LifeNets has contributed to this wonderful reconstruction effort headed by Jesse Api and his wife Linda. He sends this report with the included photos. We thank all you have helped with this effort through LifeNets
Feb 18, 2025
Greetings from the Acapulco brethren.
I had the opportunity to sit down with the brethren and this is what they described. Foremost, they wanted to thank you for your support in helping them get their lives back together after the destruction and chaos caused by Hurricanes Otis and John. Hurricane Otis was the worst hurricane they had seen go through Acapulco. The fact that it hit at night and without warning caught them all off guard. They were awakened to unbearable noises and winds howling so loudly that it sounded like the end of the world. They crouched down in bathrooms or in center rooms holding on for dear life, trying not to get pulled out of their houses or get hit by flying objects moved about by the strong wind. They heard screams, and creaking and cracking. Items fell around them in their homes, and outside trees and power poles were crashing down and making great popping noises as if in a war zone. Roofs were pulled off their houses and then their belongings were sucked out of their homes. Structures fell. There was so much rain. Water flooded their houses and whatever belongings remained in their homes were soaked. After the hurricane, the smell was horrendous due to black water mixed with debris and many other things.
To add insult to injury, one year later, while Acapulco was still struggling to return to normalcy, Hurricane John struck. Unlike Hurricane Otis, which was a category 5 hurricane, Hurricane John was a category 3 hurricane. But it brought plenty of destruction in its path because the city was still trying to recover and most people were still trying to repair their homes. John brought many power outages, water shortages, flooding, and mudslides. It caused large boulders, some larger than small houses, to land on streets, highways, huts, and homes. A mudslide near a member’s house stranded the family and caused the family not to be able to get to their home for several days.
As of January 21, 2025, six of seven homes and one condominium have had repairs completed. Seven of eight roofs are 100% completed. There is one small roof that still needs to be repaired. We will need $7,250 USD to add to the funds we currently have left in the Acapulco fund in order to finish the last roof, and then the project will be completed.
Thanks to God, Good Works, Life Nets, and the generous donations from congregations and members, approximately $134,000 USD was raised. The money was primarily for emergency relief (food, water, and house supplies) for the Acapulco brethren and for the roofing project. Part of the funds were used to assist with the purchase of a used van for the Mexican Home Office which carried emergency supplies, food, and building materials to Acapulco and is now being used by the Tabasco, Chiapas, and Veracruz, Mexico congregation. Some of the funds were also used to repair one of the Mexico Home office vehicles.
We received non-monetary donations as well. Used laptops and sound equipment have been donated in order for the Mexican brethren to listen to services when they meet in their homes.
Finally, the Acapulcaneos would like to extend their gratitude for the generosity that has been demonstrated towards them. During the midst of the turmoil and the aftermath of the hurricanes they wondered how they were going to eat, what were they going to drink and how would they recover from losing so many items. How were they going to put their lives back together? They expressed great joy in knowing that God heard their prayers, continued to care for them and blessed them through people who did not even know them. They were very curious to know who had assisted them and why. We explained to them about Good Works and Life Nets and informed them that the balance came from church congregations and various individuals as well.
In November of 2023, the Acapulco brethren were struggling in the aftermath of the destruction. In March of 2024, 12 members began meeting for Sabbath services weekly in our condo while it was being renovated. They very much wanted to meet together. As word got out, over the course of almost a year, new people began to show up for church services. People wanted to know about God’s truth. They were seeking spiritual food as well as physical food. They saw that the brethren were being blessed, and they wanted to be blessed too. As of today, the Acapulco congregation has grown to almost thirty people and though we squeeze in for church services, we are running out of room. The brethren really want to be with each other on the Sabbath.
We were also blessed in that a policeman from Acapulco has been assisting us. When we first met him, we explained what UCG is and what we were doing in Acapulco. He has helped us in various aspects of getting the project completed and has never asked for money. He explained that he was an honest policeman and that he would assist us with any problems we might encounter with other policemen or with legal challenges.
We would like to thank you for allowing us the continuing opportunity to serve our brethren in Acapulco, Iguala, and Mexico City, Mexico.
Jesse and Linda Api
