STUDENTS HELPING WITH RELIEF
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| Students cleaning a mud filled home. |
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November 12, 2009
by Dena McMaster
The lessons learned and the relationships strengthened when Typhoon Parma hit the Philippines in late September remain a potent reminder to the students at Faith Academy of the importance of helping others.
Violent winds and major flooding destroyed power lines and cut off electricity to many homes. The school was closed for a week and provided an opportunity for several dorm kids to be involved in a relief effort.
"The kids were having fun playing in the rain and the stairs became waterfalls in our own backyard," missionary dorm parent Russ Holeman wrote. "Some of the kids went out to explore during the rain and ended up helping people cross strong flowing rivers with their children and rescuing people from their cars that were getting carried away by the water that rose very quickly."
Many of their friends lost some or all of their possessions in the flood and the kids made several trips to help flood victims clean mud and debris from their homes.
Russ and his wife, Kelly, were able to offer their home to several who were left homeless by the devastation and flooding. The flooding also caused traffic to be at a standstill for several days. Russ and his youngest daughter, Janaya, left to go to a volleyball game on a Saturday morning and were not able to make it home until Monday afternoon.
Cleaning the mud filled homes and rebuilding the homes that were destroyed continues. Pray for those who lost loved ones, especially those who were swept away by the flood waters. Pray also for dorm parents Russ and Kelly as they help the students in their outreach to the neighborhoods most severely hit by the typhoon and subsequent flooding.
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