An Epic Experience on Volunteer Corps!

Seventy motivated individuals set out to serve for two weeks in Daanbantayan, three hours north of Cebu, Philippines. We were to spend Christmas and New Year in a community devastated by Typhoon Haiyan six years ago. After that typhoon, HOPE worldwide Philippines built a Center of HOPE to meet the needs of the community and help rebuild.

This was one of the last Volunteer Corps for 2019. The schedule was well planned. We had spent months organizing, having conference calls across the world, making sure we had the best possible program in place. We were to spend time with the children of the HOPE worldwide daycare; we had planned to build pigpens to support livelihood programs, run medical clinics, etc. The group had participants from over twelve countries, from Australia to Canada, Nigeria, Singapore, etc. The age range went from preteens to grandparents in their seventies.

The group landed on December 21, and we started our program as planned. The first two days went very well, even though it was very hot and humid. On Monday night, we received the news that a strong typhoon was bearing down on us. It was aiming right at our location.

We were staying in a rustic little hotel on the beach, so we made the decision to move the group from our fairly exposed location to the Center of HOPE. The Center’s first floor is made of concrete, so we thought we could hunker down in safety, while the typhoon hit. The second floor of the Center was less sturdy, but we figured we would stay downstairs.

It was Christmas Eve, and we waited and prayed as the winds picked up and the rain became more and more intense. The ceiling started leaking, more and more water started pouring down on us as we prayed, and we had to start sweeping the water out. The howling winds sounded quite scary. The 200 kmph gales were shaking the second floor. At 12 AM we sang “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. As the song ended at the stroke of midnight, the whole second floor was ripped off, water started gushing down and we all worked furiously to sweep the water out.

We kept singing as we worked, even though we were pretty scared. We finally decided to let the water come into the main hall, and we sat in darkness in another part of the first floor, huddling on chairs, trying to get some sleep. It was pretty uncomfortable, but we were together. By then, of course, the power had gone out. Later in the night, the rain and the winds calmed down.

At dawn, we went outside. There was devastation everywhere. Trees and power lines were lying across the roads. Houses made of bamboo had been destroyed. Those made of concrete had their roofs ripped off in many cases. The whole second floor of the Center of HOPE lay in the neighbor’s yard. There was water everywhere...As I walked towards the main road, in a daze at the devastation, little children came running out of the ruins of their homes, shouting “Merry Christmas!” with big smiles on their faces. They were skipping around and the joy was overwhelming.

What started as a regular Volunteer Corps quickly switched to disaster relief. We launched an appeal for funds and redirected our focus. God had blessed our group with several volunteers who were expert builders, so we all set to work under their guidance. Over the next ten days, with the help of local volunteers, we repaired the homes of disciples and beneficiaries that had been destroyed; we fixed the roof of the Center of HOPE to get it ready for the rebuilding of the second floor; we distributed water filters to many communities that had no access to clean water; we conducted medical clinics in several places, including a remote location in the hills outside Daanbantayan. Those were all activities we had not planned on.

In addition, God was very good to us, as we were also able to complete all the tasks we had planned out before the typhoon hit. Children were taught; they also enjoyed a slightly delayed Christmas party; the adults on the trip conducted parenting classes. We also built much-needed pig pens to support livelihood programs run by HOPE worldwide . In addition, we were able to have a day where we cleaned up the streets (even more needed after the typhoon) and shared our faith, according to our original schedule. One of our main planned activities had been to plant a sustainable garden behind the Center of HOPE, which we did! We planted vegetables, fruit trees, and several other crops.

Throughout the whole ordeal, I never once heard a word of complaint from any of the locals who were deeply affected by the typhoon. Their homes were uninhabitable, their possessions were strewn all over, everything was drenched and ruined, and for most people, this was not the first time this had happened. No one questioned God, no one even cried. The joy we witnessed and the gratitude for the help were very moving.

The Volunteer Corps participants were deeply affected by what they saw. We all made decisions to never complain and to be more grateful. Most of us commented on the resilience and joy of the local people. The HOPE worldwide Philippines staff continued to serve us, even as their own homes were damaged and flooded.

I also have to acknowledge the courage and dedication of the HVC volunteers. They sacrificed their time and money to serve a people they didn’t know; they gave up their traditional Christmas, their time with family, to hunker down in howling winds and pouring rain to build a connection with people on the other side of the world. They took bucket showers, slept in the heat and humidity when we did not have power for four days, all the while fighting off the mosquitoes. They did it with glad and sincere hearts. Katelin Gono, a student from Los Angeles, shared this: “The biggest lesson I learnt on this Volunteer Corps was when, on Christmas morning, after a night of destruction and devastation, a little boy ran out of the ruins of his home, gave me a big hug, and wished me Merry Christmas!”

If you wish to experience the incomparable benefits of serving on Volunteer Corps, check out our list of 2020 trips, and sign up now!

https://www.hopeww.org/hvc