Dear Brothers, sisters, friends and families,
Warm greeting from Agnes again! I trust that you are all well in your home countries!
It has been nearly 3weeks not sending update to you all... sorry for the long silent as i'm finding opportunity to write to you all. :)
Life in Philippines for the last 3 weeks was busy to me. Not only been travelling up to Manila twice - each way of travel take about 6 hrs fr Calapan to Manila. One trip was training session by OMF at their Manila center, the other was visiting church friends who came all the way from London to Manila to visit me -- it was certainly v nice indeed!).
Apart from the travelling quite a bit, i was also helping on organising the Marriage Enrichment Seminar Celebration night 2weeks ago (Not that i know much about marriage!!!!) and then also help giving Health seminars for local urban poor on how to use medication safely and teaching them on the use of some common simple drugs which they commonly used ( e.g. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, NSAIDs; the different of generic and brand names...etc.)
Both Marriage Celebration night and the Health Seminars went well. Many people came and i know that if it is not the Lord was in control in all things, surely both event wouldn't go well nor even won't happen as the weather for the last 2 weeks was very rainny and unpredictable!!!!
Only one week ago after i had met my church friends in Manila, i was travelling back to Calapan with the Dutch nurse as we were planning to give health seminar to the urban poor. On that morning, we were on the bus journey (2-3hrs journey), we're informed thru text msg that the typhoon was coming to our way and it was already signal #1 ( roughly equal to #3 in HK)near to the pier and all the fast boats to Calapan was stopped operating, only the big slow boat were still operating but did not know what time will have one. Anyway, when we arrived the pier later that morning, the sea was unusually calm.... no rain and we safely arrived Calapan and the Mission home that afternoon and straight after, we gave 3 different Health Seminars to the local on the next day. But deep down, we know that it is kind of the "eve" of the storm coming!!!!! But the great news was that the typhoon changed direction next day and not coming to Calapan -- well praise God for this changed direction tyhpoon as Calapan was hitted by the super typhoon last december and many homes damamged and lives lost -- they are all scared of typhoon esp the poors.
So.. i thought all typhoon gone and just back to the rainny days.... but on this Tuesday,the weather once again gave us surprise!!!
I was already staying with my host family since sunday night. On tuesday morning, we were saying there will be heavy rain as the sky was so dark... in the afternoon, the winds was gradually picking up and you can feel that. I was having my Tagalog lesson at the host family (as the mother is my teacher and local leader) and when we finished the lesson at 4pm, the heavy rain came with strong wind....we needed to close all windows but the winds continue to blow in thru the gaps making the nose "wwooo.... wwooooo"... As the winds were building up strong, we know it must be some sort of storm coming and electricity might cut off later today!!! So.. we started charging up the emergency lamp, mobile phones and getting ready the candles, matches and torch... We were kind of cut off from outside as we have no TV, no landline, and the urban poor only use the cell phone for texting and as calling is very expensive (8-10times more expensive), so we did not know what is going on weather wise apart from knowing the storm/ tyhpoon is coming fast!!!!
The storm was surely getting worse and all the 5 children of my host family were out in school or at work....! My teacher also had to go out to pick up her 7yr old son from school... so i was kind of home alone and "guarding the place" until someone came home. Thank God that one of her elder sons came home safe with clothes soaking wet! When my teacher and her young son came home, we were already busy "rescuse" the wet laundry outside the open ground....
At that time, the wind was really severe, and i could see some empty plastic water drums/ basket were half flying....! I was standing next to the kitchen door and help passing all the wet clothes from outside to the basket inside the kitchen. Even i was kind of indoor, my top part of myself and head were wet as the strong wind and rain were blowing to us - like having a shower!! We were busy filling up water into the water drums as it will be problem to have water later, charging up cellphones while electricity still on..... the son started cooking some rice while we were not in darkness and electricity still there. And suddenly....as we expected, the electricity cut off!!! All the lights off and candles were lighted.... we were thinking, it must be a evening having "candle lights dinner",so we thought...., We were start worrying about the other children and my teacher's husband whom had not yet arrived home in such a situation.. i started praying for them and ask the Lord to keep them safe and bring them back home safe. Soon after i had prayed, the elderst daughter came home and... then the elderst son...and so on.. all soaking wet but we thank God that all came home safe that evening. :)
On the very same evening, there was supposed to be the women bible study at my host family house -- but my teacher said that they might probably not come as the stormy weather! Well... as to me, it was surely understandable.It is just like when it was signal #8 in Hong Kong, who will go to church/ meet up with someone as per plan?!!! I'm sure they would cancel it.
However, out of my surprised, more than half of the women in the group and a husband came to us for bible study! What more is that they also brought us with food that enough for many of us!!!! As the electricity was out, they couldn't quite do bible study.So... they had fellowship and we sang hymns and praise God under the candle light instead. To me, it is a special experience that even in such a stormy weather, those urban poor women still came for bible study... they all had children at home and i'm sure they all know that their journey back home would not be easy in such a weather. However,this event told me that their hearts for the words of God are sincere and that they hungry for the Lord's word :) This is certainly something for me and us who live comfortably in the west to reflect on....
Well.. when we were ready to have our dinner and when we were praying and saying grace, all in Tagalog, the electricity was suddenly ON again!!!! Hurray!!! we could all eat in bright light!!!! Thank God for such a "divine timing" for providing us light! We all enjoying the delicious food which was prepared by one of the women. God provision is certainly more than what we can imagine... the rice that we cooked earlier on was not that night as the food brought to us was plenty and rice can be safed for next day to eat. :)
The storm continue and we were getting text msgs from other urban poor families that saying their houses were flooded and the sea was very rough and waves were high!! Their roofs were leaking and in such a strong wind... it is scary especially for them, some still had no electricity...! One youth of our local church text us that she was left home and was standing outside against the wall of her home as the house was not seems to be safe to stay in and rain was just keep coming in!!! It was nearly 9pm at night..... i was worrying for her as she is only living with her mum and her friend -- 3 ladies! We text here to go to the church (nearby) for refuge that night and kept dry... as no way they could stand outside home overnight in such weather... eventhough they could make it till next day, i'm pretty sure all of them will be ill and sick from the cold stormy weather! I prayed that God will guide her to make a wise decision and not leave it too late.....
Once again, i'm very lucky as i was staying with my host family who has a solid build house and it was in the higher ground. But for those who are living next to the beach... life could be in danger and under real threat!!
So... nothing much we could do apart from texted them and gave them suggestion for safely and to pray for their safety and the Lord's mercy on them. Again, i thank God for keep remaining me His words that He is the God of Creator and all things in this universe are created by Him. For the past 7 days, my daily devotion were about the same passage/ bible story -- The disciples and Jesus were on the boat and they met a huge storm at the sea --but Jesus woke up, rebuked and calmed the sea and wind (Matthew chp 8: 23-27). Indeed, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of Earth, and Air and Sea! As the winds and waves will not spare us, but they all obey Him. What a great news that we praise God even more is that, even at the point of despire and closed to be perished in our lives, our Lord cares about us... just like the diciples, they all cried out for His help at that very scary moment in their lives, even though they know Jesus was on board, physically with them. Indeed, we have our Captain of Salvation (Lord Jesus Christ) sailing with us in our lives. Like my devontion said : -- "Where He leads He loves, where He points He protects, where He plans He provides, where He sends He saves." Amen! Once He kept me safe!
On Wed,the storm died down quite a bit and sun came out! Praise the Lord! I came back to Mission Home, and.. i had a chance to watch news again. i've just realised that the storm (Lundo) was indeed passed Calapan area last night --no wonder the wind was so strong!! But i've also learnt from the local news that there were 19 dead and more then 30 fishermen gone missing at the nearby fishing city because of the storm...... And... Earthquake in Metro Manila on the very same day....!
What can one say...same day last week, i was in Manila... but nothing happened but all calm and cheerful; I thought i couldn't come back to Calapan as there might not have boat opperated on that day due to typhoon #1 was on; but my journey was plesant and calm and safe. There were no other reason, but because the Captain of Salvation is sailing and walking with me.... And i thank God for that :)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading my sharing and also my latest pics (see the link below). Indeed we are very lucky, and we should give thanks to the Lord with gladness daily for what we have.
http://picasaweb.google.com/agnes.mission/LoveHealthStormyNight?authkey=QexCH3ZUuJE
God bless you!
Agnes
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