Today we join our friends in America in celebrating Thanksgiving by reflecting and truly feeling thankful because we have been so blessed by you and your outpouring of support through your prayers, your encouragement and heartfelt messages, and your financial support. Through your donations, we've been able to provide over 5,000 relief bags filled with basic items including food, water, basic toiletries, and medicines to each of our community partners affected by the typhoon. We've also been able to provide financial support and basic necessities such as solar lamps and flashlights to help our staff and branch offices in the typhoon affected areas get back on their feet.

CCT's branch office in Estancia lit-up in the evening by solar lights to enable the staff to continue their work despite the lack of electricity. It will take weeks and months to get electricity back up and going in some of our areas.

We are also thankful because despite our total outreach of over 400,000 individuals and families across the Philippines, over 5,000 of our community partners' and staffs homes and businesses and personal belonging were destroyed but no lives were lost. Story after story of what our staff and community partners experienced prove that God's hand of protection was definitely upon us and we are thankful. Stories such as individuals seeking shelter in a room of their home, praying and singing hymns during the powerful storm, and walking out of that room after the storm calmed to find that their roof and rest of the house had collapsed or blown away but the one room they were in remained tattered but relatively unscathed. We are thankful.

We are estimating that our costs to help our typhoon affected community partners get back on their feet may be well over 100 million pesos (almost $2.3 million US). All of our 5,000+ affected community partners lost both their homes and businesses, either completely or partially. Our estimations include some immediate relief efforts already completed, funding to help them put a simple roof over their heads, and a new business loan to help them gain their livelihood back. Existing loans are being restructured to enable our partners to move forward and re-establish their businesses.

1 week after the typhoon, these 3 community partners had already re-paid their loans and came to the CCT branch office to receive a new business loan. Their businesses were severely damaged and they said they needed the micro loan to get their business back up and running.

We are thankful knowing that we have friends like you who are partnering with us to bring relief, restoration, and hope to our CCT family affected by this typhoon. We are thankful because when the challenges seem too big to handle, He provides the steps to move forward that give us hope and confidence to persevere. We are so grateful and appreciative because some of you have expressed your desire to extend this campaign. We are humbled and reminded that we serve a great God who is and will continue to provide, no matter how large the challenge may feel. Thank you for walking with us. Please continue to journey with us and invite your friends to join as we extend this campaign until the end of 2013.

May God bless you. Happy Thanksgiving!