Hurricane Felix, a top-level Category 5 storm, struck the northeast coast of Nicaragua this morning with 160 mph winds. It is moving inland at 16 mph, and is now at Category 3 status. According to an email from Honduras about 10 am, rain has begun falling on La Ceiba, Honduras, the headquarters of our work in Honduras. Some areas of Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador will see 10-15 inches of rain, with 25 inches falling in some mountainous areas. You can view the path at Weather.com.
Felix is expected to cut across central Honduras, where some of our 80-some churches are located, including the capital city of Tegucigalpa, where missionary Abby Waterbury is stationed with World Gospel Outreach.
You may remember Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed 11,000 people and left 8,000 missing, mostly in Honduras and Nicaragua. Mitch severely ravaged La Ceiba, Honduras, as well as other places along the north coast where United Brethren churches are located.
Dennis and Debbie Osberg, missionaries who serve with the Academia Los Pinares school in Tegucigalpa (Dennis is principal), sent this email at noon today:
This morning as I write, Hurricane Felix is hitting eastern Honduras and Nicaragua with full force. The President of Honduras cancelled all schools in the country for today and tomorrow, so we're definitely home and safely waiting. Please pray for the weakening of the storm as it passes through the entire country of Honduras and for His protection through it all. As we experienced in 1998 with Hurricane Mitch, the biggest problem in the city of Tegucigalpa is severe flooding and damage from the huge amount of rainfall causing mud slides throughout the mountains. Thankfully, we live on the mountain and not in the valley of the city. But so many people are affected during the storms, and our hearts are heavy for their protection and safety through whatever comes our way.
Right now we are watching CNN coverage and waiting peacefully. We have extra water, food, candles and each other, so we'll be just fine....Thank you so much for your prayers during this time. Especially for many in the country that will have it much worse than our family. We fully expect to loose electricity and of course have no idea how long that will last.
Felix is projected to clip part of El Salvador, slam into southern Belize on Wednesday, and then cut across northern Guatemala and southern Mexico.
Please remember our Honduran brethren in your prayers, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday, as Hurricane Felix proceeds inland and people are threatened with mudslides, flooding, and destroyed homes.
Dr. Clarence A. Kopp Jr., who served as a United Brethren bishop 1981-1993, passed away on Monday evening, September 17. He was 80 years old. 
A series of training events for laypersons will be held in five different locations during September and October. They are designed for anyone serving in some type of local church ministry. The training will include principles that can be applied to any size church and to any segment of ministry. 
Alex Kock, a 2007 Huntington University graduate, has contracted to play professional basketball for BC Mess, a team in Luxemburg. This is the first time a former Forester has been signed to a professional team. Kock, a native of Auburn, Ind., left for Europe on September 8, and will play through April 17.
“The cost component has been a result of working hard as a campus to keep recent tuition increases well below the average for other colleges and universities to impact the sticker price while also offering increased financial aid to positively impact the net price that students actually pay to attend Huntington,” says Jeff Berggren, HU's Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing (right).
Juan Pavon, Superintendent of Nicaragua Conference (right), will come to the States in early November. A group of people interested in partnering with Nicaragua Conference (and also with our churches in Guatemala and Costa Rica, which are extensions of Nicaragua), will meet with Rev. Pavon on November 3 at the UB Headquarters in Huntington, Ind. The meeting will last from noon to 2 pm, and will include a free pizza lunch. If you'd like to attend, please email 
