February 2002

Dear friends and family,

Please pray for the people of La Paz.  On Tuesday, a storm passed through the Andes mountains bringing 41cm. of rain in 50 minutes.  Along with the rain came record amounts of hail (over a meter deep in some places).  Because La Paz is seated in a valley, the rains wreaked havoc on a city constructed very poorly.  The unofficial death
toll is now up to 79 and growing.  People all over the city were swept away by the floods.  Many of these were children who did not have the strength to find safety before their lives were taken.  Official say this is one of the worst storms in 20 years and has caused millions of dollars of damage to a city that already has a very unstable economy.  On a personal level, we witnessed many families who had lost businesses and homes, with the large majority of them not having insurance.  We covet your prayers for the people of La Paz.  We will try and keep you posted over the next few days.

Seeking Him,
Andy & Andrea

ps – We thank the Lord for His protection.  We were in the city when the storm hit and very close to much of the damage.  Thankfully we were able to find shelter early on.  El Alto, where we live, was not affected.