We were blessed to hear from Dad and Mom on Saturday. Reception was poor, but we finally did get some successful communication. Thank You, Lord. Psalm 31:19 says, "Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!"
Yesterday morning we received a call about an earthquake of about 6.2 magnitude about 29 miles northeast of the city of Lae, Papua New Guinea. Thank you to those who expressed concern and prayed for Dad and Mom.
We looked it up this morning and took a good look at a map. You can find stats and maps here - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010veb7.php#details At first we wondered if the earthquake were in Rabaul where there is an active volcano that often generates earthquakes. But Rabaul is quite a bit farther northeast of Lae than where the earthquake actually took place.
Other than the area right around the epicenter, Madang and Wau (pronounced Wow) were the hardest hit according to these maps. Independent Baptist missionary Jim Blume works in the Bulolo/Wau area. The area where Dad and Mom are felt very little.
The earthquake occurred around 9:15 a.m. Sunday, Papua New Guinea time. That was about 7:15 p.m., Saturday our time. Dad and Mom were actually talking to us on the phone at that time so were standing outside. They did not mention anything about any tremors so probably didn't feel it outside.
There were no reports of injuries or structural damage from this earthquake. Because houses in PNG are built close to the ground, there is usually little structural damage. Most buildings are no more than 2 to 3 stories high at the most.
Usually the biggest danger is of large water tanks exploding if they are not full. The sloshing water builds enough pressure to cause a partially full tank to explode. Earthquakes are common in New Guinea as this island is located within the Ring of Fire and has some volcanoes, most of which are dormant. Most earthquakes occur in the coastal areas or in the smaller islands off the mainland.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dad and Mom are doing well. Dad is having some kind of pain in his back around the kidney area on both sides though it doesn't seem to actually be his kidneys. Otherwise they are doing well.
School is going well, and Mom and students are enjoying it. Two of the girls are having a hard time understanding what they are being taught but are putting a lot of effort into learning anyway. The teacher helpers have been working with them outside of school hours to help them catch up.
Please pray for one of the elderly men in the village, Gofa's father (Don't know the man's name). He has been quite ill, and they don't expect him to live long. God has blessed this man with a life of good health, and they say this is the first time he has really been sick. He won't take medicine because he is afraid. I think he is saved. So please pray for him and his family. Thanks.