Philippine Children’s Ministries Network

The Bell’s Post Flood Edition of Cyclone Ondoy

Dear friends,
Today is exactly four months since the horrific floods of Cyclone Ondoy raged through our city last September. So many positive things have happened since then and so much of that is due to those who prayed and gave for those who lost so much.
(Pictured here is Rex, a little mate who thought rowing our shoe rack around our living room was a great idea of fun!)
It is a fact that no one can ever prepare really for extreme disasters, but I believe we as a church and community are much more experienced now to handle whatever may come in the future.
At first the victims needed love and aid. This was our first call to action. We set up an aid centre within our church building. Here we accommodated over 300 people for the first four days. The volunteers cooked, cleaned and kept the two toilets clean as best they could!! In the community of San Buena where we concentrate most of our community development work, we distributed over 3500 relief parcels of food, water, and cleaning products within that week. The scene when the trucks arrived was unbelievable but orderly.
So many volunteers did what they could to relieve the suffering of others. It was such a wonderful encouragement to us! Many new friends were made during this time.
Since those early days much has been done to help these community friends recover:
500 kilos of clothing were distributed. While a tremendous headache to do this, the effort was rewarded when we saw so many tremendously happy faces which made it all worthwhile!

In late October we as a team then did a complete survey of the families in the area of San Buena community, street by street. A list was made of the family’s names, adults and children living in every household. The approximate number of complete families is close to 1000, representing around 12,000 people. At the same time we also surveyed what the community themselves saw as the most crucial needs for replacement of belongings and buildings lost. We could not support their complete list but this is the list we could supply:

• 1000 x Family sized Mosquito Nets.
• 1000 x Family sized Floor sleeping mats know as a ‘BANIG’. These are straw type mats used on dirt or concrete flooring. This is typical bedding used in these poorer depressed areas.
• 1000 x family sized light bedding sheeting/blankets known as ‘KUMOT’.

Our next project for pre-Christmas season was to distribute these items together with a letter explaining that these gifts were from concerned friends in other countries who had not forgotten them. A team of eight enthusiastic Aussies from Australian Alliance churches arrived to do the task. Armed with a love for people and a prayer for every family,the task was completed over 8 days together with partners from the Alliance church in San Buena. From the giving of these gifts we received over 800 written responses from families in the community. These will be sent to those who gave and provided their address within the next month.

Since then also we have also been able to:

1. Give small financial aid packages to over 25 families and six widows who were completely desperate.
2. Financial aid for funeral expenses to three families who lost loved ones during the flood.
3. Initial medical and some ongoing medical needs associated with the disease following the flood.
4. Costs of raising two homes off the ground and building new concrete floors for these families.
5. Two homes of widows in the community were completely destroyed. The remnant has now been removed and replaced by the new homes. The joy of these women is overwhelming.
6. 100 new chairs for the community hall were purchased.
7. Repair of the school van used not only for the school but also for the community youth ministry and Sunday service and the occasional hospital run.
8. Also our San Buena Community Church Ladies ran a feeding program for 300 children daily from the start of the Flood through to the middle of January.

My friends, we as a team are still continuing to discuss and effectively utilise the funds still available to us. These funds have provided so many opportunities to really make a difference to those who were so badly affected.

For us personally we have been able to repurchase what was lost in our home or have repaired what was not damaged too badly, for this we are so thankful.

With Haiti’s disaster only a few weeks ago now, I know the West is now talking about the term ‘Giving fatigue’. It is my hope that we who have much will never cease to give out of our abundance and trust that it is used for its intended purpose which is always to bless those who have little.

From all of us here in Manila we want to say an incredibly big ‘Thank You’ for you have instilled so much hope. You have been amazing and given so much more than we could have ever imagined.

With love and appreciation, from Rick & Maria, the team at Cells Alive and San Buena Alliance Churches and the recipients who received your love and support.

*Ptr. Rick Bell’s organization Vision of Hope Compassion Ministry (Bright Lights Learning Center) is a partner agency of PCMN in running the program Step-UP computer technology learning center and in the conduct of psycho-social help to children affected by the typhoons.