Manila Flood Follow-up Report

As I circulated through the church, last Sunday, visiting with families and young people before the worship service began my heart was blessed. Story after story was shared with me about how God sustained their lives during the recent flood. LuAnn and I spent time praying for these families during the storm. Seemingly, every other person I spoke with lost most of their belongings in the flood.

Through the Flood...to the Church!
Our conversation was filled with stories of how they made it to church this weekend. Some rode military trucks through flooded areas, till they could catch public transportation. Others paid local boatmen exorbitant fares for a ride. Still others shared how they walked through water that was up to their thighs. But they were there, at church, smiling, singing, giving praise to an almighty God who met their need in the storm.

Not much complaining or whining over the tragedy. In fact, the Filipino people are some of the most resilient people on earth! Filipinos withstand tragedy with a smile!

Worship After the Storm
As the worship service began, the songs were all about living through the storms of life. In fact, our sermon topic on the weekend that the storm hit was, "Turning Tragedy Into Triumph!" This series was planned back in August and this specific message topic was scheduled at that time. Well, I guess God scheduled the topic to work with the coming storm He would allow.

As the people sang the words,

"You are my Rock, in You I stand,
safe in your arms that surround me.
You are my Rock, in You I trust,
safe from the storms that surround me!" I wept.

The Holy Spirit met with us. The people present had lived these words only days before. Often I feel unworthy to stand beside such incredible people of God, but this weekend was special. There were lots of hugs, always a word of gratefulness to God who protected whole families during the flood.

Record Attendance During The Storm!
In our Floodway church, Pastor Julius told me how he had a record attendance during the storm! To my surprise, I asked how that happened. Pastor Julius told me about all the people who crowded in the church to escape the flood. So he decided to hold a worship service! They had 600 people in their small facility. No seating, just standing - elevator style! Some were saved, but because of the circumstance, there was no place to deal with them individually.



Miguel Lazo...Saved Just In Time!
On October 3, during the Saturday service in Floodway, many people were still living in the church as evacuees. So Pastor Julius had all the people push their belongings over to one side of the room and held their regularly scheduled Saturday night service. Twenty-one were saved during the service! One man, Miguel Lazo, age 51, accepted Christ that evening. The next day, Sunday morning, Miguel walked across the street, had a heart attack, and went home to be the Lord. Miguel found Christ in the midst of the storm...just in time!

Many areas of Metro Manila are still flooded. The waters are expected to stay in some of the worst areas for several weeks. There is much to be done!





Thanks for your partnership!

Sincerely,
Greg & LuAnn Lyons
Megacity Ministries