7.3 Earthquake
August 10, 2010
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Praying Friends:
I
thought it good to update you on our latest news from Vanuatu. Tuesday
about 4:00 P.M. (Vanuatu time) Pastor Jim called to update me on the
church and building progress as he does weekly. Everything was going
fine and on tract for which we rejoiced. Around 7:00 P.M. I checked my
e-mail to find a note from him telling of a 7.5 earthquake that hit Port
Vila around 5:30 P.M. The aftershocks are very big as well and will
continue for several weeks.
The earthquake epicenter was about 20
miles due west our house, in the closest deep ocean trench. As soon as
the initial quake stopped, they jumped in the truck to go check on the
church building. As you can see the church and school office looks like
a bomb hit it. Every storage cupboard was either
toppled
over or the doors jarred loose and contents thrown across the office,
bookshelves along with their contents were toppled and strewn across the
office. Jim has just completed rebuilding several computers to use in
computer classes. They were stacked and ready to hook up but in the
quake you can see they were thrown around the office.
We don’t know yet how much damage was done to the
computers, supplies, shelving and such but we know there will be some.
Today they were starting the massive clean-up process for the office,
classrooms, and auditorium. Jim said that the quake emptied our Bible
cupboard in the auditorium, threw mike stands, speakers and the like
about. The pulpit managed to get tossed across the altar and toppled to
the floor breaking off part of the wood.
Pray for Pastor Jim, Ari
and the church as they work to put things back in order and access the
damage today. Thankfully no one in the church was hurt and on inspection
last night there wasn’t any obvious damage to the church structure. Keep
our church in your prayers as the undertake this major earthquake clean
up.
Steve & Lynn Spore
Vanuatu
Editor's note: Steve and Lynn
are currently in New Zealand for Lynn's medical treatments.
