Dear Brethren,
“I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2).
Through this article we want to thank the General Conference and all our dear brethren around the world. We were blessed by the great outpouring of brotherly love in the prompt assistance given to relieve the suffering of the victims affected by the super-typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda that hit our country. We express our heartfelt gratitude in behalf of all those who were benefited by your donations.
On November 14-22, 2013, we formed teams to deliver relief goods to our brethren and their neighbors who were affected by the typhoon. The teams were composed of men and women with three vans full of ready-to-eat food, water, clothing, and medicine.
Our program started with feeding in the morning. Then we distributed packs of food, clothing, and water, followed by medical check-ups and the distribution of medicine.
We visited the victims in various towns that were affected, and cities on Visayan Island, such as Tabugon, Bugo, Cebu, Copoocan, Cabiltan, Escalante, Villaba, Cataingan, Leyte, and Masbate.
The teams returned to give the same assistance on December 15-20, 2013, and to check on the condition of our brethren. At this time we also brought with us construction teams formed during our Philippine Union Conference Council, to build houses for our affected brethren. There were 12 partially damaged houses; 8 totally damaged houses, and 2 churches at Bugo, Cebu, and Copoocan, Leyte. The building team formed from Luzon was assigned to Masbate, the building team from Mindanao was assigned to Capoocan and Leyte, and the building team from Visayan was assigned to Bugo, Cebu and Aklan. So far, not all the reconstruction is finished because there are not enough building supplies available for sale; therefore, some construction projects are still going on and hopefully will be finalized soon.
Once again, thank you brethren. Your token of love has made a difference for many souls who were able to see the love of Jesus through His followers. Praise be to the Lord! May God continue to richly bless you.
Your brethren from the Philippines