Set The Children Free

When Super Typhoon Haiyan left the Philippines, it killed over 6,000 Filipinos and rendered many homeless affecting about 14 million people in the country. Now, it is a time of recovery. Filipinos are picking the pieces and beginning to rebuild their lives with what they have.

This April 15-19, 2014, I am joining other Free Methodists from Manila and Tacloban City as we organize a Stress Debriefing Camp for 60 children ages 7-12 years old. We want to contribute to this process of recovery. We want to start with our children. Most of these children who will be attending will come from the Tacloban City Free Methodist Church and its surrounding neighborhood. These children are experiencing trauma, not only from witnessing the devastation brought by Haiyan, but also from the experience of losing a family member during the typhoon. We want to be there for them. We want to set them free from the trauma and despair. Only God can do this. We will wait on God, wait for His healing.

I do not know where this will lead us. We will trust in God's leadership. My hope is that we can do this Camp annually. Our goal is that these children will grow to be responsible citizens and giving back to the rebuilding of their local community. My prayer is that God will use this Camp to equip these children with skills and emotional stability. They will experience the power of the Gospel in all of its dimensions. God's healing will bring hope, freedom from fear, and the courage to contribute to the rebuilding of Tacloban City. Only God can do this. We will wait for God to act. We will follow Him. We will participate in what He is doing among the people of Tacloban City.