"There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven." - Luke 21:11
8 November 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan, likely to be the strongest storm recorded at landfall in history, ploughed right into Leyte & Samar island where most of our churches are. Unlike other places in the Philippines such as Luzon, where typhoons are an annual scourge, the people of Leyte were ill prepared for it as the region is not within the usual typhoon path. Everything made of timber in the worst hit city of Tacloban were destroyed and the city was flattened. Images of the aftermath reminds us of Aceh after the tsunami.
This is a natural calamity like no other for us because it hits us so close to home. Many lost their lives and we know some of them by name. Just months prior to this, we sat in their homes, had buko (coconut) juice in their backyard, rode the jeepney and even the haba-haba together, talked about their dreams and prayed with them. When news of the disaster came, we tried to get in touch with them but to no avail. As expected, there was a massive news blackout as telephone lines and electricity were down. Many of us in Singapore felt helpless and anxious.
Thank God for sparing Calbayog City where our nearest church to the disaster zone is situated. They are Tacloban’s first responders as they made their way there to search for survivors within next few days. Thank God Tacloban’s rented church premise managed to withstand the typhoon. Church members who sought shelter there were safe while many who stayed in their small wooden homes perished. Once contact was made with the survivors, Calbayog evacuated a few members who needed medical attention and started a delivery lifeline of food & water to Tacloban Church. They also set up a short-term relief shelter in Calbayog Church to house displaced survivors.
When Calbayog finally sent news to us that they have located all our Leyte pastors, we were overjoyed and amazed that they all survived. It is truly nothing short of a miracle! They are currently waiting for things to return to normalcy so they can begin rebuilding their churches, homes and lives. Even as infrastructure is being restored, the journey ahead is undeniably difficult as they clean up the place, bury their loved ones and come to terms with post-traumatic stress issues.
Please pray that even after international attention and aid wanes, people will not forget that the path to recovery takes many years and will require many volunteers to step forward to offer regular on site support in rebuilding homes, counseling and care. Indeed, as Jesus says it so succinctly,
“…this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.” - Luke 21:13
