If you haven’t heard… Thailand has been hit with a lot of flooding this year. Normally, every year parts of Thailand will flood. Only parts of provinces will flood but not the WHOLE province. This year the floods are the worst that they have been in over 70 years. At this point 61 out of the 77 provinces are flooded. This flooding is because a dam in the north has broken and the water that normally stays in the canal is getting filled to its’ maximum capacity! I’m not that informed on other provinces, but the province next to the province we live in is called Phatum Thani. A dam, very close to the Rangsit (where our church is) area in Phatum Thani has broken. Right now they have a wall of sandbags that is four rows wide and maybe approx two meters high that is keeping the water from coming into the Rangsit area. Right now the community in Rangsit is working 24/7 bagging sandbags to help make the wall higher and keep the rising water out of the city. MRC (Mahapawn Rangsit Church – our church) has become the centre for cooking food and sending to the volunteers at the site who are bagging sand. This is where any donations of food come to the center and water etc. Janna and I were able to help out a few days with the food prep and with the bagging sand. There is so much to do from cooking, to packing, to shoveling to moving sand bags to folding bags to make them easier to open to tying sandbags etc etc etc. It is so great to see the community come together in this time. It seems like regular life has stopped in the Rangsit area as everyone prepares for the flood. Hopefully the need for God will become clear in this situation and the fact the only He is the hope for them and us will be made known through this situation. Our church is in Muang Ake/Rangsit and some of our friends live at the church or very close in the boys staff house. If the water floods the area, it will hit the church first and the boys’ house in Mueng Ake next. So this area is at risk right now. It is good that everyone has had time to prepare for the flood. The church is surrounded with walls of sandbags as is the boys’ home. But keep praying! Our home where Janna and I live is an hour away from Rangsit and is called Hoganka. For now we are safe… We will wait and see if the flooding comes to Rangsit and then we will know whether or not it will come to Bangkok. But we are on the fourth floor of our building so we will be safe even if it comes. We are prepared with food and water just in case; but I’m not worried. Also Janna and I are heading to the South to a beach for a week starting tomorrow. So we will be out of the heart of the flooding for now. Please, please continue to be praying for Thailand. Flooding causes so much devastation and there will be homes to rebuild etc once the flooding has stopped. Pray that the flood waters would recede and that God would protect His children. He has proven that He is faithful already! We so appreciate your prayers for Thailand! Please continue to pray!
I went to see what the wall of sandbags looked like and here is a video that gives you a glimpse into the Rangsit area and the level of the water as well as you get to see the many many sandbags.
Also it’s not much but here is a glimpse into the scene where many volunteers from the church as well as the community are coming together to dig and bag sandbags, serve food and all that goes along with both of those things. Just a quick glimpse!
Also see Janna's blog for more details about the flood! www.jannaruth.blogspot.com
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