Ministering in Leyte

While the rest of the world and their media have moved on to other things, the people on this island of Leyte in the Philippines continue to patch together an existence.  Each day as we

drive the road to our health department assigned barangay (villages) we see signs of progress: a line of electric poles (imagine being without power for a month), a few less piles of brush in the street to veer around, several seaside tin roof shacks popping up in a day.

The Salvation Army has some of their leaders here to figure out what to do for the next two years to help the Filipinos rebuild. Do they build houses? That is not their specialty. How long do they continue medical work with CMDA (our team)?  How do they respond to the need without stifling the enterprise of individuals or creating dependence. These are not easy questions to answer, but we continue to encounter tough stories. 

Today, one of my patients was a woman who had been with her family in Tacloban when the cyclone hit. It killed her husband. We prayed with her and her little girl but I really felt her sadness.  I wish I could build every family here a home. Some of these shacks going up are probably no different than the ones brought down in the storm. Some literally are built on sticks over a swamp. So what to do?

My new friend Major Bong is one of the most compassionate men I've ever met. He feels the pain of those he encounters and is constantly working to help. He carries packages of crackers around in case he meets someone hungry. He is always thinking about how to help. Join with Bong and me in praying for the needs of the people in this little corner of the world.  

Dr. Bolthouse