Josh and Candy Dalton Just another weblog This is a reprint of a prayer email we sent out shortly after Typhoon Ondoy ravaged Metro Manila. I decided to post it here as well. All of the needs mentioned here are still very real. We have seen God provide in amazing ways for many of those who lost the most, but there will be financial and emotion needs in there lives for months to come. We have put together lists of some equipment and supplies that we would like to have on hand so that we can be better prepared to assist in future disasters and accidents. If you would like to help as we seek to aquire these things, just send us an email. We have an Amazon wishlist set up that we can send you to, as well as a number of things from other sources. We will be compiling them at Candy’s brothers house to be shipped.
Dear Friends and Family,
I want to share with you first hand some experiences that I have had over the past week. There are some things that I knew about living outside of the U.S. that have come into sharp (and personal) focus in the last few days. We have walked through Tropical Storm Ketsana and it’s aftermath with friends who have lost everything, and had the opportunity to help in some of the hardest hit areas.
What we are realizing is that regardless of the emergency, the rapid, professional assistance that we expect in the U.S. is simply not available. The slight training and resources that we had available were taxed to the limit as we watched a man being carried by friends through chest deep water while having a heart attack, mothers trying to hold infants above filthy flood waters and stronger young men and women wading kilometers through deep treacherous currents and debris just to find food and water for family members still trapped on top of their houses.
Even in everyday life, traffic is so thick and quality medical services spread so thin that an ambulance is simply not an option. Our desire is that we would be prepared for these situations, not only for our own safety, but in order to help others in need. Please pray for us as we consider what this preparedness should look like. We are praying about adding to our medical training and equipment as well as possibly some basic rescue equipment. We covet your prayers in this. Please also let us know if the Lord lays it on your heart to be a part of this project financially, or with counsel and advice on what direction to go with all of this.
Another related need is those who have lost much or everything in this disaster. Most of our language teachers were affected to some degree, while one (a mother of three) lost her entire house with most of the contents. They cannot afford to simply replace everything at once. It will be a slow, difficult road over years for them to recover everything. There are also a number of missionaries whose houses were full of water. They will face the burden of replacing or repairing furniture, vehicles, electronics, and many other belongings. Let us know if you would like to be a part of meeting these needs and we can help direct funds to the right places.
Thanks so much for your prayerful partnership.
In His Service,
Josh
For the Daltons
Serving with New Tribes Mission
in the Philippines.