Month: September 2017

If you haven’t been able to tell by the news lately, it is fully hurricane season and a historic one at that.  The two hurricanes that have made landfall on the US and now two hurricanes that will impact the Carribean directly are once in a  hundred years historic.

Hurricane Maria, an as-of-this-writing category 3 hurricane, is headed straight for Puerto Rico and perhaps even directly over Madeline’s Southwest corner of the island, Cabo Rojo.

Marie is scheduled to arrive at Puerto Rico around Wednesday morning and probably stick around throughout the day.

Madeline’s mission president, President Smart, has emailed us this morning with the following:

We are now planning for Hurricane Maria which is forecast to reach our mission on Tuesday, September 19 and Wednesday, September 20th. We are following the same procedures as with Hurricane Irma. All missionaries have food, water, and other supplies, and will be in safe locations.

We will keep you updated as things progress.

President David H. Smart
Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

I know that the Lord will protect His servants, so as long as the missionaries, including Madeline, are obedient to the leaders as they directed, they will be safe.  I do invite you to pray for the missionaries and all the people of the Carribean as they brace for another hurricane.

Brett

Hurricane Irma has passed by Puerto Rico and thankfully, was far enough offshore that it caused minor damage to the island and was only storm in Cabo Rojo, where Madeline is currently serving.  Here is the email we received from President Smart:

The most recent update is that the hurricane has passed and Puerto Rico has suffered minimal damage other than flooding and loss of power in many of the areas. I am pleased to let you know that all the missionaries, your sons and daughters, are safe and have plenty of food and water.  I communicated with all of the elders and sisters this morning and asked them to make a quick call home to let you know that they were ok. Due to limitations on our phones, some parents have not been reached by their missionary. I am currently making calls myself to speak with you and let you know that everything is well. We know because of your prayers Puerto Rico and your missionaries are still doing well.

David H. Smart, President
Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

We are grateful for all your thoughts and prayers.  We were anxiously following the storm all day Wednesday.  We had faith it would not hurt Madeline but wanted to see what she might be experiencing and what would be in her future.

Madeline called us this morning just before we received this email.  She is doing great and was stuck in her apartment with her companions for two and a  half days.  She will have plenty to tell us in her next email.  I look forward to reading about her adventures.

Brett

Madeline’s mission president sent another update. I’m very grateful for the communication and that all missionaries are in a safe shelter. I know the Lord will take care of his serfants as they are obedient. 

An update on the hurricane: As mentioned earlier, all of your missionaries are in safe shelter and are doing well. We are beginning to see the storm building here in Puerto Rico. The missionaries have been instructed NOT to leave their shelter until further notice is given. They are prepared with water, food and other essentials to sustain them through the storm. We continue to communicate with them during the day and night. We feel as Helaman; we have been blessed with our strong little army of God-fearing warriors. Please know that we love them and feel your love and support. We are already seeing answers to prayers as we have word from our surrounding islands that everyone is safe. We will continue to give regular updates.

With love and gratitude,

President and Sister Smart

We received another update from Madeline’s mission president.  It looks like they have now activated that plan and are using the wards and stakes to help make sure missionaries are safe. 

We have been informed that Hurricane Irma has been raised to Category 5. We continue to take all necessary precautions in order to ensure the safety of the missionaries. All missionaries are in safe shelter. We are working with the local stakes and wards to watch over the missionaries in their respective areas. We realize that you have concerns for the safety of your missionaries. It is imperative that we keep our own phone lines available in order to communicate with the missionaries. We ask for your help in keeping the lines clear for our missionaries during this time. As soon as the storm passes we have asked that each missionary contact his or her family.

David H. Smart, President

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

This is our second update from Madeline’s mission president. He is doing a great job communicating and helping us feel like things are under control and Madeline and all the missionaries are being watched over with great care. 

Update on Missionaries in the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission:

The storm appears to be heading for Puerto Rico and should arrive Wednesday, September 6 or Thursday, September 7th. We have communicated with all missionaries and have confirmed that they have food and water for the storm. We will continue to monitor the conditions in order to ensure that they are out of harm’s way. We are confident that they are prepared to weather the storm. 

Just as we were starting to get concerned ourselves about the path of Hurricane Irma, we received an email from Madeline’s mission president letting us know there is a plan and they will execute it as it becomes necessary. We will all be keeping a close eye on this storm. 

Dear Parents,

We have received a bulletin from Church Security informing us of the storm that is building in the Atlantic and its potential to strengthen and cross our Mission next week. We have an emergency plan in place which will ensure that the missionaries are prepared and out of harms way. As further developments occur we will keep you updated.

Sincerely,

President Smart