Pray for Quake-Struck Colombia

Prayer is urgently needed for the nation of Colombia after the western part of the country was struck by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake at 7:34 a.m. local time on Monday.

Media reports indicate that dozens have been killed, and efforts are underway to free people trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Although the capital city of Bogotá, where RTM Colombia has its headquarters, was shaken, all on the RTM team there are safe, Executive Director Estela Ferrucho said.

Maralina Alfonso, director of Marketing and Communications for TWR in Latin America, offers four key prayer points:

• Please pray for everyone affected in the cities of western Colombia who have lost homes and belongings or have been displaced. Ask God to grant peace and strength to those living in the hardest-hit areas, and to calm their hearts amid the fear, anguish and uncertainty they are facing.
• Pray for the full physical and emotional recovery of all who were injured in the earthquake. Ask God to comfort and strengthen the families who are mourning loved ones today, that they would find support and hope in the midst of their grief.
• Pray for Colombia's new national government and its leaders, who took office on Friday, Aug. 7, in the middle of a difficult economic and budgetary outlook. Ask God to give them wisdom, discernment and the capacity to coordinate relief in the fairest, most efficient way, prioritizing those who need it most.
• Pray for the disaster risk management team taking up their duties in the midst of this sudden crisis, and for every rescuer, first responder and emergency worker deployed across the region. Ask God for their protection, physical endurance and efficient movement as they reach each place where help is needed and lives can be saved.