When I walk down the street to the Alternative Learning System (ALS) building I hear voices singing loudly and full of passion. The closer I get, the clearer the words become. “I will call upon your name, when oceans rise…” I recognise the song as I knock on the big turquoise gate, wondering who is on guitar. The gate opens, I step in and see them; a group of young adults sitting in a circle, one student playing the beatbox, Mark on the guitar. As I walk towards them I see a young woman in the back cooking rice. It’s 12:30pm and lunch break. “Hi Nora!” “Good to see you!” the students welcome me. Sitting down to sing with them, I think about each individual student and the role ALS has played in their lives.

Alternative Learning System describes a learning institution for those who have dropped out of school or failed their exams. Initiated by OM Philippines, Cebu, ALS is different from other institutions because its workers strive to transform lives through God’s Spirit. Kuya Dabe, one of the teachers, gives an alternative to the ALS acronym: “Active Life in the Spirit.” He loves to see lives changed and feels honoured to invest in, and tutor, students. He is amazed when students are able to look back on their lives and see that with God all things are possible.

Lyra, the head of the ALS team, says it is not just about preparing the students for the exams, it is about teaching them who they are in Christ, which will influence all other areas in their lives. “Their confidence will rise, they will be able to reflect on their experiences, learn to forgive and be forgiven for all the wrong they experienced,” she says, “They will find a new family in Christ.”

Started ten years ago, ALS has gone through many different batches of students, staff and locations. Today, it is run by Lyra, her team of two teachers and some international volunteers like me. I have only been here for six weeks, but ALS has impacted me from my first day. Here, I get to see God working: in the student’s lives and in my own. While I teach English and life skills, I get to know the students on a very personal level. Each of their stories is touching and often a testimony of God’s great love.

Mark, the guy on the guitar whom I mentioned earlier, used to be a student here. He dropped out of school and only entered ALS because his brother had been and encouraged him to go. Even though he was quite shy and scared at the beginning, he kept coming because of the friendships he found. His favourite part of ALS was the Bible study on Friday mornings. He says he loved the morals he learnt and how God changed his life, adding “I was very proud before.” Today, I see him humbly cleaning the kitchen after lunch without being on duty. He loves playing the guitar, improving his skills and just singing with the others. Now that he has passed the ALS examination, he is studying for a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and volunteers with OM whenever he has time. The ALS staff and students have become a family to him.

The girl cooking rice when I walked in is named May. She was not able to go through high school because her family moved. Still, she desired to go back to school so she could financially support her family as soon as possible. Their living conditions and a pastoral friend in her community motivated her to take the chance ALS offered. May described herself as “anti-social” during her first weeks at ALS, but that slowly changed. She now comes often because the people have become her family. While she studied, God changed her life. Coming from a non-Christian background, she learnt about Christ, got to know other Christians and calls them friends now. She loved learning to play the piano, going on outings like church retreats, playing sports and­­ – most of all – putting God first. Today, she is studying for her Bachelor of Science in Christian Education at a Bible school and still spends her free time at ALS or with the friends she found here. Her dream is to become a missionary.

Both Mark and May also volunteer with other OM ministries – like the kids’ outreach on Saturdays that takes place in May’s own neighbourhood where as a child she first heard about OM; now she herself volunteers to win other kids over for Christ.

Most of the students that ALS caters to come from dysfunctional families, hooked on drugs and gambling addictions, intoxication and are products of abusive and broken homes. The fruit of God’s work in their lives through ALS is evident in many areas. About 80% of the ALS students pass the final exam. The current group is smaller than usual: only 17 students took the exam, of which 13 passed. OM’s ALS passing rate is much higher than the national passing rate.

In the near future, a few things will change. Some staff will leave and so the need for new teachers arises. In addition, another OM ministry will take place in the same building. It will be a challenge, just as the location of the ALS building is already a challenge by itself. Some kids think about going to ALS but find it hard to get there on public transportation.

Please join with us in prayer that each student will know that God has all things in His hands and that it is on Him whom they should rely on – not only school wise – but for everything. Pray that God will continue using ALS to meet these young people where they are at and address their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

When asked if OM in the Philippines would respond to the need, the immediate reply was negative—all staff had already left for a well-deserved Christmas break.

However, OM Philippines Field Leader Sally Ababa could not ignore the new crisis unfolding in her hometown. Ten days later, she boarded an overnight boat with a friend from Singapore to distribute relief goods and material to various schools in Lanao del Norte, the hardest hit province in northern Mindanao.

Due to recent armed struggles in the province bordering Lanao del Norte to the southeast, the peace situation remains volatile in the area. The Marawi Crisis that started in May 2017 has since become the longest urban battle in the modern history of the Philippines, resulting in the death of more than 1,100 people, including 165 soldiers. In 2000, an all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was also declared there.

“Typhoon Vinta was the worst disaster to hit the region in many years, paving the way for OM Philippines to reach places hardly reached by many due to the recent conflict situation and remoteness of the area,” Sally said. “Mass flooding led to the death of several children by drowning, but also the destruction of houses, schools and properties.”

In partnership with Dr. Rasmila M. Cosain, senior education programme specialist on networking and social mobilisation, and the Department of Education, OM was able to serve more than 15 schools with gallons of paint for the buildings, materials to rebuild broken structures and school supplies for over 600 students. Food supplies and kitchen utensils were also donated to 100 families in Maranding Annex, Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte in partnership with the local government and churches.

“It was a challenging feat, knowing that it happened during the Christmas holiday and we were short-handed with people, but we are grateful for the assistance of many individuals, including churches and the military,” Sally said.

Escorted by 21 soldiers

The greatest breakthrough for the OM team was the distribution of school supplies to 150 students of Munai Elementary School, in Lininding, which was totally destroyed. For anyone to enter the area, including the military, a clearance order from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front needed to be attained.

On the eve of OM Philippines’ planned distribution on 6 January 2018, the fifth Mechanized Kaagapay Battalion received clearance to accompany the team for the distribution of relief aid. “Aside from the local government unit, we were the first group to reach the place after the devastating typhoon,” Sally said.

Accompanied by 21 soldiers in three trucks, it took the OM team four hours to reach Lininding: New paths had to be created as roads had been covered in mud, and huge boulders blocked the way in many places.

“It was a lot of hard work to reach the place, and we are grateful for the support of everybody, including the villagers who came to our rescue when we got stuck,” Sally said. “Without the joint support of everybody, we could not have made it to the school. We arrived at a throng of students and adults alike, gladly receiving us into their midst, despite the great devastation surrounding them.”

It was the first time the military had reached the place in years, and future relief work could be planned accordingly. A few days later, the military returned to the village with members of the Department of Social Work and Development, bringing much-needed food relief and supplies.

Since then, OM has also sent a follow-up relief team to distribute hygiene kits in Munai, Kolambugan and the surrounding area. In addition, OM has been invited to conduct a psycho-social programme for children, following the Operation Safe curriculum used for children affected by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) a few years earlier.

Working together for a common cause

“We could have stayed in the comfort of our offices and reasoned out that it was our holiday when the call was given to us,” Sally shared, “[but I am] grateful that we did not... because it did not only give us the opportunity to respond to a need, but it also allowed us a closer and more direct engagement with a least-reached people group [in our community].

“The show of camaraderie and solidarity of our people working together for a common cause [also] gave me great joy. Now we have a great open door to show [those affected by Typhoon Vinta] what a vibrant community of Jesus followers can do for others, regardless of circumstances.”

This was only one of many thought-provoking statements that TeenStreet founders Dan and Suzie Potter doled out to the participants at the first-ever TeenStreet Philippines. The four-day youth event, which was held 28 to 31 October 2017, took place at Cebu Hidden Paradise Mountain Resort in San Fernando, Cebu, and involved 105 participants, 21 coaches and 58 service crew members. The theme of this year’s TeenStreet Philippines was Wild Kingdom and had the goal of discipling and encouraging the spiritual walk of young people.

One thing that set TeenStreet Philippines apart from other youth camps the participants had attended before were the programmes it had to offer. Most days began with a Wild Kingdom session taught by Duzie (Dan and Suzie), who spoke on a variety of topics that all touched on spiritual growth, such as putting God’s Word into practice, cultivating God Time (or personal time with God) and walking on the narrow path to God. This was followed by Net Time where participants were grouped together with a coach and discussed the teaching sessions. This was also the time for participants to write their reflections down in their manuals.

Time was set aside for participants to corporately worship God during what is known as Throne Room––a praise-and-worship session led by a band, where they could sing, dance, paint, or journal thoughts to God. Jenilyn, 15, stated that she particularly enjoyed this time, saying, “Seeing other people cry [while] worshipping the Lord touched my heart.”

Shhh Time was a daily 30 minute quiet time that all attendees participated in. During this half hour, teens were encouraged not to talk to anyone, but to spend time with God through journaling, reading His word, or simply listening to Him amid the nature of the venue.

In the evenings after dinner, teens mingled with one another and participated in open mic sessions, played board games or hung out in the Interactive Zone, which was renamed Jungle Time to fit the week’s theme. Another Net Time wound up the evening before teens headed off to bed.

For many participants, TeenStreet was a time where they drew closer to God and learnt new ways to grow in their spiritual lives. One teen, Julius, 18, said, “My TeenStreet [Philippines] experience was really amazing ’cause I got to meet people that were so inspiring, who desired to share the gospel, to know more about God, and that’s what I really need because…I get to have these really worldly desires. And I get worried. Where am I going? Or what’s my path? What’s going on with my life? And with this camp, I really realised things, and I thank God that I’ve been part of this, that I got to meet people that really changed my mind and helped me know what God really wants me to do.”

For another teen, Ernest, 14, one topic shared during the Wild Kingdom sessions made him think hard about the way he serves. “I’m a very lazy person,” Ernest said. “And it’s weird because I have this ministry in church—I serve in the praise and worship [team]. I can serve God—that’s what I think, I serve God—but when I serve my parents and others, I seem very mediocre about it and I don’t really put my heart into it. So that really struck me a lot. I learnt that I should not be only serving God but I should be serving others as well.”

Eivind, 17, stated, “I learnt a lot of things, especially in regards to God Time because all I knew about God Time was that you only have to read the Bible, meditate on it day and night. But I came to know that you can actually do something and your focus is on God while you’re doing it. Dan said he would draw while listening [to the praise and worship], so that’s how he worships. I didn’t know that you could do this and that it’s already God Time. It really changed my perspective.” Eivind, an avid jogger, vowed to spend more time with God while out and about on his jogs.

TeenStreet Philippines may have ended, but there are activities that will happen before next year’s event. According to TeenStreet Philippines Coordinator Alpha Napano an outreach programme named Teens Need Teens (an offshoot of TeenStreet) will be held this December. The programme aims to help street children in Cebu and will use funds raised by the teens during their time at TeenStreet Philippines along with having camp participants volunteer during the outreach.

To stay updated, you can like and follow TeenStreet Philippines on Facebook.

Dubbed “TeenStreet PH,” its organisers from OM Philippines aim to work and learn alongside the teenagers from various local churches to ‘focus up’ by deeply knowing God and ‘focus out’ by serving others.

“This is a dream come true. For how many years we’ve been praying to really have our very own TeenStreet Philippines – now it’s coming true," said OM Philippines Field Leader, Sally Ababa, during the TeenStreet PH launch last March. "Though it requires hard work, we will stand tall.” 

In previous years, OM Philippines has sent teens to join TeenStreet Malaysia, it being the closest event. Now, OM Philippines is making the significant effort to see this long-time dream come to completion.

“TeenStreet is uniquely designed. It has a unique teaching style that allows the teens to hear, experience, craft and verbally process a lesson all within an hour’s time,” said Dan Potter, who founded TeenStreet with his wife Suzie, in a previous interview.

Each day’s lesson is incorporated through different teaching elements to demonstrate the theme, while at the same time engaging the entire audience no matter their learning preference. Each of these elements is carefully designed to give teens a wider array of opportunities to encounter God – whether in the Art Zone, Throne Room, evening worship sessions, workshops or even during Shhh-time. 

“24 hours [after a teaching] people will remember 6% of what they heard, 66% of what they saw, but 80% of what they experienced,” explained Suzie. “So if we can use as many senses as possible to teach them, then the teens remember much more.”

Aside from community sessions, the teens gather daily in small groups with five other teens of the same age, gender and language with one adult labelled as their coach. The groups pray, process and discuss together what they’ve learnt during the day or in a specific session.

Dan and Suzie Potter, commonly known as Duzie, are the main speakers at the first TeenStreet in the Philippines. Together with Duzie are 50-60 Filipino volunteers who will serve as coaches, worship team members, event organisers and in many other roles.

“This generation has to be allowed to be unique, but they also want to be accepted by their community for their uniqueness,” Dan said.

As a movement, TeenStreet also partners with local churches and youth groups to support their year-round ministry to teenagers – fully equipping leaders to serve their teens well after the event has finished. TeenStreet focuses less on the event, and more on the discipleship that happens afterward.

TeenStreet PH desires that each participant leaving will have a living and true relationship with Jesus and be reflecting Him into the world. Please pray for the right participants to attend the event and for safety for all as they travel. Pray too that this event would empower the local leaders in attendance to disciple and build up their youth even more.

A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Surigao City on February 10, 2017, with an epicenter 14 km northwest of the city. The earthquake affected 60 barangays (villages), 1,790 families, and 9,320 individuals. Eight were recorded dead and more than 200 were injured.

At least 11 towns were severely affected by the quake, which also damaged the Provincial government building, two major bridges, and other infrastructures. Power and electricity supply in the quake-affected areas were back three days after the incident.

“Most of the badly damaged infrastructures were those of government properties and privately-owned establishments. There were only few residential houses slightly damaged. Businesses and offices were almost back to normal within the city,” Cres Baterna, OM Philippines staff reported.

He also added that there is already enough flow of supply for relief operations delivered by the government and several broadcast media companies.

The team experienced several aftershocks ranging from 2.0-4.5 magnitude during their visit. Those aftershocks caused local people to have heightened trauma.

“With an assessment done together with representatives from other Christian agencies like Youth with a Mission and Assembly of God Churches, we observed a greater need for trauma counselling for people dealing with aftershocks. As of now, there is only one team from the government doing counselling and people still need to go to the city hall for debriefing and counselling,” Baterna explained.

Moreover, there has not been enough disaster response training among the locals on how to handle calamities like earthquakes and flooding. The request of most pastors coordinated from 50 different churches would be trainings in disaster response and Psychological First Aid (PFA).

The OM team understands these needs as they reflect on several years of working directly with communities affected by a series of disasters. With this, OM Philippines is now working closely with various government agencies, churches and other organisations to conduct disaster relief trainings in a number of affected areas in Surigao City in the coming weeks.

As the team has seen how these trainings effectively met the needs for deeper emotional and spiritual healing to those traumatised by disasters in other areas of the Philippines, they pray that this could also happen in Surigao and hopefully to the rest of the areas in Mindanao; the part of the Philippines buffeted with a great number of man-made and natural calamities, including insurgencies and Muslim extremists.

Please pray for the local people in Surigao and also pray for the OM team coordinating and conducting the series of trainings. Pray that this may open wide doors of ministry to many communities which remain to be reached in Mindanao.

On Saturday July 9, 2016, in the gym of the University of the Visayas, together with over 1,000 former ALS graduates, 34 students walked proudly to the stage to receive their respective elementary and high school diplomas.

 “Malipayun ko nga naka-graduate ko. Mapasalamaton ko sa Ginoo sa tanan niyang gihatag nako, (I am happy that I graduated already and I am also thankful for everything God has given me.)” said fourteen-year old, Daniela, one of the new elementary graduates.

Daniela, who completed Grade 2, had been intermittently attending formal school but her attendance dropped off when her father was imprisoned due to selling prohibited drugs, leaving his four children under the care of their mother, also a drug addict.  Living on the streets of Cebu, eventually their mother abandoned them, too.

The street was the children’s playground during the day and the place to beg for food from passers-by.  Each night Daniela settled down to sleep on the pavement covered with cartons and used plywood.

“Sa dalan ra mi matulog. Naa pud usahay nga i-demolish mi sa mga city officials. (We slept on the streets. There were times when the city officials moved us or shoo us away.),” she added. “Nalipay ko nga giluwas mi sa OM, (I am so happy that we were rescued by OM.)” 

For several months, Daniela attended the ALS program during the day and went back to the streets after class. A few weeks before Daniela’s graduation, OM Cebu’s Social Worker successfully processed her papers so that she and her younger sister are now able to enjoy safe refuge in a local shelter.

Fulfilling dreams

The Alternative Learning System (ALS) is one of the government’s Education for All programs which allows school drop-outs to take an official exam, allowing those who pass to accelerate to their next level of formal education. OM Philippines is accredited by the government to train, teach and facilitate intensive reviews to out-of-school learners, equipping them to take the Accreditation and Equivalency Examination required by the Philippine Education Department.

Out of 35 learners, only one did not pass the exam; four passed elementary level and 30 attained high school level.  Several of the high school graduates are now looking for jobs while others have enrolled in college.  “Just arrived from school,” posted Joel on his Facebook status, a regular attendee of OM’s Street Kids’ feeding programme who completed Grade 3, then elementary level last year and high school level this year. “Hard to believe, but it is true,” quipped Walter, Joel’s friend selling bottled water on the street.  After the ALS graduation, Joel immediately enrolled in Marine Engineering at the University of the Visayas.

“If you can see your dreams while closing your eyes that means it is not impossible to fulfill them. This life is never easy, however if it is lived with God – if you trust God, you can do it,” stated OM Philippines Board member, Bing Roncesvalles, at the Thanksgiving dinner following the graduation ceremony.

On 22-26 December, for the first time, Operation Mobilisation Hong Kong sent a mission team from Salem Tai Po Lutheran Church composed of six individual church members.

“For them to have spent their Christmas here with us, [rather] than with their family back in Hongkong is a sign of their love for us. A testimony on how God loves us as well,” said Rionel, one of the teens the team met.

For the team and the people they met, the visit was a very wonderful way to share God’s love and blessing – which is the very reason to celebrate Christmas.

The team joined and assisted some of the Christmas Parties that OM outreaches and partner churches had organized including: Tuesday and Wednesday Feeding, Chinese Cemetery, Tac-an Outreach and leading Christmas carolling for the mothers and families in Makro Outreach.

On the eve of 24th December, they were joined by OM Philippines Cebu Steppers and Global Action workers for a Noche Buena and fireworks display on the mountain to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Personal impressions

Paul Kwan, one of the team members and resident Pastor of Salem Tai Po Lutheran Church wrote this personal impression after the visit:

“What the country is facing is endless: population growth that caused the formation of a series of problems like poverty, housing, food and education. Authorities must educate the people to do family planning and to at least create a remedial work to help young people and their families to have basic needs and education.

Sharing Christ’s love is a concrete action, which OM Philippines has been doing. Through the organization, the love of Jesus Christ was expressed, and led them to understand the true Salvation and gave them hope. OM Philippines’s work with the kids, youth, and families made me feel that we are rich and blessed.  It was a great time to give back what others do not have.

We have to pray that the Lord would richly bless the Philippines – to save them from their sin, grasping the promise of salvation and live an abundant life the Lord had promised.”

Pray that the Lord would raise more partners for missions to reach the marginalized and unreached people – not just in the Philippines but around the globe. 

“The goal [of the celebration] was to recall the work of God through the past 25 years and, of course, to thank the partner churches, the sponsors and the people who have helped OM to look forward to the future and to establish more local partners,” shared event coordinator Stephanie Wong. 

The event included a photo exhibit and programs for people involved with OM in the past, showcasing the achievements and milestones God has produced.

Humble Beginnings

OM Philippines was registered with the Philippine government in 1990, but it was already active in the country long before that. Jaime “Jimmy” Ledesma, treasurer for OM Philippines’ board of directors, has been with OM since its early days. Ledesma joined OM’s cross-cultural missions program in 1979, flying to Singapore where there was an OM office as the Philippines did not have one yet.

Remembering OM Philippines’ beginnings, Ledesma said that the organisation was “…under-supported most of the time [and] we didn’t have a system yet; there were very few staff. We just had a one room office.” 

Now, Ledesma has seen OM establish a foundation and programs in different regions of the Philippines that have made it a more stable ministry.

“The work has really grown,” he observed. “Before, our focus was mobilisation—to bring young people on short term missions in cross-cultural situations—but now we have an established work here. We used to rent only an office, but now we own our own building and training center in Manila.”

OM has four offices in the Philippines with programs ranging from tribal outreaches to children’s ministries to relief and development programs for places hit by natural disasters. OM Philippines has 30 local staff workers and six foreign staff workers, the second largest number of workers in South East Asia after Nepal.

Proclaiming God’s Greatness

The 25th anniversary celebration took place at The Living Christian Church (TLCC) in Cebu City, with a photo exhibit kick-starting the full day event. Those attending the exhibit included Logos Hope port volunteers, outreach volunteers, and members of OM’s partner churches. The 12 pictures showcased OM Philippines’ past and present.

A former OMers’ reunion program was held in the afternoon, allowing people who had volunteered in the past to catch up, reminisce and mingle. In the evening, a Thanksgiving-style dinner was held for partners and supporters of OM Philippines’ programs.

The field leaders from the four offices—Manila, Cebu, Palawan and General Santos—gave updates on their current programs, and a short video presented an overview of OM Philippines’ history. Guest of honor and OM East Asia Pacific’s missions mentor and consultant Rev. Rodney Hui also gave a short message about Millennials and what it meant to be at the 25th year milestone and living in the digital age.

Future Plans

When asked what OM plans for the future, OM Philippines’ Field Leader Sally Ababa said, “for the next two years, at least, we want to start putting in place a system and structure for sustainability, [where] our support comes from within the Philippines—among the Filipinos, for the Filipinos and by the Filipinos. But of course, we still welcome the mutual partnership with our foreign friends who can help us to achieve sustainability.” 

In the long-term, Ababa envisions OM Philippines as being sustainable where “the [organisation] and all the staff are supported by [OM Philippine’s] programs.”

Ledesma also dreams of financial sustainability and hopes to see more young Filipinos engaged in missions with OM, stating that OM “accept[s] raw young people, give[s] them life-transforming experiences and bring[s] them to a cross-cultural setting, expand[ing] their world vision and grow[ing] their passion to reach out to the world and fulfill the Great Commission.”

For Ababa, what sets OM apart from other missions organisations is that “OM is willing to take in people who may consider themselves [with] nothing to offer and then, in the process of joining, one soon discovers that a person actually has so much to offer if he would only be willing to engage and explore the opportunities provided.” “It could be a lot of mess,” Ababa stated, “but it could also be a lot of adventure in discovering what truly is in us.”

The OCZ team going to Cebu was a six-member team, composed of participants from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia and France. 

Soon upon arrival in the Philippines, the Cebu team crossed islands by a pump boat for the Gilutungan Island mission outreach. It was a rough ride across high waves common during this time of the year, due to the southwest monsoon.

The team first visited Gilutungan Elementary School and distributed school supplies in partnership with a local church. About 800 school children benefited from a gift pack containing notebooks, papers, pens, crayon and slippers.

Excitement and gratitude were written all over the faces of the school children as they received their gifts. Afterward they had a time of games and stories with the OCZ team. The school principal and teachers of Gilutungan Elementary School expressed gratefulness for the donations from the church and the presence of the OCZ team.

The following day, the team visited people’s homes and prayed for the elderly and sick.

"It was a very humbling experience to enter the houses of these simple people, to hear their stories and to pray for them,” Michael Walder, from Switzerland, recalled. 

The visits were followed by a children’s fellowship among the kids in the community. The OCZ team presented dramas, Bible stories and games, along with a snack. Team member Fong Vin Kit, from Malaysia, summarised his reflections: “It cannot be clearer that we're called to shine for Jesus as I see the darkness around me."

After visiting Gilutungan Island, the team crossed to Kinatarcan Island, which was previously affected by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in November 2013. The team was taken beyond their comfort zone as they experienced island life with many deprivations, such as not having electricity, toilets or proper housing. There the team held an outreach at a school and showed a Gospel film. 

Kelly Schneider, from Australia, describes her experience in Kinatarcan:

“During the evangelistic night and Gospel film show in the community, I was having a fever and was undecided whether to stay to rest. I came for the evangelistic night. When we got back to our camp, my fever spiked. I felt like I have to go to the small toilet outside of the makeshift house, so I rose up from my mat and went through the dark night to the toilet, for there was no electricity.

“I was really out of my comfort zone and wondered why God has brought me here and I'm sick. Then suddenly from somewhere in a house nearby, a worship song was played, which I could hear from inside the dark toilet. Hearing the song strengthened me in the moment.

“I am a witness that God cares and knows what I’m going through that time while I was out of my comfort zone. The next day, I was well and able to continue with more mission outreaches. I experienced the way of life by people living with so little. However, I saw God work in the most incredible ways.  For me that is the most amazing and encouraging thing to witness.”

Praise God for the people impacted by the outreach, both those in the community and the outreach team. Pray that God continues to work in the local communities for His glory.

In Subic Bay, close to 40 volunteers came on board and served for the whole duration that Logos Hope was opened to the public. They were assigned to various departments like catering, book fair and housekeeping.

Among them were some interesting personalities, including two former bar girls, a handicapped man without hands and a local women’s magazine editor. Serving on board Logos Hope was something that the two bar girls, Anna* and Marianne*, had never imagined.

“Before I became a Christian, I didn’t even know why I was living in this world. God placed me back in the right place and I’m so blessed to be here on the ship. I want to continue to grow in him and spread the love to my friends and family,” shared Anna.

Another volunteer, Oliver Latigar, who went through a traumatic experience when a box he was moving blew up and cost him both hands, came to learn the truth and grace of God after the accident. He currently works in the book fair and his favourite part of the job is making announcements in the information desk.

“God was gracious to me. Even though I lost my hands, He gifted me in the areas of sports and music.” Oliver enjoys hanging out in the International Café on board where he can connect with locals through beatboxing.

Women’s magazine editor, Luningning Hilario, shared that she gets emotional thinking about how she got the chance to serve with people from around the world, made possible only through sharing the same values and faith.

“I will definitely be sharing my story on the ship in the magazine,” Ning enthused.

*Name changed

It was a great encouragement when the Chairman of SBMA, Robert Garcia, emphasized in his speech that he is 100 per cent behind Logos Hope’s visit and fully supports the ship’s vision and purpose. Vice Governor of Zimbales, Ramon Lacbain, also showed his support through sharing the Logos Hope flyer on his Facebook account to attract visitors to the ship.

“We want to have even more visitors than the 170,000 who visited the ship in Cebu!” said Mr Ramon, who also made some suggestions so that more Filipinos would join the ship as volunteers.

After the opening ceremony, down at the International Café, it was an unusual yet heart-warming sight to see Mr. Ramon hugging one of the pastors, Pastor Leony.

“He is my spiritual advisor, a true brother!” said Mr Ramon. The three hundred or so pastors in Zimbales meet regularly to pray for the region and the political leadership, with whom they have developed close relationships with. Praise God for the unwavering support that these Pastors provide for the country as well as for Logos Hope.

The workshop started with some hypothetical scenario exercises which showed that anyone can get infected with HIV, not only through sexual activities. One should not have preconceptions or judgements towards those who are living with HIV and AIDS. There were also a set of controversial questions that spurred healthy discussion among the participants. Questions like if everyone in the country should be tested to give accurate statistics and allow us to know who is HIV-positive and who is not, and if high risk groups such as men who have sex with other men should be allowed to donate blood.

One of the participants, Stephanie Vargas, who works with youths in an NGO said, “It is very informative and useful session that I can bring back to work into campaigns on HIV and Aids that we are planning to do.” Another participant, Cherry Seniedo, a scholar under OM Philippines, also said that it has helped her to clear up a lot of misconceptions she used to have. The workshop ended with a free HIV testing provided by ‘Cebu Plus’, an organisation that help, educate and support people who are living with HIV and AIDS.

The crew and staff of Logos Hope welcomed and blessed the pastors in every way they could. After a programme which included an inspiring message by Dan (UK) and Wendy Wallis (Canada) on the roles of husbands and wives, the pastors were joined by male crewmembers to share and pray more deeply, while the wives were invited to a time of pampering at a “beauty salon” that included massage, foot spa, manicure and even hair styling. It was definitely a rare treat!

One of the wives, Ruth Fernali, will soon be moving with her husband to the centre of Tacloban, where Typhoon Yolanda hit most severely. “After all these years, this is my first time I’m on a retreat, and getting fussed over in a beauty salon,” she shared. Another wife, Daliah Carnice, who has been serving with her husband for the past 25 years, fulfilled her dream to come onto Logos Hope. “I enjoyed the message today and this beauty salon is wonderful. We are so thankful to have Logos Hope crewmembers serving us. I feel like God’s princess today!”

The pastors were also very grateful for this opportunity to rest and reconnect with their wives again. Reverend Randolf, who has been deeply involved with relief operations and rehabilitation of houses since the typhoon hit, said, “It has been two years since Typhoon Yolanda and we had been working hard to take care of the church and the community. This time of resting is one of the best things that OM Philippines could have blessed us with.”

While Mary and Peter were away at a 10-day conference, though, the boys stopped selling fish. When the couple returned home, they tracked down the whereabouts of the boys and soon started visiting the boys at home.

Mary and Peter were introduced as teachers and friends, and not as Christian workers, and the three boys became Mary and Peter's “men of peace” in three of the poorest Muslim communities in the Philippines.

In the weeks that followed, Mary and Peter visited the local community centres and government institutions, asking about their needs. Poor health, the lack of toilets and the large number of children were mentioned as the real felt challenges the local government faced.

When Mary and Peter learnt that the local government wanted to start a kindergarten but lacked the necessary knowledge and skills to do so, they helped officials identify a suitable location and organised a committee to start repairing the roof of the building.

They then offered training to the government-appointed teacher and encouraged parents to contribute material such as mats for the children to use during class. They used a community-organisation approach that encourages the community to come up with the necessary resources, instead of pouring resources onto the community themselves.

A simple preschool for children has since been established, and OM Philippines provides crayons and booklets for the children. Mary and Peter are now helping the local government identify a suitable community developer and hygienist to tackle the other issues.

“The community is very open to Mary and Peter's input, because they came in as friends, not as NGO workers,” said Sally Ababa, Field Leader of OM Philippines. “They were intentional about building relationships. The doors for further ministry in these three communities are open wide as a result!”

*Names changed

"When Jim asked one of the beneficiaries if they were excited to receive a house, he said that they were almost in tears of happiness when she replied. There are always a few people around the sites happy to help out or to watch the construction.”
 
“I can truly say that God has blessed us here with an amazing team", Daniel said. "Also we've had an amazing privilege to have a devotion time with all of the carpenters and labourers before the days work begins. Being able to share the gospel with those that are told if they read the Bible, you'll go crazy, has been a great blessing for me and all have asked for a Bible in Visayan. So please if you could pray for that too, that'd be amazing!”

A few weeks ago, Engel went with fellow ALS teachers to visit four scholars at the Chinese Cemetery in Hipodromo, Cebu City–this is just one way the teachers try to keep parents committed to their children’s education.

“First we visited the house of [scholar] John Vincent,” said Engel. “Their house is on the other side of the river, and the man-made bamboo bridge we had to cross didn’t have any side support to hold on to. The bamboo also had broken and cracked parts–this was a very challenging moment for me!”

Two colleagues were already inside the house of John, when Engel finally made it across the river. “We were able to talk with the parents of John Vincent and it was nice because they said that their house is open for conducting Bible study.”

Engel and her colleagues also visited scholar April Dan’s home, as well as the house of scholar Mae. “Mae lives with her mother and sister inside the house of the tomb,” said Engel. “Her mother said that it was a much better place than before, because even though they live in a cemetery, at least they have a home…“

The final scholar to visit was Gregory. It was the first time Engel had visited his home in Lahug, Cebu City. “At the end of our visit, we prayed for the family before leaving and for me that was the most important thing that we did. I am also amazed to see how content [our scholars and their families] are,” she added.

OM Philippines has been awarded the “Most Outstanding NGO ALS Provider” for Region 7 and is now representing the whole region at a national level in the same category.  Lyra Valles, OM Philippines’ ALS Instructional Manager and Team Leader for the ALS Department attended the Government Literacy Forum and ALS awarding last month. Two schools have since requested that OM Philippines develop a similar programme in their schools. Praise God for open doors to further ministry as a result of this award!

“They wanted to experience being out of their comfort zone, and we were not about to disappoint,” said Lita Teodosio from OM Philippines.

During the two-week outreach, the team ministered to families of street children in Cebu City who were fixing their homes devastated by typhoons. The group also participated in programmes organised by Sunrise Alliance Church and Youth Life Ministries in Manila, and they reached out to tribal people in the mountains of Ifugao.

One of the locals in Ifugao whom they shared the love of God with was Mumbaki (spirit doctor), a respected member of the community. “It is our prayer that he will soon come to terms with the reality of Jesus and the love of God,” said Lita.

During meal times, the team shared their thoughts on missions and how their brief stint out of their comfort zones had changed their outlook on life and challenged them to be more pro-active as believers of Christ. The team also learnt to appreciate every detail of the outreach, from the food they ate, to the different methods of transportation used, to the smiles they were greeted with.

“We thought we are here to share the Word of God and [be a blessing to] people, but our time [in the Philippines] revealed that we are the ones being blessed more each day. We [were] so humbled by the love we received from people who barely knew us, yet who welcomed us with all their hearts,” noted Rachel from Northern Ireland and Claude from Switzerland.

As the team reflected on their time together, they came to the conclusion that one is never truly out of one’s comfort zone. “Because our comfort zone must be in Jesus alone,” said Hannah from Northern Ireland.

“This was a timely training, since Philippines recently experienced a series of disasters that have badly affected many areas and traumatised people, especially children, at different levels,” said Xenia Bodero, OM Philippines’ social worker.

Convinced of the benefits of this training, OM Philippines conducted Operation Safe camps in three areas of Northern Cebu and Tacloban that were badly affected by Typhoon Haiyan, as well as in different areas of Cebu City and Bohol that were hit by the earthquake. Street children from Lorega Cemetery in Cebu City also underwent the programme weeks after their community was destroyed by a fire in March that reportedly left 7,000 people homeless.

“These camps are basically aimed to cater for children ages seven years old and up,” said Xenia. “They facilitate psycho-emotional restoration through stress-debriefing [by means of] dance and songs, craft making, creative snacks, fun-filled Bible stories, adventure storytelling and team time. [These children] where able to ventilate their experiences and emotions caused during the disaster.”

One of the children in Northern Cebu who attended the Operation Safe camp was very quiet during the first few days of camp. He had seen his home fly away during Typhoon Haiyan. “During the week, he slowly began to interact with other children and enjoyed the activities, especially song and dance,” noted Xenia. “By the end of the camp, he had become lively and active.”

Scholars who benefit from OM Philippines’ Scholarship Programme also helped run various Operation Safe camps in Cebu City and Bohol. “Not only were they able to further develop their leadership skills, but they also had the opportunity to share God’s love with trauma survivors,” added Xenia.

One of the scholars said that Operation Safe had helped her change her attitude "because I met people who are very kind to me…even though they experienced great loss and trials during Typhoon Yolanda [Haiyan], they still believed in God. Their smiles, even in pain, were very encouraging."

Another scholar was amazed to see how "the tragedy brought people closer to God, especially in those places where we [hosted] Operation Safe. We were greatly blessed."

“Bataks are known to be introverted and suspicious of outside people,” said an OM Philippines worker, “while Bajaos are known as people who jump off transportation without paying. Thus organising a 4-day youth camp [during GEM] for youth from Batak, Cuyungin, Tagbanua and Bajaos tribes was in itself a big challenge.”

After a week of hands-on missions training, GEM participants applied what they had learnt at OM Philippines’ Tribal Youth Camp from 14-17 April. Although it was hard for many, the goal given by the pastors had been clear: to come alongside the youth as role models, bringing them closer to Jesus.

The daily obstacle course at the youth camp provided opportunities for learning. During one of the obstacles called “Walk of Faith”, participants had to use their arms to bridge the gap. “We need to take that walk, believe in ourselves and believe in God. We walk – God provides the way,” noted one participant.

A one-week outreach to the Batak tribe in Nanabo, Tagnipa, Langogan and Tagnaya, and to the Badjao tribe in Roxas, Palawan, followed.

“I can’t walk long distance, I easily get tired. … but God is the strength of my life,” said Lovelyn from Palawan, who walked 12 kilometres (about 7.5 miles) from the highway and crossed 24 rivers to minister to the Batak tribe in Nanabo.

Rio from Cebu, Philippines, and his team hiked four kilometres (about 2.5 miles) and crossed four rivers to reach the Batak tribe in Langogan. “I learnt that when God says do it, He has already provided the resources needed for that mission,” said Rio.

Franziska from Switzerland and her team hiked three kilometres (about 2 miles) and crossed four rivers to minister to the Batak tribe in Tagnaya. “In crisis, God lifts me up and blesses the hard times with joy and power,” said Franziska.

The church they partnered with had been destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) and is currently under construction. Sunday services were held under a mango tree.

“He’s so good and has a plan for every step I take,” Franziska added.

Six families of Baranggay Hagdan, a district in Kinatarkan Island that was badly affected by Typhoon Haiyan last November, became proud and happy owners of these simple, yet resilient, starter homes. Two families also had their homes repaired as part of OM Philippines’ commitment to provide shelter in the aftermath of the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan.

Within two days of the delivery of construction material, all sections of two starter homes – including walls, floors and roof frame – had been installed. Following the design of Conscience International and in partnership with Bradford United Church of Christ Inc. (BUCCI), the OM Philippines’ team has since gained much-needed insight and experience into the intricacies of this aspect of relief work. OM Philippines hopes to build 200 new houses and repair 500 existing homes in the coming months.

To celebrate this special occasion, every household in Baranggay Hagdan received a gift pack containing a hoodie, two pairs of shoes, a Stop Hunger Now food pack and three kilograms (about 6.5 pounds) of rice.

On Sunday, a short worship service based on the theme of “Thanksgiving” was led by Pastor Gerry Rizon from OM Philippines. The team then visited each of the eight families who had received a home and blessed them with an additional gift pack and one box of Stop Hunger Now food packs. Each structure and the inhabitants therein were then dedicated unto the Lord.

No celebration is complete without a feast, and so the team hosted a sumptuous meal complete with traditional favourites: lechon (roasted pig), caldereta (goat stew), native chicken and crabs.

Currently, some team members are still on the island completing five outhouses. While originally not part of the plan, the construction of these facilities was recognised as an important priority for the well-being of the families.  

Please continue to pray for OM Philippines as they prepare for more housing reconstruction work in Northern Cebu in the coming months.

For over eight years, this kind of training has been helping to transform lives and communities by empowering people to start economically sustainable businesses. The trainers see entrepreneurship as vital to the growth of countries that face high levels of unemployment and poverty. When they accepted an invitation by OM Philippines to offer workshops in Manila and Cebu this February, they had no idea how critical the timing would prove to be.

Adding light to Sunrise Village

In Manila, five of the trainees were from a very poor community called Sunrise Village. Young pastor Marlon Bagotsay and wife Aissa planted a church here, and OM has been assisting their efforts by working with neighbourhood children and youth. Marlon and Aissa decided to attend the micro-business course so that they could take the training back to their people.

“We have a livelihood programme in the church, making bookmarks and earrings out of beads and selling to the community and visitors,” related Aissa.  “All the women have hidden talents, and our part is to help them find what these are. As they earn money and contribute to their families, they feel better about themselves.”

OM's lively, interactive sessions are designed to ensure that everyone gets on board. Each day the trainers step up the pressure, adding more sophisticated buying and selling challenges. While it’s all about wise business practices, the sessions are often full of laughter as a lesson is sometimes learned the hard way.

For the practical phase of the course, each person must submit an actual business plan. He or she then receives a tiny loan, equivalent to less than five Euros. They may choose to work alone or in partnership with another person to apply the business principles they have learnt.

For the Philippines workshops, participants mostly chose food-related projects, like buying and selling fresh eggs or making snacks for sale. At the end of a week, everyone reported back, returned their loans and kept the profits. The individual or partners who managed to earn the highest net profit per item sold were rewarded with a bonus. 

Ricarte, who manages a junk shop business in Sunrise Village with his wife, was one of the winners in his group. He said one of the most important things he learnt through the training was to keep some savings for emergencies. The other important practice he wanted to incorporate was to include God’s Word in his everyday business.

When April and Mary-Ann went to run their practical business—also in Sunrise Village--a number of their neighbours mocked them because of the insignificant amount of money they had received as loans. The women persevered, however, and in 10 days they sold 477 units, making about five times their loan in profit. Now the community has stopped jeering and want to know where they can do the training!  Aissa will be running a workshop as part of the church’s outreach into the village.

Three individuals who took the Manila course are hoping to initiate small business ventures as part of a new OM ministry on the island of Mindanao.

“People there not only have spiritual needs but physical needs,” explained Emma Ventura. “Many school graduates cannot find jobs and have to go abroad. I was praying for something like this [course], asking God how we could help people, maybe create job opportunities. I want to train both men and women in how to start a business that will employ others, and show them the biblical values and ethics behind work.  God will bless those He knows will let His love flow through them.”

Perfect timing

A second micro-business course was offered in Cebu to serve many people in the areas devastated by a mega-earthquake and super-typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) last October and November. These dual catastrophes took over 6,000 lives and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. The training couldn’t have been offered at a better time.

According to a UN’s disaster agency spokesperson in the Philippines, now that many of the survivors’ most acute emergency needs have been met, the focus has shifted to restoring livelihoods.

God was clearly at work when the micro-business-building sessions were scheduled even before the disasters took place. Unsurprisingly, many who signed up were OMers or church leaders involved in aiding survivours. Sencialos Mercado, for instance, explained that where she comes from, most people make their living from the thousands of coconut palm trees that were destroyed in the storm. “Because we were spared,” she said passionately, “we need to let God use us to help others.”

The northern Cebu island of Kinatarkan was also severely damaged. Workshop participant Hilda Batbatan, a member of the island’s community council, reported that 97 per cent of the people in her community lost their homes. When she heard about the business training, she decided it might be used to help her people.

“I’m glad I came,” she said. “The lessons are very practical and applicable. I would like to give the training on the island!” 

OM's trainers have received other requests for repeat workshops in the earthquake and typhoon-devastated areas. They say this experience has made them realise the importance of liaising more with people working in disaster zones. In their words, “This is where Christ’s light shines most brightly.”

Praise God for the initiative that OM Philippines showed in hosting this valuable training, and pray as it is taken to other parts of the world.

Included in the weekend programme at the forest resort in Cebu were family time at the altar, stress de-briefing, personal reflection, and a bonfire and banquet following family communion. Plenty of time was also allotted to recreation such as swimming, basketball and billiard.

Dolor, one of the pastors’ wives, lost three of her children in the typhoon. Accompanied by her husband and only surviving child, she was hesitant to use the swimming pool because of her traumatic experiences: two of her children were killed by falling beams, and a third child was swept away by the raging water. Dolor was able to save her fourth child by swimming through the murky water to where he was stranded. Her husband had miraculously survived by holding onto a broken tree.

The Chairman of the Tacloban Ministerial Fellowship officiated the communion service at the end of the weekend, saying, “Today we not only remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we also remember His resurrection and His promise that He will always be with us even at this trying time. And He will also be with us in the restoration of Tacloban, and He will do it through the churches.”

“Thank you very much for inviting us and allowing us to experience this,” said Dolor, as she boarded the bus home at the end of the weekend. “I can finally say that I have accepted what has befallen us, painful as it was, and now, with hope in Christ, I can look forward to what is ahead. Thank you for bringing us closer to God once again.”

The Batak are a highly mobile people, but at the behest of the government, have since settled in small villages. They often go on gathering trips into the forest for a few days at a time, an activity of both economic and spiritual value to them. As animists, the Batak make regular offerings to the spirits of nature, whom they believe to reside in big rocks and trees.

“Due to rapid depopulation, restricted forest access, sedentary living, incursion of immigrants, poor sanitation and accessibility to health services, there are only about 300 pure Batak remaining today,” said Sally Ababa, leader of OM Philippines. “The Batak are a vanishing tribe in number and in culture.”

From 8-12 April, OM Philippines will be hosting their annual short-term missions conference GO EXTRA MILE in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. So as to promote the integration and bonding of tribal communities in the area, participants will then run a Tribal Youth Retreat and follow-up outreach in three communities, from 13-26 April.

“The work in Mangapin, Langogan, was started in 1998, and although the church does not have a permanent pastor, of the 40 families in the community, about five families attend church regularly,” continued Sally.

“In Tagnaya, another outreach village, the church building was washed away by Typhoon Haiyan, and efforts to rebuild the church at a higher location are being made. The third outreach area is amongst the Badjaos of Roxas. In 2004, work amongst this mainly Islamic tribal group was started, but less than 2 per cent are believers today.”

Except for the Badjaos in Roxas, all outreach areas are accessible by foot, with several river crossings, or by motorcycle, weather permitting.

Experience cross-cultural friendship, learn new skills and walk the talk in the last frontier of the Philippines. For more information, contact info.ph@om.org.

“We saw that almost every house inside the cemetery was turned to ashes, others are still on smoke,” said Mae Gabrillo from OM Philippines-Cebu, who visited the cemetery a few hours later. “There was no need to ask if our kids’ houses were burnt – the remnant of the fire showed it: charcoal, ashes and thick smog. The fire has devoured almost the entire cemetery, leaving our kids homeless. According to Charlene, one of OM Philippines-Cebu’s scholars, ‘We live in a cemetery, and now it is burnt.’”

The OM Philippines-Cebu team distributed food at the Tuesday evening feeding programme as planned, adding three packs of food and three bottles of water for every family represented. They then returned to the drop-in centre to cook additional food, which they distributed until midnight.

“There we saw that Lorega gym and community hall were also destroyed by the fire, so they could not be used as evacuation centres,” continued Mae. “We passed Pastor Ernie's church [a pastor OM Philippines-Cebu partners with], but it was also damaged. Firemen were still trying to drench a house on fire.”

The fire lasted more than three hours and affected 500 families in seven zones inside Lorega cemetery. The OM Philippines-Cebu team purchased mats, blankets and tents for 300 families the following day, and hot meals are being distributed in areas that have not been served by the government. The OM Philippines-Cebu team hopes to purchase cooking utensils for each family, as their budget allows.

Pray for the families from Lorenga cemetery, who have been left hungry and homeless, that God would meet their needs. Pray for wisdom and strength for the OM Philippines-Cebu team as they respond to the new crisis situation, and for resources to offer practical help to those who have lost the little they had.

“We stayed in an evacuation centre for two, almost three weeks, then in a tent. When we went back to check the church we found it destroyed. We still sleep in the tent but we've put it inside a small bamboo hut that we built during the rains. When people ask me, 'How can you smile?' I say I smile because I am alive! That's something to thank God for.”

Broken homes and lives

The oval-shaped island of Bohol lies in the centre of the Philippines. It is the country's tenth largest island and a popular tourist destination, sometimes called the jewel of the Philippines because of its gently rolling hills and white sand beaches.

The quake that came just after eight that morning shattered the lives of over a million and a quarter people. Eighty thousand homes and other buildings were destroyed, including churches. Dalia's husband Renato Carnice is the pastor of Abundant Life Church in Sagbayan, very near the earthquake epicentre.

“We held our first Sunday service under the mango tree on the church property,” she said. “When our OM friends visited and asked what we needed the most, I said we needed a roof for the church! We have a tarpaulin over the foundation, but it is quite uncomfortable under the sun.”

This church is one of the first three that OM is making plans to rebuild. The Abundant Life Assembly of God Church was also reduced to ruins at the quake's epicentre. Host Pastor Hilario Celis (pictured above) recalls, “I went out of the house and tried to hold onto a tree. I heard my wife screaming my name. When I saw the church, I cried. The roof and walls, our sound system and musical instruments—all was destroyed.”

Three weeks later super-typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) blew in. Although the storm's eye missed Bohol it sent some 40,000 residents still living in temporary shelters back to evacuation centres, including this pastor's family.  Shortly after that Pastor Celis's wife passed away from breast cancer, leaving him with two children to raise on his own.

While the typhoon captured world attention, the earthquake-struck area was largely forgotten. Relief efforts in Bohol slowed as NGOs flocked to care for typhoon victims on other islands. As a result, most of the 367,760 people whose homes were damaged or destroyed are still living in broken houses, or in tents. Silk tents dispensed by aid agencies have torn, and canvas tents provide far from pleasant living in tropical monsoons. Besides being unbearably hot inside during the day, condensation drips down on occupants at night.

Timely training

A relief partner of OM has conducted two crisis management courses for church leaders, and by God's amazing grace one of them “happened” to take place just days before the earthquake. Pastor Jun Tubo in Bohol began immediately to use his training, organising people and churches to give emergency aid. In fact, his name badge from the course was enough to give him credibility to liaise with aid agencies on the ground!

More than rebuilding houses and church buildings, OM is most concerned with rebuilding lives. The mission was the only organisation to sponsor a trauma counselling workshop by a church in Singapore, which gathered local Christians under the tarp at the Abundant Life Church. Afterwards participants put their learning to use in a tent village where 18 families were housed following the destruction of their homes and ongoing danger of mud slides.

“When we did the debriefing with these people they cried,” related Dalia, “and we cried with them.”

Several victims expressed their gratitude to the team, saying that the counselling had helped to release their pain. On the churches' side, pastors say that their members now have a greater vision for evangelism.

OM helped to brighten what would have otherwise been a miserable Christmas for displaced islanders, distributing hundreds of special food packs and holding Christmas parties in a number of communities. “People who received baskets of food are now attending churches,” affirmed Pastor Tubo's wife, Eldred. “It opened their hearts.”

OM hosted business skill workshops in Cebu and Manila by another partner organisation, Epic Solutions, with the goal of assisting both Christians and non-Christians who need to find new ways to create sustainable income. And since most of the pastors on Bohol support themselves by farming, OM has also used some relief funds to buy three rice field ploughs, which take the place of laborious hand-ploughing. Farmers are more than happy to pay a small rental fee that covers fuel, manpower and maintenance after they sell their harvests.

Thousands of aftershocks have shaken the island of Bohol in the months since the first earth-shaking moment. But the shock for many residents who have lost homes or loved ones will never go away. OM is committed to provide the care that will be necessary, physically and spiritually, for a long time to come.

“Tacloban went on world display because of this typhoon," TCC Pastor William Dy tells his audience. "There is 'global warming,' and there is 'global warning'. What does God want to say to us?"

For such a time as this

After the service I talk with Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin, a former pastor who attends this church and who was elected vice-mayor only six months before the disaster. “People say to me, this is a bad time to be in office. But I think it's the best time! I strongly feel I've been put in this position for such a time as this. We Christians are instruments of God, put here to make a change and to speak for Jesus Christ. I think this situation has opened doors to the gospel."

He adds, "When I graduated from seminary I worked in a Cebu church, and the first relief goods we received was from that church. I feel Christians have to unite and show that it makes a difference to follow Him."

Over the next few days, I inspect some of the other hundreds of churches that have been affected–some only left with bare foundations. Other congregations have stretched tarps across partially-destroyed roofs or walls. The auditorium of the King Jesus Community Church is crammed with small tents and mosquito nets that shelter a team doing medical work. On Sundays the tents are taken down for services. Pastor Nilo Timkang and his wife look tired. Their family lives in a tiny room attached to the church, and she gets up at four each morning to care for the teams.

“But God is doing great things in people's lives,” affirms the pastor. “An OM social worker did 277 case studies of families in the nearby communities—the poorest of the poor—who we are helping. Now three-fourths of the people who come to church are new!”

Ministering to the ministers 

Pastor Nilo's fellowship is part of a network of Christian churches and agencies that have gone all out to minister to the area's stricken people. But pastors’ families, too, are victims, and after months of continuous coping amidst inadequate conditions they are exhausted. After assessing the situation, OM International's Philippine Field Leader, Sally Ababa, recognised that the best help OM could offer was to empower, train and sustain God's people so they could carry on with their strategic work. OM also served as a buffer between churches and the offers of teams and relief goods that came to Tacloban's vice mayor.

Sally Ababa is convinced that the Lord was preparing her all of her life for this moment in history. "I still feel the pain of all that has happened, of course. But God has given me an avenue to exercise my passion for people–and when your passion can be used to meet one of the world's greatest needs, it's amazing. That's how I survive: being a channel of God's light and salt to the community.

"Our OM staff is no stranger to crisis situations," she points out. "We have been in training for many years. Eighty per cent have graduated from community development courses.”

In the last few months, a partner organisation has provided three short but intensive training courses in relief work for OMers and church leaders aimed at helping them to make emergency decisions and relate more effectively to NGOs. Training in trauma counselling was also put to use among displaced people, and in February Epic Solutions, another partner agency, held sessions in Cebu and Manila that were particularly aimed at helping individuals who had lost their livelihoods to start small businesses. This March, OM is hosting a “time out” for about 30 pastors and their families who have been in the thick of relief efforts over the past months.

“We want to give them some space and time to process and get debriefed from their traumatic experience,” explains Sally, “so that their need for inner healing and spiritual formation can also be addressed and they can anchor their hope in Jesus Christ alone.”

Long-term focus 

When asked if OM has hosted relief teams from other countries, Sally says she had to make some hard choices. "We couldn't accommodate teams-- and we couldn't ask churches in the disaster area to take them, either, when they were already exhausted. Our OM staff members were also personally affected by the disaster.

"It would have been easy–and tempting–to spend all of the money that came in on mass distributions,” she says. “We have chosen instead to build up local capacity to deal with the emergency over the next months and years. The big NGOs come and go. They are essential but their help is short-term. OM's goal is long-term: that no one in the Philippines [not just in areas in the news] will die because of hunger and thirst. Relief and development is not a sprint, it's a marathon.”

Debbie Meroff has been writing for OM for over 25 years, and her travels have taken her to over 100 countries.

Survivors of the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan—78 children, 14 teenagers and 74 adults in total—were debriefed in Panugnawon community; Kawit, Medellin; Inabangga, Bohol; and Kinatarkan, Bantayan Island.

During the debriefing process, participants expressed their fears and anxieties to the debriefing team. They were emotional when they talked about the strongest earthquake they had ever experienced, on 15 October 2013.

“Most of them are still traumatised and it affects their normal daily living,” said Penelope Arriola, project manager from OM Philippines-Cebu. “Most mothers are now afraid every time their kids go to school. Some can’t work on their own farms because of aftershocks every now and then.”

During the debriefing training, participants had the opportunity to be debriefed themselves, which helped them experience first-hand the value of sharing their personal stories and being listened to.

The OM Philippines-Cebu debriefing team was also grateful to be part of the healing process of so many affected families and communities. OM Philippines Field Leader Sally Ababa added, “We count it a great honour to [have] listened to the experiences of the pastors and their members and [to have been part of] their journey towards recovery.”

Within days of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Cebu and neighbouring Bohol Island in October, followed two weeks later by Typhoon Haiyan that slammed the Philippines, OM Philippines’ crisis response team quickly responded with immediate relief aid in Tacloban City, Northern Cebu and Bohol Island.

In December, the OM team also distributed 1,200 Christmas food packs and held Christmas parties in 13 churches and communities.

“In most cases, the team prepared [food and games for] a few hundred people, but it turned out that more came, sometimes almost more than double to what [they had] expected,” said Sally Ababa, field leader of OM Philippines. “Thankfully, at all times, there was enough food for everyone and even more. And each individual who came to the celebration left with something to take home.”

A thorough survey had been conducted before the team arrived, and so the distribution of food packages went smoothly.

“Many had not expected such a special package,” continued Sally, “something different from the usual relief goods they had received over the past month. Many expressed how grateful they were to receive such a special gift, especially those who have come from remote places. Oftentimes, they had not been included in relief distribution because of the distance and inaccessibility of their places. For the team to take extra effort to come and be part of their community in celebrating their Christmas in such a special way was something they would not forget.”

Due to heavy rainfall in Poblacion, Medellin, Northern Cebu on Sunday, 29 December, the planned Christmas party was cancelled. Instead, team members divided into four groups and went to the 60 selected homes singing Christmas carols in the heavy rain. In addition, each family was presented with a Christmas food package and cooked food pack–much to the families’ delight.

A team of 12 also hosted Christmas parties and distributed food packages in Bohol Island on Monday, 30 December.

Pastor Gerry Rizon from OM Philippines-Cebu was encouraged by many SMS messages he received as a result: “We are very happy that there are people like you who care and love us here…Your labour of love is not in vain. We pray that this new year, God will bless you all and your family bountifully. The Hunan Bohol Community is so grateful for the bundle of joy you generously gave. We will always remember you in our prayers."

From 17 – 26 January, OM Philippines’ Crisis Response Team will be involved in critical stress debriefing training and community debriefing in Cebu City, Northern Cebu and Bohol. Pray for the regeneration of those impacted and affected by Typhoon Haiyan and the Bohol earthquake last year, and that many would come to know the peace and joy of God–not only at Christmas, but also throughout the year.

In partnership with the Community Outreach Center Church in Northern Cebu, the OM Philippines-Cebu staff and short-term workers prepared a programme with games, action songs, a short skit, a Christmas message and prayer. Then each of the children, as well as their parents, received a piece of cake, an apple, an ice cream and juice.

After the programme, the families were asked to claim their Christmas food package at the Community Outreach Center Church. Put together according to Filipino Christmas custom, the gift contained spaghetti, tomato sauce, meat sauce, cheese, fruit salad, cream, condense milk, Milo, coffee, fruit juice, sliced bread, powder milk, apples and oranges. All of this was presented in a washbasin and decorated with a red ribbon.

"God has allowed the residents of these two communities to experience something of the joy of Christmas despite all the destruction they went through a few weeks ago," said Richard Derrer from OM Philippines-Cebu.

Similar programmes have been conducted in eleven other communities in areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan this Christmas season. To Him be the glory for what He has done!

Families with children aged 0-14 years receive CCT grants for a four-year period, during which time they are expected to meet certain behavioural requirements generally related to children’s health care and education.

There are about one million families currently registered for this programme, and as the government lacks capacity to meet the huge need, partnerships with non-government organisations, such as the evangelical church, are being developed.

Before Typhoon Haiyan slammed the Philippines on Friday, 8 November, killing up to 6,000 people and displacing more than four million people, OM Philippines-Cebu was involved in mobilising the church for the government's CCT programme.

When the OM Crisis Response Team visited an evangelical church in Tacloban after the typhoon, they were encouraged to find the pastor and his wife committed to this programme: Two hundred CCT families received relief food packs and participated in debriefing sessions as a result.

Keen to help further establish the CCT programme in the church in Tacloban, OM Philippines-Cebu encouraged the students participating in their Alternative Learning System (ALS)—a government scholarship programme for youth who dropped out of mainstream education—to find ways to minister to the CCT children in Tacloban.

Three thousand Christmas biscuits were eagerly baked by the ALS students for 300 children in Tacloban. They even wrote short letters of encouragement, which they attached to each child’s pack of Christmas biscuits.

Encouraged

Early Sunday morning, eight ALS students set off to Tacloban with OM Philippines-Cebu staff and volunteers. Although the children’s Christmas party was planned to start at 15:00, the team was surprised to find 500 children patiently waiting at the church two hours ahead of time.

Frantic plans were made to stretch the amount of food they had, and soon the children were lined up for spaghetti, bread, chicken and biscuits. After five weeks of eating canned food, the children were grateful for the treat! The students and OM staff led the children in song, games and storytelling, during which they shared that Jesus is the greatest gift of all.

The Christmas party not only benefitted the children of Tacloban, but it also left a deep impression on the students.

“My highlight was seeing these traumatised children smile,” commented one of the students after the party.

Another student admitted that he had always been on the receiving end in the past. “This was the first time ever in my life [I could] help and encourage somebody else,” he said.

More Christmas cheer

OM Philippines-Cebu plans to distribute 1,200 special Christmas food packs to families affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Christmas parties for 13 churches and communities in Tacloban, Bohol and Northern Cebu will also be conducted by OM Philippines-Cebu’s out-of-school youth, college students, volunteers and staff in the coming weeks.

Pray for protection for the OM Philippines-Cebu team and volunteers as they bring the joy of Christmas to families traumatised by the effect of the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan. And praise God for the impact this act of service is having on their out-of-school students and youth!

“There are people doing cash-for-work programmes, cleaning up the debris from the streets, but they’re so exposed. They don’t have gloves or masks or boots. They’re just digging up the festering mess with their bare hands. And their immune systems are already at risk; now they’re digging and this is making it worse. We’re going to end up with more casualties, and it’ll be these typhoon survivors.”

Stepping into the gap

Clearly troubled by what she has seen during her meetings with various churches, Sally feels that OM Philippines needs to do something urgently. “The churches themselves, they’re just too tired,” she says. “They’re survivors too, and they’re exhausted. It’s up to us as OM to use our energy, to get involved.”

Supermarkets in Cebu city, where the OM team is based, across the sea from Leyte, are now fully stocked with goods. The team discusses the situation, what’s available to work with and how they can make a difference. Certainly, there are shortages of items such as small generators, as the demand from other areas has filtered through to Cebu. However, the team reasons, facemasks would be available—they had bought a supply before heading across to Leyte the previous weekend. And they think they should be able to find work gloves, if they search enough shops.

The team talks about who could procure the masks and gloves, and who could make the long ferry trip to deliver them to Leyte. Thankfully, the larger OM distribution van is still in Leyte, so transporting the goods from the ferry onwards would not be a problem.

This is the nature of the relief work—new needs rise to the surface, especially when people motivated by compassion have open eyes to see what is around them.

Needing wisdom

Sally’s role as team leader requires considerable wisdom in knowing which needs to meet. Some immediate situations, such as providing gloves and masks to those cleaning the debris, call out for people to step up and take action.

Yet there are other, equally important tasks. Sally spent the weekend in Tacloban discussing options for better coordination between churches on the island. Between them, the churches have identified the need for a physical and organisational hub, from where the different groups can come together to plan and execute their tasks.

A taskforce of four main players—OM and three large regional churches—is being established to permit a better coordination of resources and volunteers. The action is supported by several church fellowships in Tacloban, who see the need but simply do not have the capacity at this stage. Just surviving and rebuilding their lives is all they can currently manage. So the input of the wider Philippine church is seen as necessary and welcome.

Pray for Sally and the leaders of the three large regional churches as they step out in partnership, trusting that God would give them wisdom as they seek to rebuild lives and communities.

The past week has been a mixture of distribution and assessment, as different parts of the Philippines need different things, and the OM team aims to respond appropriately in each case.

Rehabilitation of church in Tacloban City

In Tacloban City, the team met with Vice-Mayor Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin for guidance on the support the city’s communities need. Already the need for direct emergency food distribution has passed, and local markets are beginning to re-establish themselves.

However, the sheer extent of the destruction means that almost every building is significantly damaged in some way and will require reconstruction or redevelopment. The OM team, in collaboration with a Cebu-based church, began the rehabilitation of a church in the city, which Vice-Mayor Yaokasin identified as essential to helping people’s lives return to normal.

The problem, he explained, is that people are busy re-establishing their own houses, and then joining the cash-for-work programmes developed to clean up the city’s streets, that they have no energy to work on other tasks. Yet by returning the church to a functioning state, people regain the essential support that the church provides.

Along with the typhoon came a storm surge, with waters reaching shoulder height in the downtown area where the church is situated. Pulling aside wooden pews that had floated around the church, the OM team spent the first day cleaning thick layers of mud and debris from the church auditorium and trying to salvage instruments and pew Bibles.

After a long day meeting with Vice-Mayor Yaokasin, assisting his staff with their own clean-up efforts and then working on the church, OM Philippines’ Field Leader Sally Ababa spent the evening with another local pastor discussing ways OM could provide his church on-going support.

Physical, psychosocial and spiritual restoration in Bohol Island

On Bohol, an island to the east of Cebu, the team initially responded to an earthquake a few weeks before the typhoon. A return visit last Tuesday revealed that the initial need for emergency food had passed here as well, despite the situation being worsened by the typhoon.

Following discussions with local pastors, Sally identified the need for rehabilitating church buildings, given their vital role as community hubs. The challenge is that due to the earthquake, many permanent buildings are now structurally unsound and rehabilitating them will require significant technical input.

At the same time, efforts such as trauma counselling programmes aimed at enabling the healing and recovery of the whole person are able to move ahead without the requirement for permanent church buildings, and OM Philippines see this as an area of future involvement. The aim is to contribute to the physical, the psychosocial and the spiritual restoration of hurting communities.

Reconstruct storm-resistant housing in Northern Cebu

The team’s third area of involvement is in the far north of the island Cebu, where the typhoon also caused destruction. Unlike in Bohol, where many of the damaged buildings are made of concrete, in Northern Cebu the damage affected lots of wooden homes.

In addition to assessing the rehabilitation needs of these northern communities, Sally and her team also met with a large city church that is also looking to assist with rebuilding projects. Where possible, the team will aim to support the reconstruction of more permanent, storm-resistant housing rather than create fragile temporary housing. They are also exploring partnerships with other organisations that may be able to assist in the task.

During the past week the team was joined by three colleagues from a partner organisation who worked alongside them to identify the emerging needs in each of the project areas. They also worked with Sally’s team to discuss ways the relief projects would not only meet the community’s medium-term needs, but also contribute to the long-term ministry goals of OM Philippines.

A challenge the team faces in developing their plans for a longer-term response are the new needs that continue to arise as the situation progresses. Pray for wisdom in how to respond and how to develop plans that allow them to move forwards with relevant projects, while remaining flexible to respond to new needs as they arise. With a team stretched to capacity by the relief efforts, they also need wisdom in knowing how to balance the relief efforts and the requirements of on-going ministry projects.

“To help us get perspective of the situation, the weekend was filled with meetings with major international players and different local church leaders actively working in relief operations,” said Sally.

They also met with local OM staff and several volunteers who have been working with OM Philippines-Cebu in various capacities since the recent earthquake and typhoon caused havoc in many parts of the country. Based on these various discussions, a plan of action was laid out for the week.

Early 25 November, the OM Philippines Crisis Response Team headed to Northern Cebu to continue their relief operation in partnership with a local church to the least-reached disaster sites, generally the most secluded inland areas. They hoped to distribute 500 relief packs, particularly in Bogo and Medellin area. “However, our final destination will be Maya, DaanBAntayan, a totally damaged area and place of one of our staff,” said Sally. “We hope to do shelter relief work there.”

On 26 November, the OM Philippines’ Crisis Response Team travelled to Bohol to do follow-up visits to areas where food packs were distributed.

“We will continue distributing water and probably kerosene because the whole island still has no power or electricity,” said Sally. “We are now establishing contacts and schedules for critical incidence stress debriefing with pastors and teachers.”

On Wednesday, 27 November, the staff will meet in Cebu to consolidate and hopefully attend a crisis response meeting. A trip to Tacloban is then planned from Thursday to Saturday to connect with various churches and Christian NGOs.

“There is a felt need to help churches re-group themselves in order to host/accommodate relief efforts initiated by faith-based organisations,” added Sally. “Most of the relief work there is being carried by big international NGOs and there is a high probability that smaller churches and communities can be neglected in the process. We hope to help fill the gaps.”

Please pray for the OM Philippines-Cebu team as many travel back to Cebu today, and that the team will be fully operational by Wednesday. Pray for protection and wisdom for Sally and the team as they are confronted with suffering in different parts of the Philippines this week, and for God’s favour as they seek to serve the needy in the most neglected places.

OM International’s Financial Development Director Wim Goudzwaard was one of the party to provide input into OM Philippines’ strategy and development of the relief operation since the earthquake one month ago.

Wim reported from Leyte Island: “The consequences of the typhoon are visible, as well as invisible. It is pitch black on Leyte Island. The lucky ones own a generator. The others have to make do with candles or flashlights.”

He added that people are scared, locking themselves into their houses at dusk out of fear of being robbed. “They know about the 160 prisoners who have escaped,” he says. “And they have just heard about the attack on a relief convoy by rebels out of the mountains. Tacloban, [the capital of Leyte Island], is closed off by the army, so that people cannot easily come in or go out.”

Dewu*, a young man they met while waiting for the bus to Tacloban, shared his story. "On Thursday, [7 November], I worked at the airport of Tacloban like always. Business as usual,” he said. “We had been warned of a typhoon the following day, but this happens regularly. The following morning, I decided not to go to work. The weather was so bad, it was frightening. It was worse than before.

“We were shocked when suddenly the waves swept over our house. Before we knew it, our whole house was under water! I was able to rescue our baby, my wife and the rest of my family just in time. The water first came to my chest, and then I could not stand anymore. The current was strong, but with the help of neighbours, we were able to escape to the attic. This is where we stayed for two days.

“I was happy that family members came to collect my family. I did not want to leave, because I had heard people were taking things from the houses. So I decided to stay at our house. I spent the next three nights on the top floor of our house. I should not have done that; I have never been so scared. I should have left with my family. Yesterday I came here; later I will worry about my house."

Forced to turn back

Although the OM Philippines’ team wanted to travel farther north towards Tacloban, they were strongly advised not to do so by those gathered at the bus stop—especially because of Wim’s white skin. “So [after much deliberation], we took the bus in the other direction,” said Wim, who is from the Netherlands.

After hours of travel, the OM Philippines’ team finally arrived back at the ferry terminal. “But we had not bought tickets yet,” continued Wim, “as there had been no Internet available. We had assumed the tickets could be bought at the terminal, but there were no more tickets available until the following Tuesday!”

They found that accommodation was fully booked, which meant they would have to spend two nights at the quay, in the open air. “It seemed there was no way out,” he said.

Suddenly a woman approached the OM team and asked, "Do you need a ticket for the ferry to Cebu?"

They replied that, yes, they needed three tickets for that night, but only tickets for that Tuesday were available. "I have three open reservations,” she continued. “Would you like to buy them?"

She sold the tickets at the normal price, without any extra charges, which made it clear to the OM team that the Lord had provided in a miraculous way.

Please pray for those in the Philippines who are suffering and in danger after Typhoon Haiyan. Pray for OM workers and others involved in the relief effort to reach those most in need.

*Name changed

Despite the increased aid effort, many survivors still badly need food, water and shelter, said Sally Ababa from OM Philippines-Cebu. To date, three waves of relief goods have been distributed by OM to 850 families in Bohol and the Northern part of Cebu, where many OM Philippines’ staff members reside.

An emergency operation centre has been set up at the OM Philippines office in Cebu City from where church response is officially being coordinated. All cash and in-kind donations are being channelled through OM Philippines for receipting and distribution purposes.

Two teams have been formed to distribute relief goods in Bohol and Northern Cebu, while another team is based in Cebu City to assess how local partner churches and the children OM Philippines-Cebu ministers to have been affected by the typhoon. Debriefing of staff and children is on-going, and preparations for trauma counselling training in 10 areas affected by the earthquake and typhoon are underway.

Narrow escape

Sally travelled to Northern Cebu with a television crew to assess the situation for relief distribution and was surprised to see a number of people–children and adults alike–lining up along the road with posters asking for food and water.

One of the ladies Sally met was Carlota Ursaig, 45, a mother of nine children. On the eve of Typhoon Haiyan, when the wind started to blow vehemently, she immediately evacuated her children to her parents’ place. Returning home to get food, the wind picked up and the roofs of neighbouring houses started flying off.

Forced to stay put, Carlota started crying when she saw a tree fly into her parents’ place. At the same time, her own house started to collapse as a result of their roof being blown away. Taking refuge under their wooden bed, she prayed that God would have mercy.

Separated from her children and helpless to protect them, Carlota waited several hours before she was able to leave her hiding place and reunite with her children. She was thankful to find them safe!

“When we met Carlota, she was still wet from having washed their dirty clothes all day,” said Sally. “She said that they had nothing clean to wear anymore. When asked how they were surviving, she said that her children would line up on the street and were grateful to generous passers-by who gave them food and water.

“There has been no government or NGO assistance extended to them to date,” she continued. “They are hoping to rebuild their house soon, so as to get out of the rain in the coming days.”

To support OM Philippines’ relief efforts for those affected by Typhoon Haiyan and the earthquake in Bohol, Philippines, please contact your local OM office or email for more information.

info.eap@om.org

Using sports as a medium to transform lives, OM SportsLink hosted the local event as a fun and active way to engage youth, teens and young adults involved with OM Philippines-Cebu Ministries.

High school and college students from OM Philippines' Scholarship Programme, volunteers serving in the Short-Term Exposure Programme (STEP), local church partners and OM staff enjoyed the festivities, held in conjunction with another local race, Run to the Max. Food, photos, music and Zumba made for an energising morning with a prayerful cause.

OM Philippines R4TW participants set out on the four-kilometre course wearing matching green race-day singlets, and each runner waved the flag of a different country to pray for. From Brazil to Turkey and Pakistan to Mali, they prayed for peace, provision for the poor and the work of OM offices in every region of the world. R4TW runners also shared the event’s purpose—to pray for the nations—with curious runners and bystanders along the course.

After the race, the group met at the finish line to pray specifically for the Republic of the Philippines. With word of a typhoon nearby, instability in the country's southern region of Mindanao and the plight of Cebu's street children, R4TW was a timely and welcomed occasion to pray for all nations, including the Philippines.

OM Philippines-Cebu leader Sally Ababa completed the race with thanksgiving, commenting, “I am so glad we joined the run. It made us think of others more than just ourselves. What is more encouraging is to know that we are doing it together with many others around the world.”

Having recently concluded a workshop conducted by Wesley Relief Society from Singapore on church response to disaster and crisis, OM team members immediately contacted two participants from Bohol to survey the extent of damage in the area.

“Our people were one of the first to respond [to the crisis],” said Sally Ababa, team leader of OM Philippines-Cebu Ministries. “The ID card we issued [participants] during our crisis relief training proved to be helpful as they used it to get permission to go into places no one has gone yet. They mobilised different ministerial and pastoral associations in the area and were able to get hold of village officials and other government units. The greatest need at the moment is water, food, medicine and temporary shelter.”

Under the leadership of OMer Gerry Rizon from OM Philippines-Cebu Ministries and Pastor Jun Tubo of Ubay Bohol, the Bohol Crisis Response Team left last week to provide water and food in four areas of Bohol: Sagbayan, Loon, Clarin and Bali-lihan. As food supplies on Bohol Island are running out, goods will be sourced elsewhere.

Time is of essence now. The team appreciates your fervent prayers.

“God could not have picked a better team for this mission,” said Marie after the two-week outreach in the Philippines. “He knew that all our strengths and weaknesses combined would give Him the greater glory. We stepped out of our comfort zones of familiarity and routine in a world where the only thing we were certain of was that His presence was with us.”

The OCZ Cebu team was exposed to many of OM Philippines-Cebu ministries, including the ministries of Banilad, Capitol, Tac-an Day Care Center, Opao and Port Outreach, Mountain Tap-tap Church, the Drop In Centre Feeding Program and Alternative Learning System Out of School Youth education programme.

In the final week, the OCZ Cebu team spent five days teaching the gospel to elementary students at Philippine Gospel Christian School during their Christ Emphasis Week. The love of Christ was shared through songs, drama and salvation bracelets, with many of the children praying genuinely to ask Jesus into their hearts. 

“The people I met in Cebu taught me how to live simply and to love much just by being present,” added Marie. “Loving through listening, smiling and a simple hug. God [also] revealed another side of His grace to me in these three weeks. He taught me that when I don't know, He knows! When I don't have the capacity to do what's ahead of me, He becomes my ability and strength!

"He is strength in my weakness; He is the amazing grace, the one who steadies my shaking feet as I find myself in an area out of my comfort zone. God taught me that out of my comfort zone, His grace is waiting and is sufficient for me, and that I need not fear.”

"Both of these programmes began in 2008, and their continuing growth over the past five years is a testimony of God's amazing favour towards underprivileged children in Cebu," said Anelfa from OM Philippines. "The same amazing favour has once again brought us much delight these past months."

As the new school year began in June, OM Philippines-Cebu was looking at having a total of 40 scholars in their partner school in Sudlon II, one of the mountain barangays of Cebu, which meant a minimal of 10 additional new scholars.

To their surprise, 40 new aspiring scholars attended OM Philippines-Cebu's school supplies distribution programme with their parents. Out of compassion for these 40 aspiring students and their parents, Sally Ababa from OM Philippines-Cebu, challenged them to pray that God would provide all the required finances.

She was not aware that money was already on the way from Freedom Climb and that a generous donation from Malaysia would follow a few weeks later. What timely evidence of God's favour right at the moment of need for these 40 new scholars! The total number of scholars this year is 114 students, in comparison to 75 students last year.

Accreditation and Equivalency Examination

When the new term started in June, thirty of the students were challenged to study for the government-required Qualifying Examination which screens students in preparation of the Accreditation and Equivalency Examination (A&E) later this year. Those who pass the A&E examination will be awarded a certificate of completion of either elementary or high school education.

The ALS teachers had their hands full with processing and submitting the required documents of all 30 students and getting them prepared through lesson reviews. On 11 July, equipped with supplies from OM, the ALS students arrived early at the testing centre for the Qualifying Exam. With great rejoicing, all 30 students passed and will now go through the government-required module over the next months that will help them pass the A&E exam.

The qualified students are now attending classes integrated with holistic activities at OM Philippines-Cebu's ALS Centre. Pray that the ALS students would persevere in their studies while they earn a living for their families and overcome the temptation of loitering in the streets with their out-of-school peers.

May God continue to bless OM Philippines-Cebu's ALS students with His amazing favour and success as they move towards a brighter future.

Director Lloyd Nicholas expressed the significance of this special event. “Today we celebrate that three million people have so far visited Logos Hope. That’s simply amazing,” he said. “Even more amazing is that three million people have experienced a moment of respect, of friendship, of love, and of hope as they have been welcomed on board, walked around the deck, met a crewmember and heard the message of God’s grace and love for them.”

Locals in Puerto Princesa eagerly awaited the ship’s arrival. The mayor of Puerto Princesa, the Honourable Lucilo Bayron, also paid a visit to Logos Hope the same day as the three millionth visitor.  

Puerto Princesa is the vessel’s third port of call in the Philippines in 2013. Logos Hope remains in Puerto Princesa through 8 July when she sails to Kuching, Malaysia, arriving on 11 July.

During the visit to the Philippines, crewmembers are inviting locals to experience the unique atmosphere and the diversity of over 45 nationalities represented on board in creative programmes. Teams go out to serve local communities in practical ways – setting up libraries, providing hygiene instruction and helping with construction projects. Teams have also visited city jails to bring the message of hope in Christ to inmates. Gospel literature is available to all who visit the ship, and crew and staff share the Good News of God’s love wherever they serve.
 
While the ship was in San Fernando, crewmembers travelled to the village of Coroay Santo La Union with a local pastor to share their cultures and faith. When locals expressed interested in the water purifiers often distributed by Logos Hope, crewmembers returned on their day off with 15 water purifiers and instructed villagers in their use. “People get sick from drinking the water here because this place is very far from the city and the water is not pure,” said local lady Alma Qiñones. “So we are very thankful for the water purifiers. They are very easy to use.”

This long-lasting impact in communities all around the world is only made possible by the generosity of individuals, churches and other groups. Help bring knowledge, help and hope to more ports through the ministry of Logos Hope by supporting OM Ships’ non-profit work. Give online at www.omships.org/donate or through your local OM office.

Every year, OM Philippines-Cebu conducts DVBS, a five-day Bible class in partnership with the local church, reaching out to hundreds of children during the summer holiday. DVBS has been conducted in 33 areas to date, from which 2,500 children have already graduated.

This year, the OM team in Cebu used material from Hope for Kids International, free of charge. Although in English, the material proved to be effective and attractive to the children.

Children's Coordinator Anelfa Rizon said that after completing the class, the children had gained a deeper understanding of the gospel, since the whole curriculum clearly explained the theology of salvation in a child-friendly manner and was well illustrated through crafts and various activities.

"Not only were they taught about salvation, the whole programme is also designed to encourage children to share their faith with other children every day," added Anelfa. "Thus, the children were more engaged throughout class, and more stayed on to complete the five-day programme."

During the week, the OM team—composed of youth from OM Philippines-Cebu's scholarship programme called Junior Leaders, local volunteers and a few foreign short-term workers—was encouraged to stay in the community and live with one of the local families.

Richard Derrer, OM Philippines-Cebu's short-term coordinator, was so encouraged to see how their Junior Leaders had taken on the challenge and showed their leadership potential as they conducted the DVBS classes in different outreaches.  

Both local families and foreign workers were also mutually blessed in the experience of living together. The local families felt so valued and special that foreign workers would stay with them, while the foreign workers appreciated the hospitality and openness of the families, giving them opportunity to share their lives and pray for the families during the week.

In conclusion, DVBS was not just a children’s holiday Bible class, but it became a community event, touching the lives of young and old through words, friendships and deeds. 

On 21 March, Fishport Kids Tutorial Club run by Alliance Christian Centre in Manila, Philippines, closed the school year with 19 boys and girls graduating from their day care programme.

This is the fourth year since the centre was opened, with OM Philippines an active partner. Regularly, OM teams teach, play and pray with the children. Parents, especially mothers, have been reached by the love of Jesus through this programme.

"Having been in three previous commencement exercises, I could testify the levelling up of the children in their learning and understanding," said Jun, leader of OM Philippines. "It is amazing to see and hear the kids spell words. One boy told his mother, 'Mom, I can do it!'"

Please pray as these children begin elementary school in June. Pray that God's Word grows in their hearts and guides them through life. 

“Many of the churches in the area are small and struggling,” said Jun Diaz, leader of OM Philippines. “We want to support them in evangelism and discipleship. Banaue is also a suitable venue for both national and foreign participants, as the language and cultural practices of the region are so different from the lowlanders. Truly a Go-Extra-Mile attitude is necessary.”

Following the five-day conference, participants will divide into seven teams and set off on a two-week trek to bring the love of God to the indigenous people. They will work with local churches in Ifugao Province and Nueva Vizcaya Province, most of which can only be reached by foot.

“Over the past 19 years, we have seen a number of participants committing their lives for missions,” said Jun. “Others returned to their home churches with renewed passion for God and His redemptive plan for the world. Their walk with the Lord has never been the same. To mention one, a church that sent four of their youth last year is sending 10 youth this year, for they have seen the transformation in the lives of those four who joined.”

Praise God for the impact Go Extra Mile has had on participants and the community over the past 19 years. Pray for the right people to sign up for the outreach this year, and that they would be challenged to intentionally pray, give or go into missions as a result. Pray for enough finances to subsidise local participants, as well as for safety and good health for all. 

All training sessions will be attended by various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other faith-based organisations, in collaboration with corresponding government agencies. Most of these training sessions will be the first of their kind in Cebu City.

“We have been recognised as an effective model centre for teaching ALS in Cebu City,” said Sally Ababa, leader of OM Philippines—Cebu Ministries.

In 2008, OM Philippines began an Alternative Learning System (ALS) programme for teens who are considered by the government to be “out-of-school youth”*. This informal education, implemented by the Philippines’ Department of Education, can be accomplished in six months to a year. OM Philippines uses this programme to give teens a chance to go back to formal schooling to acquire elementary and high school diplomas, which qualifies them to go on to college- or university-level education.

In an attempt to achieve education for all, as per the government’s Millennium Development Goals, the government is actively seeking partnership with NGOs who have been identified as effective in this area.

“Currently, we are the only NGO running an accredited ALS centre for out-of-school youth,” continued Sally. “By training more accredited teachers, many more drop-outs and street kids can be assisted through this programme, making our impact more sustainable and widespread. Our experience in running a centre can also help churches and NGOs start their own accredited ALS centre.”

Higher Purpose for Your Overseas Job is a training programme developed in collaboration with Philippine Missions Association, with the vision to send out over 100,000 career missionaries by 2020. Sally has arranged for the conference to be hosted at her church on a Saturday, so as to enable youth as well as pastors and Christian leaders to attend.

“We hope to see sustainable, transformational and developmental ministries in Cebu City, and to achieve this, we need empowered and capable staff and personnel,” concluded Sally. “Personal growth and skills in interpersonal relationships are necessary for long-haul projects and ministries. Further, I hope to raise more workers who can carry on the vision and lead it to a higher and deeper dimension. Pray for wisdom, strength and provision for all of these things.” 

*Chan Robles Virtual Law Library, Republic Act No. 5462, www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno5462.html

It was like that for Patty.* She looked innocent and sweet, but at the age of 17 she was already sleeping with a 57-year-old foreigner. She had thought the guy was taking her seriously. He had offered to marry her when she reached legal age. But then she found out he was meeting other girls as well. When he finally left, Patty started chatting with more foreigners until what seemed to be just fun meeting them became a habit of mating with some of them.

Patty came to our OM Cebu weekend community outreaches and sometimes joined the youth Bible studies in our training centre. She also occasionally showed up at our feeding programme for street children.

She told us that she wanted to be set free—from the inside out. Since then, Patty has undergone a series of medical tests and been declared clean from possible STDs. We have welcomed this girl and would like to join her in her journey, yet we know that it will be a very long one. Materialism is deeply entrenched in Patty's system, even though she has discovered that not all that glitters is gold.

Please pray for Patty's journey to complete freedom. She has just turned 18 and she represents thousands of young girls and boys who have become trapped in a degrading lifestyle. The increasing numbers of foreigners, easy access to the Internet, mushrooming hotels, restaurants, beach resorts and glittering super malls lure so many disillusioned teenagers. Under-age sex tourism is a major industry in the Philippines, and child prostitution affects some of the youth we meet in our outreaches.

Carrie* had just come from the dumpsite in Cagayan de Oro City when I first met her. Like others, she had been picking through landfill garbage in the hope of finding something worth selling. She told me that she had to earn money to pay off her mother’s debt. Later, I also learnt that at the age of 12 Carrie had been married to an elderly man as part of a tribal custom.

After several months she ran away and joined her mother who lived by the dumpsite, which led to a glue-sniffing addiction and promiscuous lifestyle. The teenager could not read and write, but she could sing beautifully, which made her popular in karaoke corners.

Carrie went through several programmes in various rehabilitation centres. Improvements were made in some areas. She can now, at least, read and write; she learnt to pray and was even baptised when she was with us. Yet she still chose to run away from our centre and go back to the dumpsite to live with another scavenger. She is now 16 years old and staying on a different island.

From time to time, Carrie still calls and updates me on how she has been doing. I long to have her with us, but I know we do not have the capacity.

Please pray for the many girls like Carrie who have been channelled by circumstances into a lifestyle they did not choose. Pray also that God will expand our limited capacity so that we can reach out to many more children like her.

May the love of the Father, the forgiveness of the Son and the abiding guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit be upon all those young people who long for release and restoration in Christ!

*Name changed

In 2001, Sally Ababa established OM Philippines-Cebu Ministries, a growing and dynamic ministry that touches lives and communities in 14 different areas through a wide range of programmes and services. She also heads up the Mercy Ministry Stream of OM East Asia Pacific.

Having delayed their visit to the area due to expensive flights during the Christmas season, the leader of OM Philippines, Jun, and team members visited a couple of affected areas in Mindanao last month. They found the village of Andap the most devastated—no fewer than 500 households had been flattened and wiped out by flood and boulders from the nearby mountain. According to villagers, the area had been full of greens—coconut trees and others—but all that remained were stones and rocks.

"I chanced to chat with a few older people who were lighting a candle near a huge boulder," reported Jun. "I was told that that was the exact place where the house of his parents had been built, and his parents could not be found anymore. Someone said that maybe only 30 per cent of the residents in the area had escaped the deluge."

Before the typhoon, the area exported bananas to neighbouring countries. "One month after the typhoon, it is encouraging to see new shoots beside dead banana trunks," said Jun. "However, it will still take another 10-11 months before the banana plantations become productive again."

OM Philippines has been able to help eight churches and a few households in small ways. Some medicine was also bought for emergency use, and 22 water filters donated by Logos Hope were distributed to numerous partner churches in Mindanao.

"We returned to Manila with a mental picture of the new banana shoots beside the dead trunks—an encouragement that there is life after tragic loss," said Jun. "Thank you for touching so many lives through your prayers and financial help. It is amazing to see the body of Christ responding and shining Christ’s light in the devastated area. Hope and pray we can extend more help." 

In partnership with the government primary and high school of Sudlon II in Cebu City, Philippines, around 30 students have benefitted from OM Philippines’ Scholarship Programme over the past four years.

Sudlon II is a mountain barangay* located in the southern part of Cebu City. In the midst its lush green surroundings, the community has been vulnerable to alarming cases of dengue fever. The residents believe that the only way to prevent this epidemic from spreading is to have a clean surrounding free of stagnant water.

During OM Philippines’ Scholars' Congress from 2-5 May 2012, Sudlon scholars planned a school-wide clean-up drive, which was adopted by the local government unit and developed into a community-wide clean-up drive to be hosted the third Saturday of every month. The project started on 21 July 2012 and was attended by representatives from different sectors of the community, led by members of the barangay council.

“It is a joy to see a community gather its people from different walks of life and working together for one purpose,” said Xenia Bodero, OM Philippines’ scholarship coordinator. “Indeed, one of the best assets of a neighbourhood is the spirit of unity and teamwork amongst its people. What is even more exciting is that what started off as a school project by few OM scholars has turned into a community project for everyone. It is such a blessing to see our scholars being instrumental to make a difference in their community.”

Praise God for the impact the OM Philippines’ Scholarship Programme is having on the lives of students in Cebu City—75 in total—and for the difference they are making in their communities. Pray that more students would benefit from this programme in the years to come.

*Barangay is Filipino for a village, district or ward, and refers to the smallest administrative division in the Philippines.

"Two hundred and fifty food packs were distributed to families from the church this weekend," reported Jun Diaz, National Director of OM Philippines. "Although it is not much, hopefully our food packs will help these families get through the next few days. Ten families also received a mosquito net in response to the spread of mosquitoes brought by stagnant water."

Already 1,300 packs have been given out since the start of the project. As funds come in, OM Philippines will continue to give as the need arises. If more resources are made available, the team hopes to launch into the second phase of the project, which is the reconstruction of houses for 100 families. "We are also seriously considering another round of medical outreach in the area, similar to the one we did prior to the flooding," added Jun.

Although many areas are still recovering from the after effects of the flooding, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern Philippine island of Samar on 31 August, causing tsunami evacuations and power cuts. The regional tsunami warnings have since been lifted. Over 400 aftershocks have since been felt and are predicted to last for another month. A 5.6-magnitude earthquake also hit Northern Mindanao on 4 September.

Please pray for the Philippines in the wake of recent natural calamities. Praise God that none of the OM Philippines' team have been hurt in the process.