Chris is taking over today and sharing his thoughts about the tragic Haiyan Typhoon that hit a place he knows and loves so dearly.
It's been very strange to read about places I am so familiar with but almost no one else had ever heard of before in the news. When I got my mission call I couldn't even pronounce "Tacloban" correctly (it's ta-CLO-ban, I said TA-clo-bahn).
I served my mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines Tacloban Mission from 2004 to 2006.
If you've ever spent time around Filipinos, you know they are some of the friendliest and happiest people on earth. Probably because their country is so beautiful.
However, it is an extremely poor country and the provinces around Tacloban - Leyte, Samar, etc - are some of the poorest areas. These people had virtually nothing to begin with, and now after the storm, even their meager possessions have been destroyed. It is heartbreaking.
Below is a picture of an area of Tacloban City called San Jose, circa 2004. These homes I'm sure offered no protection to the people who lived in them.
An image after the storm:
Our prayers are with them.
Thanks for sharing this with us Chris. I am heart broken too and my heart and prayers goes out to the Filipinos.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chris! Your love for the place and its people is quite evident. I pray.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that he shared these stories of his time served there and about the people. I think sometimes when we see events like this in the news it's so hard to grasp how real the situation is. Praying for the people in the Philippines!
ReplyDeleteI have several friends that have done missions in the Philippines... they have always spoken highly of the hearts and souls of the citizens there ...my prayers are with them....
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Chris shared his thoughts on your blog Paige. I've been wondering how he's been feeling about this tragic storm.
ReplyDeleteUnderstanding the scale of what has happened there is hard for me. I'm sure Chris' feelings on the topic are incredibly amplified, knowing that place and it's people so well. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt's even more upsetting to see these images when you know a place. I'm ptaying for all those Filipinos
ReplyDeleteThe destruction is incomprehensible. Thanks for taking the time to share your story. These people are in my thoughts & prayers.
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