Halbrook Philippine Report Feb. 24-26, 2014
February 27, 2014th Year of Our Lord
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
God continues to bless our efforts with safety and success. On Monday, February 24, I had a safe flight from Manila to Cebu City, Cebu, preparing to do benevolence work in the Visayan Islands.
When Jonathan Carino met me at the airport, a pleasant surprise was waiting: His parents were here finishing a short vacation. It is always encouraging to see brother and sister Ramon Carino. Brother Ramon is still mentally sharp and very active at 89, though he cannot travel widely as he did in past years. The church in Pagadian City, Misamis Oriental, on Mindanao where he preaches has made a major stride after many years: They are constructing a church building on their lot little by little as funds become available.
A few minutes past 4:00 A.M. Tuesday, I arose from sleep so that we could go to the dock to catch the SuperCat fastcraft to Ormoc City, Southern Leyte. (Ferryboats of all kinds are common in countries with many islands. SuperCat is a word formed by joining “super” and “catamaran,” which is a vessel with two parallel hulls. This design results in less drag and therefore faster speed.) After nearly three hours travel, our fastcraft arrived safely in Ormoc City. It was instantly obvious that recovery from Yolanda is painfully slow. We rented a van with the driver for the whole day, ate breakfast, and then began traveling to visit area churches.
Benevolence funds for food were delivered to churches at Baybay, Candadan, Ampihonon Caibu, Mahaplag (two churches), San Vicente, and Ormoc City. On three occasions I presented a short lesson on “Benevolence” to show that it expresses God’s love for us and our love for each other, it meets a temporary emergency, and it tests our honesty in handling funds from church treasuries. We returned to Ormoc City about 5:30 P.M. to catch the 7:00 P.M. SuperCat back to Cebu City. It was late, so we arrived back in Cebu about 11:00 P.M.
Having first witnessed conditions in the Visayas last December, it still is startling to see the devastation caused by the Super Typhoon Yolanda which hit Leyte on November 8, 2013. The body count is now about 8,000 with nearly 2,000 still missing. Decomposed bodies are still being discovered especially in remote areas. An estimated ten million people have been seriously affected by the typhoon. Much of the damage to homes and other buildings still has not been repaired. 550,000 homes were destroyed! Construction materials are scarce and expensive for the average Filipino. Electricity is still not generally available because hundreds of power lines and poles were destroyed. People with sufficient prosperity to purchase a generator have power, but the average citizen does not.
We passed school after school which suffered such severe damage that many buildings cannot be used at all.
The mind can hardly comprehend what the eyes see!
Most of our brethren are among the poorest peoples and they suffer the most. At our last stop I saw the little house of a widow which would have easily fit into our living room but which had been demolished to the ground. It was located in extremely cramped quarters surrounded on every side by squalor. How in the world do I have the gumption to complain about physical and material problems? Ever! Because of the generosity of saints back home, I was able to leave 1,000 pesos ($20) to help her start rebuilding. Most of the money I have with me is being used to provide food.
At this last stop I cautioned brethren about the danger of fire when using candles and lamps. Some parts of Ormoc City proper have power but there was a brownout while we were waiting in the ferry terminal. The reason was soon apparent. A huge building near the terminal became engulfed in flames which angrily shot up well above the city skyline. I went outside to take a picture and could feel the heat though we were a short block away. Destruction and sorrows do not end after such a terrible typhoon passes.
On Wednesday, February 26, after three hours sleep, it was time to get up about 4:15 A.M. to go to the airport for a 35 minute flight to Tacloban City, Nortern Leyte, but, alas, the flight was cancelled at the last minute. We rushed to the SuperCat ferry dock for another three hour trip to Ormoc City, where we got a ticket to ride a public van for almost three hours crossing Leyte to Tacloban City. So, a 35 minute trip became a six hour adventure, typical for Philippine life. But, again, how dare I complain when my situation is contrasted to the situation of the poor saints affected by Yolanda!
As we traveled across Leyte the devastation is still pronounced everywhere, but clean-up efforts are progressing. As an example of how serious the devastation is, consider that hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of coconut trees were so severely damaged in the storm’s path they will never bear fruit again. In many cases the tops where all the branches grow were literally cut off and blown away, and in many cases the trees were flattened to the ground like so many toothpicks thrown on the floor. This affects people who made a living directly and indirectly from this major Filipino crop: the branches, the shell, the meat, the milk, and the oil all produce income. Newly planted trees take 7-10 years to begin producing mature coconuts! The Philippine government sets the poverty line at $120 per month, and in such poverty every peso counts!
Nilo Zabala met us and guided us to his place where several brethren gathered representing congregations in need which we could not reach (and there are yet many more we have not been able to reach). The membership lists were reviewed and funds were divided in hopes of providing food for about three to four months. Churches receiving benevolence in the province of Northern Leyte included the Scandinavian Village church in Tacloban City and the Abuyog church. Churches receiving benevolence from the province of Western Samar on the island of Samar included San Voaquin, Binaliw, and Cagnipa, all in the Calbayog City region.
After my short lesson on “Benevolence,” we hurried to our taxi to go to the airport, hoping the afternoon flight to and from Cebu City was not cancelled. As we entered Tacloban City, traffic was snarled and we had a long wait. The streets have been mostly cleared but debris and rubble from destroyed houses and businesses are still being cleared away. I saw 5-6 body bags at the side of the road – cadavers are regularly being discovered in the clearing process. No one paid attention to these bags filled with human remains, awaiting to be picked up by the proper authorities.
We began to wonder if we could reach the airport at all when the police appeared leading a United Nations relief agency convoy. Since the way was opened for the convoy, our taxi joined the convoy which was headed to the airport – we made it with 10-15 minutes to spare!
The brethren who are receiving benevolence express their thanksgiving and love again and again to all the saints who donated these funds. And we are reminded again and again, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
There was no time to eat today under the constrains of time, but I would not want to eat in the environment of Tacloban City anyway. Fortunately, my sweet wife packs snack foods so I nibbled on peanut butter crackers and raisins until getting to supper in Cebu City. All is well that ends well.
We fly to Bacolod City in the province of Negros Occidental on Negros Island in a couple of hours to distribute benevolence there.
My words are not adequate to thank all of you who are praying for us – and watching the moon, too.
In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook
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