Mudslides in the Philippines

The Philippines is plagued with natural disasters in many forms from typhoons to volcanoes to earthquakes, but none seem to be quite as tragic and deadly as the mudslides. Unfortunately in many ways they are a by-product of the other disasters. Yesterday a whole town slid down a mountain into a pile of mud, sludge, and rubble below. Almost all of a town of 2,000 is presumed dead, including all the young children at the local elementary school.

It seems in recent years the world has gone from one natural disaster to another. How many times can we watch destruction in a land far from our own and not become numb to those images? Unfortunately those images in the last 24 hours have been from a land far from the US, but one that has become our home. The faces of women and men being pulled from the mud look like the faces of our neighbors and friends. Although many islands South East of us, it could have just as easily been down the street. As the news moves from the town of Guinsaugon on Leyte island to other parts of the world, please remember to pray for the families who have lost loved ones.

In an aside from the above tragedy, the island of Leyte played a famous role in American history. In 1944, the waters off Leyte island were the scene of the biggest naval battle in history. General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his promise "I shall return" and defeated Japanese forces occupying the Philippines. You can see more about this at http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/Leyte/