Tropical Cyclone Donna Update

Thank you so much to all of you who prayed for us and for the people of Vanuatu as we experienced Cyclone Donna this past week. It was a long and stressful time as we waited and as Donna danced her way around and through Vanuatu.

Speculation about the path that Donna would take varied widely but I don’t think anyone anticipated that it would eventually become a category 5 cyclone and make it all the way down to New Caledonia before running out into the open ocean. In the end, neither our island, Santo, nor Pentecost and Ambae, where our translators live, were hit very hard. We are receiving reports from Pentecost about damage to gardens and thatch roofs, but not the significant and widespread damage that we feared would come from a direct hit.

Sadly, some of the northern islands of Vanuatu did not fare as well. We don’t have any clear reports yet, but we know that Donna gave quite a beating to the Banks and Torres island groups of northern Vanuatu. Homes, gardens, schools, and churches were all damaged. 

If you’d like to continue praying with us in the aftermath of this cyclone, we would be very grateful. Here are some prayer points:
-Please join us in praising God for his protection for us and our translators during the cyclone. 
-Ask God to comfort those who have lost homes, gardens, and property during this storm. Pray that the community would embrace those in need and help them to rebuild.
-While we don’t know yet what the needs are in the northern islands, pray with us that God would provide for those needs.
-Praise God that our time with our ni-Vanuatu friend and her family went well, it was a good time of building relationships.

Thank you again for praying with us and for partnering with us in this ministry. We are so glad to be working together with you to bring God’s word to the people of Vanuatu.

In His Service,
Katy Bennett (for Craig, Elijah, and Josiah)