People help each other after the Hurricane
This missionary survived a hurricane and saw the hand of God in the midst of tragedy. Life can throw us unexpected storms, and that’s exactly what happened just before Christmas when a typhoon (aka hurricane) hit our town in Mindoro, Philippines. This is the second time I’ve witnessed the power of the winds here, but this time our city of Calapan was in the middle of it.
The pastors and their families here in Calapan are safe, but one of the church roofs got torn off. To the south in Pinamalayan, one pastor’s house and church were really torn apart, but the family escaped with their lives. The AG here in the Philippines gave them all the support needed to fix up the church and house.
Big trees were down everywhere, including beside my place. It was a huge tree, so thank God it went the right direction and not into my bedroom! We spent a lot of time without power, and to this day some people in Naujan, Mindoro still don’t have electricity. Despite all the destruction, we have all been protected by God’s hand. The things we lost have been replaced with better than before. God is good!
In the city of Baco, outside of Calapan, we had a landslide of rocks and boulders. The landslide was caused by a mix of illegal mining and the storm. Nobody was killed, because we all knew the storm was coming. To my amazement, nothing was mentioned on the news about Baco. My friends all tell me it’s because of the illegal mining that was going on.
That area is also home to some of the Mangyan tribe, a native people who are very poor and live off the land. My dirt bike friends were inspired to help them out, so we all pitched in together to provide them with food. We got connected with a leader in that area who helped organize the distribution.
Most of the crops were destroyed by the storm, so we wanted to help with their greatest need. Our skills were put to good use riding off-road to deliver goods to places where no other vehicle could go. This may seem like a little thing, but it has really inspired me to see the “average Juan” helping out complete strangers. How much more should God’s people be willing to help in a time of crisis? We don’t have to be ministers to reflect the image of God.
Maybe you too have experienced a storm in your life, or know somebody who is going through one. That is the moment to take action, to pray and be a conduit for God. It’s even said that people are more likely to turn to God in the critical moments of life: having a baby, getting married, depression, drugs, or other emotional times of need.
Going into the New Year, I had the chance to preach with a friend of mine in Ibajay, Aklan. It took a couple of boat rides to get there. The Lord really moved as we preached the service together, with complementary messages on “Intimacy with God.” After the service, we ministered to the people with prayer.
One lady was so eager for prayer that she quickly came up to me. What was going on with her was only briefly translated to me, but she mentioned her head, hands, feet, and stomach. Glory to God, as the power of His Kingdom blew through her! She would have hit the floor if I hadn’t been holding her hand. As she stood up, everything was healed, and she testified to the church in her language about what God had done!
Since then, I have not been content doing only part-time ministry and full-time studies. Studying the language along with seminary classes is a real headache, but I don’t feel alive unless God is using me to change lives. I’m asking Him for wisdom on how to use my time. It’s hectic trying to speak to people who can barely understand me, so I’ve been praying for more open doors with English-speaking people in this area.
Glory to God, because He has done just that! There is an open door for me to speak regularly at a Christian school to upper-class students who aren’t involved in church. I’ve been told their parents tell them to forget the religious side of the teaching. I was asked to come and minister to them on a personal level, because our God is a personal God who wants a relationship with each of us. I plan to help counsel and pray for them as God leads. Please keep praying for the school and me, that we would really win them for Christ and His glory!