Natural Disasters

Prayers for Holy Week

Holidays, Natural Disasters, Prayer, Thinking About God -

Can you imagine the roller coaster of emotions that Jesus’ disciples faced on that very first Holy Week? It seemed that all they dreamed would happen was coming true as the week began, but by Friday they were crushed, scared, and running for their lives. They had no idea that after that darkest of hours they would see resurrection firsthand. But how they must have struggled, and questioned, and weeped together. This year across the world we are forced to be still as we enter into Holy Week. There are no spring vacations, or family Easter dinners, or large and elaborate church services to plan. All of us have a moment to contemplate, to breath it in, to consider what it means to face death and to hope against hope […]

Reflections in a Crisis

Natural Disasters, Thinking About God -

  The world has always been broken. But today the cracks aren’t so well hidden, the frayed edges aren’t so neatly tucked away. Our weakness rises to the surface, is laid bare. Our real souls are showing without our idols taking up space. Safety, financial security, health, sports, relationships, fitness, education, our church…all of the things that prop us up have fallen away. The world is turned upside down. Uncertainty and fear slips across borders, isn’t reserved for only the most desperate, and wraps around us all. Economies grind down, the frailty of our health care system glares out at us, the vulnerability of our bodies and souls to unseen and unknown forces can’t be denied any longer. This morning in El Salvador, hungry people spilled out of  barred up […]

Fragile, Handle with Care

Justice, Lighthouse Resource Center, Natural Disasters -

A few words from Alexia Rodriguez, Case Manager at the Lighthouse Resource Center as she reflects on the COVID-19 crisis facing El Salvador… When my son was around 4 or 5 years old, he loved to dress up. I put in his room a rack to hang the suits that I was buying him…Darth Vader, Spider Man, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee. But for the longest time his favorite was Captain America. I would be in my room or in the kitchen, and he would suddenly come looking for me saying, “Mom, close your eyes…Taa-daaa!” I would open my eyes, and be “surprised” as he stood proudly in his suit, mask, and shield striking his favorite superhero poses. Since we were playing together, I also had my favorite superhero…Wonder Woman of course! When […]

Earthquake in El Salvador

Life in El Salvador, Natural Disasters -

Last night we experienced a 7.4 earthquake in El Salvador. We are used to tremors but this one felt a lot bigger! I felt like the whole floor was rolling back and forth. We were fine, and in San Salvador there was no major damage reported. East of us was much closer to the epicenter and local news is reporting three deaths as well as power outages and approximately 20 collapsed homes. Please pray for those affected, and thank you for continually keeping our family in your prayers! You can read about the earthquake here: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/14/world/americas/central-america-earthquake/index.html  

Hiking the Santa Ana Volcano

Family, History of El Salvador, Life in El Salvador, Natural Disasters, Places to Visit in El Salvador -

This past weekend, we did some new, fun stuff in El Salvador. We went to see the national soccer team play (a first for the kids and I), and I will post more on that later. We also finally (finally!) took the time to hike the Santa Ana Volcano. In the native language, it is known as Illamatepec. Jon has done it before but the kids and I haven’t and I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time. I wish I had taken more pictures on the climb up, because it was an absolutely spectacular day. However I got a few and you can see the flowers in full bloom. The flowers and trees slowly gave way to a desolate landscape. Santa Ana last erupted in 2005 so […]

Tornadoes on Volcanoes

Life in El Salvador, Natural Disasters -

Here is a special post for all you weather geeks out there! Yesterday evening as Ian and I pulled into our driveway, he pointed at a crazily spinning cloud just down the hill from our house. The clouds whirled around each other and a small funnel cloud began to fall down from the cloud. We called to Jon and Tori and soon we were all watching the birth of a tornado. From our vantage point, we could watch the clouds spinning apart, then together, until a definite tornado was visible. It was a wisp of a twister that we could see right through until it moved down the volcano and out of sight.  I’ve never seen a tornado before, so even this tiny one was a big thrill! Thankfully it did […]

Relief Still Needed in El Salvador!

Natural Disasters -

The rains have stopped in El Salvador, but the need continues. Thousands are still in shelters where sicknesses are spreading. Up to 75% of staple crops are lost in many communities. There are many in need of relief in El Salvador! We are continuing to collect donations for the relief effort. A little donation can go a long way! A donation of $25 can buy 600 individual waters. A donation of $37.50 can buy 100 pounds of sugar. A donation of $42 can buy 100 pounds of rice . A donation of $60 can buy 100 pounds of beans. You can donate by visiting the HomePage of this website and indicating that your gift is for Emergency Relief. Thank you for your support for El Salvador!

Aid Distribution – Río Lempa

Natural Disasters -

I am just getting home from a long day bringing relief to people who are in desperate need. I am super exhausted, but feel like I cannot compare to the people I met today! They are living in water and most have lost everything! We delivered these supplies to a shelter near Río Lempa, an area where the river flooded and was the cause of many deaths. There were 225 people in this shelter including an 8 day old newborn! (What a rough first 8 days of life!) The people there were very thankful and the donations of 200lbs of rice, 200lbs of beans, 200lbs of suger, 800 bread rolls, 625 bags of water, a pickup truck full of DRY clothes, a few bags of medical supplies and some bags of toiletry items […]

Aid Distribution – Community on San Vicente

Natural Disasters -

Yesterday Jon and the team spent the morning in a community on the San Vicente volcano where 50 families have been displaced and 80 people were in critical need of food, drinking water, and medicines. The people are packed into a semi-dry building that is serving as a shelter. Most of their homes are filled with mud, and several outhouse toilets have just collapsed into the ground. It was an unbelievable sight to see all the mud and water filling the homes and covering the belongings of the residents of this community. But there were many smiles, and laughter, and gratitude to all who came bringing supplies. We are thrilled to be partnering with another non-profit in the States called Friends of El Salvador that has close ties with this community.  Here […]

Aid Distribution – Usulután

Natural Disasters, Uncategorized -

The last few days have been a whirlwind of collecting supplies, organizing donations, and distributing them to communities in need. Jon has come home exhausted every night from running all over the country! Our staff has been to Usulután, some devastated communities on the San Vicente volcano, out by the coast to La Libertad, and to a shelter in Illopango. Tonight we’ll be feeding the homeless in San Salvador who have had nowhere to go during this week and a half of rain. El Salvador is getting pounded today with a second storm, and the rain hasn’t let up.  The newspaper is reporting 32 dead with up to 576 landslides around the country. Thousands are homeless and living in shelters where conditions are not great with many coming down with […]

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