"We haven't been able to get into the house for four days," said one of the residents of Caraá, a Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) municipality affected by last Thursday's flooding. The town of 8,000 inhabitants faced torrential rains last week that caused flooding and torrents of water that covered the town. Residents reported that the water reached a height of 1.2 meters in their homes. Furniture and appliances were submerged by water and mud.

On June 20–21, 2023, the Rio Grande do Sul Conference of Seventh-day Adventists divided into two teams and left for Caraá to help the affected community. Staff and pastors joined in removing debris and cleaning houses. They also brought water, food, and clothing collected by the office, churches, and Adventist school units.

"In our daily work, we do actions to help people with donations, but this time, it was important to be together, to listen to them, to clean the environments, to be the friendly shoulder, even without knowing who we were helping," says Mirian Fonseca, Human Resources director for the Central Rio Grande do Sul Conference.

During the two days, the more than forty volunteers were able to help six homes and countless families with food, water, and clothing distributed. Boots, gloves, and cleaning equipment were donated by the administrative headquarters, and the employees worked hard to clean the homes that had been flooded. Many pieces of furniture had to be repaired, and gates had to be put back in place. One of the families helped had to have all the mud removed from their closets and bathrooms.

"It was very gratifying to have participated in the action, to know that we were able to contribute a little bit to relieve the suffering and help organize the houses of some of our brothers and sisters. It is very impressive to see how devastated the city was: many houses destroyed, bridges collapsed, many people lost everything they had. It is really a scene of pain," reports Letícia Braga, an employee and volunteer in the action.

A Church, an Oasis

Since the tragedy struck the city, the Adventist Church in Rio dos Sinos, Caraá, has opened its doors to the community. Families, rescue teams, and volunteers have been sheltered and fed at the church during this period.

Members were in charge of collecting clothes and food for all those in need. The youth room on the second floor of the church became a place of refuge with food prepared by the members, as well as water and clean, warm clothing. "We are here to serve and help whoever needs it," says Cleusa Nunes, a member of the Rio dos Sinos Church and volunteer cook.

Nunes has been, since after the flood, preparing food for the rescue teams and volunteers who are helping to clean the affected houses. From breakfast to dinner, Nunes is there at the stove with her team preparing everything. While they are cooking, the women and men are smiling, singing, and playing. It is an oasis atmosphere in the midst of the tragedy in Caraá. The joy of the members and those affected by the rains was a reason for hope and encouragement even for the volunteers.

"What struck me most was seeing the joy and the way people welcomed us. Even in the midst of the chaos, they were smiling, joking, and saying that everything would be okay. After all, this is our hope; we know that while we are here, we are bound to experience catastrophes, but everything is transient," Braga concludes.

The original version of this story was posted on the South America Division Portuguese-language news site.