Earthquake in Mozambique

Participating in the Nia Intensive in Cape Town this past week has been a very special experience for me, and I have not wanted to access e-mail or the internet. It just felt right to distance myself a bit and do some serious reflecting on my life without trying to analyze everything through writing.

However, I wanted to blog today just to let everyone know that Ricardo, BL, Patricia, Gemelli, and all of our other friends and loved ones in Mozambique are safe after this morning's earthquake.

Ricardo called me on the cell phone around 12:30am, just after the quake had ended. He was in our client's flat in Maputo where we are currently staying, and said that the desk and shelves shook and shook for about a minute. He had no idea what was happening until BL called from Chimoio and said there had been an earthquake, and that everything had shaken in our old house as well.

I couldn't sleep after that phone call. Early this morning I woke up and checked the internet for news, and couldn't believe my eyes. The earthquake was a magnitude 7.5 and was centered at Espungabera, which is the little town where we are carrying out our tea project! Apparently there were at least 5 aftershocks, and the quake was felt throughout the country and into parts of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. The news report said people went running out of their homes into the streets all throughout Mozambique, and there are still no reports on casualties or injuries.

Thankfully, we are all safe and there is no need for you all to worry.

Love to you all.

Ali