Distribution of Benevolence — Bogo, Cebu & Northern Negros

01/25/14

We had a little later start Saturday morning with a 6:30am start for the two and a half hour drive to the north end of Cebu Island where we met our brethren in Bogo. Our van driver was another of the NASCAR audition variety. We went on the wrong side of the road, off the road, within inches of other vehicles (on every side), riding bumpers, playing chicken and a host of other terrorizing feats that left me close to several coronaries. Nevertheless, we made it safely. On the way, we again saw the great devastation that Yolanda brought to the area. The damage done was roughly comparable to Ormoc, but northern Cebu has not gotten the attention from the international media like Leyte. Just as in Leyte, however, the assistance of the Philippine government is non-existent.

The brethren from four different churches in the Bogo area had gathered at a hotel where we have held lectures several times. The church in central Bogo City also meets in one of its function rooms each Lord’s Day. We found a corner of the lobby where we could get aside and discuss the needs present. Not all of the members of the Libertad and Libjo churches were able to come due to the distance, but the benevolent help was put into the hands of faithful brethren from those churches for delivery to each member. The recipients signed for the amount given and the purposes for which it was intended. The same was also done with those from the other congregations within Bogo receiving benevolence where most of the members were present.

The average in the Bogo area was that about two thirds of the homes were either destroyed or damaged, the majority being damage rather than destruction. In Leyte, virtually every house was affected, with the vast majority being destroyed. Yet, the benevolent funds needed were not that different due to the much larger number of brethren in and around Bogo. The church in Libjo alone has 72 members, with a much larger attendance due to the number of smaller children who have not yet obeyed the gospel. The need for food continues to be great in the area as well. The brethren expressed great gratitude to all of those brethren in the U.S. who had sacrificed so much to help them.

One quick point might be good to add here. One of the brethren with whom we spoke today was immediately familiar to me, but not as a brother in Christ. When I came to Cebu last August for some lectures with denominational people, Fredricko was a Baptist preacher very vocal in his opposition to our teaching on the necessity of water baptism for the remission of sins. In the question/answer session, I pressed him after reading 1 Peter 3:21 as to whether he could say "Amen" to the passage. He said that he could not and we suggested to him that there is something wrong in our beliefs if we cannot say "Amen" to the reading of any passage. When I saw him this time, he told me that he was so disturbed by what he heard in that one day that he could not sleep and did not return the next day. It bothered him so much that he could not escape the clear teaching of Scripture and its refutation of his belief in the "faith only" doctrine. Within a few days, Jonathan Carino baptized him into Christ at the beginning of September! Praise God for the power and clarity of His word!

We returned straight from Bogo to the airport in Cebu City where we caught a flight to Bacolod. Jack Jaco and Shem Tagapan met us there. We crammed all of our bags and all 4 of us (plus the driver) into a small taxi, then proceeded to the hotel.  The other brethren and I then went our separate ways so we could all finish work that had to be done and preparations for the work on the Lord’s Day.


1/26/14

We left the hotel at 7:30am on Sunday so we could be at Victorias City by the 8:30am start of their services. They usually begin the worship at 7am, but delayed to make things easier on us. I preached the lesson for this morning on “Breaking Temptation’s Hold” and the local brethren led in the remainder of the worship.

After services, we left immediately for Escalante City to meet with the brethren of several congregations about their needs. This is where things got interesting. Jack had not understood my question when I asked how many churches had needs in that area which we needed to address. He said there were three, but thought I was asking about only those in Escalante City itself. After a couple of hours where we discussed and provided for the needs of those congregations, I thought we were ready to go, but it was obvious several others were waiting to talk with me. As it turned out, those from15 different churches had needs to present as a result of much damage done to our brethren on

northern Negros. So, I sat in the same chair for 8 hours straight, without a break of any kind, in order to discuss the needs presented and attempt to meet the essential cases that we could meet. I was not aware of the extent of damage done in this region until I came here today. We could not meet all of the needs presented, but did what we could to discern the cases of the most pressing actual ones. Again, the brethren left with much gratitude for the benevolent help extended. We were so late leaving Escalante that we could not get to Bacolod in time to address the needs of two congregations there. Since I had had nothing to eat since the 6am breakfast and no break from the work, my mind was exhausted and I could not have continued anyway. Brethren from those churches will meet us tomorrow morning.

As happened on my November trip, the internet connection at the hotel in Bacolod is weak and sometimes totally down. Such was the case last night when I could not get it to stay connected long enough to send the emailed report. All attempts to do anything with posting on the blog were totally hopeless. So, I am attempting to send two reports at the same time tonight.

Thank you again for your very loving help sent to these brethren in need. May God bless your every effort in His service.

Distribution of Benevolence - Tacloban

Our morning again started very early at 4:30am which meant a wake-up time of about 3am. The short night left Jonathan with only one hour of sleep and me with about three hours. Our 6am departure on the flight to Tacloban meant we had to be at the airport at 5am. We have decided these are not the hours for a couple of old men!

The flight to Tacloban was on a prop plane and was only about 45 minutes in length. Upon arrival, the level of damage was immediately obvious. The hangers that were at the airport are no longer present. The terminal building is missing a whole wall of glass that used to enclose it on the side towards the gates. The inside is gutted of all walls, ceiling and fixtures. Temporary plywood dividers mark off the various areas. Before leaving the airport, I fell off an unmarked step that was cracked and took a tumble onto the pavement. My left hand was scrapped and my left ankle turned. As I got up and started walking, I just had to laugh at how I must look walking with a bad right hip and a strained left ankle, limping on both legs in blood-stained pants. No serious damage, but a graceful entrance it was not!

Driving out of the airport towards the meeting place of the Scandinavian Village congregation in Tacloban took us by a large part of the total destruction of this city. Though I have visited and preached in Tacloban numerous times, I could not recognize the city at all. There are tents, bare modular units, military-looking shelters and other temporary dwellings provided by the U.S. and the U.N. — which actually means the U.S. has provided the vast bulk of all of it. Various nations from around the world have sent in heavy equipment to help with cleanup, so progress is apparent, but very slow due to the vast devastation.

There is truly no way to describe in words or even in pictures the level of destruction in this city. When you see a full-size ship sitting where buildings were, a good distance from the water, it makes clear the power of the storm surge that leveled much of the city. Though Ormoc was the worst destruction I had ever seen to that point, what I saw in Tacloban made Ormoc look good. As we went through what used to be a densely populated area in the city with the sea in view, we could not help but think how many thousands died in that very area.

There is far more construction activity apparent in Tacloban than was evident in Ormoc. At first, you see there are very flimsy structures of aged material that you see and wonder how it could have survived. But on closer look, it becomes clear that they have been recently put together from remnants of buildings destroyed in the typhoon.

When we got to the village where Nilo Zabala lives and labors (across a bridge of coconut trunks), brethren from that congregation as well as those from Abuyog and several churches on Samar had gathered. We got right to work trying to find out the needs that existed since we only had about 3 or 4 hours before we had to leave and fly back to Cebu.

Most families in the church at Tacloban had totally lost their houses. Some are now living in places providing little to no protection from the elements. We were able to relate assistance from the generous gifts of many brethren in America. As in San Vicente the previous day,funds were given to buy construction materials to start building shelters where homes were destroyed and to do essential repairs to houses badly damaged. Let me be clear that we did not provide funds sufficient to fully rebuild a finished house. Our purpose was pure benevolence — helping with materials to provide a shell structure to protect from the element with the brethren doing the necessary labor. There was also a continuing need for food. The same process was repeated to address the needs of the smaller congregation in Abuyog.

The homes of the brethren in Samar were not severely damaged, but they were in great need of food since their needs had not been addressed in any way since the typhoon. There is a large number of brethren on Samar and we recognized that their need for food was very serious, needing to be addressed immediately. All of the brothers and sisters in these places were overflowing with thanks to their American brethren who had provided these things. They asked me to express their deep gratitude!

When we got back to Cebu, we went to the bank where we redeemed the remainder of the MoneyGrams. By my rough computations, the funds provided by many of you will be sufficient to meet the needs that can be addressed at this time on Leyte, Samar, northern Cebu and northern Negros. This is where the bulk of the destruction was done by Yolanda. In some of those areas, there are a large number of our brethren, while in other areas the number is much smaller as the work there is very new.

After many years of little results on Leyte, the Lord’s work has grown at a very fast pace over the last two years. Much of the reason for that has to do with three preachers who are earnestly spreading the gospel — Nilo Zabala, Juanito Esquadra and Willie Pelino. The work of a very zealous man, Manuel Epilogo, converted about two years ago has also been extremely fruitful. Beyond the benevolent need, there is a great need for support of Nilo Zabala, Juanito Esquadra and Willie Pelino who are effectively doing the work, though not receiving enough support to adequately provide for their families. With the recent calamity and its illustration the temporary nature of this life, it is an ideal time to further press the saving gospel of Christ and the eternal salvation available by His grace to those who obey His will.

Thanks again for all of your help in material and spiritual assistance. I wish you could all see firsthand the faces of these brethren who are in great need, but made to rejoice and feel the love of brethren who have reached across the globe to help them because of the bond we all share in Christ Jesus. May God bless you richly for making this all possible!

Distribution at Ormoc and Baybay on Leyte

Our morning started very early today with a 3:15am wake-up call and 4am departure from the hotel. Nanette and Kristine Carino took Jonathan, Jack and me to the dock where we caught the fast-craft going to Ormoc City on Leyte. It departed at 5am. The trip was about 3 hours in length with the roughest seas I have ever experienced. It pitched and rolled the entire way with no smoother water for the entire trip. Many got sick, but the three of us were okay.

When we arrived Ormoc, some changes were obvious while many other things looked virtually unchanged from the last time I was here — about one week after Typhoon Yolanda. There was electricity at the port and throughout the downtown area. Some clean-up was under way and we could see the starts of

some repair work. However, the bulk of the city still looked devastated. The port area still had no covering on any of the docks. The market area and bus terminal still had no roofs. Some places were clearing debris to roadside piles while individual Filipinos were coming to carry off and use what others were throwing away.

Our drive for the day took us both north, south and east of the city. The further south we went towards Baybay, the less damage we saw. In Baybay itself, the damage was fairly light to moderate comparatively. Outside of Baybay in several seaside villages, the damage was much more, but not as great as from Ormoc. Going north and northeast (towards Tacloban) the damage was much more severe than in Ormoc City itself. By the time we got towards San Vicente, totally demolished homes were very common if not the norm. The vast majority of the trees in the region were either blown down or badly damaged. However, it was interesting to me that in the very most devastated areas in rural areas going towards San Vicente, the rice fields were either already replanted or in the process of replanting. The farming areas definitely showed the most evidence of restoration. 

My policy has always been to give a truthful report of what has happened — whether good or bad. That is what I will do in this case, though I must report some things that are not good. It is a fact that things happen which should not among the people of God — both in the Philippines and in the U.S. When difficult things have to be reported, I do so not meaning to make a decision for anyone else, but merely to inform accurately as best as I can. I want to make it clear that I am leaving it with other brethren to act as they decide for themselves. This report is given in order of the places visited during the day. It begins with the negative experience, so please keep reading to get an accurate account of the full day. It is my experience and belief that the latter part of the day more accurately depicts the bulk of action by our brothers and sisters in the Philippines.

The first congregation visited was the Baybay church of Christ. In years past, two congregations met outside of Baybay that now have “merged” with this group meeting in the city. Albert Vivero previously preached for the congregation, but now his son-in-law, Cirilo Sumabal, preaches there. I had received requests from brethren in the U.S. to look into reports coming from this location, so I did that with no preconceived ideas as to the true facts. First, when we went to Leyte about one week after Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, faithful brethren reported there were 11 families in the congregation and a total of 33 saints meeting regularly there. We delivered an amount of 5000 pesos per family and an additional 500 per baptized believer in each family to provide for immediate needs of survival. After leaving, others delivering benevolence reported that the number of members was claimed at 80-100 people. When we arrived today, we were presented with a list claiming 46 families and over 100 (my understanding was 117 was the initial number given for members). When I pressed as to the weekly attendance, the preacher and his wife gave no direct answer to my question. Later, the wife began to do almost all of the talking and said there were 60-63 in attendance weekly, but continued to insist there were 46 families. It is obvious that if there are 46 faithful families, there would have to be less than 2 people per family in attendance — a situation far from any I have ever seen in the Philippines. I then pressed the preacher to explain the discrepancy and he gave no direct answer. Second, I was asked to verify a claim that brother Vivero’s house (which is affixed to the building) was “destroyed” in the typhoon. I found it to be without apparent damage and with no signs of any significant recent repair. There were also photographs taken of the house just after the typhoon which were much different than photographs taken on a more recent visit where damaged items had obviously been put over the actual structure. My conclusion was that I did not believe the claims made and I told the preacher and his wife that is what I would report. However, there were obvious cases of great need — especially with damage to houses of those living outside the city. We left an amount to help with that need and did not make a general distribution of benevolence there.

The next place we visited was the meeting place of the Candadam church of Christ where Juanito Esquadra preaches. Members of two other congregations where brother Juanito preaches also came to that place so that we could distribute to them at the same time. The need of brethren in these 3 groups was far greater. The predominate means of livelihood there was through fishing. The typhoon and its after effects have devastated the fishing. Due to widespread reports of the pollution that remains after the storm, any catch could not be sold at market. We distributed a much greater amount to these groups based upon the needs presented.

After eating a granola bar and some fruit in the van while Jonathan and Jack went to eat at the street vendor places, we proceeded on to San Vicente. (My past experience with such vendors have fully convinced me that my granola bar, fruit and gatorade are to be preferred to the inevitable hospital trip which accompanies the other fare.) Since Willie not only preaches at San Vicente, but also for the Linao congregation meeting in Ormoc City, we addressed the needs of both congregations. Previous distributions had met the needs for food, but the housing remained a critical problem. Many brethren were still living in makeshift lean-tos made of scraps that could be found. With the rains and storms common in this region, there is a critical need to start addressing this need. Of the 24 families meeting at San Vicente, the homes of 18 families were completely destroyed while the remaining 6 all had significant damage. We gave an amount to get shelter started for the 18 families whose homes were totally destroyed. After the frame is built, we have an amount to be used towards basic roofs and enclosures necessary to survive. The exact needs for repairing the homes damaged was not available, so I requested Willie to get that to us by Sunday. This would allow us to see if funds remained to help with that effort. The same process was started for the 20 families of the Linao congregation where 10 houses were totally destroyed and 10 others significantly damaged. Though I doubt we will have enough funds to fully complete all of this need, I think the funds given should make a very large difference in helping to provide the basic essentials.

At 5pm, we caught the fast-craft for the trip back to Cebu City. The trip took about 2 hours. The seas were much less rough for the first half with only the normal amount of rocking and rolling. The fact that I was able to write much of this report on that part of the voyage evidenced a great difference as that would have been impossible on this morning’s passage. The last half was again extremely rough.

Let me also convey the deep gratitude of our Filipino brethren who received the great help given by your generosity. The love and concern it manifested to them was evident in their words and expressions. They were deeply appreciative! Thank you all so much for your great generosity in this benevolent effort.