Flooding in Perú - A message from Cory's mom.

There will be no email from Cory this week...... But we did get a phone call from him. Before Cory left for his mission, he was told by a friend that had served in the same mission that he probably would see very little rain in Perú, if any at all. Cory's friend had only seen rain a couple times in the two years he was there. Well, this year is different. Areas of Perú are experiencing rain that they haven't seen in 20 years. The streets don't have drains so there is significant flooding going on right now. I have almost daily contact on Facebook with Aracely, the oldest daughter of the family that was baptized in Cory's last area in Chao on Christmas Eve. Some of the members and investigators that Cory worked with while he was in Chao have lost their homes from the flooding, which breaks my heart. I don't personally know these people, but have come to know and love them through Cory's emails home. 

Twice this week, the mission president has sent messages out, letting parents know that their missionary children are all safe. With all the flooding, we weren't sure if we'd get an email from Cory this week. Finally, around 2:30 p.m. today, an international call through on my cell phone. It was Cory!! We were super happy to hear from him and he was equally happy to hear our voices. He told us that where he is at, in Moche, (about 10 minutes from Trujillo) they are not as bad off as other areas. His last area, Chao, is pretty bad off. Since many people have homes made of Adobe in Moche, some have lost their homes. The bridge in Virú, which gives the smaller towns access to the bigger city of Trujillo, has washed away. This makes it difficult for many to get the food and water they need. Prices have gone up, looting is starting to happen and many will not go out at night right now. Over 70 lives have been lost in the flooding in Perú

Cory told us that most people have a water tank on the roof of their houses or apartments and that the water has been shut off for 5 days right now. He said that their apartment is currently out of water and he has had to go a couple days without a shower, but other missionaries still have water so they can shower there. He assured us he is fine and that all is well, but he has been humbled by the things he has seen. Hopefully, he can email next week. Please keep the people in Perú in your prayers. The rain is suppose to continue for a couple more weeks. 

The following are not Cory's pictures but are from Facebook friends in Perú.