Philippine Typhoon - Post 24

Philippine Typhoon

Monday December 30, 2013

Dear Friends,

Dan and his work team have been on Leyte.  Tacloban which was severely impacted is on Leyte.  Please read this email.  I am so burdened for the massive destruction which Dan and his work teams are facing.  Dan faces the fact that both Leyte and Panay were severely impacted, and will need help.  Please pray for Dan and Edna Cadavos.  They need to be lifted up before God for the mission and their health.

"Good (Monday) morning from the Philippines,

Dan and his crew have been working hard. In the past 5 days they have helped over 150 families and several churches.  We just spoke on the cell phone, they will do some additional clearing, even helped in several locations on the main "MacArthur" Highway where until now, a month later, debris had still not been cleared due to the shortage of chainsaws and size of the trees.  Some families were living on the highway just to give themselves a dry floor.  So much of the area is still swampy or even in some places under water, due to the storm surge, over-flowing of rivers in the area and some rain that has hit the area since the Typhoon.  Dan said today they are trying to get a few families off the road and some simple structures up to give them shelter/small house on the land near the highway that is now dry. 

They had the joy of passing out tracts and witnessing to some nuns in a nearby convent, noticing that the roof and altar area of their "church" was destroyed and their idols/images were now head-less.  (we will have pictures of that once able to be uploaded) Dan was able to present the Gospel until the mother Superior arrived and scolded them for listening.  Please pray that the message of those Gospel tracts will take hold, find root in those needy hearts. 

They wanted to provide many more roofs for folks but the money was short as the cost is times (x) 3 for GI sheets there in Leyte.  Dan thought it better to purchase here in Mindanao and send a shipment of GI sheets there (we have a brother in law with a much larger truck than ours) in the near future.  Even with the cost of the trucking we would still save and he is praying for another team go there as the Lord provides, as the needs are SO SO great, and few are working there....eventually Leyte and Panay and the many other vast areas of destruction of this Typhoon will be forgotten, yet the people there are still struggling with day to day existence of surviving under immense hardship.  

As God provides Dan says he sees us being involved for the long-term in Panay and in Leyte.  Many pastors expressed a desire to attend our CEP (Continuing Education for Pastors), offered by BJMBC in Manila, and hosted by our church in Malaybalay...they like to look up to Dan as a "Tatay-tatay" (father figure) as they feel a need for an older man in ministry as a mentor and encouragement figure for their personal and ministry lives.  We are looking forward to meeting some of them soon.  We have two or three now from Davao area that are coming to our CEP that we met before following the aftermath of Typhoon Pablo last Christmas.  Looks like we'll have some more "storm orphans" in the future.  Its a joy to be able to minister to these younger men in ministry.  Sadly 5 pastors were killed last night Dan said on the way out of Leyte returning to the north....maybe they were too tired and fell asleep at the wheel, their vehicle crashed.  I warned him to get some rest along side of the road if needed, they have 3 or 4 drivers in Dan's group so they can take turns. 
Today is a half day of work and they will be leaving aproximately between 1 and 2 pm (your 12-1 am) for the south and taking the barge/ferry back to Mindanao later tonight.  Its aprox 20-24 hours to drive from there to home depending on the time they cross the channel between Mindanao and Leyte. 

God bless you and yours this New Year's...and again thank you SO SO much for your love and burden for the people here.  Souls are being saved because you are giving, hearts are being opened by the care you are sending.

Thank you so much,
Edna, for Dan and our ministry"

Please pray for Dr. Greg Waller and his wife, Linda.  They will be going to the Philippines for another medical effort on the island of Panay.  I cannot emphasize enough the medical needs of people there.  They will leave on January 8 and return on Jan 19.

The Gospel is going out and ORH is so honored work with the wonderful missionaries who are helping the people of the Philippines recover from the devastation.

Please, consider this “open door”, and let’s not hesitate to go to the harvest.

If you would like to give by debit or credit card, please go to www.operationrenewedhope.org and choose Network for Good.

If you would like to send a check, please send to Operation Renewed Hope, P. O. Box 43242, Fayetteville, NC 28309.  Please mark the check “International Relief.”

God bless all who try to help us with the suffering of others and the salvation of their souls.

Jan Milton

Operation Renewed Hope
1017 Sage Green Ct.
Raleigh, NC 27610
910-987-5072
www.operationrenewedhope.org
orhus@aol.com