Brian’s Story:

“[The evening of November 8, when the winds of Typhoon Haiyan began to blow] I and my companions in the house were very relaxed. The house church we were staying in was newly built, and we thought Typhoon Haiyan would be just like other typhoons with moderate rain and wind. At 1 am, the wind started shaking the house. We woke up because the water pushed the door open. Two people who were sleeping on the first floor ran upstairs and began shouting about the approaching danger. At that time the water was waist high.

“We decided to wade across the street, away from the ocean, towards our local elementary school. People took their children and older parents there, and and tried to save some things from their homes. Some of them already had big wounds in their feet.

“Some of the people in the school were crying because their loved ones were left behind in their houses. They were waving their flashlights and calling for help, but no one could save them, because the water was already neck high. When I opened the window and looked out, I saw waves bigger than a house. When the waves began hitting the school, we became even more nervous. The people around us began crying, “We are going to die.”

“I and my companions began to run towards the mountain behind the school. The wind was so strong and coconut trees were falling around us. We slipped and ran again, until we reached the top of the mountain. There we sheltered under a great rock. We prayed, ‘Lord, we deserve this because we are sinners, but we ask for your grace.’ I began praying more seriously than I had ever prayed, because I thought this was the end of my life.”

God did preserve Brian’s life, and that of his companions in the house. Their story sounds much like words of the song, “A Shelter in the Time of Storm.”

The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide A shelter in the time of storm.

After the typhoon, there was nothing left of their house. They had no breakfast or lunch, so they broke coconuts open to eat the flesh. He and his companions walked 3 days to find food and shelter.

After a rest in his home town, Pastor Brian has returned to Hernani, living in a tent. He is restarting his work to minister to the people whose homes were also devastated.

 

Before the Typhoon	After The Typhoon
Brian At Beachside House	House Site After Typhoon
Brian at Beach	Beach After Typhoon
Brian’s Bible Study Group	Exhausted Community Leader

 

Prayer Requestsa. Pray for Pastor Brian as he contacts those who used to attend his Bible Studies. b. Pray for courage to live in a place that seems like a desert now. c. Pray that God will lead him to begin a workable livelihood program in the future. d. Pray that the people of Hernani will learn to trust in God and be delivered from fear and hopelessness.