Floods in Ecuador

On occasion it has made it on the news - there are devastating floods in Ecuador. Depending on how the math is done and who is reporting, 200,000 people - probably more - have been affected. This morning the news is reporting 23 deaths as a result of the flooding.

Here is a link to a gallery of photos.

HCJB Global is responding in cooperation with other missions. We have sent a medical team to the affected area, and are receiving donations of food, clothing and money to take down. This will be distributed in participation with several churches in the area. If you would like to donate, click here.

The government has declared a national state of emergency. This allows greater efficiency and mobility in moving resources to the flood area. It has also opened up new channels of communication for us as a mission to come along side the government in support of the relief effort.

Pray for safety of our team, for those who have lost everything, and for the long term impact (loss crops, etc.) this flooding has created. And thanks for being a part of our team!

Stop smoking.

Stop smoking.
Originally uploaded by EyeMax

This past weekend Graham headed down to visit with our team in Shell (the edge of the jungle). The road goes by the currently active volcano Tungurahua. It was mostly clouded over, but you can see the black smoke/ash being spewed out.

Now we have been hit with rain AGAIN!. The President has declared a state of emergency. You can read about that in a BBC News story. And here are some photos from an Ecuadorian Newspaper.

Pray for this country that is being devastated by forces outside anyone (except God's) control.

Volcanic update

After the big burp, the volcano settled down for about a day. But yesterday it started up again and there was another evacuation of those who had returned to their homes. According to the Geophysical Institute, there was one major tremor yesterday that lasted 90 minutes. So we continue to watch and wait!

Volcano Tungurahua Burps - big time!

Our very active volcano is at it again. Tuesday and yesterday both had significant erruptions of ash and a small pyroclastic flow. People have been evacuated from the surrounding region.

Here are some photos, and another great photo here.

So far our response team is on stand by as there have not been any deaths or injuries. Let's hope it stays that way!

Blue skies . . . FINALLY

This weekend has been Carnaval here in Ecuador. We headed out for a mini-vacation in Calacali (see our pictures on Flickr for previous photos of this beautiful spot). As you know, we have had a LOT of rain of late. Saturday was semi-dry, Sunday and Monday were wet, but this morning (Tuesday) we awoke to clear skies and a big blue sky. WOW - it was beautiful.

The cabin we stay in has a skylight. Last night we could see stars (we counted them - there were a gizillion). So nice to have things clear up.

One of the key things we did this time was work on Erin's science fair project. We hope to put up a new blog with her project so you will be able to look and learn! Her theme is "Sustainable bio-mass fuels for developing countries." Sounds cool, eh?

Still raining

Guess I was wrong about the floods. Check this out. There is another photo on the main page of the newspaper. Here in Quito we have not seen a lot of flooding, but the coast has.

Had a flat tire today, and while getting it fixed one of the workers at the tire place told me they had a lot of customers because of a landslide blocking a road.