April 17, 2014 - Flood Update: GOOD NEWS!!

In the Aftermath of the Recent floods in Pemba and area, there is very good news!

Don Kantel (our IMC missionary serving in Pemba and the surrounding villages of Mieze and Noviane) took this picture on April 17th while walking around Mieze village looking at houses damaged/destroyed by the rains. The Momma in this picture is a faithful member of the Mieze church. She’s standing on the little pile of sticks and grass that was her house before the rains. She’s currently living with another woman in the village and our team and the church will use some of the money that’s been received from IMC donors to build her a new house on this same plot of land.

Don writes: “We passed two other piles of debris similar to this on the way to the site of this woman’s former house. Not church people I guess; but they had suffered the same, as had many others who are hoping for help. It’s clearly the very poorest who have suffered most of the losses. Their sad little ‘houses’ were likely already on the point of collapse, and they had no resources to help themselves. The good news is that so many are at least somewhat better off than they were 10 years ago. Thanks to the generosity of our Cdn. family, many now have tin roofs, and those houses were perfectly secure. This is not just another hopeless African situation where nothing ever seems to register progress that lasts. Quite the opposite. I’m actually very encouraged by all the evidence of progress. I’m also encouraged to see the Church caring for its own with the compassion of the Father. These are only first generation Christians; and they are living Jesus’ model of love in a conspicuous way that is winning new converts every day!”

Thank you your generosity to the relief work; for bringing hope to people’s lives, one by one by one!