Dear Friends-

A farmer and his family sit huddled together in the darkness. Five children ranging in ages from 2 to 14 press against their parents with terrified faces. Outside the thin walls of their slat house, the howling wind grows stronger. The pelting rain that began hours ago has increased in intensity and now seems to be coming from everywhere; above, through the patchwork of corrugated zinc roofing panels, sideways through the slats of the walls. and underneath, seeping up through the dirt flooding the wood floor of the house. For hours, the family waits and listens to the sounds of trees twisting, breaking and falling. They jump at the sound of debris smashing into the outside of their house. As the storm reaches an intense fury, the roof of the house is snatched away by the ferocious wind. Screaming, the seven fugitives run into the black night to find a place to hide. The only reliable shelter for miles is the school. Built entirely of concrete, the bunker of a building can withstand even the strongest of hurricanes. Of course the lower level is flooded. Hundreds of villagers are crowded into the unfinished upper rooms. It is hot. Even in the middle of the night, eighty-five degrees is common. But tonight it feels more like one hundred; too many bodies in a tight space.

The hours wear on and just before dawn the storm dies down. By daylight, the rain has ended and the people emerge from their makeshift safe-house. Exhausted from the terror of the night, the dazed villagers survey the landscape. Amazingly, one night of nature’s frenzy has transformed the once lush countryside into a wasteland. The families who lived in cane huts return to find a heap of cane poles and thatch where their dwelling stood only the day before. They have lost their homes and all their possessions. Those who are fortunate enough to live in slat houses have been spared a complete loss. Most are missing portions of their roof and some boards from the sides of their homes. Everything is flooded; the roads, the houses, the school and most devastatingly, the fields. The cane farmers have lost their entire year’s crop of sugarcane. It is flattened to the ground. The papaya orchards are destroyed. Not a single tree is left intact. All the banana trees are severely damaged or have fallen. These villagers, who depend solely their ability to produce a cash crop have lost an entire years worth of work and potential wages. Those who work as hired labor in the orchards and on the farms are instantly left without a job. Everyone’s food stores are damaged or lost. The rice and beans have been contaminated with floodwater or completely blown away. Throughout the villages, electricity is down. Water cannot be pumped from the wells. As the day wears on the heat intensifies. By midday the thermometer reaches a stifling 113°. Accustomed to living without the luxury of air conditioning, the people usually beat the heat with ceiling and floor fans. Not today. The thick, still air hangs heavy over the village…

Relief will not come quickly. There are no Nationwide or State Farm agents rushing to assist the victims of the storm. The government is small and without resources to stage major recovery efforts. An insignificant and impoverished country already, Belize does not receive worldwide attention after the disaster wrought by Hurricane Dean. It barely makes the evening news. No, for the most part the people are on their own. Where will they start? How will they ever recover? Who will be there to help? At this time, we have an incredible opportunity for ministry. Here is a chance for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. While in most cases the people of this culture are distant and reserved, a crisis like this removes the barriers of pride and fear.

So many times, when we hear of disasters and crises we are overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem and do not know if there is really anything that we can do to make a difference. In this case, there are several ways you can help immediately and effectively:

• First of all, pray. Ask the Lord to use this situation to bring many people to faith. Pray for wisdom for the church leaders and missionaries in Belize as they seek to meet physical and spiritual needs.
• Secondly, give. MTW has a disaster relief fund in place where you can send donations that will be used specifically for the recovery needs in Belize. You may send your tax-deductible gifts to: MTW, P.O. Box 116284, Atlanta GA 30368 – please designate your gift to account # 097105/Belize.
• Third, our family will be traveling down at the end of September to help however we can. We will be communicating with the team over the next few weeks to find out what specific things they have need of. If you would be interested in helping with tangible donations, please send us an email to let us know and we will forward the list of needs as soon as possible. We are praying that the airlines will grant us extra baggage allowances to accommodate needed relief supplies.