A house built on rock
Days before Christmas, Typhoon Odette destroyed many places in Visayas and Mindanao. Everything the eyes can see are leveled to the ground — houses, fields, sanctuaries, plantations, destinations.
These include this local church in Palawan.
A local church is dear to me.
There, you’ll meet pastors who will spend their last money so children can have snack during Sunday school.
There, you’ll meet elders who will hand you twenty pesos and say, take it, so you can buy something to eat in school.
There, you’ll meet intercessors who will remember to pray for you, regardless if they remember your name or not.
There, you’ll meet children who dance, sing, act, and play instruments. They will tell you the verse they memorized and the song they’ve been practicing. The verse is Matthew 7:25. The song is Still.
I no longer know the verses we used to memorize in Sunday school nor the songs we used to sing.
But here’s what I know for sure: Once, a Sunday school teacher believed I can read stories to other children, and so I did. Once, a group of women prayed for me when I lost a scholarship because they believed I can have it back, and so I did. Once, our house was burned down, and members of a local church helped us with whatever help they can — one pastor believed what we lost in fire will be replaced with a better one, and so it was.
I’m telling this because a local church is dear to me.
But the meaning of the word church was lost in familiarity. Here’s another word for it — people. Women, men, elders, youth, children.
The roof of this church fell — but the people did not. Isn’t that proof that a house built on rock will not fall?
“Natinag man ng bagyong ito ang pundasyon ng aming worship hall building structure ngunit hindi kailanman matitinag ang aming pananampalataya, dedikasyon, at paglilingkod sa Diyos na buhay,” the caption of the photo says.
