Prayer Requests for the Philippines

The following is an email from Menchit Wong, our child advocacy director. It contains new prayer requests and an update on previous prayer requests for our Philippines brothers and sisters, in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.

Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters from around the world,

Greetings with joy from the Lord! We are happy to share with you how the Lord has been wonderfully answering your prayers for the Philippines.

• You prayed for the Lord to give our government leaders extraordinary wisdom to direct the relief efforts.
• Update: Since last week, the government ‘got itself together’ and our President took the leadership in directing the efforts. Instead of taking offense at the foreign and local criticisms hurled at the slowness of response, the President humbly admitted feeling overwhelmed and proceeded to engage all offices of government including the private sector, to help out.
• You prayed for the safety of our Compassion Philippines Rapid Response Team and for timely aid and comfort to be given to the children, families and churches affected.
• Update: In the first phase of the relief operations, Compassion Philippines has been able to tap into more than 35 tons of relief aid. They have a well-staffed team led by our Country Director and have been able to set up hubs for relief distribution. Children, families and churches are being cared for as we continue to assess damages and collect information about many more.

• You prayed that the Lord will stop Satan and his cohorts from instigating anarchy in the affected areas.
• Update: The looting and thefts have significantly decreased, because the government has been able to deploy the police and military officials to provide security, especially in the most badly hit areas and cities.
• You prayed for the affected Filipinos to receive timely aid and that all towns and areas will be helped, not just those that receive media attention.
• Update: God has really come through for us! The relief goods are now pouring in through each of the towns and municipalities, not just through the C-130s of the U.S., but largely through the help of commercial planes, dump trucks, container vans, huge trucks freely provided by generous businessmen. Close to 90 million dollars have been committed for the Philippines from other governments. Churches and Christian NGOs are working together. Even school children are volunteering to pack relief bags and writing letters to children so that when they open the bag of goods, inside is a letter written by a child from Manila encouraging them to hope and trust in God who loves and cares for them.

Every day we cannot keep crying and praising God for answering prayers that you and thousands others are praying from many countries in the world. We used to cry because we felt overwhelmed and helpless. Now we cry because we have seen that the needs are gradually being met. There is a big challenge that remains through the relief and rehab process. Please continue to pray with us.

• Pray that there will be sustained efforts to protect the children and women who are most vulnerable in times of disasters. Pray that God will stop any outbreak of cholera, dengue and other epidemics.
• Pray that the makeshift tents and relocation areas will be protected from those child trafficking syndicates who pretend to offer help but who will induce the parents to give up their children in the guise of adoption.
• Pray that the clearing and cleaning up of debris from roads and cities will be expedited so that there will be easy access for help and relief to the people living in the most remote towns.
• Pray that there will be a concerted effort among evangelical churches, denominations and Christian NGOs and ministries to come up with a comprehensive relief and rehabilitation collaborative effort. Pray that all political barriers will be overcome so that the country will see the Body of Christ at work, preaching Christ in word and deed, caring for the widows and orphans.

Please accept my sincerest thanks and gratitude for your prayers and love for the Filipino people. This is the verse we claim for you all:

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. ~ Proverbs 11:25, NIV

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