“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35, NIV
Through His ministry, Jesus showed us that love cannot be idle in the face of injustice; love cannot be content to bemoan suffering. Love is action. Our loving actions show the world Who we belong to and that He is a loving God.
The church and ADRA in the Philippines are showing His love in the wake of Typhoon Rai
On December 16, 2021, the world watched helplessly as Typhoon Rai, a Category 5 Super Typhoon, slammed the Philippines with sustained winds of 185 kilometres per hour and rainfalls that triggered floods and landslides. With nine landfalls throughout the Philippines, the wake of Rai’s destruction is immense.
Though we were helpless to halt the typhoon, there is much that can be done – and has been done – to bring relief to the survivors.
ADRA responded immediately to the disaster. Its activities have centred on some of the most affected areas in the Visayas and Mindanao islands. Through funding from international partners and local partners, ADRA has delivered cash assistance and food to over 5,000 families.
More needs to be done. In an interview with Hope Channel in the Philippines, the ADRA Philippines Director Tom Pignon said, “The priority needs of the people include things like food, potable water, temporary shelter and repair kits, hygiene kits, and medical supplies, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and indeed protection and psycho-social support services. All of these are urgently required.”
Mr. Pignon’s assessment reflects the coordinated national and international emergency response.
To continue its lifesaving assistance and to move into rebuilding, ADRA needs its supporters. These include our conferences, churches, and members. Indeed, this is what is happening in the Philippines.
“We are stronger together,” says Mr. Pignon. “It’s always exciting to see ADRA, Hope Channel, ACS, the Unions, Missions, and Conferences of the church working hard together on a coordinated Adventist response to the disasters that impact the Philippines. As ADRA, we cannot effectively respond on our own. Our response is always going to be limited. One of the unique strengths that we have as an organization is that we are part of the Adventist church, and that capacity brings so much more when we respond together to disasters.”
We are invited to join ranks with the church and ADRA in the Philippines to save lives and rebuild futures. We cannot do this on our own – we need you. We urge you to share this information with your constituencies. We humbly ask you to point them to ADRA.ca/Rai where they can give much-needed assistance.
