Philippines Typhoon
September 9, 2022
On December 16th, 2021, a category 5 typhoon devastated the central islands of the Philippines. Hundreds of people were killed by the storm, thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed, and thousands of families were displaced from their homes. Flooding, downed trees, and damaged roadways made it difficult for people to receive help for weeks in some areas. IDES was able to partner with 9 different mission organizations throughout the Philippines to respond to the destruction caused by the hurricane.
Through the work of our partners, IDES was able to help over 20,000 people after the storm. In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, we distributed 184,000 pounds of food and provided thousands of gallons of clean water to people in need. As the water receded, it became clear that the most significant need was to repair houses. Many of the houses in the Philippines are constructed from bamboo walls and a tin metal roof, which cannot withstand the force of a typhoon. One of our partners provided 3 miles of tarp to people in need so they could at least have something over their heads at night. They then began work fixing the destroyed homes. In total, our partners were able to rebuild or repair 823 homes.
Many churches, Christian schools, and orphanages were also damaged by the typhoon. These places serve as centers of ministry for our partners working to share the Gospel in the Philippines, so it was important to focus some of our efforts on these buildings. We have been able to rebuild or repair 58 churches, schools, and orphanages since the storm. This will allow our partners to continue serving and ministering to the Filipino people for years to come.
Additionally, IDES is working to ensure that people are able to continue providing for themselves through livelihood projects. Many Filipinos are fishermen and many boats were destroyed or lost in the typhoon. We have provided 34 boats to people, which will allow them to continue their work and provide for their families. We are also providing pigs to families to raise for meat and supplying families with the tools needed to plant and harvest rice.
As with all of IDES’ work, our goal is to reach people with the Gospel through our help in times of disaster. Since the typhoon, we have been able to distribute 1,766 Bibles in the Philippines and our partners have been working tirelessly to share about the hope we have in Jesus with thousands of people. As a result, we have seen 89 people give their lives to Jesus and be baptized. Please join us in thanking God for these people and pray that more people will come to know Jesus through IDES’ relief efforts.
Times are Hard, but God is still in Control
(January 5, 2022 - Philippines Typhoon)
Village of Hope, our orphanage in Bohol, has lost roofs, ceilings, and wiring for all four Homes, but the children and their House Parents weren’t injured.
You may have heard by now that this weekend a massive storm tore through Bohol. We are alive. The people we serve are alive. There were some bumps, some bruises, some cuts, but we all survived. Many in Bohol did not.
Saturday night at seven the rain came hard, and kept getting harder. Fifty-five people sought shelter in our home. We felt the walls shake as the roof rattled. The sound of falling trees and flying things filled the room. Shortly after the storm began we could no longer see out of our windows; they were plastered green with leaves and grass. All we could do was sit together in the dark, hold hands, and pray.
We lost our roof, our ceiling, and so much more. But we all woke up the next morning and we were all together, and that’s what matters most.
Around 8:30 the rain stopped and all was calm. Some went outside to see what they could. Some trees were down. Our storage shed had its walls stripped away. We knew it was only the eye of the storm and more was to come, so we rushed people back inside. What came was so much worse.
At nine the wind became fierce, and the rain torrential. The roof and ceiling of our living room ripped from our walls and floated into the sky as if a paper airplane or a child’s kite. The rain came in through tears in our kitchen walls. And in our bedroom, and in our dining room, nearly sixty of us sat huddled praying that what was left of the house would stand, and that the roof we had left would remain in place. The walls rattled reminiscent of earthquakes from Mike’s native California. There were tears, and prayers, and the sound of crashes outside. Then, peace.
Refuge of Hope will need to be repaired or rebuilt to provide a safe place for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.
In the morning we saw what the night had brought. We couldn’t move through our yard as it was littered with trees and bamboo. It took some time to find our roof. Our garage collapsed onto our truck. The storm had slid our van feet from where it was parked, and turned the orphanage bus on its side. Refuge of Hope lost some buildings and all of its roofs. Village of Hope lost its roofs and ceilings. Mike saw the damage and wanted to weep, but now was not the time. So many were looking to us for strength and guidance—reassurance. There will be a time to grieve, but now is not that time. I called everyone around us to worship. The sun revealed so much devastation, but the sun meant a new day. And this is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. This morning, in the midst of all this chaos, all this pain, all this fear and uncertainty, we celebrate His new mercies for this morning.
With so much to do the morning after, we didn’t have time not to stop and worship the God who brought us through a very bad night.
A crisis like this creates opportunities for the Gospel. Our home needs to be repaired. Refuge of Hope and Village of Hope need to be repaired. Hundreds of families in our churches are now homeless; many houses of worship are gone. And there are people in communities all around us who are now homeless, who need food, who need clean water, and who need Jesus.
Please pray with us, that our hearts will be strong, that all will stay healthy, and that we can rebuild for our family and the people we serve. And please pray that there will be doors opened into new communities as we seek to serve the multitude of strangers around us who need help, and who likely need Jesus.
Mike Propp and his family
The rain destroyed fields of crops, ruined commercial stores of rice, and has left many people homeless. The major cities that we’d usually go to for supplies have also lost power and suffered damage. Food prices have already gone up significantly. Fuel has tripled. Building materials are scarce. A four hour wait in line at an ATM ended with the machine running out of money twenty people ahead of us. A three hour wait at a gas station ended when the station shut down just before our turn because a brawl broke out among the waiting customers.
Times are hard, but God is still in control.
-IDES Partner, Mike Propp