Typhoon Haiyan recovery

This update is from Eugene Guzon, GCI’s national director in the Philippines. It was filed on November 16.

Since super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) struck central Philippines on November 8, the situation remains bleak. Statistics vary, but the official death toll is 4600 and rising. We praise God that most of our GCI members in Tacloban and in other hard-hit areas have been located and are alive, though their homes and belongings have been damaged.

In Tacloban City (the hardest hit) and other places in the Visayas, thousands have died while others are half-alive from fatigue, hunger and disease from infections and scarcity of hygiene supplies and medicines. These people would like to flee to neighboring cities, like Cebu and Samar, and even as far as Manila to find temporary refuge from an otherwise deadly situation, but there is a lack of transport facilities. This is an overwhelming crisis for the Philippine government and considering the scale and scope, there is a need for everyone to join in this humongous effort. Thank you so much for the outpouring of prayers and willingness to help in service and in kind. These updates will give you some of the ways GCI members have been helping.

Visiting affected members

In the last several days, I have visited GCI members who were impacted by the typhoon, including 13 families with damaged homes, three of which were destroyed. One family lost their poultry houses—their main source of income. Two families lost their retail stores. I saw the overwhelming destruction of infrastructure, including telecommunication, transport and money transfer facilities. During a short candle-lit church service, I relayed to these members your love and that you are praying for them. During the visit, I represented you all in delivering to them the first wave of support in the form of food and building materials. Next week, we will deliver the next wave of support, including generators to restore power and communications through phone charging, along with supplies to help in reconstructing homes and businesses.

Relief team en route

As I write this, a team of GCI Philippines leaders are travelling from Manila to Samar and Tacloban—a dangerous drive that will take well over a day. They are going to minister to our members with prayer and counseling, and to gather information concerning their immediate needs. They are carrying with them relief goods for members and their families—enough to last a week. They also are delivering power generators. Please pray for travelling mercies and special protection for this team, especially as they approach the worst-hit areas where security is a concern. And thanks for your generosity in giving, which is making the delivery of these supplies possible.

Outreach in Manila

Villamor Airbase in Manila is the drop-off point for typhoon victims arriving on the government’s C-130 planes. Members from our Santa Rosa Church along with others, are volunteering there in support of the Tacloban refugees who are now arriving. They are providing relief goods, counseling and other forms of support. According to their report, they need donations of food, medicine, slippers and transport vehicles to use in shuttling the refugees to public transport hubs in order to reach their families. As of this writing, we are mobilizing to send relief supplies. We are calling for volunteers to help at the airbase with various tasks including crisis counseling, marshaling, goods disbursement, feeding efforts, and other work; especially at night because the operation goes on 24 hours a day.

SEP camp community helps out

Staff and campers from our SEP Luzon youth camp recently volunteered for re-packing of relief goods at a Manila university. They joined other young people and volunteers in putting together family packs to be deployed by the Philippine government to Tacloban and surrounding areas.

Moving forward

These are just a few of the ways our church has an active part in the relief efforts, allowing God to use us as instruments of his love and provision to our members and others badly in need of help. We thank our churches and members from all over the Philippines and around the world, for their prayers, encouragement and other forms of help. To the churches and members who have already responded with donations in cash and in kind, please know that your contributions are going a long way in helping our affected brothers and sisters. We praise God for your compassion and selflessness. We also thank our members and partners from GCI headquarters and across the United States for their generous donations given to this relief effort through the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. This aid is helping our affected members rebuild their homes and businesses and address other immediate basic needs.

We are truly blessed to be part of a worldwide family, through whom we powerfully experience God’s love, despite the distance.