We arrived in Tacloban about a week ago and have settled in quite nicely. the countryside is breathtaking; palm tree covered mountains, rice fields, and the ocean right across the street from where we are staying. So refreshing after three weeks in the busyness and smog of Manila. There is still a lot of obvious devastation from typhoon Yolanda as there is destruction and construction everywhere. We have seen villages with ships parked in the center, several mass Graves where thousands of bodies were dumped after the storm, and we have heard countless stories of loss and survival. Typhoon Yolanda had winds gusting up to 315km an hour and lasted for around 5 hours, killing around 20,000 people. The people here experience around 30 typhoons a year and weren’t prepared for the severity of Yolanda which is why so many did not evacuate. There were bodies found as recent as July. It is amazing to see the progress the have made so far; there is a strong bond and sense of community amongst the people of Tacloban and it is amazing how such tragedies can bring people so close together. We are currently involved in doing feedings in the poverty struck areas in and around Tacloban, building what will be a playground for the kids here at kids international missions, cleaning and cooking for our squads, keeping watch at night for the building, movie nights and bible studies for the community, preparing for the anniversary of typhoon yolanda and spending the mornings fishing on the ocean in a traditional Filipino fishing boat while relaxing and having prayer time.
