Chris & Elizabeth

Our third shipment getting ready for the trip to Malapascua!

As the entire country begins recovering from typhoon Haiyan, we are trying to do our part in Cebu. Our third shipment of relief goods was sent to Malapascua early this morning! Medical supplies have been donated and we have sent a nurse from our church to help with the people’s medical needs. Food and water was also sent with the shipment. The island is completely cut off from the mainland so drinking water is one of their biggest needs.  Many have lost their homes and are sleeping in the open air. Pastor Travis and our Bible college guys are there right now trying to set up tarps for shelter and clean up some of the wreckage.  Because the island is so small they are not receiving a lot of attention but their need is great. If we don’t help them who will?  This is a need that will not just disappear in a week’s time. Recovering from the devastation will take months.  Please pray for the people and consider helping them in these uncertain times.

In these past few days we have seen unfathomable damage across the Philippines. In Tacloban, a city that took the full brunt of the storm, it is estimated that ten thousand are dead. That is just one city. The government is still trying to make contact with other cities that we still have no communication or information from. As for northern Cebu there is still no relief. Our church took some supplies to our missionary pastor and his family on Malapascua island on Monday. When I stepped on the island the people thought we were a news crew surveying the damage.  Miraculously the church building is still standing, the Bible didn’t even get wet. Yet others lost everything. The island is completely devastated-church members lost their homes, and you could find boats and furniture strewn all over the island. While Malapascua is not receiving a lot of media attention, the eye of the storm passed right over them. Our church will be focusing our resources to help these people on Malapascua Island. Many of you have contacted us and asked if you could help. If you want to help you can send money to Travis Lewis at Word for the World…marked Philippine Disaster Relief Fund. The address is P.O. Box 849 Rossville, Georgia 30741-0849. The phone number is 706-866-8826. Pastor Travis is our missionary partner in Cebu. He shares our burden to help the Filipino’s through this crisis! 100 percent of what you send will help these people rebuild their lives. We sent our first load of supplies on Monday. Our next shipment will leave for Malapascua on Thursday and then again on Friday. People need food, water, medicine, and basic hygiene necessities. We want to help these survivors get back on their feet. As we minister to their physical needs we will also look for ways to minister to their souls. Please keep praying that many would come to know Christ!

Just weeks after experiencing a massive earthquake, the largest storm known to man hit our Philippine shores. The typhoon almost covered the entire country as it wrecked homes and took thousands of lives. In Cebu we felt heavy winds and hard rain as the storm flew over us. Glass walls were shattered, trees were uprooted, and concrete electrical poles were snapped in pieces.  Debris from the storm still covers our city and we just got our power and water back after losing it for days.  But as bad as it was in Cebu the destruction was far worse just North of us.  Many of you may remember that we have a family from our church ministering on a remote island in northern Cebu. Their island was in the direct path of the storm. The missionary’s home they are staying in is concrete so several members came to weather out the storm at their place. The roof of their house was destroyed and four other members completely lost their homes. Pastor Walter said boats were flying through the air as the storm ravaged their island. Praise the Lord, no one was hurt but the damage was immense. It is suspected that ten thousand Filipinos lost their lives in this terrible storm. Both the earthquake and the typhoon have left enormous damage.  We pray that even though the circumstances are awful, God can use these disasters to show His hope and salvation.