Pastor Antonio Cuchata, a longtime Seventh-day Adventist minister in Mozambique, remembers the moment the rain changed. What began as a familiar rainfall after a Saturday in February 2000 soon became a flood that swept through Chókwè, a major town in Gaza province, forcing families to flee during the night as water levels rose.

Cuchata said he and his family left their home quickly, running for higher ground in darkness and confusion.

“I woke my family up, and we began to run, leaving everything behind,” he recalled.

During the escape, the family was separated from their nine-year-old son. With floodwaters rising and people moving urgently, Cuchata said there was no opportunity to stop and search. He added that he continued forward with his other children, believing they would be reunited.

“I believed we would find him,” he said.

The next morning, he said the family saw a group of people also fleeing. Among them was their missing son.

“It was a miracle from God that we found him,” Cuchata said.

Cuchata described the days that followed as physically and emotionally exhausting. He said the family walked roughly 15 kilometers (about 9.3 miles) through flooded areas in search of safety. On the fourth day, they found refuge in a large marula tree, where they climbed into the branches to stay above the water. Cuchata said he used practical skills to help secure the children.

“My Pathfinder skills kicked in,” he said. “I used the branches and parts of our clothes to make a rope to help pull the children up.”

He said the family spent several days in the tree without food or clean water, relying on floodwater to avoid dehydration. Cuchata also recalled seeing snakes in the water near the tree.

“We prayed for the snakes not to come to us,” he said, adding that the snakes moved to another branch.

When the water later receded, Cuchata said the family climbed down and returned toward their neighborhood, only to find their home destroyed. With nothing left to recover, he said they continued walking—about 20 kilometers—seeking shelter. Along the way, they encountered another pastor who had been searching for them and who guided them to a displacement centre in Biline, where the family stayed for the next three years.

“Many people died,” Cuchata said. “But Jesus saved us.”

Reflecting on the experience, Cuchata said the scale of loss and the conditions of survival reminded him of the biblical account of Noah.

“The distance I walked, the trials I faced, it made me think of Noah and the flood,” he said. He described the marula tree as a provision of safety during the crisis.

Cuchata retired in January 2025 after 45 years of ministry. He said the 2000 floods remain one of the most significant events of his life and service. Looking back, he describes the experience as both a tragedy and a testimony of God’s protection, marked by the reunion with his son and the survival of his family amid widespread loss.

Today, Cuchata said the rainy season in Mozambique still brings memories of that period, but he no longer responds with the same fear. He credits his survival to God and says the experience strengthened his faith and commitment to ministry.

The original article was provided by the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division news site, Adventist Echo.