Here I am reporting the devastating news. One of our homes for abandoned boys in Peru has been washed away by the severe flooding which has taken place in the “Sacred Valley”. Fortunately the boys were all on holiday at Kawia and the home was empty. The home was recommended to be built on the banks of te river because it was thought to be completely safe.

When I visited the home in March 2009 there was a rainbow in the sky. A sign of God’s promise that he would never destoy the world by a flood. Certainly for the people in the sacred valley their world has been utterly destroyed. I’m grateful that the sign if nothing is a reminder to me for the rest of my life that these children were kept safe. If you have a moment take time to rread some of the prayers that Gordon Kennedy has written for Sanctuary First they are very appropriate for a time like this.

The latest, particularly from the reputable newspaper, El Comercio: Some 3,000 tourists stranded in Machu Picchu, including 300 or so on the Inca Trail (helicopters airlifting them out), 7,344 homes and buildings awash (latest count), valley most hit was the Urubamba, several Bridges gone, including the Entrance to Pisac, 30 landslides between Pisac and Cusco, the Government declaring Cusco in a state of emergency, aid being flown in, etc.

Thousands of tourists are stranded in Cusco and roads and villages in the sacred valley are cut off. Great mud slides have blocked roads and river banks have overflowed. I’m told that many people say they have never seen such heavy rains in their lives.

Paul Clark the Director of Union Biblica in Peru reports that ; “around 4am Sunday morning the river burst its banks and entered the Casa Girasoles Valle Sagrado home at window level and has severely damaged the adobe structure to the point that the home will almost certainly require to be demolished.” I believe that a report from the civil defence authorities has already been sent to Lima.”

Union Biblica are in the process of working out contingency plans exploring how we might use some of the other homes to house the boys on a temorary basis. Willie McPherson the Executive Director of the Vine Trust asks us all to ” Please pray for our colleagues as they wrestle with the logistics involved and begin the process of working with the local fiscal over a suitable long term solution being found.”

This is another natural disaster to hit Peru. the Trust worked to support the victims in Ica in 2008 it looks now as though we’re going to be involved in another reconstruction opertion. I have just heard that once again a generous donor has offered to help rebuild the home in Valle Sagrado. However It will take 18 months I’d imagine before such a building will be finished. Meanwhile accommodation will need to be found for the children.

All this news is breaking as a numberr of the Vine Trust Board members are preparing to go to Peru next week for our first ever joint Board meeting with our partners in Union Biblica.