'disaster' Tagged Posts
USA Storms Update
No doubt we have been alarmed by the ferocity of the storms lashing the USA during the past week. Many lives have been lost and much devastation suffered. It further serves to remind us that we are indeed living at the end of time. Our prayers go out to all who have been affected by these storms. So far (as of April 29, 2011) we have word that one church family’s house has been damaged. Thankfully no lives were injured. We…
Reflections on Nature’s Catastrophes
No doubt the events of recent months have been a cause for all of us to take stock of our spiritual life. The floods in Queensland and Victoria, Cyclone Yasi, the Christchurch earthquake, and just this past weekend the Japanese earthquake, subsequent tsunami and exploding nuclear power station are strong signals that time is short. The devastation of thousands of people’s homes and lives must touch all of us. Repairs to homes and infrastructure will take time. But nothing could be worse than the…
Christchurch Earthquake Update
On the afternoon of February 22nd, 2011, Bro. Matthias Thiel, New Zealand Field Leader, reported that we have two members and one regular church visitor living in the area of Christchurch. All are safe. We are told that the church visitor was staying in a two storey building, and as the earthquake struck, rushed down outside, only to see the SDA Independent Samoan church next door come crashing down right before his eyes. Two days after the earthquake, Bro. Mathias Thiel reported “We thank…
Japanese Tsunami and Earthquake Update
No doubt many are in a state of distress as a result of the Friday, Mar 11, Japan earthquake and subsequent Tsunami. We are greatly saddened by the terrible loss of life—the large majority a result of the Tsunami. Following so soon on from the Christchurch earthquake, no one can but wonder, in the words of one Facebook member, “Unbelievable…..what is going on?” Bro. John Ciric, Pacific Regional Secretary, contacted our representative in Japan and he has confirmed that so far none of…
Floods in Australia – Update
In what has become another catastrophic summer for Australia, large portions of the country which have endured drought conditions for the past 10 years have now experienced torrential rain and flooding. Queensland In the aftermath of the Brisbane River flooding church leaders in Queensland have been in touch with all of our church members and friends. Some are still cut off from access to commercial centres, however all are safe. Some have reported their local supermarkets are running low on…
Queensland Floods: Mercy Revealed
The Brisbane River peaked early this morning, much lower than was expected. While thousands of homes were still flooded and extensive damage was seen, it could have been much worse. We received word yesterday evening that one of our members residing in the Lockyer Valley region was evacuated on Tuesday. We understand they are now safe. The Wivenhoe dam upstream of Brisbane was built with a direct purpose of flood mitigation in the wake of the 1974 floods. The dam…
Queensland Floods: An Ongoing Crisis
Floods Escalate This week in Queensland, the flood situation has gone from bad to worse. The capital city of Brisbane and nearby Ipswich are bracing for unprecedented flooding. The latest floods have claimed at least 10 lives, with a further 90 persons still reported missing. Hundreds of people were evacuated last night, with about one-third of the city of Ipswich expected to go under water today. Brisbane is expecting the worst on Thursday (it “will be devastating” in the words…
Fire at Elim Heights
January 4, 2002 Elim Heights, Mellong, NSW—Bush fires raged causing moderate damage as 24 people were evacuated from the church’s Elim Heights Youth Camp on Thursday, January 3. The approaching blaze interrupted a worker’s meeting and summer school in progress at the camp, located near Sydney, Australia. A week earlier, area roads had closed and reopened intermittently, causing inconvenience to those traveling to and from the Australasian Union Youth Convention, held at the same location from December 24 to 29.…