endeavors. This can be illustrated by what happened in Trujillo in the mid-1960’s. Because of rapid growth in the congregation the Kingdom Hall was unable to accommodate everyone and a new hall was needed. Happily, Jehovah opened the way for the brothers to obtain a plot of land and a loan for Kingdom Hall construction.

Before long the local Witnesses were busy carrying bricks, hauling loads of iron and working hard at the construction site. Why, even the sisters became very adept at mixing cement “by hand,” as they did not have a cement mixer!

There were many obstacles. For example, the brother assigned to complete the “paper work” needed an engineer’s signature on the plans. Well, to sign them one engineer wanted $110, another, $150​—prices the brothers could not pay. But the problem was overcome in an unusual way.

One day the brother doing the “paper work” was standing in line at a bank when a man came along and pushed in front of him. The brother was annoyed, but exercised the Christian fruit of self-control and said nothing. That very day someone suggested that the brother contact a certain engineer to obtain the signature needed on the plans. Well, that engineer turned out to be the same individual who had pushed in front of our brother at the bank. The man was very friendly, said he liked to help good work, and readily signed the papers, asking only $11 as his fee. Truly, displaying Christian qualities can be rewarding. Today the Kingdom Hall in Trujillo stands as a silent testimony to the fine traits and hard work of Christians in that vicinity.

THE EARTH QUAKES!

One of the worst disasters in Peru’s history struck at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 31, 1970. A gigantic earthquake then literally shook down villages and towns in the Andes and coastal areas. Many of Jehovah’s people were affected, and Kingdom Halls were damaged or completely destroyed at Chimbote, Casma, Huaraz, Trujillo and other places.

Later, over a period of time, funds were provided to rebuild three Kingdom Halls in Chimbote, one in Huaraz and the halls in Máncora and Sullana that were damaged by subsequent earthquakes.