Here are pictures and a report of the 3rd batch of relief supplied by PAMI to victims of the November 6th super-typhoon Haiyan.  This 3rd batch included 80 blankets brought this week via motorcycles to Marabut and Lawaan in southern Samar by Pastor Randy Rivera and one of his church members Brother Mykel.  They left on Sunday afternoon and returned on Tuesday night.  Randy Rivera is a PAMI pastor in Allen, Northern Samar–the other end of the same island as Marabut and Lawaan (about a four hour trip away).  He has gone there a few times to bring assistance and counseling.  See previous blog entries for pictures from his earlier visits there.
 
Here’s a report Pastor Randy submitted right after delivering the 3rd batch of typhoon relief:
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Wed. Feb 12, 2014
Dear Brother Mike,
Shalom!
We arrive here in Allen yesterday evening at around 10:30 P.M.  From Marabut we departed at 7:00 P.M after our counseling and stress debriefing session with some families there and we overnight at the hotel in
Calbiga, one of the town of Western Samar because the rain is continue.  Then we start to travel again going to Allen at around 9:15 in the morning and we always stop in different places because of the strong rain. That is why we didn’t reach Allen until 10:30 P.M. Feb 11.
We depart Allen on Feb. 9 after our Sunday Service together with Bro. Mykel. When we arrived in Marabut early on Feb. 10, Monday, there was a meeting of all the affected family at the proper town.  That is why only few family member is in their shelter at that time, and we start our conversation with Pastor Bernard.  He is a Pastor in Marabut Church (who had a green colored church). Some of their Church members arrived and we start giving our blankets. Pastor Bernard told me to come back in their Church in the afternoon after their meeting from the office of the Mayor, because he would gather his members.  That’s the time that we gave some blanket to the other members, and conducted counseling also for their members.  So I promised to come back in the afternoon.
10:00 a.m we proceed to the town of Lawaan.  I met Pastora Ching in their temporary tent house and at the same time church. We conduct group stress debriefing/counseling in their tent house and also in different tent house in Lawaan.  A lot of people in that place don’t allow picture taking.  So we conduct counseling without camera or pictures. But some of our Brethren give us permission to take a photo, especially in their tent shelter.
3:30 P.M. we go back to Marabut town.  Lawaan to Marabut is approximately 24 kilometers, and we go 80 kilometer per hour. While we were travelling using our motorcycle, my new cell phone fell down and broke because I forgot to close the zipper of my jacket.  Only the sim card and the Mini SD card (memory) is ok. My cell phone is what I use to take pictures. But I say it’s ok–not a big deal. Thank God because some of the pictures could be recovered from the SD card of my broken cell phone.
Up to 7:00 in the evening we conduct stress debriefing in Marabut. The Marabut Brethren in Christ extend their thanks to all the donors. They are all happy, though a lot of other families also wish to receive. Glory to God.
Pastor Randy

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In some recent text messages received before the above report, Pastor Randy has said “One of the Christian NGO based in Puerto Galera Mindoro invited our Christian local NGO here in N. Samar to attend their training about ministry enhancement, and effective stress debriefing, this coming Monday to Friday morning (Jan 27-31). They provide my plane ticket back and forth. Everything is free, like hotel foods and plane fare. They provide also all the materials that we use in that training.”  He then said ” It will help with ministering to calamity victims. I have now additional inputs and knowledge in handling calamity victims and to conduct stress debriefing. The organizer of this training here invite me as one of the speaker in Bacolod City Negros this coming Feb 23. It is all free, like here in Mindoro. In Negros it is only one day. Because in all the participants here, they see me having potential. A lot of people in Negros are victim also in Typhoon Haiyan.  Then Pastor Randy said the Negros date changed & he’s just waiting to hear when it will be.
 
By the  way, for a 4th batch of typhoon relief, two balikbayan boxes were sent from Minneapolis on Feb 6th and should arrive by the end of March.  These boxes included a bunch of items from the Union Gospel Mission of St. Paul (blankets, clothes, toothbrushes, toothpastes, shampoos).
 
More pictures from Lawaan and Marabut: