In the last week of May, God answered the prayers of the people. Heaven graced us with the rain we have been waiting for so long. Thank you Lord for listening to the pleas of your thirsty creation. It has been hard to quench our thirst for rain and replenish the parched land.
We are grateful that the sign of the rainy season is at hand so that the farmers can prepare their land for planting. El Niño has come to an end and what we expect next is the threat of La Niña as predicted by the weather experts. La Niña is said to be worse than El Niño because it can cause severe landslides and flooding. And this is another weather phenomenon that we all have to be prepared for and also be alarmed about, because these things happen because of climate change and we pray to be spared from them.
Sometimes when I see dark and heavy clouds or a typhoon coming to our province, I start thinking about floods that can happen at any time because tragedies are unpredictable. It makes me worry that the flood might overflow our house again.
Only my faith can calm what worries me. I just pray that God will protect us from all harm and dangers of natural and man-made disasters and tragedies.
Going back to my story, I felt so excited and my heart was full of gratitude as I looked outside to see what was happening in the heavy rain. My eyes took me to the trees in the fields outside the house. I was amazed to see the trees as if the branches were praising and dancing in the rain as the wind gently blew and some small branches bowed in worship. Trees also know how to thank and praise the Lord’s goodness after the drought. They have survived the drought even though many of them have died.
I feel a sense of relief after a few rains. It was indeed an answered prayer for me whether the rain was caused by Typhoon Aghon, which affected neighbouring provinces. It was the first typhoon to make landfall in the Philippines.
Rain is the grace from heaven to be grateful for, for only God holds all that is behind the clouds. Now is the time to till the soil and sow.
I received a message from my sister to help plant some corns and beans so that our farm animals will have food to eat when the harvest comes. From there I can see rays of hope and a sense of life in our nature, so that people and animals will have enough food and water to survive. Thank you Lord.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
Lynn Salinas-Batoliño
The Philippines
