Distribution of Benevolent Help for Yolanda Victims

11/14/13

Following the eleven baptisms of the previous day and great optimism about the new work in Masbate, Jonathan and I got to the airport in Masbate very early for our flight back to Cebu. The first indication of a problem was with the Cebu Pacific counter agents who wanted us to sign a waiver on our one bag, an indestructible, soft-sided duffle bag, clearing them of responsibility for it. The next sign of trouble was the delay of the flight due to the plane being loaded and unloaded five times! (That is no exaggeration — I counted it.) Needless to say, the flight was very delayed. It was scheduled to leave a little after 7am and get to Cebu about 8am. We finally got to Cebu less than an hour before our fastcraft was to leave at 11am for Ormoc City on Leyte. You may have already guessed this, but the bag was lost :-). That left Jonathan with no clothes for the trip and me with no toiletries or food items that were intended for the trip.

Though we knew there was a high probability that we would miss the fastcraft, we rushed to the port and found it was also delayed and we were able to catch it with plenty of time to spare. The ride to Ormoc was rough at times as we repeatedly went through squalls of rain and wind. It was still raining when we arrived at Ormoc City.

There are no words to describe the level of devastation I saw when we disembarked onto the dock. I have been on that same dock many times through the years since my first time preaching on Leyte in 2002. The sight I saw bore no resemblance to the Ormoc City that I knew. The terminal building of the port was in shambles and water was pouring into it. The roof covering the open market across the street was gone. The Don Felipe Hotel at the port had every window that I saw broken and was blocked at the front door with no admittance allowed. Seeking shelter, we stood under the covered entrance (one of the few roofs left) with a crew broadcasting from Britain’s Sky News as a driving rain fell. The look on the average person’s face was one of shock — almost numb and expressionless. The same expression was on the face of the three brethren who met us: Willie Pelino, Juanito Escuadra and Nilo Zabala (preachers on Leyte).

Nilo had already informed us that his brother was killed by the storm as well as the fact that he and his family had to flee their home (badly damaged) in Tacloban. The “NPA” (New People’s Army - Communist guerrillas fighting the Philippine government) came into their village and demanded the residents give them something. They killed one family and many fled with only the clothes on their back. This was the case with Nilo and his family. With nothing to eat, no home, no clothing and no other possessions, they were sleeping at the bus terminal which had its roof taken away by the typhoon. There was no protection from the driving rains that came repeatedly each day. He urged us not to go to Tacloban as originally intended. All government and media sources were giving the same very dire warnings, so we agreed to stay in Ormoc as a base to do our work.

Juanito Escuadra informed us that his mother was killed in the typhoon. (That made the fifth Christian on Leyte that we know to have been killed in the typhoon.) Juanito and his family had nothing to eat either. His anguish and sorrow were so evident on his face and in his body language that I could no help shedding tears as I hugged him and assured him that, while we were there to help all we could, God knew his trials and would surely be with him. His great faith was evident in that he was there to help us bring assistance to all of the brethren on Leyte though he had such personal tragedy in his own family as his mother’s body was to be buried immediately.

Willie Pelino had also suffered a great deal of loss. Willie has done his best to provide for his family be working hard to plant fruit trees and lumber trees, build a tilapia fish pond, build a place to raise hogs and several other small efforts to assure food for his family and some small amount through sale of the few things he can. All of it is gone, having been taken away by the typhoon. He also had nothing. All three men as well as the rest of brethren on Leyte had almost nothing of any household goods and absolutely no food.

We immediately set out to find what was needed. The three preachers discussed the matter in their dialect, occasionally asking Jonathan’s assistance. After about 2 hours of them putting down their immediate needs, we discussed what could be done with the funds we had on hand at the time. It was determined that each family needed money for household goods necessary for their immediate existence plus the rice necessary to feed each person for about two weeks. When the funds needed for those provisions were totaled, it would have required well beyond what we had. After figuring what could be done, I counted the remaining pesos that I had and added all of that except for a few hundred needed for getting back to Cebu, and we agreed on an equitable plan to distribute all that we had at that time, noting that we would send more in when more funds were acquired from funds being sent.

11/15/13

The next day, we met with brethren in two different congregation in Ormoc to distribute the funds. Some were not present in each group and we had funds for brethren in five other congregations. Willie, Juanito and Nilo agreed to work together in taking the funds to those brethren and serving the purpose of a plurality of witnesses to assure all be done with honesty and openness.

While distributing the funds, I related the love and sacrifice this showed from their brothers and sisters across the globe, but a part of the same spiritual family. I told them of one case, related to me about a sister who gave to help.

The sister had lost her job, was in need herself, yet gave $200 to help and was crying that she could not send more. When that case was related to me, I broke down crying at a modern “widow with two mites” who exemplified the kind of heart our Lord commended. (I am so thankful to call such loving, caring, generous and sacrificial people my brothers and sisters in Christ!) When I told those gathered to receive the help this story to emphasize the degree of love it showed, they also shed many tears and expressed their great thanks. Though they had nothing and were hungry, the love and concern shown towards them was such a great encouragement, knowing others were with them in heart. I don't think I will ever be the same after seeing the things I have seen the last few days — from the suffering people here and the sacrificial love shown by my brethren back home. May God bless you all! 

Knowing from Leslie that more funds had been sent since our receiving  the ones available two days before, we were able to get information on those MoneyGrams while still in Ormoc and sent it to Kristine Carino, Jonathan Carino's daughter, who works for a major Philippine bank, a branch of which we used in Masbate, to see if she could help. We were able to send by text the information needed to redeem the funds. With the approval of the bank officials, they got the paperwork done and had the funds waiting for us when we got back to Cebu about midnight! I cannot say enough about how much Kristine helped and how sacrificial she was with her time and effort!

11/16/13

Saturday morning, Jonathan and I worked together and were able to provide for more funds to be sent directly to some in affected areas. We remembered that one congregation in Leyte was not included in the number helped while another was not sent sufficient funds to meet the needs of a greater number of Christians than accounted for in the previous day’s distribution. (That failure to correctly account for the number was my fault as I was present when those Christians had obeyed the gospel in two recent efforts that the brethren in Leyte were not present for and had not heard about.) We also sent an initial amount to help with needs from the typhoon’s destruction on northern Negros and northern Panay islands. Though we know the need will be greater than the amount sent, we believe it will meet the needs for food over the next two weeks or so.

With part of the second redemption amount from MoneyGrams, I had to restore the funds temporarily diverted from the evangelistic purpose for which they were given so that I could have the pesos needed to pay costs still outstanding. Jonathan had fronted a great deal of those costs for travel within the Philippines and other things by putting it on his Philippine charge card and using some of his own cash. Though I knew by that time of still more MoneyGrams that had been sent, I could not redeem those as I was running very close on time to catch the flight to Manila. The Lord willing, I will redeem the remaining MoneyGrams on Tuesday. I plan to convert any amount into pesos that are needed for immediate relief where they can be sent for a plurality to oversee and witness to proper distribution. The remaining amount will be left in U.S. dollars and I will continue sending to known needs until that amount is entirely exhausted. Given the needs that I know to exist beyond needs for immediate existence, the remainder will be completely used with the next week or two, the Lord willing.

Thanksgiving dinner will be bitter sweet this year. In our land of plenty, it is easy for us to forget that people suffer until we see a disaster like a tornado, hurricane, flood or some other destructive event. In Oklahoma, we were the recipients of a huge outpouring of love from brethren across our country after the May 19-20 tornados that caused much loss. I saw that damage immediately after the tornado and have seen the ongoing recovery in the months since. It was devastating and traumatic, and totally so to those directly hit. Yet, most had relatives or friends who could meet their immediate housing and food needs.

Imagine what it would have been if those tornados were over 100 miles wide (Yolanda had sustained F5 level winds over that area) together with a 20-foot wall of water at the same time. I can honestly say that I have never seen anything that comes close to matching this level of destruction! Throughout Leyte, in the space of a few hours, it destroyed the vast majority of homes (over 80% is the present estimate), destroyed the stocks of food as well as the crops and animals to be used for food, put an end to almost all sources for employment over the foreseeable future, started a devastating disease process through the effects of widespread raw sewage and a massive increase of malaria-bearing mosquitos, all in addition to causing thousands upon thousands of deaths. We distributed every peso we could while there and are meeting other immediate needs as they become known, but there is a huge need that continues. The funds provided will meet the immediate, survival needs of brethren for the next month or more, but the need will continue. We are beginning to find out that more devastation than we knew took place on other islands where we simply have no knowledge of what needs are present because communication with those brethren has not yet been restored. This is a calamity of historic proportions!

In closing, I want to again thank everyone for your tremendous outpouring of love and concern!!! And thank you for letting me have a place to see that love among God’s people is alive and well!!! May God’s richest blessings be with each and every one of you!