Hurricane Dean

A group from my church traveled to Jamaica in 2003 to work alongside missionaries Dean and Karen Dawson. Here is a recent newsletter from them regarding the hurricane. I thought I'd post it here to give it a wider audience. Who knows...maybe one of you will give or gather some friends and go give them a hand!

"Dear Prayer Warriors and Supporters,

Thank you for your many prayers & email responses! God pushed Hurricane Dean offshore approximately 40 miles, which spared many people and properties. The north coast with Montego Bay and Ocho Rios was barely touched. The southern parts of Manchester (including Newport, Newfield & Crosskeys) St. Elizabeth & Clarendon are the heaviest damaged.

Here at Bethel we totally lost Cabin #2 - the walls are laid flat & roof no-where to be seen, Cabin 1 lost the zinc off the roof, and one third of the Dining Hall roof is gone. We had damage to the top corner of the Great House - lots of water but we are blessed the roof did not come off.

We have lost many of our trees- pine, avocado, lemon, mango, palm & almond. We have a lot of cleanup to do as water and debris was pushed through every crevice inside the buildings. Electric is out - Praise God for our generator that we are using sparingly since getting fuel may become a problem to get. Phone lines are down & we can only be reached through our cell phones. The elevated water tank is still standing & we have plenty of water in the cisterns.

Financial support is desperately needed to assist in purchasing building supplies and work teams are needed to come repair homes, schools and churches in the area.

Financial support can be sent to: Bethel Christian Mission, Larry Riley, CPA, 924 Exmoor Ave., Louisville KY 40223 - please make a note that it is for "Hurricane Dean Relief".

Teams - We need you!!! Please contact us at Dean's Cell - (876) 909-0683. Dates for teams can start beginning immediately!!! You can come as an individual or as a team from your church. We will be working 100% of the time to get repairs done in the community as quickly as possible.

In Christ, Pastor Dean, Karen & Kimone Dawson"