Keep Praying

The typhoon is still heading toward the Philippines, but at this point it looks like it will hit the northern part of Luzon (our island), and not Manila itself. It has been raining off and on all afternoon, but not heavily. Please do keep praying that the storm would weaken and move out to sea.

Random thoughts going through my head today. . . because of the news stories. . . this has been a tough week for Asia. Floods in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Devastating earthquake in Indonesia. Disastrous church collapse in Nepal. Earthquake and tsunami in the South Pacific. These are not just random news stories to me. Because of our ministry for the last 30 years, I know and love people in each place. So many hearts are heavy. My world is groaning, longing for redemption.

In the midst of the sad news, I read an article that got me thinking.

King Solomon said, “sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.” (Ecclesiastes 7:3) Jesus said, “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) In what sense are we blessed? . . . Trial by fire refocuses one’s attention on breathing, eating, loving, marriage, family. On life. On eternity. Among other things, a “sad face” is good for the heart because the alternative—anxiety about the “here and now” --- is not good for the heart. Our “sad faces” have opened my eyes to the inconsequential matters in my life and focused my attention on eternity.

A good perspective. It has been a sad week, but maybe that's not a bad thing. My God is still King over it all.

Pray for Sunshine

We have spent the last few days helping friends clean up their homes. School has been canceled for the week. The whole city is a mess (imagine overturned cars everywhere, and muddy debris and garbage hanging from trees). The relief centers are overwhelmed with the volume of people needing help. If you want to see photos, this is one of the best sites I have found.

Today is nice and sunny, but the weather report says another typhoon is heading our way. Please join us in asking God to protect this battered city from another hit. Already about 250 are confirmed dead and nearly half a million are homeless.

It has been encouraging to see so many people helping each other, and to see those who have lost much still trusting God. This morning I read Proverbs 10:25 in the New Living Translation:

When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a strong foundation.

Typhoon Ondoy

The word "typhoon" is Chinese for "great wind" (I'm told) and that's what I usually think of when I think of a typhoon. Our storm last Saturday was not windy. . . just an incredible amount of water. Wonder what's the Chinese term for "great water"? They said 455 mm of water fell in one day, producing the worst flooding in Manila in 40 years. (Normally we get 350 mm of rain in the whole month of September.) The news today said 75 people died and more than 300,000 are displaced. I suspect both numbers will go higher. Tons and tons of water, more than the dams could hold.

Our house is in a high place, so we did not have any problems. We did not even lose our electricity, although we lost internet service for two days. The dorms at IGSL had a few inches of water on the first floor, but nothing too serious.

Some members of our faculty team suffered more losses. We spent the whole day yesterday (Sunday) helping our dear colleagues, Eric and Michelle Agustin, clean up the mud from their house. The waters reached waist high. A huge mess, but the family is safe.

Eric and Michelle were out with their oldest son when the waters started rising. Water was everywhere and the traffic was a mess. They made it to a friend's house and stayed there, but couldn't get home. Meanwhile, their two younger sons (age 8 and 5) were still at home and water was already knee deep there. They called Cynthia, another colleague of ours, who lives nearby. She and her driver waded over to Agustin's house, and carried the two little boys (piggy-back) back to Cynthia's house. I thought the kids would be terribly traumatized by all this, but you know what their comment was? "That was the best day of our whole lives!" Little boys love this stuff!

Meanwhile, Jeff and Gerri, some of our other colleagues, missed all of this. They were at a retreat outside of Manila. They only got home last night and found that their house was flooded to the ceiling of the first floor!!! Second floor is okay. First floor includes Jeff's office - - books, computers, etc. all lost. We are mobilizing teams today to start cleaning up there, while others continue to help Eric and Michelle.

Looks like the coming days in Manila will be days of grieving, comforting, recovering, cleaning and listening to stories.