I am taking a bit of a break from blogging for now. We live in the Philippines and have been walloped by disaster. Strangely, the Philippines has been doing fairly well of late with good economics and the perception (at least) of less corruption. But then came three big disasters:
We running a counseling training center (Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center, www.bukallife.org or www.bukallife.wordpress.com). We do chaplaincy training, chaplaincy work, and disaster response. Even before the typhoon came we were being asked to assist with the work in Zamboanga and Bohol. With Yolanda, things were are very busy.
We live in Baguio… a city in the Philippines that was not affected by any of these disasters. That is a blessing, but also an opportunity. One is not called upon by God to live lives of thankful complacency. It certainly may be understandable that people ask “Why would God allow such tragedies to happen?” A really good question, but another good question is “Why did God spare us from these tragedies?” The second question I believe is much easier to answer than the first. We are spared to share.
We are presently partnering with a number of groups in chaplaincy and training. Some of our team are prepping to leave for the destruction zone. Tonight my wife and I will be training a team that will leave two days from now.
The rest of the time we are emailing, texting, checking with support and with needs.
Blogging is good, and theological speculation is enriching. But sometimes one has to do something.