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Levi Velasco, Author

A month and a half ago, GLINTS was contacted by Dr. David Boan who is the WEA director of humanitarian advocacy and service. Having known of the Velascos’ experience after disasters struck Japan (2011) and the Philippines (2013), David wanted them to prayerfully consider training Christian leaders in the Caribbean in disaster response. So, when David called, Levi and Diane said yes, as God had already been giving them a burden to participate in Christian disaster response after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The receiving partners in Antigua were the Evangelical Association of the Caribbean (EAC) and the Antigua-Barbuda Evangelical Alliance (ABEA).

GLINTS’s purpose in Antigua was to come alongside Christian leaders eager to make an impact in the lives of survivors. Antigua absorbed about 1,600 Barbudans after Hurricane Irma hit, the entire population of the island! It is the first time in 300 years that Barbuda has zero long term inhabitants. So, there is much hardship and hopelessness among the survivors.

The exciting news is that there were 21 Antiguan Christian leaders who participated in the disaster response training. This first generation of trainees will have the knowledge base to provide assistance when the next disaster hits, mobilizing their respective churches for this effort. As part of the training, attendees had the opportunity to connect with survivors housed in two shelters by interviewing individuals regarding their experience before, during and after the hurricanes.

The ABEA officer who made all the arrangements also had the wisdom to introduce Diane and me to Antiguan government officials who oversee disaster relief, recovery and rebuilding. We learned from them the dire needs on Barbuda:

• the destruction of general utilities (electricity, water, communications, etc.)
• the devastation of 95% of building structures
• the lack of financial resources
• the need for volunteer manpower to accomplish repairs and reconstruction

What our next steps look like. We are burdened for the children who have not had the opportunity to process their trauma stemming from the disaster. Please pray with us as we explore the possibility of conducting OperationSAFE (OpSAFE) programs in Antigua. OperationSAFE, a GLINTS global partner, is a ministry organization dedicated to administer psycho-social first aid to children affected by disasters and war. OperationSAFE 5-day camps have been most recently conducted in Mindanao, Philippines and Nepal with much success. Prayers for survivors, the Church in Antigua and GLINTS’s next steps are highly coveted, especially for Christians would continue to invest financially in the lives of people in the Caribbean as their disaster woes are now bypassed by the media.

From the Concert Hall to a Disaster Zone. Yes, literally. What a stark contrast as I (Levi) played viola at DuPage Symphony’s first concert of its 2017-2018 season (October 14th), leaving the next day aboard a 5:30am flight to Antigua, West Indies via Miami, Florida. Diane and I, however, had to stay overnight in Miami since our flight from Chicago was delayed an hour. With a tight connection time, our flight to Antigua left without us on board. We consider this delay a God-send as we were able to rest after two weeks of intense preparation for not only our assignment in the trip, but also leaving GLINTS work behind while being gone. We recharged our energies for the grind of days ahead.

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Levi Velasco, author

Background. As hurricanes Irma, Maria and Jose were pummeling different areas, Diane, my wife, and I started praying as to how we could be involved in disaster response. The call of God was to the Caribbean, specifically in Antigua where we ministered October 15-21. While there, we met with government officials and received an overview of their response on Barbuda, visited a shelter and talked to survivors, conducted a two-day training seminar on disaster response and consulted with leaders of the Antigua Barbuda Evangelical Association (ABEA). I’ve outlined specific prayer request below so you can pray alongside our brothers and sisters who are in great need. The article below was written on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 12:00pm.

What a whirlwind of a mission trip! Our last meeting was a couple of hours ago, where we discussed next steps after the disaster response training seminar and workshop with delegates from the Antigua Barbuda Evangelical Alliance, #ABEA. Here’s how you can specifically pray, and feel free to share these concerns:

1) Pray for all those who completed the training, that they will bring what they’ve learned to their individual churches.

2) Pray for the leaders of ABEA, that God will give them wisdom as they plan to be involved in disaster recovery now by providing emotional care to 300 #Barbudans (who are in two separate shelters) and forming teams to help in the clean up efforts in Barbuda.

3) Pray for the 1,600 (not 16,000 as the media had quoted) Barbudans who were evacuated to #Antigua, especially those who live in shelters. Pray that they will remain hopeful and that they will be able to return to Barbuda before Christmas.

4) Pray most especially for the children who are segregated from their parents most of the time in the shelters. Pray for protection of marriage bonds even though males and females have separate quarters in the shelters.

5) Pray that emotional health professionals will give of their time to be available to provide free #counseling to the Barbudans.

6) Pray for the Church in Antigua, that they will be united in being the hands and feet of Jesus in these difficult times. Pray also that believers in Antigua will cast aside cultural barriers and show the love of Jesus to the Barbudans.

7) Pray that the world will not forget that there is still much suffering in the #Caribbean, specifically that funds would be raised to help in the #rebuilding_of_Barbuda.

Levi Velasco, Author

The Little Church that Could
(The Benefits of Giving)

Have you ever wondered if there were any benefits associated with giving?

According to the Apostle Paul, the Philippian church expressed their concern for him and the work he was doing by providing for his material needs. It seems the followers of Jesus in Philippi didn’t even have to be coaxed to give. They gave from the very start, supporting Paul as he ministered in Macedonia and Thessalonica. They saw the need and willingly and generously supplied support over and over again, no matter their own financial limitations.

Paul commends the Philippian believers, expressing his gratitude by listing the benefits of their generosity: 1) their generosity was being credited to their spiritual account; 2) their gifts were pleasing to God; and 3) the Lord was going to meet all their needs. (Philippians 4:10-20).

While raising missionary support in the mid – 1990s, Diane and I tried to get an appointment to speak at a small church in southern Washington. Sherry, our contact, was very apologetic about the state of their church – it was struggling and there were fewer than 50 people attending, and they could not offer us any support. We persevered in trying to get that appointment and after a number of tries, Sherry finally agreed.

We traveled to the church (all six of us Velascos) without any expectations of being supported, as our only desire was simply to bless the congregation. So the few days we spent with these believers, our family ministered in song, the Word and in presenting our future ministry as church planters to Manila.

As we neared our departure for the mission field, Sherry called us and said I think we can do $25 a month. We thanked them. But wait, there’s more!  She called two more times and by the time we left for the Philippines, the church had pledged to support us at $125 per month!

The focus here is not on the amount they were able to commit, but on the trustworthiness of God’s Word. Little did we know that while we were serving abroad, God had sent them a “shepherd” who lovingly nurtured these folks. By the time we visited this church family four years later, they had grown to a congregation of about 800! Their sacrificial giving was credited to their spiritual account- their gifts were offerings and sacrifices pleasing to God; and God saw fit to meet all their needs according to Christ’s richest blessings! (Philippians 4:10-19)

Like the Philippian church, the “Little Church That Could” in Southern Washington was blessed beyond measure because they gave beyond their capacity to give, resulting in God’s manifold blessings for the church and community wherein their congregants live and serve.

May each one of us experience the benefits of giving as we follow the Lord in obedience to His promptings!

Jonathan Wilson, Executive Director

An ongoing armed conflict in Marawi, Lanao del Sur started on 23 May 2017 between Philippine government security forces and militants of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf Salafi jihadist groups. The ISIS- supported militants burned churches, Christian schools and the jail and executed those who could not recite verses from the Koran. Most of the 200,000 residents of the city have fled the violence and are in evacuation centers or staying with friends or relatives in the neighboring areas.

Existing Needs:

• 3 evacuation centers in Sta. Elena, Maria Cristina and Boron School of Fisheries are all overcrowded, lack supplies, toilets and medical care.
• None of the evacuation centers have set up child-friendly spaces.
• Psycho-social-spiritual needs – all are traumatized especially children and women and especially the last to get out of Marawi City.
• Educational needs: all school-aged children need school supplies, uniforms and bags when they are able to return back to school.
• Emotional care for pastors and Christian workers responding to the crisis.

Request:

• Funding support for OperationSAFE child trauma camps for children in the evacuation camps. (currently 1500 children but expected to expand to 3000) @ $30,000
• Pastoral Care / Chaplaincy team to be sent to the Philippines.
• Cooperation with supplying school supplies, uniforms and bags for children.

We are appealing to Christians all over the globe to help us meet the needs of survivor-evacuees.

You may use your credit card or access PayPal to help families who’ve fled the fighting in Malawi City. Please click the donate button on the OperationSAFE webpage on the GLINTS website for donation instructions. Thanks in advance.

Update (June 5, 2017)

The first OpSAFE camp was held in an evacuation center in Iligan with 52 children in attendance. Pray for OpSAFE leaders that they may be of comfort to children and that many more children will be able to attend OpSAFE camps.

Evacuation centers are filled to over capacity. Pray that evacuees experience peace in the midst of this extreme trial.

PCEC-PHILRADS MARAWI EVACUEES RELIEF APPEAL

(The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches-Philippine Relief and Development Services is a GLINTS partner-organization.)

Hundreds of armed men allegedly belonging to the Maute terrorist group (ISIS-inspired) attacked Marawi City and surrounding towns of Lanao del Sur province (island of Mindanao). The hostilities began on May 16, 2017 and continues as of this writing.

As a result, thousands of families fled Marawi for Iligan City, about 53 kilometers away. The evacuees first took shelter in houses of their relatives but soon many others settled in evacuation areas like the Mindanao State University (MSU) campus, and elementary schools. Presently, streams of evacuees are still pouring into Iligan City. The government has set-up reception areas in these schools and has started rationing emergency food.

PHILRADS is organizing a relief operation for Marawi evacuees and tapping the partnership of Christian ministerial groups for the planned assistance. Iligan City churches are also mobilizing and started gathering dry food/relief goods for distribution.

This particular project aims to provide food and other relief assistance targeting 300 families (about 1,500 persons) presently staying as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Iligan City (MSU campus and Boroon Elementary School). They are mostly Maranao families from Marawi City, who are joined by about 200 students, faculty members and workers of MSU and Dansalan College (both in Marawi City). The relief coverage may be expanded as more evacuees arrive in Iligan. The relief items to be provided are food, drinking water, toiletries and laundry supplies (bath soap.

PCEC-Philrads seeks to raise $6,000.00 to help 300 families displaced by the fighting between the Maute group and government forces. Will you help. Click here for instructions.

Jonathan Wilson (Exec. Director, OperationSAFE), Author

These pictures were taken during OpSAFE training of trainers where we teach local churches how to care for the psychological needs of children who have been through disasters. Melai Cuarentas is an amazing storyteller from Lawaan, East Samar who really knows how to bring the stories of Pete the Penguin and his friends to life and served in many camps following Typhoon Haiyan.

We are taking Melai to Mindanao to help train the churches in Surigao Del Norte as they care for children after a 6.7M earthquake. You can help bring experienced trainers like Melai to Surigao Del Norte by donating to OpSAFE International. bit.ly/giveOpSAFE

https://www.facebook.com/OperationSAFE/videos/10152721679037120/

Click on the image below to view the annual report (17MB).

At 10:03 p.m. on 10 February 2017, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake with a depth of ten kilometres and an epicenter located near Surigao City, Philippines caused loss of lives and damage to properties in the Caraga region, located in Surigao del Norte province.

In 2016 OpSAFE International in partnership with the Philippine Children’s Ministry Network held a training of trainers in Davao City in Mindanao. These trained psychological first-aid workers are now ready to bring help and hope to their neighbors in the Caraga region.

They are currently assessing needs and coordinating with local churches to train and conduct OperationSAFE camps for 3,000 children in 12 schools that were damaged by the quake.

Please join us as we raise $9,000 to support this effort.

OpSAFE International has conducted training in the Philippines since 2013 responding to the siege of Zamboanga, Typhoon Haiyan, Typhoon Ruby and catastrophic fires in Cebu, Manila and Mindanao.

Each OperationSAFE psychological first-aid camp is led by Christian volunteers who are fluent in the local dialect and have roots in the community. Children who attend the camp are cared for by local volunteers who are not leaving after the response is finished.

In the aftermath of disasters there is a perfect opportunity to not only strengthen the resilience of children to trauma and adversity but also to help communities ensure the safety of their children from trafficking, exploitation and abuse. Our partners, the Philippine Children’s Ministry Network are experts in this area and have successfully implemented child protection programs after building connections with the children and community through initial disaster response.

Since 2013 over 10,000 children in the Philippines have experienced an OperationSAFE camp. However, many more children in the Philippines are affected by natural disasters each year. Each time we respond to a disaster we increase the number of trained volunteers and the capacity of local churches and organizations to meet the great need of the children.

OpSAFE International is a global partner of Global Intercultural Services (GLINTS)

Levi Velasco, Author

In 1999 I had the privilege to serve at Promise Keepers based out of Denver, Colorado where I was introduced to the song, Knowing You, by Graham Kendrick. Singing it again at church recently, I quickly realized that this song embodies who I was, who I am and who I will be. Here’s a powerful rendition of Knowing You sung by Bishop Joseph Garlington at a Promise Keepers event. May this song touch your life deeply as it did mine.

All I once held dear, built my life upon,

All this world reveres, and wars to own;

All I once thought gain I have counted loss,

Spent and worthless now, compared to this.

Chorus

Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you,

There is no greater thing;

You’re my all, you’re the best,

You’re my joy, my righteousness,

And I love you, Lord.

Now my heart’s desire is to know you more,

To be found in you and known as yours;

To possess by faith what I could not earn,

All-surpassing gift of righteousness.

Oh, to know the power of your risen life,

And to know You in Your sufferings;

To become like you in your death, my Lord,

So with you to live and never die.