Communities in the Philippines that received aid after natural disasters appreciate OM’s continual support and express their gratitude for not being left alone.
Kite-shaped houses dot Kinatarkan Island, home to a fishermen’s community to the north of Cebu, Philippines. These houses were funded by OM after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated parts of the Philippines in 2013. “We cannot forget OM,” says Dulpa Oftana, a local recipient of house materials, food and school supplies for her grandchildren. The family built their new home right next to the former, of which only a roofless shell remained. “We are very grateful for what OM did. Many organisations came here [after the disaster], and we received goods from them, but then they left. It’s different with OM, because OM continued to come here. Other organisations forgot about us, but OM is still here.”
Since 2013, OM continues to visit the island — which does not have an evangelical local church — a few times a year. Getting there is not easy. After a traffic-dependent three-to-five-hour trip by car from Cebu, the island is another one-hour weather-dependent trip by boat. As of 2024, there is no partner church closer to the port that can make this trip on a regular basis.
As part of the development efforts, OM gave scholarships to teens from among the island’s families to attend college on the mainland in the areas of education, electrical engineering or information technology, and take part in a weekly online Bible study. OM workers make the long trip to see them face-to-face and encourage them every few months. “The scholarship is a great help for our studies,” says Rosalie, one of the island’s scholars. She hopes to return to Kinatarkan to support her household as a teacher after graduation.
Local partnership
Another island that received help after the natural disaster is Cabul-an to the southeast of Cebu. Most of the villagers’ livelihoods depend on fishing, but their boats were destroyed or dispersed across the ocean due to the typhoon. OM helped provide boat materials and food supplies, and ran trauma counselling camps for kids, later doing a TeenStreet youth camp in partnership with a local church.
The connection is ongoing, with OM workers visiting the island to encourage the pastors. "I praise God for the ministry of OM,” Pastor Jesus Pungcol Jr. shares. Some of the children who attended the trauma counselling camp started attending the Sunday service. Over the years, Pastor Jesus’ church has set up Bible study groups for men, women and the island’s youth. Pastor Jesus tells the story of a boy who used to attend church with his grandfather as a child, but had not returned since his grandfather passed. After attending a camp conducted by OM and the church, he started going to the church’s youth group, and now actively participates and reminds other youth of their meeting times and locations.
OM’s continual presence makes a difference in both communities. “We are excited when we hear OM is coming to the island, because [that means] there is going to be something happening,” says Melinia Osayan, a resident of Kinatarkan. When OM workers share about Jesus, Melinia, who usually goes to a Catholic congregation, likes to listen and is open to hearing what they have to say. Her family also received a house after Yolanda and appreciates OM’s work with the students and their support for the island. “I am happy because OM still remembers us.”
Please pray for the young people in Cabul-an who have a passion for reaching people with the gospel. Pray also for the growth of the local church, not just in numbers but also in maturity. Pray that communities of Jesus followers would be established in places with no local church.