Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)

I can't count the number of people who have asked me about the super typhoon! It's encouraging to see all the people who show concern and care for the people in the Philippines.

Here's the wise words of a friend who experienced and barely survived a typhoon that hit northern Mindanao in 2011 said.

There is not enough words to describe the pain, anguish and hurt of the people who are suffering. Facebook posts will not suffice to make people understand it. Only those who have been through and going through the same or even more can, in some measure, understand them. Not many of us can truly do that. Not minimizing what the people of Cagayan de Oro went through two years ago, many of us cannot truly understand what the people of Tacloban and other places are going through.

Jesus can. Jesus will. Because He suffered. He suffered even more. He was reviled by his enemies, abandoned by his friends, and left alone by His Father. He suffered worse than any human will ever experience in this side of eternity. He suffered what every person is destined to suffer in the other side of eternity. He suffered hell on the cross. That is why the cross is good news. Good news because everyone who will put their trust in the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and salvation will no longer suffer hell.

Davao is far enough south that no one that I know directly was affected by the storm. However, there are friends of friends who were affected or are involved in the relief effort. Please continue to keep them in your prayers!

Here are some links to some great articles and videos that are meaningful to me:

International Mission Board (IMB) Reports:
I know Stan and Dottie Smith because I had the privielge of teaching their son. Here's some links about with IMB and Baptist Global Response are doing to help:
IMB, Baptist Global Response partner to meet critical needs
IMB missionaries share story of miraculous survival


Alumni of Faith Academy (located in Manila) and Faith Academy Mindanao (located in Davao):
Paul Varberg, a graduate of Faith Academy in Manila years ago, wrote a letter about their experiences.

John Uy, a Filipino student who attended Faith Academy Mindanao, put together a compilation video. John graduated a couple of years ago and he was a joy to teach!



From News Organizations:
I'm proud to say that I live in the Philippines and this video from Anderson Cooper does a good job of explaining why.