The media repeatedly announced in the news that Typhoon Glenda will landfall in the Bicol region on 15 July 2014, by 10:00pm. Living in the northern part of Quezon province, and having experienced the passing of several typhoons in our town, my wife Mary Ann and I together with our 5-year old grandson Manuel Uziel prepared ourselves and the farmstead in the upcoming typhoon 2 days ago. By 10:00pm, my wife, my grandson and I went up on the 2nd floor bedroom to sleep. An hour later, strong rain fell, accompanied by gusty wind. Mary Ann and Manuel Uziel are already sleeping. As the rain and wind become tougher, I glanced outside from the window and saw the trees fiercely swaying; the visibility is zero. By 2:00 am of 16 July 2014, unable to sleep I look outside and saw fine dusts in the air all over the place, the heavy rain and gusty wind. And from the distant forest I heard bothersome, thumping and breaking sounds. At the same time, through the reflection of the street light I saw the slow, in wide circling motion of gray dusts moving upward. Instinctively, I went straight to Mary Ann and wake her up. I told her we must go down immediately; I carried our sleeping grandson and led my wife hurriedly in the ground floor. Seconds later in the ground floor bedroom, my wife and I were truly shocked with the noise thrashing on the 2nd floor of the house – woods thump and break, glasses shatter, roofs torn, crushed and blown away, bits and pieces of household materials dropping on the floor and more noises. That’s the worst noise and beatings we ever heard in the 7-years of our stay in the farmstead. By 5:00am, my wife and our grandson are in deep sleep; and I had a nap. Standing cautiously I step out of the bedroom to see the living room flooded with rainwater. Bits and pieces of household materials were scattered in the water - papers, some books, twigs and leaves; others are hanging and sticking on the walls and ceiling. And the house is roofless!

Unavoidably, our day was interrupted dramatically after typhoon Glenda passed our area. While this unwelcome episode is frustrating, my wife and I look for God’s purpose. Psalm 33:10-11 “The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought; he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”