The waiting game

We came to Manila almost 4 weeks ago with plans to stay here for just 10 days.  We had doctors appointments and shopping to do.  Then typhoon Megi (Juan) came through.  This added 2 extra trips for Chuck to the tribe, first to secure the house, then to check and make sure the house was ok.

We ended up cancelling our return flight because we didn’t know how the road was to get in.  It was blocked with fallen trees up until early this week.

So Monday we decided to rebook our return home tickets. With that we booked our hotel for on the way in, we shipped our supplies by bus and made arrangements for carabao to come out to get our supplies. Our friends the Easton’s also decided that they would rebook their visit with us too.  We were scheduled to fly today.  They are scheduled to fly tomorrow.

Yesterday a fellow missionary that lives up north was scheduled to return up there to his home.

Well, all our plans have fallen away!!!  Our friends flight was cancelled yesterday due to heavy rains and flooding up there.  He was scheduled to fly on the same flight as us today.

So, off we all went to the airport this morning, knowing that it was still raining very heavy up there.  Just after we arrived at the airport and got to our check in counter, they announced that our flight was cancelled!!!  We then waited until they rebooked our tickets.  So now we are re-scheduled to fly Saturday.

Did you notice that??? Saturday is our return flight.  This means our visitors will fly up the day before us!!!

As we look at the weather radar, it is looking like the rain has stopped for now, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t start up again.  It has been building in in the evenings.

Please pray for us as we wait it out another couple days here in Manila.  We are so thankful for a dry place to stay.  This will make 4 weeks in Manila for us.

This is all of us and our stuff as we left the airport this afternoon.  Just think we have to lug all our stuff back to the airport again Saturday!!!

Typhoon Megi (aka Juan)

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

Facebook Pictures of Typhoon Megi's damage in our area

The kids!!! Just some recent pictures!!!

Outside and downstairs

  This is the front of the house.  The siding is now done!

 

All the shutters are on but the ones on the upstairs on this side.

 

This is the kitchen and dining room.  Kitchen cabinets are still not done but we will get to it eventually.

We have a bathroom with a tub and hot water shower!

Now we have stairs to the upstairs!!!

Upstairs

This is the girls room.  Their beds are now together.

The boys are still sleeping in their tents until their beds get put together!

Some small things are just as important as the big things.  Towel bars!!!

   

A shower and toilet upstairs!!!

This will become my linen closet!

Rain = running water = hot showers!!!

Last weekend our good missionary friend Bob came in to finish the plumbing in our house.  We had sewage pipes already but no water pipes.

In the process of getting things ready for Bob, an important fitting for our water holding tank was cracked.  Thus the tank had to be emptied in order to fix it.

Over the weekend all the plumbing was finished and the fitting was fixed but we had no water to test the system.  The night before Bob left we decided it would be best to pray for the rain to wait till Bob left.  No one likes a muddy hike.  The Lord answered our prayers and it didn’t rain.  Bob made it out with no trouble and little mud.

That Monday afternoon we added “RAIN” to our to-do list.  A few hours later we had a light rain.  We joked with Christina that we need to be more specific in what we need to do.  So we added “HEAVY” to our “rain” to do.  Within a couple more hours it started to pour!!!

In just 55 minutes this barrel was full and over flowing!!!

That made one more thing to stroke off the to do list.

That night I had my first hot shower in our house!!!  It was so nice.

Wee little girl

We have introduced this family to you before but we want to ask you to pray especially for little Josilyn.  She is turning one this month and is so very tiny.  She weighs just 6 kg.

A week ago we asked the family if we could give the baby some formula and baby cereal to help her as we are concerned for her.  They agreed with no problem.  So twice a day she comes to our porch with either her mom or her sister.  We have tried formula, baby cereal mixed with formula, a special malnutrition drink, and now peanut butter but she is just not wanting to eat or drink.  We get very little into her.  It doesn’t seem to matter if it is her mom or sister feeding her either.  Please pray for her and us as we try some different things to increase her weight and health.

This is after 5 days of feeding her while in her mom or sisters lap.  She finally came to me and sat in my lap for about 10 min!!!

   Please continue to pray for this family.