Dear Friends of Partnership In Mission,
Wishing everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas and happy New Year to you and your families. I want to update everyone on the latest news from the Philippines. In case you have not heard Borongan, Philippines was just hit by tropical storm Urduja. It’s passed Borongan and moving towards Luzon and then toward Vietnam. There is also a new storm, that will be called Vinta, and is forecast to follow a similar path, though some forecast predict it may take a more southerly track. It should arrive at Christmas.
The attached picture is from the Oikos Sisters. The storm itself didn’t have high winds, but instead heavy rain. Borongan had around 39” of rain for a two day total. As you can see areas we are familiar with have been flooded. They are into the clean up now.
As we know, from previous typhoons, the people of Borongan are resilient. They will clean up, rebuild, and continue. At the moment there is not a lot we can do. However, we can hold them in prayer as we move through Christmas and the New Year holidays. We can share the story of the people we know in Borongan with our families, friends, and churches. It’s too late to try and ship any materials to them. If we receive any request for items we will look to pack them in our duffels. Remember the best thing we can bring is ourselves. Our willingness to listen when we get to Borongan and be supportive will be the greatest gift we can bring. We will continue to update you as new information becomes available.
