Crime.
Corruption.
Political warfare.
Poverty.
Hurt.
Sometimes I can’t help but to be critical. Who is to blame?
What were they thinking? It won’t happen
if only they did this and that. They never learn.
However, last night was a different story. News drifted to my
ears from the TV and popped out everywhere from my facebook page about..
Tragedy.
Calamity.
Flooding.
Massive rains.
Death tolls.
Property Damage.
Last night, news was all about the devastating natural disaster
that hit Metro Manila and some parts of Luzon. It is something that is beyond
any acts of human being or out of anybody’s control. No one’s to blame (perhaps a bit of shame to
those who are oblivious about waste management). However, instead of being
critical, I couldn’t feel anything but melancholy. It saddened me to see people’s
houses submerged in flood, families stranded on empty stomachs and the cold,
and unfortunate deaths of people from landslides and drowning. It’s not easy to
see them suffering while I am sitting in the comfort of our home.
That night, I lay in bed and prayed, “Lord, please bless my
country and comfort all the people suffering.”
This morning I opened my computer and checked my email. It seemed
that God was trying to whisper something to me. I opened one email from a daily
devotional that says..
“What
lengths do you think Jesus will go to in order to bring you closer to him? If
some unexpected things are going on in your life right now or if you are
experiencing a few bumps in the road—or even a complete roadblock—try to look a
little more closely. It’s quite possible you’ll find Jesus there, calling out a
deeper faith and offering you a stronger experience of his love…..God is
determined to deepen our faith, and there are times when he may use some
unorthodox strategies to do it.”
I may
not be experiencing the hardships of the present situation in my country but I feel
that I need to do something. I’m sitting
8708 miles away from Manila but my heart feels so close
to it. The question is what can I do?
It
is at these times when we must show and spread God’s abounding love and mercy
to those who are in deep need. God generously provides
for each and every one of us, likewise with a grateful heart, we should give
back to Him through reaching out to the needy. By doing so, we get the
opportunity to share God’s goodness and faithfulness to them. God wants to assure and comfort them through us as instruments that at the end of this, the sun will shine and
everything will be fine.
Luckily,
there is a way to help for those who are here in the US. Our ministry, Couples for Christ together with ANCOP (Answering the Cry Of the Poor), is accepting donations for those who were affected by the unfortunate
event. Click here for more info on how you can help.
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/roger-santos/ancopfoundationincusasfundraisingpage
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/roger-santos/ancopfoundationincusasfundraisingpage
On Saturday, August 11, 8am, our community will be having the
ANCOP WALK to raise funds that will benefit the less fortunate in the Philippines. Please personally contact me if you’re
interested to join.
Of
course we can also help by always keeping them in our thoughts and in our prayers.
In
my teeny tiny way, I hope I helped through my words! By my writing, I wish to serve
and use my blog to connect and touch other’s lives. If we can all help each other
with love, compassion, and by God's amazing grace, in any way we can, there’s nothing we cannot surpass.
God
bless the Philippines!
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| I got this photo from Joseph Bonifacio (christian blogger) Like him, to see how the people respond to the situation, I couldn't be prouder to be a Filipino. |
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| photo credit: Paul Quiambao, location: UST |
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| photo credit: Paul Quiambao, location: UST |
Xoxo,
Joselle
It's good to know that even a thousand miles isn't a hindrance to helping. Thank you ate Joselle! :)
ReplyDeletethanks to the technology. it helps almost everything possible. thanks mayey! (:
ReplyDelete