Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines just before dawn on November 8th. With wind gusts reaching 200 mph and 45 ft walls of water crashing well beyond the shore, it’s no wonder that the death toll is over 1000 and continues to rise. Others are injured or missing, and all are asking for help.
The UN, as well as countries such as the United States, Britain, and Japan have released millions of dollars in aid for the Philippines. However, as with any disaster of this scale, the first few steps are the most difficult. U.N. Humanitarian Chief, Valerie Amos, said, “There is a huge amount that we need to do. We have not been able to get into the remote communities. Even in Tacloban, because of the debris and the difficulties with logistics and so on, we have not been able to get in the level of supply that we would want to. We are going to do as much as we can to bring in more.”
Our priority at Mission Discovery Short Term Mission Trips is to care for our neighbors around the world. We are part of a global community, and our hearts ache alongside those that are hungry and have lost loved ones in the Philippines. Right now, the best way that we can respond to this tragedy, is to let the debris clear, literally. As debris and corpses line the streets, making it impossible for the U.N. to offer aid to areas that need it, we realize that our efforts, at this point, are more likely to disrupt the efforts of the government than help.
We do believe, and have seen, that prayer works. So we pray for our brothers and sisters in the Philippines as they have encountered tragedy. May the devastation they see around them never overcome their hearts. May they find the transcendent peace of Christ as they try to make sense of something that was far beyond anyone’s control. We pray for miracles, as there are so many people that need aid in the form of food and medicine, but are unreachable, may God make the impossible possible.
We need God to intervene. Would you partner with us in prayer for the people of the Philippines?
