Earthquake in Chile

Dear Friends and Family:

Greetings from Chile in the name of our Creator and Sustainer!  I am writing to you this morning to thank all of those who have emailed me and called me asking about the situation in Chile after the earthquake last night in the northern part of the country.  Thank you for your concern and your prayers.

I would like to let you know that the earthquake was in the northern part of Chile, in the same area where there have been several severe tremors in the past few weeks, between the cities of Arica and Iquique.  We here in the central part of the country, have not felt the effects of these quakes.  Even though there were tsunami warnings and massive evacuations, ¡Gloria a Dios! that there wasn`t severe damage and the warnings have been lifted.  We can all see that there has been much work to prepare the population for such emergencies - quite different from the 2010 earthquake and tsunami that caught everyone by surprise. 

This morning I spoke with Richard, the Bishop's son, to ask him about our brothers and sisters in northern Chile.  He has told me that they had been able to communicate with the pastors, and up to this point, there is no report of damage to people's homes or to the churches.

As an additional note, I would like to let you all know that during the past weekend we had an all staff gathering at the Shalom Center along with several members of the new Board.  It was a wonderful opportunity for us to affirm our commitment to Shalom!  I am sending you a picture of the staff so that you might remember us in your prayers.

Once again, thanks to everyone for your prayers and concern for us here "at the ends of the earth."

Shalom