On November 8th, 2013, Super Typhoon Yolanda hit the island of Leyte, completely obliterating everything in its path. Tragically, this included the city of Tacloban. As buildings were washed away and the death toll rose, thousands of lives lost their stability and security in everything they once knew. Now, just over a year later, opportunities of hope are abundant. People are ready and looking to move on and rebuild an even better city, spreading the social media campaign #TindogTacloban, or “Rise Up Tacloban”. This slogan is seen everywhere from store fronts, to t-shirts, to electrical poles and nothing better describes the atmosphere. Almost everywhere you turn there are banners announcing the presence of relief efforts such as World Vision, UNICEF, United Nations, WHO, Compassion International, and dozens more.
All this being said, we have had many amazing opportunities to serve those around us. Although my descriptions may need to be brief, I will do my very best to break down everything Gap B Squad has been a part of since arriving here at The Lighthouse.
Twice a day, The Lighthouse cooks large bins of lugaw (a sort of stew made with chicken, rice, bits of vegetable, etc.) and does feedings in various neighbourhoods and villages. Handing out free food gives us an opportunity to have conversations with people and get to know their story a little, play with kids, and provide first aid for minor health issues.Going back to the same locations builds relationships and creates windows where we can talk about the love of Jesus. This often also leads to exciting new experiences for us racers as well, such as climbing palm trees to collect coconuts, hiking to waterfalls with the local children, or learning to chew on sugar cane without getting splinters in our gums.
As The Lighthouse is a relatively new branch of Kids International Ministries (KIM), construction was still underway when we first arrived. The house is right on the coast and many immense reparation projects were needed after the storm. We worked hard finishing paving the driveway and basketball court, building the roof, seeding the lawn, and stacking up the storm wall. Countless days were spent alongside the hired contractors shoveling dirt, mixing concrete and picking rocks. A goal was set to have everything completed by the Yolanda anniversary and thankfully we managed to reach that goal.
From November 7th-9th, The Lighthouse hosted a Typhoon Yolanda commemoration ceremony and celebration, with over a thousand in attendance (a blog is soon to follow with more details of the event). The four World Race teams also rotate through house cleaning duty and night watch. It has been incredible meeting and working with all the people from many different nations who pass through the house. God has been ever-present and has pulled through often when we thought we couldn’t fulfill our goals. It’s been a roller coaster month, but it has brought so much joy and growth as well as people finding Christ. What more could we ask for?
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support, they mean the world. And feel free to send me a friend request on Facebook for even more news and updates! I love hearing from you 🙂
God bless,
Maddy
P.S. I tried REALLY hard to upload some pictures for you guys, but alas, good internet is nowhere to be found…
