On Thursday, March 14, 2019, Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique and continued its destructive course, pummeling Malawi and Zimbabwe. Considered one of the worst storms in the Southern Hemisphere, the cyclone destroyed roads and structures, affecting more than 2.6 million people. There are already over 200 confirmed fatalities. Sadly, included among the dead were two sisters and two unbaptized children in Mozambique and one 14-year-old brother in Zimbabwe who was killed when his home was swept away by a mudslide.

The Mozambique branch also reports that a number of our brothers’ homes and Kingdom Halls have been damaged or destroyed. In Zimbabwe, the branch has confirmed that 15 of our brothers’ homes and 2 Kingdom Halls have been damaged. In Malawi, the branch reports that 764 of our brothers’ homes were destroyed and 201 were damaged. Two Kingdom Halls were also damaged. A total of six Disaster Relief Committees, two in Mozambique and four in Malawi, have been established to coordinate the relief work.

We greatly sympathize with our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of this natural disaster. We pray that all of the affected publishers continue to trust in Jehovah to give them much needed peace.—Romans 15:13.