Dear Parents,
As of this morning, all missionaries are doing fine, securely protected and provided for in their Safe Houses. In short, many prayers have been answered but we are not finished with this storm yet.
Hurricane Florence hit land this morning around 7:00 am in the Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach area. It has been downgraded, yet again, to a Category 1 storm. What a blessing for all! And, as predicted, the storm is moving south and west in a way that the worst of it should basically skirt around every area where we currently have NCRM missionaries. What a blessing for us! (We must keep praying for all those around us.)
That said, the storm continues with effects we must watch. We have had reports of power outages. But, in terms of affecting homes where missionaries are, these are very isolated and not lasting long. As the day wears on, we are likely to get more wind and rain across the mission. And, given that this storm is slow and lingering, these rains could continue for several days. Consequently, we are asking the missionaries to stay in their Safe Houses probably through the weekend. I will keep you posted.
Perhaps the best thing you could pray for now is that the storm will move along more quickly. When I think about where things seemed certainly headed just a few days ago, and where we are today, I feel to rejoice in the direct intervention and “tender mercies” of heaven.
Faithfully,
President Holland
North Carolina Raleigh Mission
