Hafa Adai from the beautiful island of Guam!
On Wednesday, May 24, Typhoon Mawar ravaged the island of Guam. It was one of the strongest storms we have experienced here and the longest in duration. There was no eye of the storm to give us a half-hour reprieve; it was a constant pounding. Thankfully, the concrete house we live in suffered no structural damage. The island’s power and water were knocked out, but we had a trickle of water coming into our home, which was a huge blessing. Gas stations ran out of gas continually, as long lines of cars waited hours to get only $20.00 worth of gas. Food and water at grocery stores disappeared quickly. It was a very stressful and concerning time, and a sense of desperation was prevalent. Slowly the island began to recover, but as of now, it is still not back to normal.
Since the last update, the Lord used me personally to lead 17 people to Christ.
Nathan, a heavy-equipment operator for a local construction company crossed paths with me a couple of times. Nathan seemed to have a “cloud” about him, and it reflected in his countenance and attitude. One day, I was able to talk to him about the Lord and led him to Christ. Immediately, his “cloud” dissipated, his countenance changed, and his attitude was happy and hopeful. The difference was amazing, and I thought, That’s the Lord, for the Lord is amazing and does amazing things.
During the typhoon, I was afraid Island Baptist Church would be damaged. When I arrived, I found no structural damage to the building, and the inside of the church was intact and untouched, like there never was a storm. A few days later on Sunday, even though the power was out, we still held services. A family of five that was scheduled to be baptized that morning surprised us by being the first ones to church. They were determined to be baptized despite the catastrophe. It was a glorious Sunday morning. Our folks were faithful, the service was blessed, and the baptisms crowned the day. For the Sunday evening service, we brought solar-powered lights. Shortly after church concluded, the power came on for the church and for our residence! We were a part of the very few who had power restored so quickly.
Thank you for praying for us. The storm was very scary and dangerous. The cleanup afterward was nearly overwhelming. We are so thankful the Lord kept us safe and is giving us the strength to get things slowly back to normal.
Please continue to pray for our health and safety, Island Baptist Church, Guam, and Micronesia.
In His harvest field,
Dan Rothwell and Family