a whole lot of shaking going on....

Most of you have heard about the earthquake that happened here on the island but I got up early this morning to write about it from our perspective.

Last Thursday our whole island was shaken up and shaken up hard! I had just woken up at around 2:15 am to go to the bathroom and I heard Moto, the dog whining and crying outside the gate. I stood at the window and contemplated going outside to let him inside and than thought well if he got out then he can get in. I crawled back into bed and the moment I laid down, in fact I still had my glasses on, the bed started to shake. At first I thought that I was having a bout of severe vertigo, but it kept shaking, then the power went off, and the whole house started to rock. It was intense. In fact I don't think I have ever been more afraid of anything in my life. Bob instinctly rolled over and covered his arms and hands over my head in case the roof fell in. How sweet is that?? We laid there in each other arms crying out to the only One who could save us! The sound!! My goodness the sound was intense: creaking,cracking and roaring like a train passing through. I kept saying we need to get out, we need to get out. But Bob held me down saying that we needed to stay put til it was over. I just wanted to get outside and NOW! As soon as it was over Matt came running into our room saying, What was that??

None of us had ever experienced an earthquake before but we knew enough to get outside and quick. We found flashlights, which were fortunately handy due to the power outage the last evening, but we were surprised at the amount of broken glass as our place rocked and rolled everything off the shelves and onto the floor. This place we are renting has a lot of beautiful Honduran pottery vases, large turtle shells, heavy wooden carvings, and they all went crashing to the floor off the top shelf in the kitchen. We had to try to make our way through with bare feet in order to get to the door.


Once we were outside, we were greeted by our gardener Raymond who was really upset and jabbering in Spanish. We woke up our neighbors, found out they were all okay, and then stayed outside in case there was another quake. We didn't even think to go to higher ground. We needed to hear if there was any news so we went in the car and listened to the radio and managed to find out that it was a 7.1 earthquake. That was incredible. We found out later that it was 39 miles off shore but the good thing is that since the epicentre was so near us there wasn't a risk of a tsunami.

Here is one of the most remarkable things about that night. The stars!! My word, the stars were outstanding. In fact I have never seen a night sky like that. Mattie pointed out that we could clearly see the milky way. We stood there in awe and gratitude for the Lord preserving us through one of the most remarkable natural phenomenons. We have lived through a hurricane in Nova Scotia, a twister in Saskatchewan, lightning storms in Ontario but I will say that an earthquake is by far the most frightening ever. Possibly it could have been because we had never been through one before. I think it is the fierce force by which they show up unexpectedly at your door, and the possibility of being buried under rubble. Also the reason I was so deeply disturbed by this was because of my inner ear/vertigo issues... it was as if my whole vernacular system was shaken and I couldn't shake the feeling of being 'off' for most of the day. A bit dizzy and sick to my stomach.

Once we went back inside we were able, with the use of lights to survey the damage. I think that since this place has such a high cathedral ceiling that the shaking was more intense because we had alot of things break, whereas some of our friends didn't really suffer the same amount of damage as we did. Either way, later in the day we had a big job of cleaning up. As I mentioned earlier, stuff on shelves fell off and broke, pictures flew off the walls, my shell wreath was found laying broken on the floor (which I can repair since I have lots of shells to use.. I think I will fill it up with roatan shells in memory of the quake). Even stuff in the cupboards was knocked over, cans, glasses, my spices etc. We have some drywall damage at the top of the wall in the livingroom and in the bathrooms. The door to the deck needed to be 're-aligned' since all that rocking had shifted it so badly we couldn't close the door.

this is the stone steps outside.. see the crack...

Throughout that day we experienced quite a number of after shocks. It was a bit disconcerting. But by this time I had done enough research and talked with friends to know what to do in case of another one and felt more prepared.

One thing I am so grateful for is that we didn't experience any deaths on the island here. The damage to homes was minimal. I was really concerned about the people in the Colonia since they live up on a high hill and many of their homes are sitting precariously on the edge. But no one was hurt (as far as I know) and homes weren't destroyed. We have much to be thankful for.

I heard on local TV that someone said that perhaps this was the judgement of God on the island. I think just the opposite. I believe it is the mercy of God. It could have been SOOO much worse. In fact the Mainland got it worse then we did. They had bridges that were destroyed, splits in the roads, and unfortunately 5 deaths. If He was trying to get our attention well He did!! I also believe that we are living in the end times and we need to expect this happening more and more. Roatan has never experienced an earthquake of that magnitude ever. (oh just felt another tremor.. still happening 3 days later.. I read that they can happen for along time afterward) I think that we will see more of the 'unexpected' happening in these days, and need to be centered on the reality of His care.

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."

Oh my if that was birth pain then we need grace upon grace when the earth begins to labour heavy and hard over His coming.

I took this the evening of the quake.. it carries alot of weight for me..speaks of His faithfulness and greatness

But either way, my heart is grateful for protection and care. I must say that going to bed that night was a bit nerve racking since we were still experiencing tremors. I laid in bed and asked Him for a verse and He brought Psalm 46 to mind:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

³ though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

¹⁰ "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

(italics mine)

I went to bed knowing that whatever happened that He was my refuge and I had no fear in me. Bless His name, now and forevermore. He settles my soul. Yes indeed.

Oh I should mention that Bob and Matt were in the process of getting certified for scuba diving and they went diving the next day. I personally thought that was a crazy idea but apparently being in the water is the safest place to be. (ya right!) Anyways around 3:00 there was another aftershock and they experienced it at 20 metres under the sea. Very cool they said. :-) My husband, the ever adventurer!!