Typhoon Santi Wreaks Havoc in Nueva Ecija

Yesterday morning was one of those regular visits that I normally do in Cabanatuan City to attend church. But I was in for a surprise. I was shocked by the devastation I saw along the way. Typhoon Santi had just passed by Nueva Ecija and as I drove along the Tarlac-Sta. Rosa Road, lots of trees have been uprooted and lots of houses were destroyed. Some of the trees that fell down were blocking the way and traffic slowed down somewhat.

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Typhoon Santi Devastates Cabanatuan

As I reached Cabanatuan City itself, I saw more trees were uprooted and a lot more electric posts were down. Some say it would take a month to restore electricity since numerous lines are down throughout the province. I heard that the governor had already declared the province to be in a state of calamity.

Thankfully, the folks I visited seem to be all doing fine despite the devastation caused by Typhoon Santi. The church members shared their recent experience with everyone. Many farmers have been affected by this typhoon. They were about to harvest their riceā€”the main product of this province. It’s going to be a tough time for many farmers in the coming days ahead. We ended up praying for each other.

More photos at this link.

Rest in the Midst of Troubles

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“Lift Up Your Hands” by Gary Valenciano (Click photo to play video at YouTube)

If you’ve been following the news lately, you will be disturbed by all the bad news that confront us daily. There’s the war in Zamboanga, alleged corruption high up in government, senators accusing each other of corruption, the Napoles billion peso scam, feud with China over territory, chemical weapons in Syria, US government shut down, Christians persecuted, burned, tortured and killed all over the world, aside from our daily personal concerns and local news about petty and heinous crimes we hear about daily. We are truly living in a troubled world.

Rest in Jesus

But thanks be to God, we can rest in Jesus. He is our True Rest. In him, we live and move and have our being. We can trust the Lord that all things will work out well for good in the end. God loves all of humanity and he has a wonderful plan for all. We can truly trust and have confidence in him. Nothing can separate us from his love.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)