Kauai tragedy...

As I write this, our beloved Kauai is reeling from another catastrophe.

I received an email from Tricia, our Kauai church pastor's wife, saying:
"We are getting hammered with rain here. I just got word that a river has just washed a house into the Bay. There may have been people inside. We don't know. Please pray for our protection. I'm filling up bathtubs as our town has been warned we may loose our water! The electricity was off, but it's back on. Keep us in your prayers. aloha, tricia"

(Tricia, on her birthday. The church meets temporarily in a huge tent near the Kilauea Light House.)

An earthen dam built in the late 1800's cracked and gave way, and the water in the reservoir behind it poured out like a Tsunami, racing down the hill, tearing up everything in it's path to the sea. Two homes were washed out to sea, and several others were damaged. One life was lost, and seven others are missing. Kuhio Highway, the only road from Lihue to Princeville, was damaged so badly, that it may take months to open a second lane.

Hours later, Tricia wrote again:
"Four bodies have now been found and identified. Michael and Cindy lost their daughter, son-in-law and 20 month old grand baby. The other body is of a girl living on their property who was pregnant and going to be married this weekend. Please pray for these families and especially that the Lord would use this to bring them to Himself. Pray for us as a church body that we may have opportunities to minister to the families. At least three more people are still missing. The road is still closed. Let's pray the road opens by tomorrow as Steve has a wedding down at the Marriott! We are all fine. In fact the sun just peeped out! We haven't seen it in days! aloha, tricia"

My peaceful solitude at the computer, writing my memories of serving as an inn keeper on Kauai, has been disrupted by the sadness of this tragedy. Join me in prayer for the dear folks on that tiny dot of an island in the middle of the Pacific? Thanks.