Dries and Thomas have just left to move Gabriel to the north of the island and not without the usual bit of drama. The rain came down heavily as Dries headed out to the boat. We don’t have a dinghy anymore and the kayak was not really made for more than one person or luggage. Anyhow, they made it onto the boat just as the sea turned a bit rough and had to wait a while for the weather to improve before they set off.

Belal, the second cyclone of the season is building up strength in the Indian Ocean and heading straight for Mauritius. The name sounds rather ominous and the wind is predicted to gust at about 170km/h. That is why we are having all this rain at the moment.

Please pray that Gabriel will reach the other side of the island safely and that there won’t be strong wind until the boat is out of the water on Tuesday morning. I’ll be at school early tomorrow morning to see that the guys who will fix the roof have all that they need. Please pray for God’s guidance and protection for the next couple of days.

God bless!

Gabriel Update

January 16th The rain is coming down incessantly. The hight tide for Gabriel’s removal from the water came and went this morning as the sea was simply too rough. We would have to try again tomorrow morning as the high tide is now rapidly decreasing. Bruno, the boat yard owner does not want to attempt it at less than 3m. Tomorrow would still give us that window. The complication is that the boat cannot come back to Crater where it was before, but to stay up in the north for an extended period of time, will also be problematic weather wise. Dries would have to remain there with Gabriel and with the crisis at school, we simply don’t know what to do. We feel under a lot of pressure at the moment.Please pray for a solution. Thank you for your love and encouragement.