Dear Parents,
Yesterday we successfully moved all missionaries from the Wilmington Zone farther inland. We
also expedited, and successfully completed, the relocation of the Pembroke and Lumberton
missionaries. All these missionaries are now accounted for in Safe Houses away from those
areas likely to be hit hardest by winds and flooding.
Today, all remaining missionaries are moving from their apartments to Safe Houses in their
ward/branch boundaries. In just a couple of instances, it has been determined that two
companionships of elders should combine together in an apartment where the placement and
security of the apartment is very sound and superior to other options available in the
ward/branch. And, these apartments are within reach of a Primary Contact Person from the
ward.
Some good news is that the storm weakened a bit overnight. Many models now show Florence
reducing to a category 3 hurricane at landfall. The other good news (for us) is that many of
these same models also show the direct path of the storm now moving to the south, below the
NC border. But, as I have stressed all along, even with the best of science, we just do not know
for sure what will happen over the next 3-5 days. So, we continue to take every precaution.
The fact is, most of the US southern seaboard could use your prayers right now.
One of the great opportunities that will likely come to this mission out of all of this is the chance
to serve our community in some very practical ways. There will almost certainly be needs here
for our missionaries to help with clean up after the storm. Two things about this should be noted.
First, as we engage in such service as a mission, there are clear guidelines we will follow to
keep the missionaries safe. Second, this service will undoubtedly produce some particularly
sweet experiences for our missionaries and those they will help. Remember, the principle of
“opposition in all things” can be read in reverse of the way we tend to read it: there are always
good things that come out of difficulties. I know this is true.
Faithfully,
President Holland
North Carolina Raleigh Mission
9-12-18 Update 2
Dear Parents,
I wanted to inform you of another major move we are making today. This is more of a hopeful signal than a cause for alarm.
We are now moving all missionaries in the central Fayetteville area (including those missionaries who had previously been evacuated from Wilmington to places around Fayetteville) and locating them in member Safe Houses in the greater Raleigh area. As we have been watching this storm carefully and constantly, it appears increasingly likely that this storm will pull more to the south than originally thought. The upshot of this is that areas around the center of Fayetteville are likely to still face many of the strong inland effects of the storm. However, the areas around the center of Raleigh now appear set for much less wind and far, far less rain than predicted earlier. (Despite being farther inland from Fayetteville, Raleigh was originally predicted to receive the most amount of rain when it looked like the storm was coming straight up the middle of the state and would collide with a storm over the Appalachia’s.)
This storm path could move on us yet again. But, given that our best estimates tell us that destinations north and west of central Fayetteville are now likely to be quite a bit calmer than the southeastern half the state, and that we still have a day before the storm hits, we are moving all missionaries into the safest, calmest areas possible. This operation is underway as I write. It will be complete by tonight--a solid 24 hours before Florence is set to hit the coast. Local members with large and safe homes in the Raleigh, Raleigh South, and Apex stakes have immediately and enthusiastically stepped forward to receive these missionaries for as long as needed.
In short, if the current projections prove roughly accurate (and predictions do typically become more accurate the closer we get to landfall), this move will ensure that every missionary should be safely housed outside of the storm’s worst inland effects.
Faithfully,
President Holland
North Carolina Raleigh Mission
