Surviving, Odette Damage, and Early Clean-Up

Hanging out in our room with Jebol and Ollie.  We were on the foam, but our butts started to get wet.  We let the dogs stay but moved to plastic chairs until the flooding went away about 2am.

This is the kitchen with the roof still inside.  Unfortunately, many of my classroom supplies were there as it doubled as my office.

Our main room had a river running through it.  We couldn't keep the door closed anyway so a few lighter things (like floor mats and shoes) washed away and I found them around the neighbor's house in the following days.

This is the church.  Most of the roof and ceiling collapsed.  For now it has been tarped so services can resume.

Our bedroom in the morning light.  We had tried to stop the waterfall as the cabinet with clothes and pots.  Eventually we just sat and turned the pots to rest our feet and stay dry.  I think it was almost ankle deep at it's worst.  The dark of our bed foam is definitely wet. It took a week to dry that out!

This is the playground and pastor's home in the background.  They lost about half to two-thirds of their roof, but only about 1/3 of the ceiling.

Basketball court in the compound.  Not so messy, but all those trees down...

The day after we walked the 3 km to our land to check out the house.  I started the walk first to stop and see family along the way and made the dogs stay.  Half a km from home I heard noise behind me and turned to see Jebol running after me.  So he walked all the way there and back with us.  I think he was more exhausted than us!

This is a view from inside pastor's house looking at the open roof.

This is normally open grounds and the playground.  So many trees don it wasn't passable.  Off to the right you can see the church windows, but no roof.

Straight out our front door.  Normally a beautiful "I❤️Jesus" sign and pathway.

This is the mess of things we were sorting through from the kitchen after Jun got the roofing stuff out.

Restored Heritage: Our partner ministry in Mabini.  The third floor lost most of the roof.

Parts of their main kitchen roof were ripped up as well (the back side of the 3 story building)

The day extension of the kitchen, laundry area, and Cars entirely lost it's roof.  The main house their had lots of leaks.  So much water came through that the vinyl tiles were all loosened from their glued in spots.

It took about two weeks, but I finally made the mess workable.  I think it was 7 tables covered with things to be dried out and cleaned (not counting the book shelves that I waited to do later)

These two pictures are out of order...but you can see the coconut on the far wall.  Somehow it didn't hit the roof, but ended up under the cement eaves.  Based on direction of other trees near by that should have come down directly in the middle and into our room!

This is the debris brought in from the storm and some of our damaged things.  In the above picture we had finally cleared most of it out and I started resetting the kitchen with things that would not get ruined with rain.

I could only handle taking one picture of our house.  At least the septic looks like it held up.  We allowed the near neighbors to use the lumber and walking to rebuild their shelters.

From the front, the Mission House doesn't look so bad!  Even though it sounded like the whole roof came off, it was really our neighbor's house that lost their roof.  Jun just had to reseal the roof/firewall joint and re-flatten one piece of tin sheeting.

I hope to add pictures soon of the cleaned up areas now.  Grass is already starting to regrow and the playground is usable again!
 

Typhoon Odette and Other things

 December in NorthEastern Bohol brought Typhoon Odette.  She was the worst any here have seen in nearly 40 years.  We are now one month later and getting to an alternate normal.  I have to say the Filipino people are very good at working with what they have available.

God blessed us with a week to dry out  again and so many were able to get tarps up to replace missing roofs and in some places school classrooms and health centers have become "home".  Then one week after Odette the rains came in force to re-soak many.  Despite a week of heavy rains, relief goods started to arrive about 10 days post storm.  Since then most families have been receiving rations of rice and canned goods to support them.

Due to extra year end support we were able to supply my approximately 80 students with a hygiene pack each at our rescheduled closings.  We might try to determine another distribution in February, but it's hard to know what families really need the help versus just willing to take free stuff.  Due to this most of our "relief efforts" are going into support funding of projects already underway by those who have a way to determine who really needs the help.

This Thursday marked five weeks and I just finally got the last of my books out in the sun yesterday (Jan 21).  That means I will make my goal of having the Mission House ready for the kids to come back to read and play games in February!  We are still without regular phone/internet service and no electricity at all.

Jun and I had hoped to move into our house my our second anniversary (Feb14), but God provided Odette to redirect that plan.  Our house was flattened so we were able to let those neighbors use our newer materials to rebuild shelter for them as we have the Mission House available to us still.  So our one house is now two houses and sheltering almost a dozen people.

I will likely begin regular class again in March, but we are taking this time to pray over what that might look like.  Perhaps God is using this break as a way to open the door for the next step he has planned.

Many are asking what we need in response to the recovery.  Our two greatest needs remain the same as before the Typhoon... #1. Prayer #2. Financial Partners.  I am thinking of starting an official prayer link/chain but am at a loss of how to do that.  It would be nice if I could have a central place to add and update specific prayer requests and allow people to respond.  I know many of you pray for us, but it's hard for me to know who and how best to connect.  We have a dream of mentoring and financially supporting youth through at least high school, but that would require a lot more financial partners than we currently have in place.  We were going to try starting at least more intentionally mentor when we moved to our new location, but who knows how long off that will be now.  We have put off deciding which to build next (mentoring dorm OR new house)

until at least June/July as we need to reassess the budget and start anew with savings for it.  If anyone is interested in sponsoring youth in the future, you can let us know now.  If you are ready you can become financial partners now to help us get started building up the capital funds, otherwise we will be sure to contact you directly when the time comes to determine how many students we can sponsor.

If I can get my regular newsletter out in time look for ways to get linked the ministry in these more specific ways.

In the mean time, thanks for your prayers and concern!  Be blessed so you can bless others!

~Jun and Christine Apatan

September and October

 Wow!  We say "time flies when you are having fun." I guess I've been having fun!

In early September I started working with three wonderful ladies to prepare for this teaching term.  We had the 6 classes planned, but only 4 have worked out. The other two have to wait because Covid cases are running high in that area.

Now we have had more than 60 kids come over that past six weeks for Narnia and The Greatest Journey.  Also 5 high school kids who are working on grammar with us.  The last class I do solo (well Jun helps me sometimes) in Mabini and we have had 30+ contacts there.  Including the two times we met before the other classes were cancelled we have hosted more than 100 students.

Three of the four curricula are new so it has taken a bit more effort on my part to be prepared.  I couldn't have done it with out the class assistants.  We are taking next week off from classes to meet as teachers and prepare for the second half of classes.  I have invited their families to come and eat with us on Saturday so I can share with them how much I appreciate their willingness to spare their loved ones to help in our ministry.

All the time the ladies and I are planning and teaching Jun is our transportation when off site.  He was somewhat happy when the two new classes were put on hold because he has started planting!  Every week he adds a new batch of corn so it will come to harvest at intervals instead of all at once.  In between he is planting things for the long term like coconut and banana trees as well as some other local fruits that we could, Lord willing, beginning to eat in 5-7 years!  He is also sowing various vegetables for our own consumption.  I expect a bountiful harvest come the new year and spring... as long as the rats and karabao don't destroy them!

Please thank God with us for a growing group of kids and teachers to work with.

Also for the rains that have come to allow things to be planted and begin growing.

Please pray with us over the continued processing of my visa updating.  One step at a time, but still many to go apparently.

Also pray with us as we approach the season of Advent that we will know how to share our resources and handle the expectations of those around us.

Thank you and have a wonderful rest of October!

The world kept turning...

 Last weekend I was struck with fever.  It was preceded by a week long headache and reached 102F (39C).  For two days it was a battle to get it down to 100, finally it broke but wouldn't give up!  Three more days of 99/100 and this morning I finally woke with my normal 97!  My life and actions were stalled, but the world kept on turning.

My husband was a great caretaker, but I'm happy to be back to normal.  Today I rode with him to our house to see things...

Each side needs details, but the big sections of wall are up.  It will take time yet to trim them all and fit the small cuts, but it's looking like a house now.

Seed Life is also showing signs of growth...

Coconut to be planted soon...

Alugbati.... A local version of spinach that is delicious!

Bell peppers almost ready to spread out.

This excites me!  It is one of three cacao plants!  I don't know how long before it fruits, but we will eventually be making our own cocoa powder and maybe chocolate trials?

I've never seen the vine before, but Jun tells me it what the locals call sinkamas which is what we call jicama.

One of about a dozen banana saplings Jun has on the border near the house.  Eventually he hopes to have a couple hundred ... Let's see how long that takes!

Jun tossed a handful of our old seed corn, but only a few sprouted so it will become chicken feed instead of being planted.

Photo Drop..