In addition to Costa Rica, Margie has part of her heart in Chile as this is where she and Lloyd served as missionaries in the mid 60's. One of the young girls that Margie has continued to mentor and love all these years. Our mission team from FUMC in 1994 was blessed by meeting this now grown woman while we worked at Kusayapu in Pachica, Chile. Some of you have asked what we've heard from Margie about the earthquake that struck in that part of the world knowing her connections and "extended" family there.
Margie writes:
Now here I want to translate to you a letter I received from my Myriam, my dear adopted daughter in northern Chile...which she wrote about their terrible situations there after the earthquake. Of course, we know that since that first quake there have been literally HUNDREDS of small after-quakes that simply keep everyone on pins and needles. AND, today the Word has come that fires are being fought in the Valparaiso, CHILE area. Oh my!!!
So, here is the translation of the letter...please use whatever part of it as you see fit. As you know, the 8.0 + earthquake off the coast of N. Chile came evening of April 1, so I know that here with Myriam's letter dated April 8, 9:24 p.m.
My Dear Mom,
After so many days of horror, many days of no sleep, days of escaping to sleep in secure zones with only taking what we were wearing, I have not returned to home in our Little fishing village called Chanavayita, right on the coast of N. Chile, returning with granddaughter Heipril and her baby son, they had left to find refuge upon on the hill for several days until there was the message of certain safety, but...
there are always persons with bad intentions who make a catastrophe even more sad and bitter also...particularly my beloved husband Pablo. While all the population of our Little village was up in the hills overlooking the coast in a secure zone, others were taking advantage of the emptiness of the village. With a bag in hand and with tools they boarded a boat in the harbor and they took it over to our boat, they tried to rob the complete motor but not being able to take it off the boat because Pablo had securely attached it, they then took it all apart, completely taking every single piece of the motor, leaving it completely unusable...the rest of the pieces were strewn all over the boat and my Pablo now without his tool for work...the motor for his fishing boat (Pablo earns his living fishing and taking university scientists out to sea for their investigations). Complete destruction in the boat and an immense pain for all that has occurred. To another fisherman they did exactly the same thing and to another they stole his whole boat, perhaps to carry away the pieces they had stolen for the others..what injustice and sadness we are living...even until last night (some 7 days after the first quake) we were up in the hills to sleep, for the majority of the quakes and tremors have been at night and the alarms do not stop sounding, warning and asking everyone to move up to safe zones. We and 80% of our village and all the coastal zone are doing the same...we go up before nightfall and try to sleep a Little more peacefully without the desperation that all of this is causing...but thanks to God that our health is fine, we are whole, nothing has happened to our persons except many broken things and all in complete disorder such that we just don't know where to begin...In Iquique the building where we have our new Little apartment has suffered serious damage...the walls have sunk 15 centimeters and are seriously cracked open such as to give us fear of reentering there, especially with the constant aftershocks, and to see pieces of broken walls is not very encouraging and even less safe, thus we don't know what will be happening with the legal part of all of this, it's all unknown now meanwhile so much the constant alerts and it is not mean to be lifted until April 16. If there is no other quake or tremor like the scientists are saying have to come...we could be at peace for at least a year or maybe 10 or 50 years...then we live with an immense uncertainty...200 to 250 aftershocks every day...it's a lot...we have much faith that all will pass on and we will return to being a city and a fishing village happy and alive...for the moment no one leaves their houses, all classes are suspended of course because of the deterioration of the classrooms. There it is, Mom, that is what I can tell you for now...we didn't have electricity for 5 days, without energy for kitchen stoves, all our perishables in the store and house were lost, ice creams lost, everything...in the end, all material things...the important is that we are safe and sound. I send you a huge hug and a hope that all will son return to normal...I love you so very much, Mom, your daughter, Myriam
Prayers are needed for the people of Chile and our friend through Margie Myriam and family.
No comments:
Post a Comment