Many of us remember the phrase “2 weeks to stop the…” etc. Well, last week we had our first flooding of the year, and so for us, that means we are in “lockdown” in Tiale land for a minimum of 2 weeks, if not longer. So even if we wanted to leave for town (which we don’t really need to), we could not go (at least not with our truck), because one or both rivers are flooded. Last week, an elderly person in a nearby village was unable to go to the bathroom, so the men had to carry him to the first river, then lift him over head (because of how deep the water was) to the other side, get a truck to drive him to the other river, then make a raft to help pull him across the second river, only to load him up into another truck and then taken on the remaining 2-hour drive to town. This is the rigmarole that is needed if someone wants to leave our village and get to town at this current time…
Check out this short video to see what the river looks like: https://youtube.com/watch?v=oPszsBAJ0L8&feature=share
Over the past week, we have experienced over 15 earthquakes (and counting)! It all started last week with the first earthquake being listed around a 7.0 magnitude and then almost seconds after that first one there was a 7.2 following (which is the second strongest earthquake in our islands’ history). We spent a good bit of the next day picking up and cleaning up from many supplies and things being flung all over the place. Thankfully there were minimal items damaged and no physical damage to our house. Praise the Lord! Since then, we have had several earthquakes and various tremors each day. (There was even an earthquake as I wrote this update)! You could say that we are feeling a bit “shaken up” these days… Every time we feel one we are bracing ourselves for a big one.. Thankfully no one’s house was destroyed, no injuries, just some minor damage, and many scared kids. The people kept saying “I’ve never felt anything like this before”! With all the earthquakes coupled with the incoming rainy season, many of the Tiale people are trying to fix their houses and store up food and fire wood in case of emergencies. Vanuatu boasts of having the most natural disasters (hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis) over any other country in the world, and this past week we have definitely felt the effects…
Please pray for everyone’s continued safety and health, during this time. If someone were to need medical assistance, it is a rather arduous task to get them the help they need. In all of this, we know God is Sovereign, and we thank you for taking part in our journey.
Check out our Instagram to see more pictures and videos: https://instagram.com/stokingthefires?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Your feet to the Tiale people and the country of Vanuatu, Seth and Nicole Stokes
Stoking The Fires 