The second flood :( Wednesday, November 3rd

Well, I've been putting up some rather vague statuses on my facebook, so on this quiet Sunday, I will let you all know whats really going on. The first weekend I was here, the night before Dad left, there was a flood. The river rose even before the rain started here in Anonos. It took out about 6 homes that were right on the bank and killed one man. We fed people that were in major need and helped out repairing houses that were wrecked. Rodney said that flooding is not a regular thing, and we all thought it was awful, but it didn't affect Anonos like the next flood that happened this past week. It had been raining pretty heavily all day due to the hurricane that was coming through heading for Haiti. We ran home as fast as we could from Bible study that night and went to bed. We woke up to a phone call from Adriannah, a member of the Vineyard here, saying that the River was so high, that she couldn't get out of her house and that a landslide happened behind her neighbors house.

 We were watching from the windows in the living room. The river was probably twice as high as the last flood, and what was amazing to me is that we could see people in their houses trying to rescue stuff! Even the people that could get out weren't leaving. Rodney and I watched the electricity transformer blow up and everything go dark. It was awful. We went down to the community, and everyone and their mother was up. People were screaming, dogs were howling, but we couldn't go across the bridge or do anything to help. Sometimes thats just how it is. So, Cindy put on beans and rice to feed the people in the morning, and the best we could do was pray. The rain just wouldn't stop. So, we've been feeding people since Thursday morning, and many many people have left. The government is taking them out and letting them stay in shelters until new houses are built for them. Tons of people are refusing to leave though.

This is after the river went down:

Today we saw that people are moving BACK into the Quebrada (the most affected place) because its starting to get cold and windy, letting people know that the rainy season is coming to an end. It is really sad. The foot bridge that really connects everything here in Anonos is closed off because the ground is so fragile. If an earthquake happened right now...wow. Everything would be gone. We have been visiting the people we are closest with that Julie convinced to move out. They are really scared of the unknown. But it is best for their families. Please pray for everyone here. For the ladies in the shelters to feel peace and know that God is with them always and for the people refusing to leave for protection.

Hey All! I just updated last week but thought I would again because I have a quiet night.
   I love it here so far! I especially love these kids. There is nothing better then walking through the street and having kids come running up dying for hugs. I love it. I am going to be taking over the kids program in probably a month or so, once I learn more Spanish. That will be challenging but a lot of fun.
  Probably the biggest problem I have run into here is the huge language barrier. It seems to be falling VERY slowly. I do love the language though.Please continue to pray for me in this area!
  We are headed to Nicaragua the beginning of December with the small team from Maine and a few people from here in Anonos. That trip is going to cost about $400, so I am going to need some support in this area. We are going to be putting on a big Christmas party there (in a town called Tippy-Tappa) and giving gifts to kids that normally would have no Christmas at all. So the money raised will help with buying gifts, feeding them at the party, ect... It should be awesome! I am excited for what God is going to do there. Please be also praying and consider giving to Harvest Hands specifically for this trip.
     Julie is definitely a wonderful mentor and friend to me! She is amazing and sooo on fire for God! She has a passion for the people here, especially the women. She has started exercise class and English class for them and they are totally loving it! Its amazing to watch. She actually teaches English here for all ages and I hope to get into that eventually too. It is really valuable to the people here. To know a second language helps them in a lot of ways.

  Another big thing that is happening here is the start of the new church. It is going well and you can soo tell that Gods hand is all over it. Right now we are preparing the building and holding small groups there. Julie is putting murals on the wall in some rooms and it looks AMAZING!
   Something that I believe God is putting on my heart is teaching the teen girls here about sexual purity, though I really don't know what they have already learned even about God yet. I would love to get a group started as soon as possible  with them. I have heard that they really have a huge wall up when it comes to teaching them. Please, please, pray for this area. I really want to be the missing link they need to get into a relationship with Christ.

  Well, its only been about 2 and a half weeks and I cant imagine leaving! Maybe this is what I will do with the rest of my life! Who knows. But thank you for your prayers!!! Miss you all!