Well, the wild adventure has ended as David and his coworkers arrived safely in Managua late this morning. They managed to get on the only plane leaving the area of Puerto Cabezas today. They left a couple hours late since they wanted to be sure everyone that needed to leave was able to board.
David said they heard by radio that 115 people died from the storm in Puerto Cabezas. And David verified that one of the church walls has fallen in and the roof is mostly off. It is unusable for now. The area still has no electricity or water and it may be sometime before the poles and lines are restored.
Thanks for your prayers, but keep praying as this storm continues over Guatemala and then into Mexico. The rain in those areas can be devastating from both the flooding and the mudslides in the mountains.
Shelley
Latest Update, September 4, 2007 10:30am
Although David did not share this information with me, I have learned from our Regional Director, Dr. Saenz, that there is extensive damage in Puerto Cabezas. (I should not have believed David when he acted like all was fine and it wasn't a big deal. Dr. Saenz says his reaction is a sign of a good missionary!)
On the map above, in the location of the red center of the storm is the area of Puerto Cabezas. The local Nazarene church is destroyed as well as the home of the Pastor. Most homes have lost at least their roofs and many destroyed completely. There is no electricity. Please pray for this region as they begin to recover from the devastation. Thankfully David and the other leaders on the ground are safe. They will leave when it is possible, but it may be not possible for a couple of days. Thanks for your prayers.
Shelley
Latest Update: September 4, 2007 7:30 am
This is Tuesday morning and I just received a call from David. He is safe and sound in Puerto Cabezas. They found a strong 2 story hotel and stayed there for the night. They will not be able to leave today as their are no flights with the strong winds, but they will try to fly to Managua tomorrow. He said he can't see too much damage where he is located except for some roof sheets blown off. I could hear the wind in the background as we had a quick visit and he said it is still very strong and his question was, "When is this storm moving past us?" So, we are thankful David and the other leaders are well this morning.
Thanks for your prayers.
Shelley and the kids
September 3, 2007 pm
Hey Everyone,
Well, I just wrote this morning how David and two other leaders (Oseas, the District Superintendent of Nicaragua Central and Eleizel, the Work and Witness director) traveled early this morning to Puerto Cabezas. I have just learned they will not be able now to fly out in time to avoid the hurricane so they are "hunkering down" in a safe place to ride out the storm.
You can see where they are located on this map since Puerto Cabezas is well marked.
We would appreciate your prayers as wait for the storm to pass. Thanks everyone!
We'll post an update when we have more information.
Shelley, Joshua and Kayley
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