As many of you have seen and heard from the news over the past week, our tribal area was directly hit by very powerful typhoon. Typhoon Megi, also known as Juan here in the Philippines was a category 5 when it made landfall last Monday. Even after passing over a mountain range and crossing approximately 100 km of land it was still raging at category 4 when it hit the hills of Ga’dang territory. The 250 kph winds literally ripped whole trees out by the roots or snapped them in half, mangled rice fields, and damaged houses.
Our plan was to return to the village this past Friday after our 10 day break in Manila, taking the Easton family who are in Tagalog language study with us to visit. Those plans quickly changed with the passing of the typhoon. Instead Dennis Easton and I headed north on our own to check out the damage and see if Christina and our houses were still standing. We arrived in the village Wednesday afternoon after hiking in, while climbing over many fallen trees along the way. The sight we saw can hardly by described with words. The normally thick, green forests looked as though a giant upside down blender had gone through them. Very few trees were left untouched by the storm. Rice fields looked like they had been tied into knots and rolled over. Houses were missing roofs or parts of them. Praise the Lord, neither Christina’s or our house was damaged in any way.
As I talked to our Ga’dang friends over the next 2 days and walked around looking at the damage in the fields and gardens, it became evident that the next year is going to be very tough for many of them. Virtually all the mountain rice was knocked over and/or pulled out of the ground at the roots. They are now busily trying to harvest what they can before any more rain comes. Some of the rice was ready to be harvested and can still be salvaged, but many of the fields were still green and therefore now lost. All the fruit trees, including mango, banana, papaya and many other varieties were damaged or destroyed from the strong winds. These and the locally grown vegetables which were also damaged are an important part of the diet for our Ga’dang neighbours, as it supplements the rice they eat with each meal.
This comes as a doubly hard hit for the Ga’dang people as they are still recovering from the drought which plagued most of the Philippines during the first 5 months of this year. At that time many lost their crops due to lack water then and/or were unable to replant their fields. As a result, they are now coming to the end of their reserve supply of rice and are saying they will not have enough to use as seed and eat until the next harvest. When I asked what they will do to provide for their families, I was told they will try to find work somewhere. There should be some government assistance available as well, it’s just a matter of knowing how to access it.
On the bright side, this has opened up some doors of opportunity for us. We will see what we can do to help in getting government assistance, and if need be, provide rice, etc. for those who are in need. Some of the men in the village who were before very quiet around me have opened up and are more willing to talk. We look forward to the day when as a result of this calamity we are able to share the Good News of the Gospel with the Ga’dang people. Hopefully it will be because they saw that we really do care about them as people, not just physically hungry but spiritually as well, and we are offering that which can satisfy.
by Chuck
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