“Maybe God is cursing us. First war, then an earthquake, now a typhoon,” a taxi driver mused to OMF worker Andrea, his passenger. He had tried to call his cousin in Tacloban but there was no answer. He then just shrugged his shoulders, Theyre gone, Im sure. They had a little house by the sea. He must be gone, along with his wife and children.” Later on in the conversation he asked Andrea if she was a Christian and what followed was a conversation about religion, faith and death. In a twinkle of an eye, everything can just go and we die, he said. Andrea was able to share about Christ and salvation, and about not fearing death. “People are asking questions,” Andrea said. She encouraged Christians to “grab the opportunities. Take Tagalog (national language) and Visayan (a language of the region) tracks and small Bibles with you. Ask questions!” This is just one example of what can happen when devastation strikes a country. “In Manila, the capital of the Philippines life is going on as normal but people are very much affected by the situated,” stated OMF leader Mark. “Many, many people have family, relatives or friends in the Eastern Visayas who have not been accounted for, or are dead.” Many of the taxi drivers in Manila, like the one above, are from Samar or Leyte. Along with questions about the deep things of life and suffering from the devastation, tragedy can be intensified through evil. One concern is for vulnerable children. Many are in danger of being trafficked – sadly not unusual when calamity strikes. Another outworking of the tragedy in some areas has been loss of civil rule. At least one aid organization had to be evacuated for safety. As supplies ran out some people lost control, resulting in the breakdown of peace and order. While the loss of life and damage has been staggering, we were grateful to learn of the safety of an OMF couple serving near Tacloban. They are remaining in the area with an OMF ministry leader and Filipino colleague while they seek to minister to a long-time friend who was in Tacloban for medical treatment. We were sorry to learn of the loss of 8,000 bibles in the Waray language (another local language). Continue to pray for the missing, injured and those needing immediate aid. Pray also for wisdom and safety of those providing aid. Pray for timely, wise conversations with those directly or indirectly affected by the typhoon. Pray that the groups working to protect the children will be successful. Pray for wisdom for OMF International and other groups as they evaluate how best to serve people in the affected areas – not just in the immediate sense but in the long-term as well. Pray for God’s mercy and grace to be revealed in the midst of devastation. MB. Sources: Mark Chapman and Andrea Roldan
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 00:00:58 +0000