Before Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the Philippines, mission presidents prepared their missionaries by moving them to safer locations. According to the online Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “before Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the Philippines, LDS Church members and missionaries already made necessary preparations.”
“Each missionary also had been provided a 72-hour kit ahead of the storm.” see Deseret News. This example of preparation should be a lesson to all of us whether in or out of the Church and cause us to reflect on our own disaster preparations. Are we in a position to care for our family or neighbors? What steps are we taking on a regular basis?
“Based on latest reports gathered by the Emergency Monitoring Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Philippines Area, a total of 14,000 individuals from different parts of the Visayas, Eastern Mindanao and Sorsogon have taken shelter at 200 Church meetinghouses.”
MANILA —
UPDATE (12 November 2013 – 9:28 am Philippine Time) “The latest advisory from the Philippines Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states that ALL missionaries from the Tacloban Mission were found safe. This means that all missionaries from the 21 missions in the Philippines are accounted for. Parents and family have been contacted of the good news. Provision of relief goods in Tacloban and Northern Cebu continues.” See MormonNewsroom for more on this story.
My thoughts and prayers are for those going through difficult times in the Philippines, especially those who have experienced the recent earthquake and Typhoon. So sad to see the pictures of the destroyed homes and lives lost. If you would like to donate to the Humanitarian Aid Fund, go to this link.