Within six hours, an astonishing 13.4 inches of rain fell.

September 26, 2009 seemed just like any other rainy Saturday in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. The torrential rains came, and within six hours, an astonishing 13.4 inches fell. Manila and its neighboring towns were flooded. Water covered two-story homes in some areas. Currents surging through the streets carried away cars. No one realized that Typhoon Ketsana (locally called Onday) would ultimately kill over 250 people, displacing hundreds of thousands more, and would go on to leave a swath of death and destruction across southeast Asia.

Eunice and Brenda work with FilSIM, a group of Filipinos who serve cross-culturally under the SIM Philippines umbrella. They were away from home when the natural disaster occurred. The women began to receive calls for help from their families in another area. And though they wanted to respond, their own neighborhood had flooded. So they simply prayed and waited.

The next morning they set out together, only to discover that the roads to their homes were impassable. Many others who were also trying to reach their families were stranded. Despite the danger, they decided to walk in muddy, knee-deep water until they needed to separate.

After walking for hours, Eunice was surprised to discover that her family home was almost swept away by the flash flood. The house was heavily damaged, and everything in it had been washed away. Though her father was injured when he was dragged away by the current, he had been able to hold on to a tree. Eunice was thankful that her parents were safe.

Brenda had to walk and swim for nine hours in waist-to neck-deep flood water. She tried to hold a rope that had been tied from one tree or post to the next, so people could cross the water and not be swept away by the strong current. She almost gave up because of exhaustion and heart palpitations.

But, she had to know if her family was safe, so she didn’t let go of the rope. She prayed the whole time, asking God for help. The Lord used her training as a nurse in disaster management to help her survive. When she arrived home, everything was soaked, floating and dirty, but she was grateful that her family was safe.

Acts of kindness

	More than 1,000 families were helped by the relief distribution.

Eunice and Brenda were just two of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos whose families were devastated by Typhoon Ketsana. But, the Lord did not leave them in the cold. He touched people’s hearts to send practical and financial help, and the SIM international community responded immediately.

FilSIM attended to the urgent needs of the victims, prioritizing help for missionaries like Brenda and Eunice, so they could then help others. Then we identified needy communities who were not receiving any help yet from the government or from others.

More than one thousand families were blessed by the relief operation. On behalf of these families, the SIM Philippines team would like to extend a huge thank you to all who gave generously! your gifts were translated into hope and tangible relief for thousands of individuals. It was a joy and honor to witness the worldwide body of Christ mobilizing to pray and act on our behalf. Thank you.

*Note: This article was originally published in Serving In Mission Together, issue 128.