Few days!

Hi faithful readers wherever you are! Sorry I don't have time to write much now, cause I'm going home in 6 days! I have alot to do this week........ But if you are in Georgia or NC and are reading this, then I would love to see you soon to share with you all about what's on my heart for street kids and the Phils! So email me to set up a time, for real! That's it for now...thanks for reading and praying...

Update from Manila

My apologies to all of you faithful blog readers, if there are any of you left. I realize that in order for a blog to be effective you have to update it recently, or people will stop checking it. So thanks if you're still there. I have no excuse other than that things are getting busier and busier for me as I prepare to go home in a few weeks!
I was able to participate in a medical relief clinic last week, which I really enjoyed. It's wonderful to be able to help people in need, and especially when I get to be a pharmacist ;). I want give you a report of our relief efforts during the last month, so I will post a report that our director has recently written (below). Meanwhile, please pray for us this weekend because another huge typhoon is headed almost straight for Manila, much of which is still flooded from a month ago. Thanks for your prayers.

From ACTION director Jeff Anderson:
Since Typhoon Ondoy hammered Metro Manila September 26 and flooded 80% of Metro Manila causing much death, damage and disruption of life for both the wealthy and poor, ACTION has been busy handing out thousands of family relief packs in coordination with our partner churches and organizations in many devastated areas. As funds were donated from many countries, including the Philippines, we purchased and distributed as quickly as possible items such as rice, canned goods, drinking water, sleeping mats, cooking pots, kitchen ware, buckets and medicines which were gratefully received. Before distributing the items the Gospel message was given by a pastor or an ACTION team member and often I was asked to give a word of encouragement. I explained that the funds for purchasing the relief items came from God through His people around the world as an expression of their love for us who are suffering and along with their giving come many prayers so we are not alone.

Along with the many relief operations we held 9 medical clinics in which approximately 3,000 people were treated for a variety of ailments such as skin rashes, colds, coughs, leptospirosis, stomach problems and diarrhea, and infections. After living in and with muck, stagnant smelly water and garbage medical needs will continue so we'll carry on with medical clinics as we can. Pami Ellis, a nurse from Los Angeles, California and newly appointed ACTION missionary to the Philippines came to Manila for three weeks to coordinate these clinics and did a remarkable job.

As we talk with pastors, church workers and missionaries, including ACTION people, we're realizing the emotional toll Ondoy and our disaster response has taken on each of us. The stories we hear of death, destruction and lose while we trudge through the devastation is taxing so we're now including in our relief work trauma de-briefing and counseling. Many have expressed their heartfelt appreciation in being able to walk through their terrifying experiences with other Christians who truly care for them.

Many pastors lost their church buildings, ministry equipment and most importantly their precious libraries. ACTION is collecting good used books and Bibles to help them replace their "tools of the trade".

We'll continue to respond to the suffering caused by Ondoy by trusting the Lord for another $40,000 for recovery and another $12,000 for books and Bibles for 400 pastors.

Then on October 3 Typhoon Pepeng clobbered central and northern Luzon but thankfully spared Metro Manila. As we can we'll assist people suffering from the effects of Pepeng but through partner organizations who are better situated to do so because we're busy in Metro Manila.

There are a few truths that have emerged through all this and they are:
- While God's people suffer like everyone else we know He is with us and He'll not forsake His people.
- It's the nature of a follower of Christ is to help others even while suffering.
- Even though there was great loss of material possessions they can be replaced, but lives are irreplaceable and most valuable. God's people who suffered great loss are grateful for His protection.
- God's people are quickly mobilized, ready to help and generous in giving of their time, treasure and talents when they know where, when and how to get involved.
- God's "little armies of compassion" reach people quickly and effectively with aid and compassion while governments can put money in people's pockets God's people put hope in hearts and mend broken lives with love and kindness. (Mt 5:16 <http://bible.logos.com/passage/nasb/Mt%205.16> ) They are nimble, responsive and face-to-face in providing comfort and practical aid for the suffering.

Sincerely in Christ,

Jeff Anderson

Flood/Relief update

Well if you're reading this, you might be wondering how all the relief work and clean-up is going. It's hard to know where to start in answering that question. Let's just say you can be in many parts of town and not know that anything ever happened...like on my street, on some of the main highways, in any area that's on a hill. Then there's other areas, like Imelda highway where I have to travel most days...where things are still looking muddy and the broken down jeeps on the side of the road alongside piles of trash are starting to look normal.

Then there are the really devastated parts of town like I visited today, that words can barely describe. Most any area surrounding the Marikina river up to an elevation of about 50 feet not only had floodwaters but fast-flowing riverwaters. I went with the Street Impact team today to visit a church in Marikina near the river. The pastora told us her story, like thousands of others. Early in the morning on that fateful Saturday she and her family were preparing for the typical flooding that might occur during a typhoon, moving things to higher shelves, etc. And then she said the water started rising so quickly it was hard to believe. When it had almost suddenly reached her waist level, she knew it was time to take her kids and find safety. The current was so strong they barely made it to a neighbor's house which has a 2nd story. Then after being there up only a little while the water had already come up to their ankles. So they walked across the roofs of houses until they reached one of the only ones on the block with a 3rd story. She said several families took refuge there for the night, hungry and cold. (In the neighborhood pictured below, water was so high it covered these power lines.)

Now almost 2 weeks later, the clean-up seems to only have begun. It wasn't till yesterday that the dump trucks were able to get to her community. Now they're hauling rubbish away by the truckload. Finally the streets have been cleared enough to walk, though there still remains a few inches of mud to trudge through. And that doesn't include all the mud inside of people's houses that they're working hard every day to push out.

ACTION already has contacts with many churches across the metro Manila area as part of our network. So since last week, SI Team has been putting together relief packs and distributing them to these churches and other organizations we're in relationship with. Each "pack" includes a new pot and frying pan, a sleeping mat, some medicine and a few basic foods.


Someone wrote an account of the flood that I think is very real and moving (credit Ted Ruiz):
The Manila Flood (Sept.26)...

.......

-It had been raining for several weeks.

-The ground was already very saturated.

-On the morning of Saturday, Sept.26, a Low Pressure storm signal #1 was hovering over Manila.

-But there was no wind, just light rain.

-And it was business as usual.

-Faith Academy had sports teams playing over Metro Manila that day.

-There were no weather watches or warnings from the government. Signal #1 happens all the time.

-The street in front of the Ruiz was experiencing its usual 1 foot of water during rain storms.

-The storm was moving over Manila towards the waters heading to Vietnam.

-Then around 11am, it happened .....

-It became REALLY, REALLY DARK.

-Then all the 'Heavens' broke loose.

-The rain just came and came....bucket after bucket...17 inches of rain fell in 12 hours

-Manila is almost at sea-level.

-Trash that is constantly dumped into the water channels and streets does not help the already poor drainage system.

-One man said he had never experienced a pouring rain like that before.

-The water turned very, very muddy-so much soil being lost to water erosion.

-Within minutes, cars were stalling in deep water.

-Motorists felt trapped behind stalled vehicles.

-Some simply abandoned their car.

-Others turned and rammed the middle dividing chain-link fence with their car and crossed to the other side of the street.

-They, too however, were soon stalled and stranded.

-The water rose so high, that it now pushed cars along wherever it wished.

-Some tried to ride it out on top the car.

-Motorists sought refuge in nearby buildings.

-The Government was concerned about the 3 Dams that surround Metro Manila.

-The Dams were all overflowing and possibly might break.

-Immediately, they decided to release lots and lots of excess water from all 3 Dams.

-This was done without warning to the public!!!!!!!!

-Folks who lived near a creek, canal, any body of water or in a low-lying area were already getting concerned about the pouring rain.

-They began to put a few valuables up to a higher level in their house.

-Children were told to stop playing in the rain (a common past time here) and come inside.

-Then it hit.....

-......Like a Tidal wave.

-Within seconds, the level rose several feet .... and kept rising!!!

-They grabbed what they could and went to the second floor or to the roof.

-In some places the water went over the first floor.

-Cars were rolled along by the current and smashed into each other or into homes.

-Some families had to wait 2 days on a rooftop before they were rescued.

-The House Helper and her husband at the Ruiz House were not overly concerned with the 'normal' one foot of water in the street.

-The house is about 3 feet above street level.

-Suddenly, the waters rose to the doorstep.

-They quickly grabbed a few important items and put them on higher ground inside the first floor.

-Then it hit...... water rushed inside the house.

-Also, water starting 'erupting' & spurting up like fountains from all the floor drains... quickly filling the house

-They grabbed their backbag that had some valuables, then grabbed the dog and headed for the small vacant room up on the 2nd floor.

-This room is only accessible from outside the house.

-They had to wade through chest deep water to get to the door.

-At the outside door, water was now up to their necks.

-The door would not open-too much pressure from the water.

-They pulled & pulled ----- finally it opened.

-They hurried upstairs .... not knowing how high the water would rise.

-All windows are barred, so they thought, should the water rise to the 2nd floor, that there was no escape (they did not know about the one 'escape' window).

-It was very traumatic and they greatly feared for their lives.

-Water was even pouring over the 6 foot cinder-block wall in the back yard.

-Thankfully, the water only rose to the 6 foot level on the first floor (9 feet above street level).

-By Monday morning, the water had receded to the street level.

-Monday morning they went downstairs to scavenge for food (canned goods) and drinking water somewhere in the house.

-6" of gross mud covered the streets and the floors of the homes.

-Most folks here do not know how to swim.

-One neighbor tied a long rope from his iron gate in front to the iron gate of another house 50 feet away.

-The one house was lower and already under water.

-Muddy waters were rushing down the narrow streets.

-The neighbors clung to the rope in neck-deep water as they slowly made it across the street.

-They put their baby in a plastic tub, clung to the rope and floated it to safety.

-In some places, the water level of rivers and lakes is so high that waters may not recede until December!

-The water rose 12 feet in one area.

-One family with 2 small children escaped with only their lives and a few baby clothes.

-In one large subdivision near a river, 2 large trucks, packed with many drums full of oil, overturned.

-Oil went everywhere in that subdivision, reaching the 2nd floor in some homes.

-Oil, mixed with mud and water, got into everything....making clean-up very difficult.

-By that time of the day, Malls were already packed with people-especially wanting to get out of the rain.

-At one Mall the water rushed into the Lower Level.

-People panicked.

-Many could not find a way to get to the Upper Level in time.

-When the water finally receded 2 days later, many dead bodies were pulled out from the mud.

-Poor, wealthy and middle class were all affected.

-Rain fell on the Just and the Unjust alike.

-Already over 400+ have died.

This week...

In case you haven't received it by email yet, I sent out an e-news a few days ago. Click here to read: http://erin-manila.blogspot.com. Also I came across a really dramatic video slideshow of the flooding here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V6uRHxtQUM.

What can I say, it's been a crazy week! I'd love to say I spend 16 hours a day doing relief work but that's just not how it has worked out to be honest! The first 2 days after the storm (Sun-Mon) it was hard to get anywhere because the roads in my area were either still flooded or they had broken-down trucks and jeeps blocking the way. My main goal during those days was to go help my friends Krista and Mervi clean up their flooded house...but I didn't make it there till Tues afternoon, since it took me all morning to find a grocery store that was not out of stock and not flooded, where I could get some groceries to take to their house. (Pictured below: Krista and friends enjoying a snack of ...chicken intestines and heads... no joke.)

For a few hours I joined the laundry assembly line with Krista and Mervi and a couple more of their friends. Most of their clothes had been sitting in the muddy floodwaters for a day or two, so they were having to wash them several times (by hand and with a machine). Then while I was there I got a text from another ACTION missionary requesting help at her house, where the entire 1st floor had been flooded out, included with the floodwaters an oil spill. By the time I got there (with the slower than usual traffic of course) it was just before dusk, so with no electricity there's no more we could do.

I spent Wednesday mostly with pre-planned engagements: language school in the morning and then an already-postponed-once doctor's appointment in the afternoon. I'd hoped to help the Laroza's again that day, but didn't make it to their house until 5pm, when they had finished most of the laundry and church service was about to start. I've started attending their church since I already know many in their community and I have some good translators :). That church service was the highlight of my week, because all evening we heard testimonies of how God had sustained people in this already-flood-prone area. One after another people testified of God's faithfulness in the midst of physical devastation! On top of that, some people came to the service who had never been before, and so Pastor Jeff gave a powerful gospel presentation during the service, also tying in the recent flood experience, the story of Noah, and the End Times. I was so blessed and encouraged to be there! (Pictured below: Krista's dad picking up his family's relief aid from the local government.)

The only thing was, a night church service meant late travel going home (though typically I might have stayed the night). I've grown accustomed to travelling at night alone here, and really it is safe, so I wasn't worried. However, in these post-flood days I'm learning you never know what obstacles you will come across. When I got to my 3rd ride-shift place (Santa Lucia mall), I noticed over a hundred people waiting (usually there are too many jeeps--the opposite). A jeep pulled up and the driver was announcing something that I didn't understand, but the sign on the side said it was going where I needed to go, so I got on and paid my fare. Only about a mile down the road, however, traffic became almost dead stopped and one by one people started getting off. When I and only one other passenger were left, the driver turned around and said--this as far as I'm going, I'm turning around now. (Apparently that's what he'd announced at the beginning.) So I had no choice but to get down and walk along Imelda highway looking for anything I could ride. All the jeeps that didn't turn around were full. Hmm. So I kept walking and finally I saw an fx going to Ayala. Although eventually he would turn another direction, I got on anyway, just to ride out the traffic in a car at least. Later I had to get out and walk again another 20 minutes, til near my house I finally found a jeep then a trike.

Then yesterday I had a similar major traffic challenge! First of all, the rain started around 5pm--rain from the upcoming typhoon--rain that typically is hard and steady for hours eventually causing flooding. I absolutely had to go to the doctor's office during that time for a scheduled test, and I ended up being very late because of traffic. But by a miracle they were still open and did the test (with good results YAY!). So I began my journey home at 5:30, and typically it would take about an hour from there. Well, it was Friday which in itself is a complication, and then with the flooding I've noticed there is less public transport available everywhere, since many vehicles were flooded out in the storm. I got to the last train station around 7, where usually I wait for 20 minutes at the most to catch the fx home. Half an hour came, an fx showed up and filled, but I was just too far back in line to get a seat. So I waited for the next one...and waited...and waited. People around me in line, one-by-one were giving up and walking out to the main road. But I was afraid to do that because literally every single jeep that passed was overflowingly full (ie 5 guys hanging off the back). I thought--how are these hundreds of people exiting the train every 15 minutes getting transport?

Finally, after waiting in line for an hour and a half under heavy rains which I knew were building up to eventually flood, I decided I had no choice but to venture out from the line. My first thought was to walk against the traffic flow, far enough to find a taxi that hadn't yet been claimed. But the further I walked, the more people I found who were doing the same thing. Meanwhile my friends called to give advice and suggested I walk in the other direction (past the station again, and toward home). Krista proposed, which proved to be true, that the only way I could get home was to walk all the way from Santolan station to Santa Lucia mall where I could find a jeep leaving from there. So I walked...and walked...and walked... for about 45 minutes under the rain with my umbrella, which by the way was half-dead: three of the pointed ends had come loose from the fabric. The good news is, I was not alone, because a steady stream of people were alongside of me doing the same thing...

Praise God that once I got to Santa Lucia I didn't have the same problem as Wednesday night...I got right onto a jeep and headed home. I did have to wait awhile for a trike in my neighborhood, but I didn't care because at least I was close to home. I made it around 9:30pm. (Pictured below: crowded and eerily-quiet streets last Sunday...usually filled with noisy traffic.)

So, (thanks if you're still reading), the one thing I feel was confirmed this week is my need for my own vehicle. And it's looking like a motorcycle is the best option. Even if I don't use it all the time, I need a way to get around during calamity weeks like this when public is obviously not very reliable!

Oh, and in case you're wondering about Thursday (since I skipped it)...I had to spend most of Thursday at Alberta's house using the internet since I'd had barely any contact with family and friends back home for a week. Plus I guess I needed the day to de-stress. Oh! And Thursday night we started smelling smoke, seeing sparks in the floorboards, and hearing popping noises in Sherry's room. After having the landlord and several friends come over and help, we shut down the power for the night and had the electrician come back Friday morning to rip up the floor and discover that a rat had chewed through one to many wires... Amazing how one little guy can cause so much stress, cost, smell and inconvenience! All's put back together and fine now...

Perhaps starting today (since the current typhoon seems to be passing lightly PRAISE GOD!) I'll be able to help out with more relief efforts. There are definitely opportunities abounding. I am so blessed to be a part of an org (ACTION) that's helping to do so much.

Thanks for reading and praying..........

Gildo update...and the rest

By the title "and the rest" I don't mean the others are less important! Just that the biggest news this week is about Gildo.

Last Saturday as Krista and I were strolling the streets of Silang looking for our kids, we heard an excited "Ate Tala!" from across the road (that's what they call Krista). We looked over and saw Gildo standing with a woman behind her food stand. We called him over to us and asked what he was doing and he said "working with my 'nanay' (mom)"...I said "Nanay?!"

So he took us over to the stand. We introduced ourselves as Gildo's Bible study teachers. She acted like she'd heard of us before (a good sign I guess!). As Krista began talking with her, she explained how she had gotten to know Gildo as he was sleeping on the streets and begging from her now and then, and that how he had always asked if he could help her to earn a little money. Long story short (and because I don't know the long story!), this woman has now unofficially adopted Gildo into her family!

I must say as she was standing there frying her bananas with Gildo standing alongside eagerly helping, as she was unfolding the story to Krista (and I was barely understanding) I had a strange mix of emotions flood over me. Part of me wanted to jump up and down in elation that now this sweet boy who was once sleeping on the street now has a home! But another part of me reigned in the excitement until I knew the full story. And now I realize discernment was playing a part in what I was feeling.

As I asked Krista later to explain to me the situation, I also asked her if this really is a good thing--should I be excited just as I'd love to be? As Krista had talked with the nanay, I had heard some Christian-ese words, like Bible, church, etc, so I asked Krista, is this lady a Christian? She hesitated in her response and said, "well kinda, but...not exactly...." Krista named to me this lady's church and said she thinks it's a Philippine cult.

So I guess that explains my mix of emotions. Later that weekend we learned of a semi-distant relative of Krista's who had become involved in the same cult, abducted her kids from their father and moved to a compound a few hours' drive away.

Needless to say, please pray for Gildo! It's great that he has a home now, I believe we can rejoice in that. But we MUST pray for the Truth to penetrate the hearts of Gildo, his new mom, and their family. We must pray for opportunities to continue sharing with them (that the mom will not reject our teaching or any tracts or Bibles we want to give them) and pray for the Spirit to move on their hearts. We are simply left with NO OTHER CHOICE than to pray and speak Truth.

As for the other kids...We saw Willy and Leo on Saturday night, but they said the police are mad at them now and so they can't just "hang out" at the small canteen (where they man gives them a big discount) anymore. We saw Jelo at the plaza but apparently he got the other kids in trouble so he stays away from them and is pretty much on his own (8 years old). We ran into Attorney and Carlo, and they were happy to see us but as usual not interested at all in any teaching or advice from us... Please continue to pray.

Sorry this is a long update but one more thing! Krista and I are talking with a church in Silang about them starting an outreach in the Paredes community where some of the kids' homes are. We've been trying to schedule a time to take the church leaders to the community, but it's been really hard with Krista's limited schedule and the heavy rains that we keep getting. (It's unsafe to go down into the Paredes river canyon when it's raining...) Please pray that we will find a church to partner with in this ministry because the church will endure in that place!

THANKS FOR PRAYING!! God bless you!

NEWS

New newsletter post and email coming soon!:
http://erin-manila.blogspot.com

Silang Kids

Lord we need your strength, grace, wisdom, power, love! We are nothing without you! Bring these kids to yourself Lord! Transform them in the way only you can, Jesus.

Roberto, Jelo, Hubert, Willy

These are four of the kids we are continuing to meet on Saturday nights in Silang. Krista, Mervi, and I feel we are at the end of ourselves in so many ways, but we're not ready to give up on these kids yet. Please keep praying. God has great plans for their lives. Thank you!