Hurricane and Earthquake Relief

Hello to all our friends and family.

While we are on home assignment in Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and West Virginia, the relief work is beginning in many places of the USA and Mesoamerica Region.  There is not space here to update you on all the relief projects currently in process, but we will mention just a few places where the Church of the Nazarene is affected and working.  Please keep all these places, among others, in your prayers.

1    St. Martin/St. Marteen – This island's three Nazarene churches are either entirely destroyed of mostly destroyed.  75% of the congregations have lost their homes.

2    Puerto Rico – the relief and reconstruction work will take many months here.

3    Dominica – a view from the air shows mass destruction.  Fifteen lives lost, but the number will grow as they reach outlying areas.

4    Mexico – earthquake relief in Junchital continues with NCM working through 20-25 feeding centers, feeding 12,000 or more people 3 meals per day.  The Church of the Nazarene has been the main relief work in this area.  Doctors and psychologists have come to help with the many needs. 

5    Mexico – the earthquake relief in the Mexico City area is still in progress as the local churches mobilize to help people in crisis.

Here are a few photos from Junchital, Mexico from our friends Stephen and Anne Sickel who are working with NCM to bring aid to those who most need it. Pray for stamina and wisdom for the leaders who are guiding the work in all these areas.

Relief workers receiving instructions.

As all of this goes on in the world, our home assignment has begun. We have been in the USA for a couple of weeks, first to visit family for a few days of vacation and then to begin speaking in churches.  Going to the ISU game with family was a highlight!   

Us with family behind, waiting for the game to start.

And then viewing another ISU game with family was another fun moment, especially with the energy of these kiddos added to the mix (our great nephews and nieces).

We had a great time in Burlington, Iowa and were so impressed with the First Church’s three-acre plot of land that they use to plant sweet corn. The produce is sold and all the funds go to help missions work around the world. 

Then onto Garnett, KS where we enjoyed seeing the team that visited Costa Rica last August to work in Heredia at two churches.

Missouri was next on the list: Columbia/Fulton and Eldon/Jefferson City were our two stops.  All four churches were represented, and we enjoyed reconnecting with the W&W team members from January.  The Eldon Church was in the middle of their pie making work.  They make more than 5,000 pies in a two-week period to sell for missions projects.  It was fun to be a small part of the apple pie process.

David helped by coring the apples!

Now we have made our way to Ohio and are excited to meet up with our kids today. Then we will make our way to the Pierpont Church in Morgantown, West Virginia.  We are excited to see all our friends there on Sunday.

For the next few weeks we will travel to Indiana, Chicago, Northern California (by plane!) and then spend one week with the Chicago Central district.  The time will fly by and we will be back in Costa Rica by the end of the month.

Thanks for your prayers as we are traveling the USA.  We hope to see you along the way!

David and Shelley Webb