From Elaine
We are so grateful for your phone calls and emails. As parents we felt helpless as we watched the “worst storm of the year” unfold. Other storms had bypassed Hope for the Island, but this would be different. Less than 24 hours before the typhoon hit Derek was still trying to decide if he should evacuate or ride out the storm. We prayed for wisdom for our son.
Thursday night when we checked storm tracking websites, we realized they had already been hit, earlier than expected. I knew as I dialed the phone that we would not likely get any answer. The answer as to why would not come for a few hours. Eventually after repeated attempts I heard Derek’ s voice say “we are all here and we are ok” then the line cut out… He couldn’t hear us but we could hear him. That was all I wanted to hear. They were alive!!!
We still have not heard anymore today and communication is still not possible. A short time ago an email came through.. a miracle, because of the damage that would be evident in a country that has challenges with cell towers and internet connections at the best of times.
These are the welcome but sometimes hard words we read from Derek.
From Derek
It has been a very difficult time, although we are all safe. As far as I know there are no serious injuries or deaths. Thank God for lives spared!
We enjoyed praying and worshiping as the darkness of the storm overtook us. We are so thankful to our God for answered prayer. There was a spirit of peace evident amongst the many kids that filled our home and our Hope for the Island team.
There is damage to roofs and some uprooted trees in town. Many of our staff’s family homes were damaged. The concrete seawall that protects our property cracked from the tidal surge but it did save our kubo and property. It was a good thing that it was low tide or the ocean would have surely covered our property. The surge did come up past our cottage.
I haven’t been able to track the storm by phone because we have had no power or cell signal as of yet. The rumour is that we will have no power or communication for at least a week and we are rationing food and water. No power means no water. This is how it was for us in the early days of our ministry. We had no electricity and no way to communicate within the Philippines or with family back home for months at a time.
We are saddened to hear there is extensive damage at our Organic Farm. It will be some time before roads are cleared of trees and power lines. It is only at that point that I will be able to fully evaluate all the damage to the farm and other Hope for the Island property. Because of the location, the wind hit from all directions. The storage shed is completely wiped out. The greenhouse roof and bars are torn apart and twisted. We lost all our plants and seedlings.
Please continue to pray as we evaluate and come to terms with all that will have to be rebuilt. We will not miss a beat, today we will minister to children as part of Kid’s Ministry. We will have pictures and a more extensive report as we crawl out from the rubble. We continue to praise God!
