On today’s family group thread, my brother alerted us to the fact that Tropical Cyclone Jude hit landfall in Mozambique and spun across that country towards Malawi, directly towards the city his missionary son was transferred to this week—Blantyre.
To say that I hadn’t considered Bryce experiencing a hurricane/cyclone in Malawi, Africa, is an understatement. That thought never, ever crossed my mind.
Suddenly, I’m googling Tropical Cyclone Jude and watching videos about its horrendous impact on Mozambique. It tore across Mozambique at 149 km an hour. It flooded towns. Its winds destroyed many structures. Women spoke about not being able to get food or clean water and their children couldn’t get to school.
I’ve examined all of Bryce’s mission pictures—I’m fascinated by the ways and means houses around the world are constructed. I visited my parents on their mission in Santiago, Chile, and (while most homes I visited were built using concrete blocks) I sat in one home constructed with cardboard boxes on a dirt floor and other homes built using clay and mud. Newly constructed Hawaiian homes are built with steel beams to withstand the power of hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. My home is encased in brick.
800,000+ people call Blantyre, Malawi’s center of commerce and finance, home. But could the city withstand Jude?
After finding a tracker on a French site, we saw the cyclone’s projected path turned 90 degrees to head back over Mozambique and to the ocean, leaving Blantyre free of the brunt of the storm, but still susceptible to flooding. Bryce said they’re getting tons of rain.
West Texas Wind
I live in a wind tunnel that is currently under a severe wind advisory. I walked today against 20 mph winds. Curious about Jude’s windspeed, I converted the kilometers per hour to miles per hour. 149 kmh wind speed translates to 92.58 mph. Mozambique had gusts of 120mph! Jude’s current windspeed is 75 mph—which sounds familiar to me. Our forecasted wind gusts for Friday are 65-75 mph.
And, yes, I live in the middle of that brown, “blowing dust” part of the map.
Here’s an interesting wind speed and damage breakdown from www.weather.gov. Granted, this is wind against US building standards.
While not worried at all about my house disintegrating, I am curious to see if our brand-new roof and shingles will withstand the forecasted gusts.
Though winds blow, we can stand firm
Physical winds blow and destroy, but spiritual winds can be more devastating. Jesus spoke of true and lasting protection from blowing winds.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
He reiterated this same truth to the Nephites after His resurrection.
Helaman taught his sons to rely on that same Rock to withstand mighty winds and whirlwinds.
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
When the winds blow, and they will, we can hunker down in the faith and security that Jesus promises. The house on the Rock fell not. And neither will we.
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