JECPP 10th Tribal Medical Mission

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JECPP 10th Tribal Medical Mission

– A decade of giving hope to the weary

By La Donna S. Yap

 

Rev. Peter Wee, the chairman of Jireh-Evangel Church Planting in the Philippines (JECPP) and Senior Pastor of EFC-Davao led at least  60 enthusiastic volunteers from the church, JECPP tribal pastors and leaders, a group from Davao City Health Office, dentists and medical doctors to Marahan, Marilog District, Davao City to take part in the 10thAnnual Medical Mission of JECPP on April 24, 2013.

The team was welcomed with excitement and grateful faces of our tribal brethren who eagerly lined up for registration at 8:00 am in the gymnasium of West Marahan Elementary School.

Mrs. Beatriz Elvira

Mrs. Beatriz Elvira

 

In an interview, one of the recipients of the Medical Mission, Mrs. Beatriz Elvira, 51, said that she and her family waited for the JECPP Annual Medical Mission for the whole family’s medical check-up.  She added that without this mission, they would not be able to know their health condition.

 

 

Mr. Jolito Ambong

Mr. Jolito Ambong

 

 

Mr. Jolito Ambong, 27, happily carried his son John Patrick to line up for the free medical consultation. According to Mr. Ambong, his son is always coughing,but they do not have the resources to bring him to the doctor.  He exclaimed how blessed they are that the hospital (Medical Mission) came to them.

 

Ms. Ailyn Espera

Ms. Ailyn Espera

  

Mrs. Ailyn Espera, 26, could not wait for the Medical Mission’s date.  She was suffering from a constant tooth ache which disturbed her daily routine, but after benefiting from the free tooth extraction, she gleefully blurted, “the suffering is over!. 

 

 

 

 

These boys were eagerly waiting for their turn to be circumcised. “Tuli” or circumcision, is a deeply cultural and hygiene-related procedure; it is a “rite of passage” for young Filipino males.

For the past 10 years, JECPP Medical Mission endeavored to act as a beacon of light and hope for our tribal brethren in Marilog District by shouldering medical expenses and providing services that typically require payment such as medical checkups, tooth extraction and Operation Tuli.  These services were combined with the provision of free medicines, vitamins, deworming and immunization.

The annual event was supported by diligent efforts of Davao City Health Office and a number of local professional doctors.

All volunteers were offered the opportunity to witness, learn and get hands on experience in assisting local doctors. Even those who were volunteering outside of the medical rooms were able to support the smooth running of the day by admitting patients, recording their medical history and serving in the Pharmacy. Another group was also assigned to make and serve “lugaw”(rice porridge)  to the recipients.

In particular, the 10th JECPP Medical Mission was able to extend support to 446 individuals with the provision of the following services:

345 availed of the free medical checkup

52 availed of the free dental service (tooth extraction)

35 availed of the free Operation Tuli Procedures

14 availed of the free Pneumococal Immunization

The Medical Mission is one of JECPP’s annual contributions to the work of God and to bring our tribal brethren to the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

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Meet the JECPP Medical Mission volunteers who labored unceasingly for 10 years:

  1. Dr. Rizaldo Gonzales IMG_0815

The first time I attended the JECPP Medical Mission, I saw firsthand how passionately the Singaporean Missionaries served my very own tribal brethren. As a Filipino doctor, I was challenged by how they left their families and used their own resources to serve the Filipinos wholeheartedly.  That was my turning point, and ever since my wife and I, together with my children, supported and volunteered for JECPP Medical Mission.

In fact, our year will not be complete without it. My fellow medical practitioners whom I recruited to join also feel the same. I am humbled every time I saw the grateful faces of our beloved tribal brethren. To help them ease their pain and burden encouraged me to keep on coming back. For me, joining the JECPP Medical Mission is more than my social responsibility; it is my way of giving back to God what He has been blessing us with.     

 

 

  1.   Ptr. Judith F. KintanarDSC_0534

The compassion from God motivates me to serve in the JECPP Medical Mission. To see the people being helped in their physical condition is a reflection that Jesus does not just care for our spiritual but also our physical condition.

Seeing the  pastors- both from tribal and city, doctors, nurses and members of Evangel Family Church from Singapore and Davao  who tirelessly work together to bless the unreached tribal people without any monetary incentives is very heart warming.  

Sometimes, medical teams come straight from their night duties to join this mission. They have not returned yet to their families or gotten any rest, but they are still willing and delighted to offer their services yearly for the JECPP Medical Mission.

To see Pastor Wee and Pastor Christine, together with other Singaporean volunteers helping and always looking for means how to better serve and bless the Filipino tribal people, even with language barrier, is really an encouragement. Truly, love knows no language.

Lastly, knowing that Pastor Robert Lim and all JECPP pastors are praying and giving their financial and moral support motivates me to go on the task yearly in blessing the tribal folks without any hesitations. 

 

Prov. 11:25  The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

GOD’S PRESENCE SHOOK DVO DEL NORTE YOUTH CAMP

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youthcamp4Evangel Family Church Tagum has hosted  Davao del Norte region Sec-A’s 3rd Youth Camp with the theme “RENEW YOUR PASSION” last March. 

More than 70 young people from Kapalong, Florida, Carmen, Panabo, Kidaraan, Laak, New Corella and Tagum outstation churches were blessed with revival messages throughout the two days and three nights of fellowship.

I noticed the excitement and the hunger of the youth to encounter the Lord. Our hearts and minds were nourished in the night sessions where our pastors served variety of topics such as Renewing your passion, Pakigsuod sa Dios, Finish Well, Power to conquer with God, Built on a rock and Knowing your purpose. We also stretched our muscles and enlarged our friendships in our basketball and volleyball matches on the second day.youthcamp2

On our last day, we were grouped to share our personal testimonies. Stories from pastors and peers reminded us how great and faithful God is in our lives. We were more inspired to serve God. Disappointment was defeated that day because we were comforted by God through the encouragements we received.

A common problem mentioned by the young people during this sharing was persecution from family members when they received Jesus. One youth who is the family’s breadwinner was mistreated by his brothers when he wanted to work in the church. They wanted him to look for a more lucrative work instead and ordered him to stop attending church. Because of this, he backslid several times. He was thankful for the counseling time of the camp that enabled him to open his feelings and receive decision-making advice and guidance from pastors.

We also heard a testimony from a female youth. She and her siblings are also persecuted by their mother because her mother is very much against the church.  When their mother sees them dressed and ready for church every Sunday, she would call them back in to their house and immediately assign chores.  

Another testimony was shared by someone who has just attended church for three months only. He said he was rebel at a young age. He even had a gun and lived a violent life. 

youth camp1 Before he met Chist, he thought that was the only way to live. But instead of being happy with the positive change in him, his family started to intimidate him the moment he came to church. He shared that every Sunday, he would throw his church clothes outside the window so he would not be caught by his mother. Then he would slowly go outside, quickly pick them up and put on for church. He said fought for his salvation because he got  joy when God changed his life. He testified that during the youth camp, he was revived and have known God more.

On the last night of the camp, Pastor Rosario Simpas preached on The purpose of the cross. Wewent down on our knees; we remembered God’s sacrifice on the cross that gives us not even one reason to turn our backs on him. It was really the first time that I have experienced something this great that happened in the church. The place shook. We thought there was an earthquake, but there was none. The Holy Spirit literally shook us. Wow! God’s awesome presence was with us! We were crying. Voices were lifted out so loud, very desperate to touch God. The Holy Spirit was ministering to every heart. It was very good to see that despite the world’s wickedness, there is this young generation that finds God’s presence as the best thing life can ever have.

youthcamp3

 

(written by Micah Simpas)

ETTC 1ST TWIT GRADUATION

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Light rain did not dampen the excitement in the air last July 14, 2012. Resplendent in their Matigsalug tribal attire, 14 trainees, together with family, friends and mentors celebrated the successful culmination of the seven-month long training at Ladayon, Arakan Valley. For one week every month since January, each one of them made the regular trip to the Evangel Tribal Training Center from their respective homes and places of ministry to go through one of the nine modules on Evangelism, discipleship, health, agriculture, literacy and community development.

One of the Cebuano songs in the ceremony captured the shared experience from the first module to the last. The abounding grace and anointing of God made all those learning moments life-changing ones for everybody involved. Five people gave testimonies on the different modules. “The power of God’s anointing is real so His servants can exercise their gifts”, Pastor Maximo Lasquite declared. His learning about spiritual gifts and desiring the gift of healing was immediately put to test when He went back to his community. A neighbor had severe diarrhea and was close to being dehydrated. Before deciding to bring him to the hospital, the wife asked Ptr. Lasquite for prayers. Immediately the neighbor felt relief, and there was no need to go to the hospital. Maryflor Caday shared how she used the Chronological Bible Story Telling in Sunday School classes and Bible Study groups. The members were really excited and deep spiritual discussions resulted from her sessions. Elmer Ramirez, who is an experienced commercial farmer, shared about some eye-opening lessons learned during the Sustainable Agriculture module. He realized that as a farmer, he is responsible to give customers quality products, aside from being concerned only with good harvest and income.  He learned this as another dimension to stewardship.  Another student, Mary Ann, was very grateful for the practical things she learned from the Health module, especially on how to administer First Aid. She believed that it will help her become a more effective minister of the gospel in Guilon. Ramil, on the other hand, talked about his desire to teach his members how to read the Bible. At first he found the Literacy module difficult, but after much prayer, he found it easier to understand. He is now looking forward to helping his members acquire literacy skills. All of them were grateful for all the practical modules they had gone through.

The graduation ceremony was highlighted by Ptr. Christine Wee’s challenge to the graduates to continue doing the unfinished task Jesus left to His church. She reminded them that the unquestionable love of God, with His unstoppable power and unfailing promises to us, will definitely propel us to reap more souls into God’s kingdom.

Last June, the trainers for this first batch talked about involving these graduates in the logistics and actual training for the next batches.  The ‘Paul- and-Timothy principle’ of passing on these teachings to faithful men and women is very much in evidence. Our sincere appreciations to Sis Beng Bicaldo and her team from TMFI (Tribal Mission Foundation International) who has  partnered with us in training our tribal workers for the expansion of God’s kingdom in the Marilog District.

FIRE FELL FROM ON HIGH

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“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” – Joel 2:28

Compelled by the desire to see transformation in the lives of young people, Evangel Family Church Cebu held a 2-day youth camp with the theme “TRANSFORMAKERS – Choose Not To Live An Ordinary Life” in Loboc, Bohol last April 2-3 followed by an outing in Panglao Beach on April 4, 2012. The main objective was to see the young people filled with the Holy Spirit and equipped for the greater task of spreading God’s gift of salvation and bringing transformation to others.

Around 60 campers set out excitedly on their sea journey to Bohol on a Sunday evening. Behind their smiling faces and   cheery chatting was a great sense of hunger and expectation of what God was going to do in the camp.

After several hours of sailing and another hour of land journey the campers finally arrived at the campsite, a picturesque place replete with natural beauty. God stirred the hearts of the young people that very afternoon in the two opening sessions with Pastora Jocelyn and Pastor Jay speaking. That same night Pastor Chuck Chua shared a wonderful message on Gideon being transformed from a coward into a conqueror. Indeed, it was a timely message for the campers to experience God’s touch and to hunger for more.

The campers welcomed the second day with personal devotion and time with God. God’s Spirit again was evidently at work in both the morning sessions as His Word was shared. In the afternoon, the campers enjoyed a thrilling time of games and fellowship. Some were already sharing the things done in their hearts and God’s refreshing touch as they received His words in the different sessions.

 

A marvelous move of the Holy Spirit took place among the campers on the final night. Following Pastor Chuck’s wonderful message on the Spirit of Transformation, the campers were challenged to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. God’s gift was freely granted to those who sincerely asked. The Spirit fell and filled each of them and they began to speak in other tongues. Different manifestations were unveiled as God’s Spirit flowed freely. A total of 14 campers were baptized in the Spirit for the first time!

In behalf of the Hearts On Fire youth in Cebu, we would like to thank Pastors Chuck and Jocelyn Chua for believing in the young people, for their love and desire to see them empowered and used by God. Our gratitude goes to them for spearheading such a fruitful undertaking. Special thanks also to Pastors Jay and Em Em Bautista for their undying love and support to the young people and for their hard work in making the camp a fruitful and successful one. And most of all, praises and thanks to the Holy Spirit who never failed to manifest Himself throughout the camp. All glory, honor and praises be to God!

STRIVING FOR SOULS

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For many years, a total number of 29 outstation works had been planted by EFC Cagayan de Oro Region and out of passionate desire to reach out for more unsaved souls, we decided to saturate our own locale. God opened an opportunity for us in a slum area of our city called Isla de Oro.

The work in Isla de Oro started when God gave us a burden to reach out to the unsaved families there. Every Sunday evening, after our afternoon Cebuano Service in our church, a group of young people goes with me to Isla de Oro doing house-to-house invitation, encouraging people there to join a Bible Study. As we continue inviting and reaching out, the family of a certain Romeo Olano and the Abalde family responded and for a number of days, we held Bible studies in the Olano’s home. But as time went by, they turned to be uninterested and grew cold towards us.

We felt God once again wanted us to move on, to go further into the core or inside of Isla de Oro. We went and did house-to-house visitation there for almost two months, from August to September 2006, until we met a woman named Myrna Aljas. She welcomed the message of truth and received salvation. She allowed us to conduct Bible studies near their vicinity – at a vacant lot, and she provided us some accommodation.

Isla de Oro is a place thronged with crooked and unscrupulous people. Vices and drug addiction is very rampant, a place of many thieves and murderers. Many young people here are not sent to school due to poverty. In fact, many do not have any means for living, so they turn to vice and stealing. Instead of finding jobs, they find pleasure in indulging themselves with alcohol, gambling, and drugs. Satanic cults and practices are also rampant here.

Despite these circumstances which seem to be a roadblock to the entrance of the gospel to this place, we endured the race set before us. We remember what God has said, “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Life’s trials, struggles, sacrifices and persecution in pursuing His work, the service we render will all be worth it when we reap the fruits and everlasting reward of faith. It is always too soon to quit in this work when we know that God is working mightily and miraculously in the lives of the people, touching their hearts and transforming lives.

As time went on, God brought us to meet a man named Ricardo Tubo. He found hope in knowing God and listening to His Word. Ricardo once lived a miserable life, full of regrets and separated from his wife. He lived a violent life of fighting and stabbing. Several times he was stabbed and last September 28, 2006 he almost got killed. His wife deserted him because he was irresponsible and lazy, and that made him turn all the more to heavy drinking. He felt that he was fated with this kind of hopeless living and will never escape misery. But God was good to Ricardo. He heard the preaching of God’s Word conducted at the vacant lot of Sis Myrna Aljas. God opened his eyes to see the great light he has been craving for. His life was changed and he is now a new creation! He turned away from all his vices and all those who knew him were amazed by his life transformation. Ricardo has become a very faithful member of our Isla de Oro outstation. Through his obedience and dedication in serving God, he experienced the peace that he deeply longed for in the past.

Aside from Ricardo Tubo, there are also people (young and old) who have become committed and faithful in our services at Isla de Oro. The work there grew from an average of 2 adults and 13 children to 16 adults and 30 children. There is still much work to be done. We must keep running “with endurance.” Let us finish the course and finish it strong. We are still praying that through this outstation more lives will be blessed and the community will be changed. To God be all the glory!

JECPP workers trained to plough in Luzon

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Love . . .

Faith . . .

Hope . . .

Basic as they might sound in a Christian leader’s perspective, they are enough to point us back to what really was the cause of Jesus Christ in the Philippines, especially Luzon. The three days spent in the slopes of Baguio City were worth more than years of waiting for God to powerfully redirect the vision, recapture the burden, and renew the church planting strategy in the vast island of Luzon.
It was early morning on the 29th of October when the bus left Evangel Family Church Quezon City carrying 60 delegates composed of pastors and leaders from the different sections in Luzon to attend the very first Luzon Church Planting Movement (CPM) Retreat. Most of the delegates arrived a day or two days earlier from their respective towns and provinces to participate in this very first gathering for Luzon slated from October 29 to 31.
Everyone was filled with excitement. On the eve of the departure, we had fellowship and some even stayed awake until the early morning bus arrived for a six-hour journey to the City of Pines-Baguio.
Blessed with a safe trip, the bus arrived at Teacher’s Camp in Baguio City earlier than expected. Upon arrival and short briefing done by Pastor Rachel Yu and Pastor Vernie, lunch was served. Everyone enjoyed the first meal in the cool atmosphere of the city. After a short break in the afternoon, all were ready to hear what God has prepared in the evening service.

. . . Love
The awesome presence of God was felt as all were ushered into a wonderful time of praise and worship. Rev. Christine Wee shared the story of how God’s love always protects us. From the beginning of time, God never failed to love us. The Creator of the Universe, so great in power, tailored clothes for His first children – Adam and Eve. Despite their sins, God slew an innocent animal, shed its blood, and made garments for the very first humans. He replaced the insufficient fig leaves they had made for themselves. This cloak of love was made as a prophecy of what Christ will do as a sacrifice for all – the One who knew no sin became a sin for humanity.

As the message ended, everyone felt once again God’s love and presence moving and awakening each heart, reminding each one what it felt the first moment we experienced God’s love.
After a refreshing sleep, the second day started with morning devotion. Despite the tremendously cold centralized air conditioning system (naturally embedded by God’s hand into Baguio’s location), all rose early to spend time with God. In the morning sessions, Pastor Jessie and Pastor Doming introduced the CPM and the T4T or Training for Trainers. The T4T was used by Jesus himself when He sent out the 72 disciples, apart from the 12 apostles. The key in the T4T strategy was finding the “persons of peace” who are open to the gospel in the target community.
After the morning sessions, the afternoon break was a time to check various beautiful spots in the city which included a tour to the Philippine Military Academy campus and of course, the famous strawberry farm in La Trinidad, Benguet. And the night became another time for the Spirit of God to move and touch lives.

. . . Faith
Confidence in God and the story of Abraham became the message of Rev. Chuck Chua. He recounts the story on how Abraham obeyed the Lord and became the father of many nations. Rev. Chua defined confidence in God as obedience. He shared once again his own personal story, of how God directed his paths to the Philippines. For Rev. Chuck Chua, it was a hard decision to make. He noted that the command of the Lord for Abraham to leave his country, his people and his father’s household were never easy to obey. But just like Abraham, having the confidence in God’s promises is more than enough to say “Yes, Lord”. Though Abraham’s eyes could not see yet the promised place and the promised people in his present time, he was sure of one thing- God’s promises will always come to pass.

Once again, God’s presence was overwhelming. The faith in each heart was rekindled, and the challenge to apply that faith into the work of God was implanted deeply into our being.
Time passed quickly, and we reached the final day of the retreat. With an introduction video on the impact of the CPM around the globe, the morning teaching sessions continued with Pastor Jethro. He spoke on the application of T4T from vision casting to forming churches and reproducing leaders. The morning session ended with a time of worship and thanking God for what He has done thus far in Luzon and what He will do after the retreat.
After lunch, the delegates went to the Mines View Park and had a superb time looking at the majestic view of the mountains and just stood in awe of God’s creation. For some, especially to those who saw this place for the first time, it was also a moment of thanking the Lord. This God who made this breathtaking view is the same God who loves us deeply. Upon returning to the camp site, all prepared for what God has in store for the final night in Baguio.

. . . Hope
Again, the Lord spoke through Rev. Peter Wee, giving everyone the message on overcoming shame. He directed us to the ‘cloak’ that God provided to Adam and Eve who hid from His presence because of shame. Rev. Wee narrated that because sin entered the world, so did shame. He identified shame as that feeling of being flawed. He continued by citing examples in his personal life. But the heart of it all is that Jesus Christ took not only our sin on the cross but also our shame by dying in the most shameless and despised manner, so that we could live forgiven and free.

As the service closed, we felt God embracing us with His love as His people once again put their hope in Him and be reassured that there is no shame in His presence. And that we will move shameless to spread the cause of Christ and the good news of God’s salvation to the place He has positioned us.
The evening ended with plaques of appreciation awarded to our guests- Rev. Peter and Rev. Christine Wee and Rev. Chuck and Rev. Jocelyn Chua for gracing the event and the encouragement they brought through their messages, company and support. As this was the final night, the fellowship among the planters and delegates extended up to most part of the evening.

And this would not be possible without the love and assistance of people whom God has used greatly. Thus, we would like to extend our gratefulness to our Founding Chairman, Rev. Dr. Robert Lim for giving his tremendous support to the work in Luzon. Also, many thanks to Pastor Jessie and Pastor Rachel Yu for organizing and coordinating the event, to those who gave the special numbers every night and to everyone who assisted in making this event possible. To God be honor and glory in this one small but pivotal step to claiming our promised place in the massive land of Luzon!

Teachers Seminar

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Looking for a recipe to make your Sunday School kids well-behaved and “doers of the word” in your class? Try the effective trio of love, action songs and organized lesson plan. This is what we learned last November 5 in our Teachers’ Seminar at EFC-Tagum. More than 40 Sunday School teachers and pastors from various outstation churches participated as we desire to be more effective leaders in the children’s ministry.

During the seminar, teachers Mayme Olegario and  Cecille Gacasan from EFC-Davao  imparted to us their knowledge and experiences. Teacher Mayme first taught us how to design age-appropriate lesson plans that would enable teachers to target at least two learning levels in just one class session. We learned about Benjamin Bloom’s six levels of learning, namely, knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. If students’ learning is in the knowledge level, they would be able to name or recall information they had heard in a Bible story. But knowledge level doesn’t guarantee that students have really understood the practical meaning of the Biblical truth they have heard in the story. As teachers therefore, we need to strive to impart more than knowledge only. In this seminar, we learned to design our lessons in a way that students would be able to practice the significance of the Scriptures in their young lives’ day-to-day experiences. Now that we learn how to plan our lessons better, we believe that with God’s grace, we would be able to train young believers who are truly “doers of the word and not hearers only”.

Secondly, we also learned how to write objectives in our lesson plan. An objective simply means what we want students to accomplish at the end of the Sunday School class. Teacher Mayme encouraged us to really write down our objectives because these would be our guide or focus in every class activity we do with the kids. For example, we must not let kids color pictures just to kill time or because we’re not prepared for our class. Setting objectives means that when we tell stories, sing and dance, make crafts or basically anything, we have a clear purpose why we engage our Sunday school kids in those activities.

Then, teacher Mayme grouped us for our lesson plan workshop. Every member of the group had contributed their utmost ideas. That activity was very enjoyable and interesting because it enabled us to look for simple but innovative solutions and activities for the children to enhance their relationship with God. Different groups had presented their output, and we are thankful that we have acquired different useful ideas from each other.

For her part, Teacher Cecille taught us different songs, with corresponding actions. Wow! That was really amazing. Every singing and dancing part was our favorite! You could really see that not only young teachers were able to dance, but also the elderly. They were dancing like they were back to their childhood times. That was really enjoyable for all of us who attended.  We had learned many beautiful songs for our children. Through these new songs, we hope that our kids will be more participative, instead of misbehaving or doing something inappropriate during praise and worship.

Lastly, love is the most important ingredient in our Sunday school classes. Without this, then the Sunday School ministry can be very depressing for teachers. Just imagine dealing with a group of adorable Sunday School kids, who at any moment, can turn out to be naughty, noisy, wriggly, sweaty, nasty and uncooperative. We must ask Jesus, who utterly loves children, to transform us to be like Him.

We are very thankful for that seminar because we were reminded of our part in guiding the children to God’s ways and God’s love. Even though they are just children, they should not be underestimated because someday, they will be the ones who will rise and stand for God’s kingdom, and they are the generation that would follow our footsteps and finish the great commission.

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it”

We give our heartfelt gratitude to Pas. Peter Wee and Pas. Christine for the financial support they gave for the seminar. We also want to thank teachers Mayme and Cecille for imparting their knowledge to us for God’s glory. All glory belongs to God! Amen.

“TYPHOON PABLO” DISASTER RELIEF OPERATION

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In Matthew 25:40, the King says “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”.

These are the words of the Lord Jesus put into practice as Evangel Family Church in coordination with JECPP held its “Typhoon Pablo Disaster Relief Operation” in the Municipality of Boston and Barangay Carmen in Davao Oriental Region last December 18, 2012.

The activity was spearheaded by none other than our Founding Chairman, Rev. Dr. Robert Lim. Pastor Wee, together with some members, surveyed the area and coordinated with the Barangay Officials and the Police Department for systematic distribution as well as for the safety of our team.

Typhoon Pablo first made landfall in Davao Oriental, particularly in the towns Baganga, Boston and Cateel last December 4, 2012 and affected thousands of lives, young and old. Hundreds were buried alive who, up to now have not yet been recovered. The intensity and magnitude of typhoon Pablo has exceeded that of typhoon Sendong. It was tagged as the strongest tropical storm, PAG-ASA labelled super typhoon, to hit the country this year specifically in Southern Mindanao. As described by Pastor Lim, it was 700 kilometer wide like a lawn-mover and vacuum cleaner combined, blowing up and sucking up the whole Davao Oriental area. Typhoon Pablo caused widespread destruction resulting to destroyed properties, disrupted communication lines, cut-off power, flooding, landslides and uprooted trees and thousands of homeless families. Pastor Chua said that compared to the Visayas, the impact of the typhoon was so great in Mindanao. He described it as mind-boggling as he himself saw the devastation. This was indeed very rare that a typhoon will be passing this area; its devastation can leave one speechless.

Moved by the sight, Pastor Lim thought of how to help and took a greater leap of faith to raise funds for this relief operation. A close Malaysian friend of Pastor Lim, who was so generous, gave a certain amount of money on time, which was used to purchase the goods. A total of 1500 bundles containing rice, canned goods, noodles and loaf bread were packed. Aside from that, 105 bottles of 6-liter and 100 pieces of 21- liter water from Crystal Clear, goodies for the children and clothes coming from donations of our church members and EFC-Singapore were distributed. With the help of some of the church members, who voluntarily offered their time and effort, the packing of the goods lasted for a week from December 10-15 under the guidance of Pastor Christine. They were grateful to God for sparing Davao City from the destruction and in doing so; they have become a part of God’s work towards the victims of the typhoon. They gladly and enthusiastically did it in service to God and man.

On December 17, 2012, we started to load the goods to the two trucks. Thanks to Brother PJ Pascua, who initiated and offered a closed Elf truck where we can stack half of the goods. The other half was placed in a Forward truck that was rented. Some members came to load the goods onto the two trucks. Pastor Christine together with Bro Sam Simpas and Bro Michael Barrera left in advance with the trucks at 12 midnight reaching Boston area at around 7:00 am to finalize and coordinate with the Barangay and Military officials who will aid us during the distribution. Another team left Davao City on December 18 at 4:00 am and met up with a separate team in Tagum City. Along the way, the rain was pouring so heavily. In our hearts, we thought the operation might not push through but God was awesome and merciful that by the time we reached the place at around 9:00 am, the sun shone through every dark cloud to put a smile on every face. Pastor Lim shared to us that he texted Pastor Marion to uphold us in prayer because of the rain. Pastor Marion reminded him that as God was in the storm with Elijah, then God is also with us in the rain. How great was the impact of her words to put our trust in our God earnestly.

Upon reaching the place, we could see people already lining up inside a church to avail of the relief goods. We waited for about an hour because another truck was set ahead to bring down their goods from another company. Nearly 11:00 am, we started to hand out the goods. At first, we had a difficulty managing the crowd because they were so desperate that they started pushing towards the distributors. Thanks to our military officers who were there to supervise. Some team members even went up the truck while the military officers collected the green cards which the residents used to acknowledge that they have received their portion. A total of 1, 010 residents were served in the Municipality of Boston.

Then, we headed towards Barangay Carmen and distributed about 490 packs to the residents there. In this area which is along the highway, we saw the immense wreckage of the typhoon. Most the houses don’t have roofs anymore, and some even tumbled down. The people were so thankful for what they have received. In their own language, they said “salamatay” to us. We could see happy faces when we left. The remaining goods were sent off to a small barangay called Linggi, which was very difficult for the truck to manoeuvre through the small lanes. Kagawad Altizo offered to carry the clothes and goods to them.

The team left Carmen at about 3:00 pm. And just as we began driving off, we suddenly noticed a brilliant, beautiful rainbow above the sky, reminding us there is always hope after the storm. After a four-hour travel, we reached Tagum City for our dinner. Following that sumptuous meal, we bade goodbye to the Tagum team and headed home to Davao. The testimonies I could hear from my companions were so heart-warming that they put aside every complaint of tiredness. Their hearts were filled with joyful sentiments of extending help to strangers by giving food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and clothes to the needy. As we do these things to them, we do the same to our God. Our stories were full of gladness.

Finally, Pastor Lim shared his words to all of us during the appreciation dinner, that one thing he admired of the Filipinos is that they can smile amidst devastation, and they can handle any disaster. His heart goes to the old and the babies who are suffering the most. He further pointed out that this activity is just short term and that we are going to believe that God will touch people for resources to come in to help families. He also mentioned about a desire to plant a little church there. And through this we can share God’s love to them and the hope that we have in Christ Jesus which is lasting and eternal. He added that there’s hope for the living, and their hope is Jesus.

We are very thankful to Almighty God for keeping us safe during our travel, for giving us healthy bodies to do His work and the joy to serve Him. We are also grateful to Him for giving us such leaders who were willing to go and support us in this very challenging task. Together as we join hands, we can do much more for the long term assistance of the victims. Thank you for all your prayers, and may God continually bless us to be a blessing to others.