Earthquake in Chile

Many of you have probably heard about the 7.7 earthquake that rocked northern Chile earlier today. Some of you have asked about how my in-laws are doing. While the epicenter was only about 105 miles north of the city where my in-laws live (Antofagasta), there was very little damage in the city and to the homes of the people in the church. Although we have not been able to get through to them, my brother-in-law, Tim Chapman, who is a missionary in Peru, said that my in-laws are doing fine (as well as everyone in the church). We praise the Lord for his protection.

You can read up on the earthquake on CNN (where several of the first pictures of the earthquake are from Antofagasta), MSNBC, FOXNEWS, etc.

Times like these remind us of the story of the two men who built houses, one on the sand and the other on the rock. The ground on which Antofagasta is built is very stony. Several major earthquakes have struck the region (including an 8.0 in 1995) and brought about relatively little damage. In contrast, the 6.9 earthquake that hit San Francisco caused much destruction and many deaths. Remember that an 8.0 earthquake is many times stronger than a 6.9 earthquake. (While 7.0 earthquake has the same energy that an explosion involving 32 million tons of TNT, an 8.0 earthquake is the equivalent of 1 billion tons 0f TNT.) In spite of being hit by a much larger earthquake, the city on the rock stood firm.

Thank you for your prayers and concern.