march 2012
CityLight.org 35
Y
ou can bring hope to people in the
Philippines who lost there homes when
Typhoon Washi rocked their country and
brought terrible devastation. For only $500
a new home can be built to provide hous-
ing for a family who was displaced and left
without a place to call home. As some of
those effected have recounted, "there's no
place like home."
The Operation Good Shepherd housing proj-
ect is in the process of building five new homes
in an initial push to help turn the tide of home-
lessness in Cagayan de Oro and Illgan City
Philippines, where a cording to BBC News
Typhoon Washi struck the area from Decem-
ber 16 through 18, 2011 and "a total of 1,249
are known to have died in the flash floods that
struck the southern Philippines." BBC reports
that, "many of those who died were sleeping
when the typhoon caused rivers to burst their
banks, leading to landslides." BBC also reports
that entire villages were washed away as a re-
sult of the effects of the storm.
Gerson Deita, a local, indigenous missionary,
is one of those helping to head up the hous-
ing project in the area. He recounted what his
mother and sister-in-law, who were eyewit-
nesses of the events, had said, "it had rained all
day that day and the water just began to rise.
The storm started hitting us around 2 in the
morning. We just kept climbing higher and
higher until we were high enough. The water
was 40 to 50 feet high in the morning."
Gerson said the events required action and
they wanted desperately to help. Initially
they became involved in immediate relief
efforts, helping distribute food and water
and other relief aid to those in need. He
went on to say that although these ef-
forts were much needed, they were only of
short-term value. He said they recognized
that the long term need was for new hous-
ing to replace what the effects of the storm
had destroyed, "as our effort to assist the
victims, we are now helping build houses so
they can slowly start their normal life. We
are working with the pastors in the area;
we are starting with 5 houses." Gerson said
that God has provided a relocation site on
higher and safer ground for the initial new
construction to be done.
He went on to explain that the displaced
families are doing most of the work them-
selves, but supplies are needed to continue
the construction. He said he is thankful for
what has already been provided, but the need
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Matter of the Heart