Philippines: Bombed but Blessed Print E-mail

 

Aileen

Aileen is a Christian in the Philippines. She was a leader in her youth group, and her father is a pastor.

Aileen wanted to be a nurse. She finished nurse’s training and planned to visit a hospital to see if she could get a job. Finally she was going to get the chance to be a real nurse! Aileen was very excited.

She got on a public bus that was going to the hospital. It was 7:00 a.m. and many people were eating breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Not many were on the bus yet.

After Aileen was seated and comfortable, she noticed a bag under her seat. “I felt uneasy, so I moved across the aisle,” Aileen said.

“About five minutes later, there was a loud explosion,” Aileen continued. “The bag under the seat where I was sitting earlier exploded. It was a bomb. That side of the bus was totally ripped off. The seat the bomb was under disappeared.

“I checked myself. My hair was burned. Pieces of the burned seats were stuck all over my body. My ears were bleeding.

“I was rushed to the hospital. The doctor said both my eardrums were broken due to the explosion. I could barely hear. The doctor said my ears would probably not heal.

“My mother and father prayed for me. They asked Christian friends to pray for me, too. After one month I went to the doctor for a check-up. My hearing was normal and my eardrums were mended! My doctor said it was a miracle.

“I am healed, praise God. I thank God for saving me and sparing my life. Praise the Lord. He is alive. My desire is to be a blessing to others and to be used by God.”

Wrong Thinking

“There is a lot of bus bombing in the Philippines,” said Aileen’s father.

Bus bombing is a kind of terrorism. Terrorists are people who use violence or threats to try to bring about change or to solve their problems. Terrorists often attack innocent people who are no danger to them.

Extreme Muslims, communist radicals, and criminals in the Philippines try to make changes by using violence. Sometimes radical Muslims attack Christians because of their faith in Jesus. At other times, Muslims attack or kidnap people without knowing whether or not the victims are Christian.

Terrorists make a big mistake when they think terrorism is a good way to reach their goals. Attacking people does not solve their problems or bring about the changes they dream about.

Pray that the terrorists will know that only Jesus has the key to eternal peace. His truth is for all people and all times. Pray for Christians and others in the Philippines who suffer because of the terrorists’ wrong thinking.

Some of the quotes and stories on this Web site have been edited and paraphrased from the original sources for clarity.

 

 

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