EARTHQUAKES
Yet another earthquake, 6.3 on the Richter scale, struck Croatia on December 29th. This time it struck the town of Petrinja (50 miles east of Zagreb). Since then at least a dozen other large aftershocks ranging from 4,3- 5.1 have taken place. These earthquakes have caused so much damage that several buildings in the town nearest to us (Zapresic, which is 60 miles away from the epicenter) have been declared unstable and 70 families from various buildings and home in Zapresic had to be replaced. Our house, even though we were shaken up a great deal, was undamaged by the quake and we are so grateful to God for his goodness.
Our church was on the front lines the day after the quake helping a group of chefs who have volonteered to cook each day for those who were left without homes. We collected and delivered donations of food from a grocery list given to us and did our best to also find contacts for those in outlying villages who were completely left without help. However, now the greatest need is for building materials and mobile homes or campers that people can stay in while their homes are being rebuilt. Most families in the outlying villages cannot leave their land because they have livestock that needs to be cared for. Becuase of this, many of them are presently living in unsuitable conditions. A container home with a bathroom, generator and hotplate to cook on costs $8,500. If you would like to help a family from the outlying villiages of Petrinja in this way, please contact us and we can give you more information about that.
Mario's father was also strongly impacted by the earthquake. He has been attending church regularly since Christmas Eve and has begun showing an interest in reading the Bible. Please pray for him that God would continue to soften his heart and draw him to himself. Isn't it amazing how even in the midst of disaster, God is working things about for our good?
