A rainbow of hope for Sendong Victims

December 20, 2011 - Four days after the destructive typhoon "Sendong" that had shattered dreams and stolen the lives of our brothers and sisters, a rainbow appeared in Cagayan de Oro City, one of the worst affected cities in the aftermath of the flood. The rainbow reminded us of the covenant of God to Noah after the great flood that hit our planet (B.C., thousand years ago). 

Photo: Credit to Yeb Sano

Excerpts from the Holy Bible (NIV):

When the land is dry, God tells Noah to leave the ark, and Noah offers a sacrifice to God. God resolves never again to curse the Earth, "for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth." God grants to Noah and his sons the right to kill animals and eat their meat, but forbids meat which has not been drained of its blood. Blood is proclaimed to be sacred, and the unauthorised taking of life is prohibited: "For your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man...Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." God then establishes his covenant with Noah and his sons and with all living things, and places a rainbow in the clouds, "the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

It's a sign for the survivors of the tragic flood that they should get back to the Lord and keep their faith in Him always. God has made a promise in Cagayan de Oro, that never again will the great flood hit the city of "Golden Friendship".