2019 Summary, January 2020 PAMI Bulletin and Typhoon Recovery
By the end of January, year-end statements and a January 2020 PAMI Bulletin were mailed out to those that made 2019 contributions to PAMI. The year-end statements included the following summary of PAMI ministries in 2019:
Dear Friends:
Thank you for your gifts and prayers for PAMI in 2019. They are fitting of Hebrews 13:16 that says “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
This has been another fruitful year of ministry. About 65 people were baptized! Three graduated from Emmaus Bible Institute on April 3rd. Two of the three were added as workers, along with a couple that graduated in previous years. We were able to distribute another 500 Operation Christmas Child boxes and carry out a lot of discipleship along with that. 160 Compassion sponsored kids were served weekly at EBI. An all-PAMI youth camp was held in April and a crusade in May, with a couple hundred attending each. Churches were started in Culasi Matnog and San Jose Bulusan. Other gatherings, retreats, and workshops were held. Film showings, Christian radio, Bible study outreaches, children’s feedings, and VBS continued. Weekly Values Instruction Classes were done in several public schools and Family Development Sessions were held with government welfare recipients. Several balikbayan boxes were sent with books, CDs, games, toys, school and office supplies, hygiene supplies, clothes, laptops and projectors. Some building refurbishment/improvement and typhoon relief/repairs were done. It’s through the partnership of dedicated Filipino workers and faithful supporters like you that all this is possible.
Regarding the January 2020 PAMI Bulletin , it includes before and after repair pictures of two of the worst hit PAMI buildings–the PenaFrancia Church near EBI and Candumaay Matnog Church. It also has some pictures of distribution of typhoon relief goods. And page 2 is a January 7 report from Sis Ofel that praises God for batches of typhoon relief from different sources along with corresponding ministry opportunities. For more info and pictures, see below: Read More
Aftermath of Typhoon Tisoy
Actual path of the eye of the typhoon.
A few hours before it made landfall, it looked like the eye of Typhoon Tisoy was going to pass through Legazpi, just a little to the north of Sorsogon Proivince where PAMI is located. Unfortunately, the eye actually made landfall in Gubat about midnight on Dec 2-3 and passed east to west right through northern Sorsogon Province at category 4 strength (140 miles per hour). It was accompanied by a storm surge of about 10 feet and about 16 inches of rain. It practically went right over EBI in Sorsogon City and Castilla. It greatly affected the whole Province and almost every town where PAMI has ministry. Many places are still without electricity over two and a half weeks later. PenaFrancia and Candumaay Matnog churches were halfway destroyed, and sustained over $500 damage each. EBI had a collapsed classroom cottage and a falling big tree knocked over the property wall and fell on another classroom (denting the corrugated steel roof and breaking rafters). Several other PAMI churches/parsonages had damage as well. Plus there’s probably about a hundred PAMI member homes with damage. Some homes lost roofs, some were flattened, and some were washed away. With water levels coming up to window level, people hoped to save valuables and electronics by placing them on top of tables. Many took refuge in stronger built church buildings and schools. Afterwards, people waded through hip deep water in streets in some areas. Thankfully no PAMI people got hurt, and no one in Sorsogon Province died. However, I read a newspaper article that said four lives were lost in other parts of the Philippines. The following pdf files show a sampling of the damage.
RebuildingPeniaFrancia
Matnog typhoon damage
Bulan-list-and-pictures-of-some-victims-of-Tyhoon-Tisoy
Read More
Dec 2019 PAMI newsletter
Click on the following to see the latest PAMI newsletter: Dec 2019 PAMI newsletter . It includes a remembrance of my aunt Izzy Allen, who was the sister of my uncle Norval Thorud (the founder and first missionary of PAMI). It also includes info about Typhoon Tisoy that went through our area on Dec 2-3.
Flooding and Dengue Fever
Ptr Raf and Elsie Dominguez’ kids making the best of water flooding beyond the road and drainage channel in front of EBI and past the EBI gate
Flooding wash-out caused by tropical storm Usman
Late December and January have been dampened with tropical storms and flooding, and a subsequent outbreak of Dengue Fever which is caused by a virus spread by mosquitoes. Dengue was contracted by four children of PAMI workers (3 kids of Pastor Redgie & Aireen Bonifacio of Castilla Church and the youngest daughter of Sister Ofel of EBI) who had to spend several days in the hospital due to persistent high fever and vomiting. The two boys of Pastor Pio and Juvy Garduque of Barcelona Church got sick with asthma and pneumonia and went to the hospital too. Although PhilHealth covered some of the hospital expenses, there were over $600 of testing and medicine expenses not covered, most of which PAMI footed the bill for.
Although the Dec. 29th path of tropical storm Usman passed south enough of our area for minimal wind damage, it still brought enough rain to cause water levels to enter homes, churches, and schools, which required need for clean-up afterwards, and also caused some mudslides and wash-out. Heavy rains continued into January with other storms. Hopefully this extended storm season now comes to an end for a few months. Please pray for full recovery and protection from more calamity. Read More
PAMI Sept 2018 Bulletin, VVM visitors at Emmaus Lutheran, Super Typhoon Ompong
Click here to see the Sept 2018 PAMI Bulletin
When this Bulletin was sent to the PAMI email list, the following information accompanied it: Read More
September 2016 PAMI News
Click on this link to view: PAMI News Sept2016
For further reference, here is the PAMI update email that accompanied the above newsletter: Read More
Reports from Pastor Virgilio Fulo
The following three reports from Pastor Virgilio Fulo primarily describe various ministry of the PAMI Bulan Church and its daughter churches and outreaches. The 7-14-16 report includes pictures of typhoon relief items received in two balikbayan boxes. The 7-29-16 report includes reports of other pastors from the Bulan partition of churches that are supervised by Pastor Fulo, and includes pictures of school supply distribution by Ptr Felmar Guray in Butag. The 7-29-16 report also includes a couple pictures from visits to Barcelona and Irosin for meetings with other PAMI pastors in other towns.
fulo-report-5-23-16
bulan-christian-church-highlights-7-14-16
bulan-highlights-report-7-29-16b
March PAMI Bulletin (re OCC shoeboxes and Typhoon relief)
Click on this link to view: PAMI BULLETIN Mar2016
Typhoon Relief Report and more
Here’s a report from Pastor Virgilio Fulo that shows typhoon repairs made to homes of members of Bulan church and its daughter churches, and the Fabrica church roof:
Fulo Report Mar2016 (This report also includes pics of Bulan church young people celebrating Valentines Day and Operation Christmas Child shoebox distribution).
All typhoon relief gifts were much appreciated. Thank you to all who donated. Approximately $5000 of relief donations were received. These funds helped over 100 PAMI families with destroyed/damaged houses and repairing roofing of a few PAMI churches.
Here’s an excerpt from Pastor Gumer of Irosin Church, that also refers to typhoon relief: Read More