Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Weston, Mr. Mario Hernandez, and Mr. Cristian Orrego are in Medellin, Colombia, for a regional conference for the Spanish-speaking ministry. Mr. Jonathan McNair, along with Mr. and Mrs. Rob Tyler, traveled from Thailand to Malaysia on Wednesday for a Southeast Asia leadership conference. The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey continues to climb, now at a staggering 42,000 lives lost. Amazingly, people are still being pulled out of rubble alive, more than ten days after the devastating earthquake. In South Africa, the government declared a state of emergency as a result of widespread flooding (see report below). Also, the government of New Zealand declared a national state of emergency this week—only the third in its history—as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle. The nation was also hit in the last few days by two earthquakes (see report below). In response to a reporter’s question about the earthquakes, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said, “I was looking out the window for a plague of locusts.” As God allows devastating weather to wreak havoc on our nations for our sins, we must pray “Thy Kingdom Come” for a troubled and suffering world.—Rod McNair
Report from New Zealand
New Zealand has been battered with an “unprecedented” flood in Auckland, followed by Cyclone Gabrielle, which devastated many parts of the North Island. In the past couple of days, two strong earthquakes have hit. The government has declared a national emergency. These events are on top of record inflation and the economic fallout of COVID-19. All our members are safe; however, the economic and infrastructure damage across the nation will be felt for many years. Our national leaders are blaming this unprecedented and destructive weather on climate change. There has been no mention of God, and it would probably be political suicide if one were to reference divine involvement, especially with a national election looming later this year. It just shows how much the theology of climate change has usurped the reality of a God who intervenes in world affairs.— Paul Kearns
South African Flooding
The government in South Africa has declared a National State of Disaster because widespread flooding has caused havoc in seven of the country’s nine provinces. Temporary shelters, food, and blankets are urgently needed by many affected by the flooding caused by the recent heavy rains. As far as we know, all our brethren are safe. Last week, the government declared a National State of Disaster because of excessive (stage 6) load-shedding (blackouts) by the state-owned electricity supplier. Some expect a national shutdown of the electricity supply soon. Only time will tell if the situation can improve. This gives us more and more reason to pray for God’s Kingdom to come soon.—Christo Botha