"...remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." — Helaman 5:12

When serving on the Island of Guimaras, we experienced a typhoon that gave me the realization that faith is far more powerful than storms. Weather officials now say that it was the worst typhoon to strike that area ever.

For several days the wind blew and the rain pounded hard. As the storm was lessening somewhat, we could see many large trees uprooted just outside our apartment. A nearby village had been affected greatly, leaving homes and crops destroyed. There was extensive flooding throughout the area.

The decision to hold Sunday services was soon approaching, even though the storm was still intense. We received a message from our stake president which said that the decision to hold meetings was up to us as the group leaders. We were uncertain if the people would want to come despite the storm, but we felt we should offer services for that Sunday. To our total amazement all of the members and our investigators came, and with smiles on their faces. Even a family whose home had collapsed from the storm was there.

As we were holding our service in a home without windows, the noise from the wind and rain was such that those speaking had to do so very loudly for all to hear. Everyone just pressed on to the end of the block of meetings. While this was happening, I was totally amazed by the faith of the people there. They were in the midst of a huge disaster, but that didn't stop them from coming to Church and having a good attitude despite adversity.

Their faith reminds me that although some of their earthly possessions were taken or altered, they stood rock-solid firm. — Elder Christopher McCook, Philippines Bacolod Mission