CAGAYAN DE ORO -ILIGAN
Dear Friends and Supporters,
It is with sadness that I write to you at this time, a time which we normally associate with “Peace and Joy”. Most of you will be aware of the typhoon which hit the island of Mindanao on Friday night devastating the cities of Cagayan De Oro and Iligan by horrific flash floods. It was in Cagayan De Oro that I lived and worked for seven years. CagayanDe Oro is also the city which has been home for the Vann family and the Walsh family during their years of service at OBC. (As I have been writing this I have had “Facebook” messages from Mm Penny and Mm Rhonda. We all have tears in our eyes.)
I give thanks to our Heavenly Father that all of the people that I know survived the onslaught of the water although some of them have lost all that they had. They have walked away with only the clothes they were wearing.
Oro Bible College has had damage to the roof of the “Boys’ Dorm” but even so some of the homeless are being accommodated in the dormitories and others are being accommodated in Maranatha Bible Church which is next-door to the College.
Pastor Billy Comahig has been given the responsibility of ascertaining the needs of the churches and members and so I copy his e-mails to me. I have also been in daily phone contact with him and with Pastor Reniel Comajeg.
Dear Brethren,
The storm that hit the Philippines particularly in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City brings so much damaged of the people living in the places mentioned above. Hundreds of people died and thousands of families lost their houses and belongings.About our churches here in Cagayan de Oro, I was able to talk to Rev. Pablito Molina, the pastor of Maranatha Bible Church and initially he said that there are about more or less ten (10 ) families who are affected by the typhoon. I visited Pastor Benjie Ragas and Initially he said that there are six (6 ) families affected in Christian Community Fellowship an advent Christian Church in Macanhan. In Iligan Churches, I was able to talk to Rev. Eleazar Comahig and initially he said that there are more than fifteen families affected by the typhoon and He lost his motorbike that he used for the ministry as well as all the church musical instruments and their projector. He added that they are having some problem cooking because they lost their kitchen materials for cooking.The In Christ Glory Church was also affected and The secretary of the conference here in the Philippines said that initially there are seven ( 7) families affected by the typhoon in In Christ Glory Church. Some Oro Bible College students was also affected and a portion of the rooftop of the Oro Bible College building was also affected by the typhoon.
I will continue to give you the update as soon as I will get additional information about the affected areas. Please Help our Brethren, They really need food, clothing, and their other basic needs.
In Christ, Brother Billy M. Comahig
Pastor Billy also wrote
Dear Dad,
The people are really in need for food, Clothing and materials to rebuild and repair their Houses. Oro Bible College need money to fix the roof top of the boys Dormitory.
First of all, Your prayers are a great help for the victims of the flood. You can also help the victims by donating any amount of Money for their food, For their Clothes, and for materials for repairing and rebuilding their houses.
In His Service,
Billy
I have also copied from ACGC e-news from Mm Nely Gamayon
“Greetings in the most precious name of Jesus Christ. As of Dec. 18, 2011, in Iligan city, Christ Glory Church and some of its members are affected, and former Bishop Eleazar Comajig and the New Life Church in Iligan are also affected. Both churches in Iligan were flooded, so the equipment, furniture, computers and everything inside the church were flooded.
“In Cagayan de Oro there are 346 dead already as of Dec. 18, 413 still missing and more than 3,000 families affected. The Maranatha church has some members affected also. They need clothing, and help for food. Their houses are still full of mud and they cannot clean it because the whole city has no water. The fire trucks are going around the city on schedule rationing water. Refilling stations are running short of water supply.
“At OBC, we have the families of our students who are affected. We housed them at the dorm. They lost everything to the flood. They also need clothing, beddings and food. I have a brother who lost his house to the flood, too. The water came into their house at 2:00 a.m. When his wife woke up and stepped on the floor, she found that the water was already knee deep. When she stood up to open the door, water rushed in and carried her up to the wall. Thank God she and my brother were still able to get out of the house and run to the neighbor’s roof. Their neighbor’s house was a two-floor building. Until today, they could not go back and clean their house because there is no water. They were not able to save anything from the house.”
Pastor Reniel has taken his wife Felany and baby Elisha Grant to Claveria and has been advised not to bring the baby back to CDO for at least a week because of the stench and airborne diseases. City water, if available, will not be fit for drinking, cooking and maybe even showering for about a month.
Pastor Benjie Ragas and his aunt Mm Marquino and her family have evacuated the Macanhan church and are staying with a church member, the church being flooded, destroying all their belongings and church equipment.
The photos are but a few of the ones I have received which were sent to me by Pastor Reniel. He asked that I did not publish some of the more graphic ones showing those in the funeral parlour and on the street. For those of you who may wish to view more you can open
or the www.nzherald.co.nz and go to Cagayan De Oro.
Other photos are available on other news sites.
If you wish to help our brothers and sisters donations may be made to
ACMissioNZ PO Box 202162, Southgate, Takanini, Auckland 2246, NEW ZEALAND
Please pray for these, our brothers and sisters in Christ, that even in this time of sadness and anxiety they will know God’s “Peace and Joy” and be a light shining out to those who are suffering and mourning with them.
Thank you for your continued support, financially and in prayer. May you also know the Peace and Joy of Christ at this Christmas time and in the coming year.
In the Master’s service
Grant Aldridge
I intended to spend my first one hundred (100) days of office convening with the different Department Heads directing them to establish programs and/or projects geared towards conveying basic services to all the constituents. Definitely, not to meet every expectation for the moment but we’ll tend to shift into a higher level in our journey as we make use of the remaining days God extends for us before His startling return.
Dear Sir Grant,
