Apr. 20, 2010 Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

Libna Stevens/IAD/ANN

The Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Mexico continue to offer aid to hundreds of families affected by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, which hit northwestern Mexico earlier this month.

The quake killed two people, injured hundreds, and damaged about 5,000 homes in the region. In all, 25,000 lives were disrupted.

Five Adventist churches in the region sustained damage, said Adan Dyck, president of the church in the Baja California region. All five buildings remain closed until the state government office approves the structures for occupation.

About 135 Adventist families lost their homes and many more are living in shelters, said Pastor Osvaldo Arrieta, executive secretary for the church in North Mexico.

According to Pastor Edgar Sanchez, local ADRA coordinator in the Baja California region, worship services are being held in small group settings until the churches are deemed safe to enter. Local pastors and elders continue to minister to the needs of members who are living in tents in the surrounding parks and open fields.

"People are afraid to go inside their homes because there are dozens of aftershocks, from the large fault that runs in that area," says Sanchez. According to reports, as many as 30 aftershocks occurred in just a few days following the earthquake.

Rafael Garcia, ADRA Mexico director, said his team was able to distribute more than 1,000 food baskets, half supplied by ADRA and half supplied by local Adventist churches.

There are nearly 2,000 Seventh-day Adventists in Mexicali.

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