On December 17th Typhoon Odette ravaged the areas of Cebu, The Visayas region of the Philippines, where several of our White Fields Pastors are ministering.
We continue to interact with the pastors that have internet access to get updates from them regarding the specific situations going on in their churches. We have the latest news listed below.
The Latest News Report Directly From our Pastors – December 22
- Still no electricty in Cebu
- Internet is very rare. Batteries of Mobile Phones are not charged
- There are a few Gas Stations open using power generators. The line at 3 am in the morning is over 1 km long
- Most of the Banks are still closed. Some ATMs are open in Shopping Malls. Lines are very long.
All our pastors in the Philippines are working together. One pastor has access to a vehicle and waited in line for gas all night long. Another has battery charging for cell phones, so they gather and charge then head out to find church members and provide relief.
Rice is available with the funds that we sent. Water is critical and is in short supply. One of our pastors is driving to a further place to find water and bring it back to the supply center.
Some houses are in need of corrugated metal roofing. White Fields has some funds to purchase those so families can return home and get out of evacuation facilities.
The Latest News Report Directly From our Pastors – December 21
- The internet signals are still now and there is no electricity yet. Many people cannot go back to work. All the establishments and shelters that are able to operate are only sustained by generators, so they can only be open half the day since the generate needs to be shut down to rest the remainder of the day.
- Data connections are very unstable. Some devices get signal briefly depending on your location.
- Drinking water is in scarce supply, people are becoming desperate.
- The gas station lines are at least a kilometer, or over half a mile long. Methods of transportation are limited, there are four-wheelers, motorcycles and walking. Some cars are running out of gas in the middle of the road, causing major traffic issues.
- Streets are not all cleared, there are many felled trees. Some of the electric and telephone poles have not been cleared or repaired.
- The banks and ATMs are still closed.
- As far as I know, none of the churches have been able to have worship services yet. In some areas, the churches are being used as temporary shelter for families whose homes were destroyed.
- Many houses in the cities and many more in the provinces are wiped out and destroyed. Others are unlivable due to the extensive damage to the roofs or walls. Families whose houses can be mended are busy making repairs, while still trying to fulfill other necessities like food. Some families are relying on the local schools or any place with a roof for shelter.
Pastor Lito sent an update early this morning (December 17, 2021):
Hello brethren, please pray for our church people and the surrounding community. The typhoon Odette greatly devastated our area yesterday. There were two fatalities that we recovered early this morning in Pastor Alvin’s place. Unfortunately, there are still two other people missing. (I, Stephen, have seen photos of Pastor Lito carrying one of these bodies with a group of other men–I have not included that photo for public display).
Typhoon Odette destroyed many houses of our church members. Some houses of our members are partially damaged, and some have roof damage and are missing parts of the walls are destroyed.
Affected members, and other families in the community, are temporarily staying in the church building as their safe shelter. They will remain with us until their houses are repaired.
We don’t have electricity right now, and it might take more than a week or two to restore because the typhoon destroyed many electric posts.
Please pray for our immediate needs:
- Food and clean water
- Construction materials to repair our houses.
- Generator, so that we can temporarily have electricity.
- Medicine for first aid and for some who got injured. Pray also for those missing to be found safe.
- Fast emotional and mental recovery for those who were traumatized and lost loved ones.
You can be a supporting partner to these pastors that are on the ground shepherding their flocks and giving relief. White Fields will send 100% of any donation to our Emergency Relief Fund to immediately bring food and clean water.
We will manage the relief effort to help our church members repair their houses and regain an orderly life. Even after the initial relief is provided, there will be ongoing love and care for these families as we provide physical and spiritual relief.
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18
Be in Prayer for All Our Filipino Pastors as they Bring Relief
All our pastors serving in Cebu will be coming to assist the churches at the epicenter of this devastation. We have a team of pastors and their families who will help their fellow pastors in this time of need. You can pray for them by visiting our Prayer Page.
Together We Can Bring Them Relief 
These photos are taken by our pastors and show the devastation to our church members.
