PHILIPPINES – “Take care of me, Lord.” A simple yet powerful prayer when being confronted with a storm in the Philippines. These are the words 74-year-old mother and widow Josefina uttered as a super typhoon roared through her neighborhood. The National Weather Service characterizes a super typhoon as a tropical cyclone in the northern West Pacific that has sustained winds of 150 mph. At that intensity, not surprisingly, it terrified Josefina.
“The wind sounded like ‘zzzzz,’” she said. She peered out of her door to see what the conditions were, but there was zero visibility through the heavy rain. Scared and alone, she went back inside and prepared for the worst.
“I cried a little and I prayed, but I couldn’t finish [praying] because I was too afraid,” said Josefina. Her prayer was heard nonetheless. As Matthew 6:7-8 reminds us, a short prayer is sufficient because God knows what we need before we even ask.
A Massive Storm Strikes the Philippines
Despite the raging rains and whipping winds that lasted for eight days, Josefina survived the storm in the Philippines. But there was still a rough road ahead for Josefina. Two weeks passed and her community remained without electricity, and they’d been told it could take weeks for power to be restored.
“I didn’t have a flashlight,” said Josefina. “I didn’t go outside as I might trip or something worse could happen.”To combat the darkness at night, compassionate friends like you stepped in as a beacon of hope and light. Our disaster relief team in the Philippines delivered solar lights, sleeping mats, and blankets to families in Batanes, including Josephina. She was very grateful to you for helping to provide these items because they allowed her to resume some of her normal activities.
“Thank you, Lord, and thank you to your team because now I have something to use,” said Josefina. “First, I can use the light when cooking. And the blanket—because it rains in November, December, January, and February. Those are the cold months here so it will be very good to use.”
Because of your love and kindness, Operation Blessing was able to bring calm into chaos and give Josefina and her community hope for tomorrow.
