Tinian church needs help to rebuild after Yutu damage

Two months have passed since Super Typhoon Yutu tore through the CNMI and the recovery is still ongoing.
In Tinian, help is needed to rebuild one church ravaged by the storm.
There, the cross on top of the San Jose Church remained intact among the island ruins.
"People ask me, 'Pale, what do you think of that cross and the other statues that remain intact?' and I told them perhaps Jesus is telling us once again come worship I am still here," Church Pastor Father Rey Rosal said. "Don't be afraid losing the physical church."
The majority of the structure was totaled from the storm. Father Rosal braved the strong winds as Yutu was passing to check on his church.
"It almost took my life," he said. "I was stuck inside my SUV with my minister."
For more than an hour, they hunkered down inside the car as best they could while strong winds pummeled the vehicle. Eventually, they decided to make a run for it towards the church.
"I opened the sacristy and there were people already there waiting for us to take cover," he recalled.
The group like others across the CNMI waited out the storm for the next several hours. It was a frightening experience, but Father Rosal says his faith is much stronger than the monster storm.
"Yutu took our church and damaged our church, but we are still here because the church is not the building, it is the people of God," he shared.
Even a couple of months later, he says they use tents to hold services. But, now Rosal and the rest of the community look forward to getting things back to normal.
"Yes, we are in need of funding to rebuild our church and I would like to ask for your support and assistance to help us," he said.
You can help out by calling Friends of San Jose Church in Tinian at 670-484-1117.