Super Typhoon Rai

Words can't express sometimes the feeling of being so far away from the people you love when something as hard as this week has happened. On Thursday, Super Typhoon Rai hit the Philippines and went directly over the islands where both our team and family are. Our team on the ground has reported in safe, though we are still waiting to hear from family not in the main city.

In the midst of it all, we know several things:

1. We are thankful for faithful friends who are partnering in prayer with us.

2. We are thankful that our team on the ground is safe physically.

3. We KNOW God will use this as opportunity to continue to spread the hope of Jesus in our communities.

The KLM headquarters where we prepare meals and house the church has sustained some damage. Our water tank is gone, the area where they meet for church has been pretty much destroyed, and we've sustained water damage from flooding, but we are so thankful that the house structure has stood firm and our little truck that brings the meals seems to be in okay shape as well!

Our hearts hurt for our families in the feeding site directly around the central kitchen area and our friends in the dumpsites. We have yet to hear word from our other locations about how they have sustained the storm and how what little that they have already, has fared through the storm.

But if there is one thing that we know about the Filipino culture, it is that they have great strength and relational bonds. We will work together to find ways to help each other and in the end God will work all things together for good.

Some of you have asked about giving towards typhoon relief. We will be setting up a fund that will go towards helping KLM get back on it's feet (shelter for the church and water tank replacement are our current needs) and bless some of our neighbors in their rebuilding in the process. We are talking with our team on the ground as to what the that looks like.

If you feel led to give, you can do that so here: iwt.one/aid

All proceeds will go towards relief efforts.

Thank you everyone so much for your thoughts and prayers.

https://youtu.be/U0zY5hXAmT8