Storms of Life:
Making Room for Jesus
By Shane Christopher
Development Officer
November
7, 2013, was
like any other
day for Dennis.
He was working
two jobs and depriving himself of muchneeded sleep. But his life was just the way he
wanted it because he was at the center of it.
The following day, everything changed. The
skies turned dark, the wind strengthened,
and Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) landed in his
hometown of Tacloban, Philippines.
Dennis thought it would be nothing extraordinary. He had lived through many
storms and typhoons that had not caused
severe damage, so he assumed this one
would be the same. As it turned out, Typhoon
Yolanda became the deadliest typhoon
in Philippine history. He described those
first days as something he could never
have imagined. The debris and destruction was everywhere, and more than
6,300 people lost their lives that day.
People wandered the streets in the
weeks following Yolanda, looking for missing family members. And many who had
never considered God before were now
desperately searching for answers. Their
time of living in the moment came to an
abrupt halt.
Dennis, on the other hand, was no stranger
to faith. He had spent 13 years in seminary
in Rome. Like many people, he believed God
Every Community for Christ
he believed God existed
but did not put him at the center
of his life. He knew there was no
room for both him and God there.
In December of 2013, Dennis met
Pastor Willy from the OMS-related Faith
Evangelical Church of the Philippines. It
had been one month since the tragedy, and
things were still in total disarray, including
the hearts of many people. They needed
God; they yearned for a closer relationship
with him. Dennis was no exception.
On a sweltering day, months later,
Dennis had the opportunity to sit down
with Pastor Willy. He had been warned
about talking to evangelical pastors, but
something was different this time. God
was using Pastor Willy to open his eyes
in a new way to the Bible. It was coming alive to him. This meeting became
a turning point for him as he accepted
the gift of Jesus into his life. Dennis was
transformed and started the process of
making God the center of his life.
Today, Dennis continues to learn and grow.
He has recently taken part in Train & Multiply
training through OMS’ Every Community
for Christ ministry. In the midst of the devastation and lives lost in Typhoon Yolanda,
it has been a blessing to see people who
have come to know Jesus despite these
unimaginable circumstances.
photo: Pastor Willy and Dennis
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