Inspire, Summer 2008

When Mountains When a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit a region of small cities and towns north of Sichuan’s provincial capital of Chengdu on the afternoon of May 12, it was only the beginning of a tragedy that would be felt across a nation — and around the world. With the death toll reaching close to 70,000, the devastation and loss seem beyond comprehension. Several Cedarville graduates experienced this disaster firsthand and have spent the months since then ministering to the survivors. Among them were Dan Roeber ’05, his wife Sarah (Thengvall) Roeber ’04, and Adelle Schanely ’04, who were all teaching at Chengdu International School (CDIS). Dan was working at the school — about 42 miles away from the epicenter — when he felt the initial quake, which lasted for more than three minutes. That was the worst of the hit, but aftershocks continued for many days. And though the school had to close down for a few days under government orders, the staff was soon able to get back to work and immediately began mobilizing relief efforts. “Our students, who were originally headed to Xi’an for a few days on their annual high school trip, turned their attention to areas damaged by the earthquake,” Dan said. “We helped with by Sharyn Kopf 14 summer 2008