Typhoon Chasing

Well, not intentionally!

My longest trip this year (other than our time back in the US in the spring) will be this trip to the Philippines. I’ll be in-country for three weeks, not including travel time on either end. Initially I’ll be providing pastoral care and teaching during a deaconess review session for over 80 women who are part of the Lutheran Church of the Philippines (LCP). Once that concludes, I stay on to teach crash courses at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Baguio on Christian stewardship, the Gospel of John, and an Old Testament review course. I’ll be blessed to work with first, second and fourth year students.

However as I readied for the trip I became aware of a major typhoon passing through the area of the Philippines. It didn’t technically made landfall but rather boosted their usual rainy-season rains significantly, leading to the most significant damage and flooding to the capitol of Manila in over a decade. Images of streets filled with knee, waist, and even neck deep waters crept into my newsfeed.

The typhoon passed by on Wednesday and by Thursday as I departed for Kuala Lumpur it seemed as though the worst of the weather had passed. Clean-up was starting. Thousands of people were displaced in areas around the massive capitol city but no further damage was being caused. A fuel tanker off-shore was damaged by massive waves as the typhoon passed and sank, raising the very likely possibility of a huge fuel spill that could wash ashore and impact the marine ecosystem.

Now as I sit at the airport in Kuala Lumpur the news looks about the same. Clean-up is underway. Flights appear to be on schedule in and out of the country. The typhoon moved on to Taiwan last night and now has touched land in China in two places. I don’t know what things will be like when I land in Manila in a few hours, but I imagine at the very least traffic will be even worse than usual, which is saying something impressive (and depressing!).

Please pray for the people of Manila as they recover from the typhoon. Pray for the LCP and for opportunities they may have to share the love of Jesus Christ as they tend to their members and communities. Please also pray for safe travel for myself, Deaconess Sandra Rhein, and Melinda Thews as we arrive in Manila together from Medan, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan, respectively! Pray for further safety overnight in Manila and then as we take the 5-6 hour (perhaps longer this time!) bus ride to Baguio where the training will take place. And pray the Holy Spirit uses our time with these ladies as an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ and equip all of us to serve our Lord better.