News and Views - March 2016

Jenifer and Alan

Jenifer finished her high school and moved experimentally to Johannesburg to continue to study and practice what she loves the most: music and singing.

(Jenifer singing in a gathering in Kaapsche Hoop in August last year)

Alan is in the last year of high school and planning for and exchange student visit to Brazil at the end of school year. He has been brushing up his Portuguese that was rusty as ever. Both are optimistic about their future which is good for all.

(Alan in January this year on a outing to the mountains close to Swaziland)

Hurricane in the Fiji Islands

Last month and beginning of this, our prayers and attention were turned to the Fiji Islands (Pacific) although so far from here and 10 hours of difference in the clock. The reason for this was the hurricane Winston that devastated the Islands and was considered the strongest hurricane that ever hit land in south hemisphere. And why we were so interested in a so far hurricane?

Claudia and her husband in the Fiji Islands

Because Sara’s oldest daughter (Claudia) lives and works in the Fiji Islands as the general manager of a Resort Hotel. She called her mother's attention to the strong hurricane approaching the Islands and we started following the progress of the storm in the internet hour by hour.

Finally the storm hit with all its violence and the communication via cell phone, internet or any other way was cut off and for three days we had no news from her. We followed the news in the internet and started seeing pictures and movies of the devastation of 12 hours of winds reaching up to 315 Km per hour, wreak havoc in Island after Island.

Three days later she managed to get a hold of a satellite phone and called a friend in Spain to forward the message to us that she was well and all the staff in the hotel was safe but the hotel itself suffered a lot of damage.

<--- Picture on the left  Peace After the Storm

Except for the mattresses outside and all the mess to fix, clean up and dry who would say that one week before this picture it was all like a different world? - The sky dark with clouds, torrential rain and winds blowing at 300 Km/h.