Our team returned to Manila last night after six days of strenuous ministry in Cagayan De Oro and Iligan Cities in northern Mindanao which was devastated in December by typhoon Sendong. We gave text books to an elementary school, conducted a major conference for pastors and workers with the theme "Why? Reflections on Evil and Suffering", did a seminar on how to use the Life Application Study Bible and gave a copy to participants, trained people to do trauma debriefing and did trauma debriefing in evacuation sites, organized feedings for malnourished children, trained children-in-crisis workers connected with the Mindanao Street Children Ministries Network and surveyed destroyed areas in Iligan. I've done disaster relief-development work for years but what we saw in Iligan leaves me speechless.
This trip was a follow-up of our January 6-9 ministry in Cagayan De Oro City and we heard stories of fruit produced since then such as the Church of the Nazarene which has adopted an evacuation site and has started worship services at the site after ministering to traumatized families. This is a wonderful example of the church being where she belongs. People may argue with the church's words and reject her ideas but our acts of love and compassion can't be dismissed. Being the people of God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ and doing His work is when we're at our best.
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