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WFR Relief Ministries Isaiah 58:10 if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. |
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Emails from: (w/Photos)
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Edited Emails from the Philippine Islands:
(Latest Thank You Emails from PI)
October 1, 2009
First email from brothers in the PI:
Dear Don, Thanks so much. We are trying to get some assessment of the condition of the more than 20 congregations in the Metro Manila area. It is a calamity.
Brethren Felipe Cariaga and Phillip Dumawa will be working with this along with others that they get to help.
YES, I WILL BE WORKING WITH THEM
Let me get back with you in the very near future after preliminary assessment is made. We will see what the needs are. Water is receding from the Sampalok area where Felipe and Phillip are.
Some in their family had a "scary" situation, but they are O. K..
Thanks so much. We may very definitely need your help.
ALL OUR LOVE TO YOU AND HARRIET
Bob Buchanan -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Quotes from an email from Felipe Cariaga, a church leader in the Philippine Islands:
Brother Bob (to missionary Bob Buchannan),
Phillip Dumawa, James and I and Romy visited the brethren in Pasig and Cainta and found out their situation and their immediate needs. We were not able to go to Marikina yet as the roads are still under water but we talked (Phillip and I) to Danni de Vera and informed us of their pitiful condition. We wanted to go to Antipolo but it was getting late. The traffic is bad. We could not drive fast. Every body was on the road. Several submerged vehicles are lined up and cause traffic problem. Thus far, all the reports we received and the situation we saw demands our immediate attention and action. Brethren in Pasig practically lost every thing. The Lobusta's house was totally in disarray. The water reached their second floor. It was 16 feet deep in that area. The lower portion of the subdivision where one family of the brethren lives was deeper. They lost every thing but their lives. Brethren in Marikina, Cainta, Antipolo, Pasig, Sucol, some in Samploc in low places (Phillip talked to them last night) have the same immediate needs to relieve them temporarily as they re-start their life. Very pitiful condition. What they need NOW is : food (rice, noodles, bottled drinking water, coffee, dried fish, canned goods, sugar, soap, clothes, blankets, towels, mats mosquito nets in other words all the basic and daily needs. Accordidng to Danni de Vera, all the 50 brethren in Balobad lost their homes and are living in an evacuation shelters. The hundred members in Marikina including Danni lost every thing but their lives. The flash flood was so sudden and he said if they were late for some seconds all of them would have died. Cainta is worst hit. Rajie's house was ffive feet deep on the first floor. They were stranded on the second floor for almost two days without light and little water supply. All these congregations practically need the same things at this point in time. Clarita has ordered ten sacks of rice and we will be repacking them today. Also some used clothes came and we will also sort them out and start distributing them either tonight or tomorrow if the weather permits. We have another typhoon coming in. Lord bless us!
While waiting for financial donations to come in and buy the needed supplies, those sent by Paranaque and Alabang brethren and Manila will be given out to relieve the brethren temporarily. I hope that from here you could make your assessment of the need brother Bob. Some of our friends and prospects also called up for help. We could not ignore them. They are in need too. Except the funds you sent through Phillip's account, we could only withdraw it after five days. Clarita is going to her bank today to withdraw the payment for the rice. I could not give the figure but from these I hope you could picture and imagine the immediate but temporary needs of these brethren and friends. If you have any further questions please call me or just e-mail me or Phillip. Most of the time we will be out doing something. Canned goods, noodles and other groceries are thinning in metro Manila. The rich people are buying thousand and thousands of them. Companies and other institution also helping buy a lot of these kinds so we have to race with them. I advised Ronnie to buy as many canned goods as he could like sardines and the like and we will pay him back later. Only, he has to keep all receipts for accounting purposes. Our students are helping clean houses of brethren. Some of them are going with Lemuel today and some to the Lobustas. Two are requested to stay to help in the repacking of rice. Brother Bob, I have to go. Thank you so much for your concern. Hope both of you are doing okay.
Take care. We love you! Felipe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------At
09:13 PM 10/2/2009
CALAMITY IN MANILA
Brethren, the tropical storm, Ondoy, aka Ketsana has caused a terrible calamity in the Metro Manila area of the Philippines. About 85% of the City was flooded. About 2.6 million people have been affected, and of these, 1.5 million are children. 293 deaths are confirmed. Governments are sending aid. That is good. We are concentrating on our BRETHREN IN CHRIST.
There are over 20 congregations in the Metro Manila area. Early assessment indicates that some were not seriously affected, some need a great amount of cleanup, and, in some areas, there is a great loss of possessions. Several brothers are working with this. In some areas, many of the homes of our brethren were completely destroyed. These are usually small, and made of light materials.
We are learning of some of the touching stories. One of our sisters in Christ, a medical doctor, ran from the house with her little daughter, and was almost swept away by the current. She found refuge in the second floor of a neighbors house. Her husband spent two days on the roof without food or water. Another sister in Christ was confined on the second floor for several days. She did get some food. There are many sad stories.
There was one fatality among our brethren in Marikina. While the water rose, he ran to the fuse box to cut off the power. He was electrocuted, and died. I understand he was a family man. Many families of our brethren in Marikina have lost all their possessions and houses. In the house where a congregation is meeting in Pasig, the water was 16 feet high, including two feet on the second floor. Bibles, song books, and personal possessions were destroyed. In one area, the stench of dead animals is very strong.
In one congregation out in Laguna Province, about 30 people are living in the very small church building. Their houses were destroyed. Initial food relief was taken, and more will be sent.
Some work funds were sent as seed money to get things started. Much more is needed. Some funds were contributed to assist with housing. More will be needed. Many people are in evacuation centers. The church here has sent funds which will be used for blankets, sleeping mats, and mosquito netting. Again, we say, more will be needed.
We are encouraged by the wonderful contributions of congregations here. But, the task is very large. It is estimated that we will need as much as $10,000 more to alleviate somewhat the suffering among our brethren in Christ. IF YOU CAN ASSIST, WE WILL ALL BE SO GRATEFUL! God bless.
Bob Buchanan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 October 2009
Brother Bob,
Good morning. Clarita and I visited Sucol yesterday and brought some more goods to some of the brethren and those eight (8) families still staying in the chapel. The water is still high and their is no way these families could go back to where they came from. First, the water has not abated one foot and second, all their houses were washed out. It was raining hard when we were there so we left early in the afternoon lest we will be the subjects of rescue also. We could not pass through the road we used to pass to go to the chapel. We have to go around and drive through a knee deep road to reach the place.
We had a meeting with the eight couples and expressed to them our sympathy and concern for them and their families. Some of them have children who go to school and are at this point in time not able to attend classes every day due to their situation. They do not eat regularly if their is no relief goods delivered to them by the government. For them to get their share they have to join a long line and spend one to three hours wait. We gave them bags of goods again yesterday and left some to the sisters in charge of distribution.
In our meeting, we pointed out our need for the chapel. The last Sunday of September the brethren were not able to meet in the chapel any more. Last Sunday they met under the trees. God was so good that during the morning worship the weather was good. They said that after lunch it rained very hard and flooded the place. We told them we do not want to drive them away without any place to go for shelter. We asked them if they know of any place where we could help them build temporary quarters. They understood the situation and are very thankful for our concern for them. There are two men with them who are carpenters and are willing to do the job. Most of the vacant private lots around are already occupied by people displaced by the floods. Their quarters were built by the local government. As soon as they found a place available, the brethren there will contact us. We will use some of the money you sent, if you allow us, to buy the materials. The people said that prices of materials have gone up. Businessmen are taking advantage of the situation. Right now we do not have any idea of how much we need to help these families build their temporary quarters. We might need some more money when we start building their quarters. The situation might continue to be like this for the next three or more months. Phillip and Helen said they ordered blankets and mats from Baguio and we are waiting for them to be delivered. Clarita is going to order more cavans (bags) of rice to be given to brethren in Pasig and to brethren and the evacuees in Sucol.
The other day on our way to Pasig, we passed at the clinic of Felita. She asked some bags for her staff and other workers in the hospital who were victims of the floods. Some of them live in the most affected areas and have practically lost every thing but their lives. While there are relief goods being distributed in their respective barangay, they could not join the kilometric lines to get their share because they have to go to work. Some have families. Others are the only bread earners in their family. . If they join the lines they will miss their job and they will not get paid. We distributed some thirty to forty bags to the employees and they are very very happy and thankful. Some cried and said they will not worry any more what to cook and eat with their children the next few days.
In Sucol, one of the women is in the family way and she is expected to give birth any time this month. She and her husband are from Surigao- Visaya. Her husband is a fisherman. God willing, this will be their first child. I joking said" "if you deliver your first baby in the chapel, you name it Christian. If he is a boy, give him to us and we will train him to become a preacher." Again, the man told me, Sir, we do not have money and do not know where to get it right now. It is a very pitiful situation. We are so grateful brother Bob there are brethren like you and the brethren in Davao and in the US who are,able, willing and generous to share your material blessingS to these brethren and friends who are victims of this disastrous typhoon-Ondoy.
Today, James and I will go to Cainta and deliver some bags of goods to three families who called me for help. They are not members of the church but relatives of our neighbors in Cavite. I asked Rajie to visit him yesterday and he went. He found out that water was on the ceiling of their houses and they were forced to leave without taking any thing but what was on them. Rajie Buo said they need rice and other goods plus clothes. We have some used clothes given by bretrhren in Manila and Paranaque. We will drive out there this morning and personally find out what more they need that we could be of help. We have been running around almost this whole week, last week and up to this time. From Cainta, we hope we could drive back home fast to be at the cremation of brother Soriano who died last week.
Please be patient with us as we do our best to assess the situation and the extend of the needs of the brethren and other victims so that we will spend the money wisely.for the good of the beneficiaries.
I will write yu again tonight after our trip to Cainta. Thank you so much and God bless both of you and the brethren there. Felipe _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 12, 2009 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, In the past couple of weeks, we have experienced in this nation TWO MAJOR CALAMITIES, situations worse than I have ever seen in my experience here. TWO MAJOR STORMS have flooded HUGE PORTIONS of the largest island in this nation, the ISLAND OF LUZON. These storms were named, Ondoy and Pepeng here. The problem with Pepeng is that it circled and hit Northern Luzon two or three times before moving out to sea. There is widespread devastation. The first one struck Manila and surrounding provinces. The flash floods came so quickly that almost 300 were killed. Abut 85% of Metro Manila was under water. Multitudes lost their clothing and other possessions. Many of the small houses built out of light materials were destroyed. One of our sisters in Christ, a medical doctor, was almost swept away by the rush of water. She was able, with her little girl, to get to the second floor of her neighbors house. Her husband spent two days on the rooftop without food and water. One of our brothers in Marikina waded through water to cut off electricity as the water rose. He was electrocuted. We are trying to help congregations that were deeply affected by this flood. Food and other items are helping brethren in Cainta and Pasig, but especially in Marikina. There are about 150 members there in two congregations. Many lost everything. Funds have been contributed here to assist with some "makeshift" housing. Out in the province of Laguna, at Sucol in Calamba, eight families are now staying in the little church building. Here is a picture taken near there where the water is very deep in a house. We will try to help them build little houses. The second picture shows Ruben measuring the deep water in Sucol. The second storm has ruined much of North and Central Luzon. Baguio City had over two meters of rain in a few days. Many died in mud slides in the Province of Benguet. In the Central part of Luzon, much of Pangasinan Province is under water. Thousands are stranded on the top of roofs. The three roads from the lowlands up to Baguio City were closed by mud slides. Over in Nueca Ecija, much of that Province is under water. That area has been called the "rice granary" of the Philippines. Many, many crops are destroyed. On the main north to south highway in that area, two bridges cannot be used by traffic. It will take months, even to recover partially from all of this. I have been working down here in Davao City, trying to acquaint brethren in the States with the needs. On the 14th, Ken Wilkey and Tyrone Mynhier will be coming in from Texas, bringing some funds with them. Right now, we are borrowing from extension funds for our leadership classes to meet immediate needs in the MANILA AREA. Lord willing, I will go to Manila on the 19th, not only to work with the brethren in FLOOD RELIEF, BUT ALSO TO TEACH IN ANY OF OUR CLASSES THAT ARE POSSIBLE. Brethren Felipe Cariaga, Phillip Dumawa, and team members, who are working with this disaster, will let us know what is needed. They are WORKING VERY HARD TO HELP MANY. If you can assist in a financial way IN ANY AMOUNT, WHETHER $50 OR $100, $500 OR MORE, we will use ALL of it for this FLOOD RELIEF, and will give an accounting in our report. Any help can be sent to our eldership at Nueces Canyon whose mailing address is given below. Bob Buchannan ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 12, 2009
Dear Don,
Thanks for your messages. I am being blocked again from sending out messages from Outlook Express. Problem with Internet Provider here.
Thank you for the $1,000. That is great. Ken Wilkey is on a plane coming to Manila right now. He is bringing funds from our eldership. I have contacted supporters and others. They are wonderful helpers. Two congregations will have a special contribution this coming Lord's day. Both of these are in Texas.
We have had TWO major storms, one following the other. The second one hit northern and Central Luzon very heavily. Terrible flooding in Baguio City in the mountains, in Benguet Province, in the province of Pangasinan, the province of Nueva Ecija, province of Tarlac, etc..
About 130 I believe died from mudslides in Baguio and Benguet. Baguio had OVER TWO METRES of rain in a few days. The roads to Baguio were closed by mudslides. One is now open. Bridges on major highways are out. Huge amount of crops destroyed.
Felipe, Phillip, and Ronnie are receiving cries for help. Lord willing, we will take rice, etc. to Pangasinan this next week.
Barbara and I are in Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao. We are fine. No flooding here. We are about 500 miles south and a little east of Manila. The first storm hit Manila and surrounding provinces on Luzon. The second storm hit northern and Central Luzon very heavily.
Lord willing, I will fly to Manila Monday morning. We will work on the needs in Central Luzon, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, etc. I think they are still planning the scheduled classes in our leadership work.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP. I will send another message with the lates update from Felipe that I just received.
Our love
Bob
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 13, 2009
Don,
I am attaching the message I received from Felipe this morning.
Lord willing, I will fly to Manila early Monday morning, and will go with them to deliver goods to congregations in Pangasinan. We will use preliminary funds that Ken is bringing. No problem.
Brethren are already responding with help. We are grateful.
Our love
Bob
Dear Brother Bob,
Ronnie, Phillip and I just finished talking about helping those severely affected by typhoon Ondoy in Cainta, Pasig and Sucol in Laguna. Paranaque and Alabang are also helping giving rice and other stuffs to the victims in Sucol. But our concern now is their temporary quarters so that we could use the church' building. The brethren have not been able to use the building for worship for three consecutive Sundys because eight people are housed there. God willing, Clarita and I will drive out there to visit the places they texted us to build their quarters and also to know the approximate cost of materials. Perhaps after coming from there we could E-mail you again and inform you of the need cost. I sent you by text this afternoon and informed you that the money sent through the church bank account has already been used for rice and other basic needs. We also bought few blankets and mosquito nets. There are some cavans (bags) of rice left. The money from the brethren in Davao, Australia and yours are already spent. We will be taking some bags with us when we go to Sucol tomorrow. As soon as we know how much we need for the quarters, we will let you know immediately. Please bear with us. Thank you!
While we are busy helping these brethren, you already knew what happened in Pangasinan and some part of Tarlac. Ronnie and Phillip informed me this afternoon that they had communications with brethren in Tarlac and Pangasianan like brethren Boniel, De Castro, Jonathan Ramos and others informing them of their immediate needs. Some of them lost their houses. We plan to drive out there next week. Perhaps brother Ken could go with us during the trip. We might stay out for two days and then come home and prepare for Clark and other activities in Manila like the Revelatipon lectures and the Christianity in Action Seminar. Hope the calamities will not hinder any of the activities we had planned for late October and early November.
God bless!
Felipe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 18, 2009 - Rabon, PI
From: Paul
Harris <pandeharris@gmail.com> Forwarded from Edmond - received earlier today: There may be another typhoon coming...
Our elders called a meeting tomorrow after service to discuss our plans for the benevolent efforts. I am attaching several pictures.
These are pictures of the zigzag road connecting Rabon and Baguio city. We took chances to get down to Rabon and our cameras caught these stills. In Calasiao church, pictures show wet materials for teaching children and even books and Bibles. I hope these pictures will help...Will sned more...
Ed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 19, 2009 - Sent to World Radio News
From:
Jonathan Palitayan [mailto:jongpjr71@yahoo.com]
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