earthquake

Thank you for all your emails asking if we are ok. Yes, we felt the earthquake here! It was probably a 3 or 4 in Cusco. It was very strong. For us, it felt like we were on a boat with long back and forth rocking movements. As far as we know, there is no damage here in Cusco. There is much damage, however, in Pisco and Lima and surrounding towns. Over 350 people have lost their lives.
Please pray for the people in the distaster area, especially for our friends who live in Lima, from whom we have yet to hear any communication. There are still problems with telephone and internet communication in many places.
We are waiting to hear about any way we can be involved in helping here in Cusco, if possibly by sending clothing or other items to the disaster area. All flights in and out of Lima have been cancelled at this point, and hopefully will resume in the next couple days.

We just received notice that the epicenter of the quake was a level 8. We are just east and up in the Andes Mountains from the center of the quake. Although distance from Lima is 740 miles by (a windy mountain) road, the direct distance by plane is only 1 hour.

We thank God for our safety and are just praying for the people of Pisco and Lima who lost family members and friends.