A tropical storm in mid-July caused flooding to Visayas and Mindanao, affecting 374 children from Compassion.

The Philippines is a region prone to multiple typhoons, monsoons, and severe storms during their rainy season. Compassion’s photojournalist Estioko explains that this season is not as bad as it could have been.

“This number of families and homes affected aren’t really that many. We’ve had bigger typhoons before where thousands of families have been affected. The Philippines gets an average of 20 typhoons per year, not counting the monsoon rains,” Estioko says.

Donating Resources

(Compassion children waiting for relief packs. Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

The continuous flooding last month forced several families to evacuate to higher ground for a brief period of time.

Compassion provides food and supplies to the families affected by the flooding, including canned goods, rice, and milk, along with other relief supplies. This July, they provided resources to families during the evacuation and recovery after the flooding.

The flooding in both Visayas and Mindanao is gone now but the aftermath of the storm is still affecting the livelihood of Compassion families.

“Livelihood is a problem because their fathers are carpenters and fishers, so they can’t go to work. They work to eat that day,” Estioko says. He explains that the salary a family makes in a day usually provides food only for that day, which is why it is so important to provide resources and food after a disaster strikes.

Compassion Children in the Philippines

Though the flooding affects these children, they still have the knowledge of God’s Word to provide them hope. Once a child is registered in the Compassion Sponsorship Program, they are taught about God’s Word in church and in other discipleship classes.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Estioko says, “Their lives beginning when they are registered into the Compassion Sponsorship Program practically revolves around God’s Word… This gives them hope and this gives them a faith and strength to stand up whenever there are crises that might hit them.”

He explains that through partnerships with local churches and lessons about the Bible, the children are able to learn more about the Gospel.

If you want to help support these children and the Philippines, donate to Compassion’s disaster relief fund. Estioko explains that this fund helps provide resources when major disasters hit locations Compassion works in.

If you want to get involved, click here to donate. If you want to help any of the children in the Philippines, click here.

Compassion also asks for prayer. Please pray for these children and their families so that they may recover financially from the flooding. Pray that Compassion can continue to help children and their families in the Philippines and spread God’s Word.

Header photo courtesy of Compassion International.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs)

Government forces are forging progress toward peace, but it’s slow-going. Earlier last week, about 200 suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) took hostages and holed up for hours inside a school, then took five civilians with them after fleeing. Some say the attack could be a diversion for the Islamic State to gain more ground in Marawi.

“That is a common perception because the BIFF is sympathetic to the radical group,” says Herman Moldez with Asian Access, an organization that trains and equips Christian leaders throughout Asia. “In fact, there had been some effort for reinforcement coming from Salou and these areas, and so one of the reasons for the declaration of martial [law] of the entire [island of] Mindanao is for the military to be able to respond quickly and not to complicate the whole matter in Marawi City.”

Moldez recently visited Zamboanga City on the island of Mindanao. He says that for the most part, violence isn’t affecting Christians or impeding their efforts in spreading the Gospel.

“It’s very, very safe. Christian communities are very safe. [The violence] is only in Marawi City, really,” Moldez says. “They feel safe because the military is just there to protect and to monitor people coming in and going out.

“It’s not interfering, because they are minorities, and they’re up on the mountains. So we are not yet feeling or experiencing what ISIS is doing in other countries.”

People wading through the water outside the hospital [in the Philippines, earlier this year]. (Photo, caption courtesy of World Mission)

“The previous government tended to deny the presence of the ISIS in the Philippines, but it’s beginning to come out that they have been operating for quite a while and have gained influence, especially through some of the young people,” Moldez says.

“So pray for vigilance. That’s our prayer, that not only the Christian community, but even the Muslim community, will continue to be vigilant. I think the majority of the Muslim communities want to have the peace process with the government to be established.”

Can you come alongside this country with your prayers? Moldez asks that you pray that situations like the BIFF school attack would not be repeated and the government would respond quickly to violence. Pray also for safety and quick recovery for those affected by the violence.

Reserve soldiers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Earlier this week, a separate group of extremist rebel fighters tried to attack a government outpost, then retreated and holed up in a public elementary school. They took 31 villagers as hostages, including 12 children. After a day of fighting with the government troops that had pursued them, the militants freed the hostages on Wednesday and fled the school.

The Philippines has started working with Indonesia and Malaysia to prevent funds and weapons destined for extremist groups from crossing their borders. The trio of countries has also launched naval patrols to stem any influx of radical Muslim groups. While these Asian nations have a history of ignoring the threat of Muslim extremists whose aim is to establish a caliphate, the recent violence has grabbed international attention and threatened national stability.

Christian Aid Mission’s Steve Van Valkenburg reflects, “I think too that it’s [getting] the government of the Philippines to think more clearly about what they’re facing and what they need to be doing and what’s going to be involved with dealing with the more radical elements within Islam.”

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs)

Ministry partners in the Philippines with Christian Aid Mission have been impacted by the violence. They will often send Filipino Christians as evangelists into Muslim-majority communities. But with the extremist attacks taking place, these local Christians now face extra scrutiny and could even become targets. Some of the workers have left; others are laying low or being protected by Muslim neighbors.

Van Valkenburg says it’s also affected their ministry partners’ ability to travel. “There are supposed to be some 12 people coming in to become new [evangelism] workers with Muslims, but because they have to go through that area [of Marawi] and in that area, they’re stranded now and they can’t get out to go to the training.”

According to local news outlets, nearly 200,000 people have been displaced due to the ongoing chaos in Mindanao. Van Valkenburg says they have Filipino ministry partners on the ground giving aid to the displaced families – many of whom are Muslim.

“One interesting timing aspect [is that] this is Ramadan, and they basically are trying to help people come off Ramadan fasting and often it’s like just apples…and clothing, rice, soap, those kinds of things, meeting medical needs. But it’s not really convenient for these people fasting for Ramadan and then having this happen.”

Some of the internally displaced people (IDPs) have family elsewhere in the Philippines they can go and stay with. Often, they’ll divide the household space with a curtain to provide privacy. But with several families in one house, it’s close quarters and they can’t always afford the extra mouths to food. Many families hosting IDP relatives have run out of money.

Wading through flooded farmland in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of World Mission)

That’s where the local churches are coming in as the hands and feet of Christ with this aid. And now they’re seeing that Christians and churches even from farther regions of the Philippines have been sending support to help these churches around Mindanao in their outreach.

“Their long-term goal would be that when things settle down again, that the people of Marawi City know there are Christians there who they care for them and have shared with them the Gospel, and that they would have a new foothold within the city once things settle down.”

One thing is for sure: this societal upset isn’t going away anytime soon, which is why your prayers are vitally important.

“Pray for the Christians there to know how best to help…these people so they can emotionally deal with what they’re facing and then help them to come around to asking eternal questions.”

Christian Aid also needs your help to provide ongoing support. Van Valkenburg shares, “We sent funds when we first heard about it, but obviously, those funds have been used up and they can always use more funds for that.”

To give through Christian Aid, click here and find the donation option for the Philippines at the bottom of their web page.

Reserve soldiers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

On Thursday, the Philippine army launched an air strike in the southern city of Marawi to flush out up to 40 fighters hiding in the city. At least 20 people have been killed in the conflict, including soldiers, police officers, and civilians.

“I really don’t know how it will go on,” Herman Moldez, the Philippines Country Director for Asian Access, says. “I think this is the reason why the president declared martial law, so that he can really pursue them very well.”

Fighting erupted Tuesday after a failed attack on the hideout of Isnilon Hapilon, the leader of the terrorist group Abu Sayaaf, which has pledged allegiance to ISIS. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law the same day for the southern island of Mindanao.

Wednesday saw a brief lull in the fighting, which the majority of Marawi’s 200,000 residents saw as an opportunity to leave the city. But despite the situation’s uncertainty, many believers are choosing to remain for the sake of sharing the Gospel.

“I think the situation as far as the spread of the Gospel just continues on,” Moldez says. “Those who are in the mission activity and the church activity, they’re just continuing on as if nothing is happening because this is not widespread; this is localized and contained.”

Not everyone, however, including believers, are on the same page regarding the government’s tactics.

“The reactions and responses are not united as far as the believers are concerned,” Moldez says. “So those of us who are staying in Luzon and the Basilan island would be different in our responses compared to those who are actually living in Mindanao. The overwhelming things we are hearing from the Mindanao believers, they welcome the creation of martial law.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs)

“So what we need to pray for is more unity among us, and that we will be more discerning in terms of trying to understand the situation. You know, there are many things being posted in the social media. That requires a lot of discernment. Continue to pray for safety and that this will not escalate to more violence and so on.”

Moldez also asks that you pray that churches in the Philippines would be watchful as to how martial law progresses in the country, and that everyone, including God’s people, would be kept safe.

“This is not politically motivated,” Moldez says. “This is just to respond to this terrorist attack. And that’s why even Congress is not taking this discussion. But we need to watch that, because the president is saying he may declare martial [law] to the entire island, the whole Philippines.

“So we need wisdom to be watchful and vigilant, to be prayerful of course and continue to pray that there would not be any attack to churches that will create another reaction and the whole situation would be out of control.”

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs)

Following the uptick in violence, Mindanao in the southern part of the Philippines is currently under martial law, and President Rodrigo Duterte is considering expanding it to the rest of the country.

Christian Aid Mission supports ministry partners and independent mission boards in the Philippines. Steve Van Valkenburg with Christian Aid has been in contact with their partners there and shares, “Martial law will be welcomed in some areas. The local Christians may be welcoming that.” However, he adds, “I think that often the ministries are hampered when there is martial law because they cannot travel.”

The attack on Marawi wasn’t an isolated incident in the South Asian nation. “Every day there are bombings and terrorist activity. We just don’t hear it in the West, in the news.”

The Philippines is the largest Catholic-majority nation in Asia, with Roman Catholics making up 83 percent of the nation. For that reason, many people may not think of the Philippines as a country that is dealing with terrorism grassroots efforts, or that needs more missionaries. Still, the increased presence of Muslim extremists is a problem.

“The southern part in Mindanao has had many Muslims, and that has been a fertile ground for terrorism…. They would have a caliph, they would have Sharia law. The government in the Philippines keeps saying and thinking they have got things under control, but then the next thing you know, something else pops up and there’s terrorist activity in another area. So it keeps on coming up over and over.”

For Christian missionaries in the Philippines, they can often become targets as they go into Muslim communities to share the Gospel.

“This rising of tensions will be a problem for a lot of these [missionary] workers because in the communities where they’re working, they’re known as Christians and it just makes it more of a tension there when there’s martial law and when there’s an uprising of terrorist activity. The Christians are sitting ducks often and they’re much more vulnerable.”

However, the reports Christian Aid is hearing shows that God is still moving in the Philippines, even despite opposition. “They’ve been having good ministries. I appreciate their love for Jesus and the way they have been willing to just bravely go out in the middle of hostile areas and be able to plant themselves and be able to share the Gospel.”

Please pray — for the government leaders to have wisdom in quelling the violence, for God to open the eyes of Muslims and extremists to the truth of the Gospel, and for those who have lost loved ones in these attacks.

Van Valkenburg also asks us to pray for the Christian missionaries in the Philippines. “Pray for protection, but also pray that they would know how to be sharing God’s truth during this time.”

Moro Islamic Liberation Front militant
(Photo, caption courtesy Keith Kristoffer Bacongco via Wikipedia)

Philippines (MNN) — Officials are trying to pass legislation allowing for an independent Islamic state on Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island.

The “push” to sign the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) into law grew especially strong this week, as session break and President Benigno Aquino III’s June 11 deadline approach.

However, at press time, Congress had agreed to reschedule the final BBL deadline for October.

Between now and then, your prayers are greatly needed as senators discuss and debate BBL amendments. These alterations could carry serious implications for Filipino Christians.

“They [Filipino Christians] know that once this goes through, probably in a short time they’re going to be forced to leave, or worse,” shares Steve Van Valkenburg, Area Director for Christian Aid Mission.

What’s the big deal?

The BBL is a product of the decades-long peace process between the Philippines’ central government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a group which has terrorized the southern Philippines since 1960.

A draft of the BBL was submitted to Congress last fall by President Aquino.

Current autonomous region vs.
proposed Bangsamoro region
(Graphic credit MNN)

It seeks to replace the current autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao (ARMM) with Bangsamoro: a larger, autonomous Muslim territory carrying more powers and freedoms. Five of Mindanao’s 25 provinces would automatically become part of Bangsamoro.

According to Christian Aid Mission, Filipino Christians in Mindanao are apprehensive because the proposed Islamic state would be ruled by sharia law.

“Sharia law is basically what you see in ISIS-controlled areas and Saudi Arabia,” explains Van Valkenburg.

“The Christian ministries are very concerned about what will happen if they’re subjugated to [it].”

(Photo courtesy Open Doors USA)

The Islamic State (ISIS) already has supporters on Mindanao, and the BBL could secure their foothold in Southeast Asia. Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, recently warned of such an occurrence.

Find out why Mindanao is a strategic base location for ISIS.

“Part of the objective is to have a caliphate there that would include part of Mindanao and then part of Indonesia, but [it] would probably be a lot broader than that,” Van Valkenburg says.

What can you do about it?

Prayer is desperately needed for this situation.

“The area of the desired caliphate has many Christians,” the director of a ministry in Mindanao tells Christian Aid Mission. “It will be a problem to be under sharia law…. If we do not convert, we may have to leave.”

In 2013, Muslim extremists killed a Christian pastor trained by one of this director’s Bible schools. Two of the pastor’s daughters, ages 6 and 8, were also murdered.

“They are persecuted if they continue to practice the Christian faith they have,” said the director. “So many of them transfer to another area to avoid ‘honor killings’: members of their own family will kill their wife and their children.”

One of the 15 Filipino ministries helped
by Christian Aid Mission.
(Photo courtesy Christian Aid Mission)

National missionaries supported by Christian Aid Mission are trying to tell their neighbors about Jesus while they still have time, Van Valkenburg shares.

“They still have a lot of wide-open doors, and they’re not sure how long that’s going to last. But they see this as really important: that they can urgently get the Gospel out there where they can,” he says.

While their greatest need is prayer, indigenous missionaries also need funds for Bibles, generators, motorcycles, and bicycles to reach remote regions, and vocational training so pastors can support their families.

Click here to help Filipino Christians in Mindanao.

Packing winds of 160kph (99 mph) with gusts in excess of 210 kph (130 mph), the 500 kilometer-wide (311 miles) storm made landfall at dawn on the east coast of Mindanao island and deluged the Davao region.

Paul Jenks with AMG International says they're keeping a close eye on this storm. "We have several projects on the island of Mindanao. We're trying to maintain contact with the directors of those centers." He adds, "We have Child Development Centers in many places in the Philippines. In fact, AMG Philippines is one of our largest partners in the world."

The heavy rains met with already sodden ground, and the waters began rising quickly. In some areas, landslides took out whole villages, while flash floods surged across the region's mountains and valleys.

Whole provinces lost power, numerous domestic flights were cancelled, and tens of thousands of people fled to emergency shelters. Damages are likely to be severe. Jenks explains, "Many times, we have to have boats to go out to the centers because the families that are a part of our outreach live in marginal land that is generally on the flood plain. Many times, their homes are deeply flooded or even washed away. Because they live in such difficult situations, they generally are the hardest hit."

Government officials say that while nearly two dozen typhoons and storms hit the island nation every year, the southern provinces battered by Bopha are not used to the kind of storms which normally hit the northern and central Philippines.

To put the crisis into perspective: of the 19 tropical cyclones that took a swipe at the Philippines last year, 10 of the storms brought back-to-back destruction. Having barely recovered from the 2011 storm damages, residents were hit by heavy monsoon rains in August.

Many of the families in the Mindanao area who had to evacuate were still in temporary housing. Their needs will be significant as damages assessments get underway, notes Jenks. AMG partners with the local church, which was already geared up in response to the late summer floods. Jenks says, "What we do initially is try to provide clean water. Many times, the water supply is disrupted or it is contaminated. Lots of times the food supplies are washed away or contaminated, so we try to initially provide food and water, especially for the children who are in our Childcare Centers."

AMG's Child Development Centers provide kids with medical care, warm clothing, and the love that Christ would show. This means their teams are well-placed and resourced to respond to emergencies. Jenks says, "Many times, even as the flooding is still rising, they're trying to secure a way to get out to the families to make sure that individual lives are not endangered."

In times of crisis, the family comes to the church because "they don't have many other places to look for help when a disaster like this happens." Jenks says parents with kids involved in AMG programs have already noticed a difference in their children, and curiosity is sparked.

That often leads to whole family involvement in the local church and more introductions to the Gospel. So rather than despair, the situation is an opportunity. AMG Philippines' national director Hector Araña writes, "Far from viewing it as an interruption of their regular ministry, our field staff see these situations as an opportunity to reach out to those with whom they may otherwise never have contact."

Pray that the AMG workers with the Child Development Centers will be able to resume their work quickly. Pray for the funds to make repairs. Ask God for Gospel opportunities.

The ministry has a quarter century of
experience helping both families and churches there. The first volunteer-run program was
established in northern Luzon as a result of a church-planting effort. From it,
a dramatic change came as families began to rise above poverty.  

The news of the success of this
program spread throughout the Philippines and resulted in opportunities for two
other FARMS programs. The growth came as
those involved in the initial project trained new program committees in other
locations.

FARMS is
partnering with Christian Life Center Church of Tinley Park, Illinois. Pastor
McQuay has served as a missionary to the Philippines, and his church has
partnered with Christian Life Center Church in Davao, Mindanao for the past 15
years.

They believe that the FARMS program
will dovetail perfectly with the vision of this fast-growing church. The goal is to help those in need and to
provide a practical platform to teach practical stewardship.

Davao City is located in the Southern
Philippine province of Mindanao. It is an area that has been a challenge for
the Gospel over the years because of radical religious elements.

FARMS is pleased to help start a
program in this area because Christian Life Center Church has been so instrumental in reaching the area for Christ. As with all new growth, there are specific
challenges, too. Pray for wisdom for ministry leaders as they work with the new
program. 

It's been two months since the disaster. FH Executive Director for the Philippines Debbie Toribio just returned from Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City, two of the hardest-hit areas in the region. "The purpose of my meeting is to personally talk to the pastors about how best we can respond to their needs."

Toribio says, "We were able to see churches working together. They organized a network called Protect the Children Cagayan de Oro. In Iligan I saw churches that were not affected providing support to those pastors and churches that were devastated by the typhoon."

Food for the Hungry is coming alongside these local churches, "providing psychosocial support to children who are in evacuation centers," says Toribio. "We are also working alongside the church called Life of the Word Church. Through them, we are reaching out to those families who are in the evacuation centers."

In January, Mission Network News (MNN) talked with Pastor Jay Rosales just after the flooding. If you remember, his church was washed away. Toribio says she met with Pastor Rosales. "32 members of his church [were] lost. It's hard to comprehend, hard to give encouragement to his members because he himself was a victim of the disaster."

Toribio says financial support to Pastor Rosales and the Glorious Gospel Church would be a huge encouragement to them.

FH is providing assistance which is helping the church share the most important message. "Disaster is used by God to be an opening for us to reach out to the people and share the Gospel. Even when we don't speak, they will experience the love of Jesus by what we're doing."

In Cagayan de Oro alone, there are about 6,000 families still displaced. 2,000 homes are currently being rebuilt.

Toribio says if you'd like to help their efforts, you can contribute at FH.org .

That clears the way for relief and development groups to head to the region. Food for the Hungry is gearing up to help, says Peter Howard, their Director of Emergency Response. He describes what happened. "Within 12 hours, a month's worth of rain fell. So you can imagine rivers swelled, there were mudslides, and it really devastated the area. It also hit an area that doesn't typically get hit by storms."

The people weren't ready for this, says Howard. Worse yet, "When the storm hit, it caused incredible devastation, washing some people out to sea" — which explains why there are so many missing.

Howard says Food for the Hungry is responding. They have two people on the ground. "We're partnering with churches in the area. And right now, our main plan is to work with an evacuation center which has 3,000 families in it, helping them get food, hygiene kits, mats — kind of the basic necessities to help this evacuation center operate over the next couple of weeks."

Because Food for the Hungry is working with Christians, this could provide a great opportunity for outreach. "This storm hit the southern part of the Philippines in the Mindanao area which has a high Muslim population, so [it's] all the more reason, in my mind, that we as Christians can really reach out at this time and show our Muslim friends in the area that we can and want to serve them."

The government's calamity declaration will freeze prices of goods and services in the area and provide no-interest loans to those rebuilding homes and businesses. The government is also reviewing preventive measures and will be deploying automatic water level sensors in the 18 major river basins.

Howard says because this region is unfamiliar with this kind of weather, "The warning systems really weren't very well in place in that area. So it was kind of the perfect storm, in the negative sense."

This will be difficult for many victims. "People were preparing for Christmas and had no idea anything was coming their way. So those who had great hopes for a nice Christmas together as families are now stuck in evacuation centers," says Howard.

He's asking Christians worldwide to pray, and to be a James 1:22 Christian and do something about it. Your financial support will help supply food and the Gospel. Click here to support Food for the Hungry's work.