Flood Update

Cellular is difficult to work with as of yet as you can imagine the sheer number of calls being made as people try to locate one another who have been separated by the waters in the neighborhoods of Manila. It is the only hope we have of getting on-line and we will keep trying until I get this post and a bunch of E-mails waiting in my outbox through.

If you have been watching the worldwide news, you have seen some glimpses of what the people of Manila have been living with. Some of the more unusual images include rivers in the streets filled with cars literally floating along like logs. Sometimes you could see people on the cars riding them, holding on for dear life trying not to fall off when they would collide with buildings and other cars. Now that the waters are receding, cars are piled on top of one another sometimes three deep as they have landed.

We have found that the floods are “no respecter of persons” this time. Normally in a city like Manila, the mid and upper class are not affected as much by the floods as the poor are who cannot afford homes on high ground. Generally speaking, higher ground means higher price. This time, the limits were tested and we have seen beautiful, expensive homes destroyed along with BMW’s and Mercedes Benz vehicles trapped in the driveways. One house we know about had a 20 seat private movie theater filled with water and mud. That family stayed in their attic as literally 100’s of thousands of dollars worth of equipment was destroyed below them. God protected them and the waters did not reach the attic. If they had, they would not have been able to swim out in mud and debris filled water. Many attic type spaces became watery graves.

But of course for every one family like that, there are literally hundreds of poor who don’t have money in the bank. They don’t even have bank accounts. Everything they own has been swept away and all they have left is what is on their person. Many were like me when I had to wade to get home at the beginning of this. Wallets and cell phones wrapped in plastic in our pockets.

The body count isn’t quite at 100 yet, but they haven’t even yet reached the worst parts of the city which are full of collapsed houses filled with mud. One man this morning watched as crews uncovered the bodies of his wife and kids. They were clinging to each other with their arms and legs intertwined. Joy and I were wondering what they must have said to each other in those final seconds. We maintain hope that they had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and entered into eternal life together.

Our house though it is not in an upper scale area is in a subdivision that the flood waters did not enter. The waves lapped at the gate and came within ½ of a foot of coming in. But just meters away, we could see neighborhoods that were waist deep. Some of our friends, many of them Pastors, wept inside of their homes as they could hear cries of help from neighboring roof tops... helpless.

We received messages non-stop from Church members who were stranded either at home or at some public location, trying to get home... wondering what they would find when they could get home later. Many of the refugees in our Church buildings in the Metro Manila area could not sleep and wept through the night wondering if their babies and elderly family members would survive. The kitchens in our Churches that weren’t submerged cooked non-stop, whatever food we could find. Mostly rice and sardines. Even though we have no power, stoves here are run by gas tank.

I talked to one Church member who had lost all of his computer equipment, his livelihood. He was at home trying to stay ahead of the rising waters, standing on a table on the second story of the house as he spoke to me on his cellular phone. His wife had made her way to the Church in order to cook and help people in more need then herself. These are amazing people of God!

As we would hear from our members who ware needing rescue or provision, we would alert the authorities and organizations like the red cross who were running boats through the streets and using helicopters to reach roof tops with lines and rope ladders. But the number of people needing help were too many and we would only hear of a few cases here and there who actually received the help. Most of those wading out of those hard hit areas are now buying food and going back in to feed those left behind who haven’t eaten in two days. There was one diabetic girl they were trying to get to who had run out of insulin and was in a desperate state. I don’t know if she made it.

Close to our main Church locations, we got our own rafts and boats out, mostly improvised to reach the people in the neighborhoods that we could get to. Many dozens were reached from their roof-tops. Some made it to safety by pulling themselves along on power wires through the swirls of water which were as high as 11 feet. One of our elderly members made it through by sitting in a laundry tub, paddling with her hands. It has been much like that movie, “Saving Private Ryan.” Even though we were on specific missions to reach certain people, we saved many others along the way.

One of the main prayer points is that there are many now who have weakened immune systems and people could potentially die for weeks from pneumonia or severe flu’s.

We are praying for resources so that as a Church group, we can not only take care of our members but also take care of those who our members know... the ones we have been witnessing to over the years and now have an opportunity to help.

This morning, we sent bags of clothes and food out of our house to a Church where many young families are holed up... But it wasn’t nearly enough. We can clothe a child for just a little more then $5. We can put enough food on a families table to get them through this week for $10. Every $50 or $100 makes a huge difference.

You could give to an NGO, the Red Cross or to the Philippine government. Even to the TV stations and all of them are doing a good job. But I am asking those who know us to please give through our Church group, Tabernacle of Faith International. The reason for this is to not only save and touch lives, but to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. Charity plus the gospel will accomplish so much more.

For those of you are in the United States, we can get you tax deductible receipts, but we are asking for funds to come very quickly. Western Union is very effective or funds sent to our Chicago based Chase Bank account which we can access immediately.

Please contact me at pastorstevemckinney@gmail.com for details on how to get funds to us through bank transfer. For Western Union, just place the name Steven J. McKinney, Pasig City, Philippines and then E-mail me the MTCN number. It is instant.

But more then funds, please pray! The reports say there is another storm on the way. There is nothing quite as bad as being hit again when you are already down. Pray for God’s mercy to avert another disaster and for God’s favor as we minister His love.

Thank you so much!