You are probably at Wednesday evening church as I write this email from an internet cafe in the city of Wangzhou. It's a very small town, of only 1.3 million.

We've been on the Yangtze River for the past several days, with another 24 hours to go. It's been a wonderful adventure, see the Three Gorges Dam and the Three Gorges. We're all safe, happy, well-feed, and very aware of the events in Sichuan province.

We have been out of contact for very normal reasons. River boats are not hardwired to the Internet, and wireless is spotty if even available. Both Christy and I used up our cell phone minutes only to discover that there are not China Mobile outlets floating down the Yangtze. So much for their claim to be "mobile."

We pulled into port this morning and our sightseeing adventure is to this internet cafe. You have, I hoped, already opened email from the students.

We do receive 24 hour television news, from CNN and Chinese sources. It is amazing to appreciate the problem a 24 hour news service has with only three hours of news. It is discouraging to learn how uninformed CNN (or any foreign news) is about the geography of the region.

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province. It is located on the plains, more than 90 kilometers from the mountains in which the earthquake has done the most damage. It is akin to an earthquake in San Francisco and the state capital in Sacramento. Chengdu is safe and secure. It never lost electricity or water. The airport and roads have always been open, though the rail lines have been disrupted.

I am working with the local travel companies to rearrange our plans, even before the Principia authorities made the decision to terminate our travel to Chengdu. I made the decision out of respect for the Chinese and the need to keep airport and roads clear for emergency and relief efforts. I don't know, at this moment, our exact plans. I had hoped, weeks ago, to be in Lhasa. So, we will be where God sends us. Where we are needed. Where we are safe.

To re-cap, we've been out of contact for logical reasons, unrelated to the earthquake. We are safe and happy. We will have new plans, which have yet to unfold. And, thank you for your prayers in support of China and our Prin Abroad.

Best wishes,
John Williams