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Photo Friday – His New Ruler
Last week Lutheran World Relief staff distributed School Kits to children in the Philippines. The island of Mindanao was hit hard by Typhoon Bopha in December, causing flooding and landslides in many...
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A First-Person Account of Living Through Typhoon Bopha
Juliet Sevilla is a 17-year-old mother living in Anda Barangay of New Bataan municipality in Compostela Valley Province, which was hit by Typhoon Bopha in December 2012. After the storm, Juliet...
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LWR’s Work Continues in the Philippines
Lutheran World Relief continues to respond to relief and recovery needs in the Philippines following December 2012’s Typhoon Bopha, which affected approximately 6.2 million people on the island of...
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New Home for a Mother Who Lived Through Storm
I met Ritchelyn earlier this year during a trip to the Philippines, where I had the opportunity to visit several of LWR’s emergency operations projects. Ritchelyn was a shy mother of six who welcomed...
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Cateel Central Elementary School Recovers from Typhoon Bopha
I met Melvin Rodilla, principal of Cateel Central Elementary School in the Philippines, during a recent project monitoring visit. Principal Rodilla wears a warm, welcoming smile despite all of the...
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A Prayer for Those Affected by Typhoon Haiyan
[UPDATED] On Friday, November 8 Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines with sustained winds of nearly 150 miles per hour. It is the strongest typhoon in the world this year, and possibly the most powerful...
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An Update on Typhoon Haiyan
Just before dawn last Friday, Super Typhoon Haiyan roared onshore with wind gusts up to 235 mph, waves up to 45 feet in some areas, and nearly 16 inches of rainfall. The death toll is mounting. It is...
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More on Our Work in the Philippines
One week after Super Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the central Philippines, the situation is desperate. The most recent report from the United Nations tells us that 11.8 million children, women and...
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A Mother’s Prayer for Survival and Recovery
On November 8, Leonora Compuesta, a 38-year old mother of five, heard that Typhoon Haiyan was approaching the Philippines and that the storm might hit Cebu Province where she and her family live. As...
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Dwindling Income and Rising Prices Prevent Shelter Repair in Affected Areas...
“God, please save my seven children!” Marivic Arabes pled as Typhoon Haiyan devastated the coastal town of Poblacion Barangay, where she and her family live. As Typhoon Haiyan approached Marivic’s...
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The Thanksgiving Table
This past week, I had the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving with my husband’s family. All of my in-laws from across the country came together to celebrate family and give thanks for all that we have...
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From Relief to Recovery
A lot of positive work has been done. There’s a long way to go. Over the past week I have tagged along with LWR staff in the Philippines to continue our work helping people recover from Typhoon...
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A Thank You from the Field
Over the past two weeks, I have been traveling around the Philippines with LWR’s staff based there. It’s been an amazing opportunity to see the immense expertise of our field staff, the way they...
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From 2013 to 2014: Finding Hope in the News
2014 is already jumping off to a raucous start around the world. Between bitter winter weather around the U.S., armed conflicts in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Syria, and continuing...
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Finding Hope Amidst the Debris of Typhoon Haiyan
Originally published at the Huffington Post… Two months ago, Typhoon Haiyan swept across the Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people, damaging or destroying more than one million houses and...
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Think a relief operation isn’t a good time to train aid workers on quality...
Originally posted at The Sphere Project. Used with permission. It’s hot. You’re standing in the sweltering sun and have been waiting in line for more than an hour for a relief packet, and you’re not...
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It’s Hard to Answer the Question “How was Your Trip?”
I returned from the Philippines almost two weeks ago. Just about every day I’ve heard some variation on the same question from friends, colleagues, family members, and people at church: how was your...
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Good Friday is a Good Time for Lament
O Lord, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence, let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. -Psalm 88: 1-2 There are times in life when all one can do is to cry...
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Why the ELCA and LWR Are Proud to Work Together in the Philippines
Guest post by the Rev. Rafael Malpica-Padilla, executive director of Global Mission for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America At the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), we are grateful...
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Is it okay for people who have experienced a disaster to be “happy”?
Lutheran pastor and writer Travis Scholl recently wrote a column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asking, “Is it okay for a Christian to be ‘happy’?” In it, he reflects on Pharrell William’s...
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