His Heart, My Home

As I chronicled in my previous post, the Philippines has recently been pummeled and pounded by a series of catastrophic natural disasters. The island of Cebu, where I lived and worked as a missionary for many years, was hit especially hard.

First, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in northern Cebu, struck on the evening of September 30.

The main quake lasted only 30 seconds, but killed at least 79 people and injured 1,271 others. Over 159,300 homes were damaged, with 7,700 of those family dwellings totally collapsed. There was extensive damage to infrastructure: schools, hospitals, markets, businesses, churches, and roads.

The area experienced more than 8,000 aftershocks in the week following the main quake, causing survivors to huddle together outside in the rain, under tarps, umbrellas, and sheets of plastic for several days, afraid to re-enter their damaged homes.

While the massive earthquake relief efforts were still underway in Cebu, a tropical cyclone, designated as “Typhoon Tino”, slammed into the island on November 3.

“Tino” caused severe flooding, massive landslides, and heavy wind damage all over the island. Hundreds of injuries and deaths resulted. *

[* Please see my post dated November 10, 2025 for photos and more details of the twin tragedies.]

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PASSIONATELY PRAYING!

As these calamitous events were unfolding, we were challenged to pray, pray, pray for the Philippines. And, as we did, we sensed Holy Spirit prompting us to use our web-site to ask others to join us in embracing the Filipino people with our love and faith.

Being an American with a Filipino heart, I felt the Lord urging me to write and post a prayer for my adopted nation. It can be found on our home page as: “A Filipino’s Prayer for the Philippines!”

Please use this prayer as you pray for the Philippines with us, or pray in your own way, using your own words. And let’s pray in faith, with one heart, and one voice, for the salvation of the Filipino people.

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PRAYERS ANSWERED… PRAISE ARISING!

Incredibly, we learned that another massive storm, categorized as a “Super-Typhoon”, and code-named “Uwan”, was hard on the heels of “Tino”.

“Uwan” was roaring across the open waters of the western Pacific, headed straight for the Philippines! With maximum winds of 145 mph (230 kph), and a diameter of 1,100 miles (1,800 km), this monster storm was large enough to cover the entire land mass of the Philippines. The death toll of “Tino” had been in the hundreds. It was fearfully predicted that “Uwan” might take the lives of thousands.

Prayer groups all over the Philippines and around the world called upon the Lord for His protection, as they also waged spiritual warfare against the killer-storm. Then, at landfall on November 10, just a few days after Typhoon Tino, something miraculous happened.

The storm roared ashore in central Luzon, but began to dramatically weaken, almost immediately. Tragically, 27 people lost their lives in the storm, but thankfully this was nowhere near the worst-case scenarios envisioned by meteorologists.

Scientists later said that the typhoon was weakened because it’s landfall was near the Sierra Madre mountains of eastern Luzon. They said that the mountains sapped the strength of the storm. Maybe…

Many on social media said “We  should all thank the Sierra Madres. They saved us!”

Here’s a better idea: “Let’s all thank the Almighty God, who made the mountains, and then steered the raging storm straight into them with His merciful hand!”

“Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, working wonders?”
(Exodus 15:11)

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PRAYERS ANSWERED… AGAIN!

Now, that the danger has passed it is time for the intensely exhausting work of relief,
recovery and rebuilding to begin. At last the needed aid and comfort can be safely provided to those whose lives were brutally battered by the disasters.

My wife, Grace, and I have been deeply moved by the pictures and accounts of the back-to-back disasters. Since my last post,
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and praying for the Philippines, I asked that Holy Spirit would lead us to a ministry working in Cebu that would:

● Share the Father’s compassionate love for the precious Filipino people.

● Meet the needs of people holistically and comprehensively; spirit, soul, and body.

● Walk in honesty and integrity, being good stewards of the donations and resources entrusted to them by the Lord.

I prayed and prayed and prayed. I searched the Internet. I even contacted a couple of large, internationally known ministries, to no avail…

But I didn’t know that Jehovah-Jireh, the “Lord-Who-Sees-and-Provides” had already prepared the answer to my prayers, before I even began to pray. (Isaiah 65:24)

Let me explain…

When I moved from the Philippines back to the U.S.A., my sister, Marla, and our niece, April, continued to train church leaders in the Asia for Jesus Training School with the help of a couple of dedicated and faithful Filipina ladies. Their ministry team also developed and regularly conducted very effective feeding and gospel outreaches to many of the disadvantaged children in the impoverished areas of Cebu.

Unfortunately, after five years of faithful service, Marla was diagnosed with a serious medical condition which forced her and April to move back to the States. The next life-adventure for my little sister, a short time later, was her heavenly homecoming, lovingly embraced in the arms of her Savior.

Now, many years later, in God’s exquisitely perfect timing, just as He always does, He completed the circle. He led me to a ministry that fulfilled every quality for which I had prayed.

One of the Founders of this ministry is Ana Fe Ruiz, who had worked with my sister and niece all those years ago. She and Co-Founder, Ian Rustia, have a remarkably fruitful ministry, which is named “Student Life Organization, Incorporated“.

SLOI is based in Cebu City, the second most populous city in the nation and the very epicenter of the current relief and rebuilding effort. I believe this ministry has been divinely appointed for such a time as this.

One of their ministry programs is to provide  disabled children in Cebu with opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive, work that will continue long past the current crisis. I won’t attempt to describe the vision and various multi-faceted outreaches of SLOI in this post. But I am posting the link to SLOI so you can have a first-look at the scope of their ministry. Then, in our next post, I’ll give the floor to Ana Fe and Ian so they can personally describe the vision and mission of SLOI.

In the meantime, I am earnestly pleading with my subscribers, readers, fellow Christian bloggers, family, and friends, to PRAY and PLANT a financial seed into the good soil of Cebu!

Please do that through SLOI, a trusted and compassionate ministry that I am honored to endorse. Contact information and ways to donate are on their web-site, linked below.

WARNING: Scrolling through the pictures of the places hit by the disasters will break your heart!

PRAYER: Lord, break our hearts for what breaks yours!

HERE ARE THE LINKS:

● FOR OVERVIEW OF SLOI
https://studentlifeorg.com/

● FOR CEBU DISASTER RELIEF
https://studentlifeorg.com/2025/11/09/call-for-help-urgent-help-needed-for-cebu-after-typhoon-tino/#jp-carousel-734

The Philippines, has several nicknames, one of which is “Land of the Morning”. These words are sung as the opening lines of the Filipino national anthem:

“Land of the morning,
Child of the sun returning…”

I say those words are prophetic! I believe the nation of the Philippines will arise from the rubble of ruin to a new dawn, just as the Son is of God is about to return for us! I say:

” Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!”

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Today, my heart is full, but not of sorrow. The time for sorrow is over. I’ve already shed my tears over the tragedies in the Philippines.

No, today my heart is full of joy, because I know you share Jesus’ love, and will give liberally for the healing and recovery of Cebu.

And I also rejoice knowing the blessing that awaits you because of your gracious generosity. I thank God for your cheerful willingness to give, and declare that my God shall supply all your needs from His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus!