(AgapePress) - July 26 was a beautiful day in Guaimaca, Honduras. A team of 30 mission volunteers, some from the small town of New Albany, Mississippi, prepared to spend the day in the rural village of La Union high in the mountains of Honduras. The team traveled two hours to set up a medical and dental clinic where they ministered to the physical and spiritual needs of many Hondurans.

Little did they know just how life-changing this day would be as they drove down the mountainside and into the unexpected. Their journey downhill turned fatal when the brakes failed on one of the trucks carrying 17 people. Dr. Ronald L. Feather, of New Albany, died at the scene and several were critically injured.

A sense of desertion came over the landscape of broken bodies. Although the following hours seemed hopeless, God’s provisions were powerful. In this article, a registered nurse, an injured volunteer, and a grieving son reflect on that eventful day when God came near.

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Churches and other faith-based relief agencies have mobilized to bring aid to disaster victims in the Philippines after the deadly February 17 landslide in that country, which engulfed hundreds of homes and left an estimated 1,800 people missing and feared dead. Officials say half a mountain came crashing down after two weeks of torrential rains, and hopes have faded quickly for finding survivors in the mud that is 30-feet deep in some places. The U.S. has sent two warships and a thousand marines to the Philippines to help in the aftermath of the massive landslide, assistance Filipino President Gloria Arroyo says is welcome. Nevertheless the international and local disaster responses are being coordinated cautiously, as there are fears that rescue workers could get trapped in the mud. The situation is so dangerous that a no-fly zone has been established over the disaster site due to fears that helicopter downdrafts could set off a fresh landslide.

[Allie Martin]

When Jordan’s King Abdullah spoke at the recent National Prayer Breakfast, many Christians could only scratch their heads and ask why. But Christian activist Randall Terry believes he can explain why the podium was given over to a Muslim. “I think that the U.S. State Department doesn’t have a clue as to the real threat that Islamic ideology poses to America,” says Terry. And there may be another factor, he says. “I think that some of the president’s advisors have never really studied historic Islam, the Quran, or the life of Muhammad — and they’re repeating the new mantra that Islam is a religion of peace.” Terry says the president, who has been criticized for embracing Islam, was being gracious to the millions of Muslims who would never threaten or kill anyone over a cartoon.
- Bill Fancher