The day after...

Yesterday, Volcan de Fuego erupted.  If you have watched the news you know that at least 25 Guatemalan people have lost their lives and hundreds more are injured. Our partner church, Iglesia Galilea, has several churches all over this beautiful country and one of them happens to be at the foot of Fuego. 

We are praising God today that we have heard from the Zapote church and they are okay.  They have opened the doors of the church building there and are welcoming in evacuees.  As of right now the only road that allows people in and out of Zapote is blocked by damage the volcano has caused.  The church here in San Lucas is collecting supplies to take to Zapote the moment the roads are opened. 

Our team was "uphill and upwind" of the volcano when it erupted.  This is a very mountainous country and it is very easy to picture Psalm 22, 23, and 24 with mountain peaks and valleys in-between.  We can see Fuego from where we are staying. 

I didn't know what had happened yesterday and was outside looking at the church building we are to begin working on today.  Looking at the sky, I noted it looked really different.  It was beautiful, dark, and it looked like rain was going to fall very soon.  I took a picture and headed inside.  It didn't rain but tiny pebbles of ash started to fall...it sounded like rain on the roof of our facility we were staying at.  The ash coated everything.

When the ash stopped, our team got to work cleaning up.  Washing off cars, sweeping sidewalks, etc.  It was then the reports of what had happened started to pour in.  Our hearts are heavy for the people in the path of destruction the volcano left.  While we are here we will do anything and everything we can to help.

Please pray for this beautiful country and these amazing people.   We will get to work on the church building today but I'm sure we will keep looking in the direction of Fuego and remembering to pray as well.