November 1, 2005

Christian Reformed missionaries in Nicaragua report that the nation is thanking God for sparing it from Hurricane Beta after the storm unexpectedly changed its path on the weekend. With the hurricane bearing down on Puerto Cabeza, a city of 60,000 inhabitants, many of them living in flimsy, wooden houses, the president of Nicaragua called on the people to pray, reports Joel Huyser, field leader in Nicaragua with Christian Reformed World Missions.

"I was listening to a secular radio station with continuous hurricane coverage," Huyser wrote in an e-mail to supporters in North America. "Some people called in to pray. Others read psalms like Psalm 46. It seemed like the whole nation was united in prayer."

Huyser said Hurricane Beta made an unexpected turn of 90 degrees on Sunday and touched land in a sparsely-populated area south of Puerto Cabeza. By Sunday afternoon it had diminished to a tropical storm and by Monday morning it had dissipated.

"In fact, where we live in Managua we just had one night of sporadic rainfall," wrote Mark VanderWees, a missionary with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC). "The official report from the government's disaster prevention services is that 273 houses, two schools and two health centers were destroyed, and 5,000 people are still waiting to [return home]. It will take a few days to get a report on the damage to the crops due to two days of torrential rains."

Huyser reported that on Sunday evening he heard a sports announcer begin his program on a secular station by giving praise to Jesus for the miracle he had performed, and that the defense minister was quoted in the paper as saying that only God could have diverted the impending disaster.

"Pray that more and more people will be motivated to rebuild the walls of this beloved nation based on the Rock that is Jesus," he said.

CRWRC is preparing an appropriate response after further assessments of damage have been completed. To donate to this effort, click http://www.crwrc.org/, or call 1-800-730-3490 (Canada) or 1-800-55-CRWRC (U.S.). Checks earmarked Hurricanes 2005/Beta can be sent to CRWRC, 2850 Kalamazoo Ave., SE, Grand Rapids, MI., 49560 or PO Box 5070 Stn LCD1, Burlington, ON, L7R 3Y8.

Christian Reformed World Missions and the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee are agencies of the Christian Reformed Church in North America – http://www.crcna.org/.

Christian Reformed Church