Missionary Dan Roten Update- Earthquake Edition

Dear Praying Friends,

I have translated for you an email from Andres in Chile. After the catastrophic earthquake there, his report on our friends and brethren is really good news. I think we have now been able to make contact with all our personal friends, and to find that all are alive and healthy, although all have experienced some degree of material loss.

Fabiola had a cut on the foot from broken glass, when everything in the house was tossed to the floor. Oliver and Viviana live in one of the worst hit areas of the country. There is significant damage in Santiago and Viña, but the worst destruction was a few hundred miles south of Viña. There are small coastal towns in southern Chile that were demolished by tidal waves going inland as far as 2 miles. Please keep praying for them, and for us as we continue preparations to move to Chile.

Bro. Danny Roten

Brother Danny:

As I commented to you on the telephone, I give thanks to God because brother Oliver and sister Viviana and their children are very well, thank God! They have just comunicated with me. I give the glory to God, because one of the first things that they said is that they see the kind hand of God keeping them through all of this castrophe. They are without access to food, without electricity, natural gas, or water. They have supplies of food for 2 weeks, more or less. They commented that the most worrisome thing, incredibly is not the lack of things, but the people who with pistol in hand are looting homes. Everything is very dangerous. The fact is also surprising that they were in an apartment complex (where they had recently moved), and of the 4 buildings there, 3 are leaning over as a result of the earthquake, but theirs is not leaning! It remained standing! They do not yet know clearly what damages they have suffered, because they had to leave and go to another area, called Chihuayante, where Viviana's mother lives.

Brother Osvaldo and sister Karen are well, thank the Lord, and also their parents. They only had a side wall fall. There were not large damages, but the roof was some affected. The brother had to reinforce it. Since yesterday night, they had electricity, and limited water service. It is probable that the water will soon be cut off. Like me, the brother had to go to work today (80 miles away in Santiago-DGR), and regretfully they did not allow him to leave work early. Thanks to God for His mercy.

Today I went to work to see the damage at the business. The families of the business personel are all well, thank God. One of the storage areas for our shipping containers (these are 20 & 40 ft. pods - DGR), in the area of Talcahuano, was destroyed. They are just now taking inventory of the situation. The storage area of shipping containers en Santiago had minor damage. Containers were turned upside down, one container fell from the second floor, and other similar things. There is no telephone comunication to this area by landline, nor by cellular. Every comunication system is complicated at the moment. Thank God, I have internet and electricity at home. Probably they will cut off water service soon. I returned home early. I spoke to some Navy personel, and for political reasons, their activity has been limited and slow. Just today a stronger contingent is arriving in the zones most affected. (He is speaking of active military personel, but they are doing the service that here in the US we would expect from the National Guard in a time of disaster -- DGR)

Last of all, I want to mention that the mother of a brother in law lives in the area close to Concepción. They are well, but half their house was destroyed. On the road to my work, I saw many landslides, and houses without outside walls (even here in the area of Quilpué) that look like real doll houses -- you look directly into the bedrooms. Also block fences were affected and other similar things. At this moment we are looking (on TV) at a large store that was set on fire by vandals down in the Bio Bio Region.

Please do not stop praying for Chile...

We are trusting en our sovereign God.

Andres and Fabi