Knocked Down But Not Knocked Out By a Typhoon That Almost Left Them And Their Families Homeless/Lifeless, 2 Dedicated Missionary-Teachers Need Your Help To Rebuild

Hi! I’m Stephanie Colinco. I’m appealing for your support for a brother and a sister in Christ who are striving to stay focused on serving Him at their mission school in the Philippines, which is my alma mater, even though Typhoon Tino nearly destroyed their respective homes last Nov. 4.

The Typhoon

Jerico Jaymil Esparas, his elderly parents, one adult brother, and four young children were at home in the town of Isabela when a flash flood triggered by the typhoon caught them completely by surprise. That afternoon, grayish brown lahar debris from the slopes of the active Kanlaon Volcano upstream suddenly overflowed from the nearby river. The surging floodwaters quickly rose to almost ten feet high, forcing them to climb to the roof in a hurry. The eight of them spent the night in fear, huddled together on the wet rooftop.

In the morning, they descended to a heartbreaking sight. The floodwaters had finally subsided, but these had left behind a layer of mud 3-4 feet deep that covered electrical appliances, clothes, bedding, utensils, rice, food, and everything else inside. Furniture and furnishings that had not been swept away were no longer usable. Their doors, windows, toilet, bathroom, and kitchen had been wrecked.

Geah Andrade, her mother, and elder sister, who was carrying an infant daughter, sought refuge early at an evacuation center in their area. They knew it was unsafe to stay at their house during the typhoon. It was, after all, a dilapidated wooden structure erected 58 years ago, a short distance from the shore in the coastal town of Hinigaran.

When they came back, they saw that their ancestral house had barely survived the typhoon. To their dismay, strong winds had blown away most of its roof, along with its ceiling, and three sides of its wall. Knee-high flooding from heavy rains and a storm surge had ruined or damaged all their belongings except their clothes. It had also soaked Geah’s prized SLR camera, which she used to cover school activities. They no longer had electrical appliances they could still use, not even a rice cooker.

The Missionary-Teachers

Jerico and Geah each suffered a knockdown emotionally and psychologically. But by God’s grace and mercy, coming close to losing their lives and homes wasn’t a knockout for them.

Jerico found encouragement in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Geah, on the other hand, fought despair by claiming God’s promise in Philippians 4:19: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

With God-given resilience, they are now back on their feet, bouncing back as missionary-teachers at Maranatha Christian College junior and senior high school in Bacolod City. The typhoon’s destruction failed to demoralize them or to stop them from ministering at their mission school, whose motto is “preparing for the future … and beyond.”

Jerico teaches Technology and Livelihood Education, while Geah handles Social Studies and Economics subjects. More importantly, they work as missionaries inside and outside the classroom in a school that seeks to spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in preparation for His return.

“There is no greater reward than seeing a young person trust Christ as Lord and Savior and watching His transforming work unfold in their life,” Jerico declares.

“I know that my mission is not only to teach lessons but also to touch lives… my heart was never just for teaching subjects but also for touching souls,” Geah reveals.

The sole breadwinner in their respective families, they and their dependents rely mainly on their modest salaries from their relatively small mission school, which caters to students who are usually public elementary school graduates from low-income families. Non-stock and not-for-profit in nature, it charges the most affordable fees among the city’s private high schools.

The Need

As they pick up the pieces in the typhoon’s aftermath and move forward with their ministry in Christian education using mostly their meager resources, they are praying and hoping for much-needed assistance. Confronting them is the formidable challenge of supporting themselves and their dependents, and at the same time, financing major repairs to improve living conditions in their battered homes.

With this heavy burden on their frail shoulders, Jerico and Geah are trusting God to help them rebuild through Christian brethren and others.

They pray that the rebuilding is completed soon, as destructive typhoons frequently make landfall in the country, which lies in the path of the Pacific typhoon belt. Typhoon Tino’s havoc has already left them vulnerable to future typhoons that can cause further damage and add to their difficulties.

Jerico’s kitchen, bathroom, and toilet are still without a roof. He is building an additional floor to their house, if possible, just in case the nearby river overflows again. Doing so is a matter of life and death, since a flash flood can occur at night when everyone is asleep.

With only a makeshift roof and improvised walls now in place, Geah’s house provides scant protection against the sun, wind, and rain. A floor raised several feet off the ground is also needed to prevent a replay of the nightmare that her family endures whenever floodwaters partly submerge the lower portion of their home.

Initial donations from their mission school, its students, a former missionary-teacher, and an alumna have enabled them to begin replacing lost or broken household essentials and making minor repairs. Rebuilding, though, requires substantial funds for construction materials, labor, and other expenses, funds which they sorely lack at present.

The Opportunity

Galatians 6: 9-10 teaches, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Through your prayers and donations, you can “do good” this CHRISTmas season to Jerico and Geah, who have been “doing good” to their loved ones and students. Won’t you grab this opportunity to boost their morale by helping these two dedicated missionary-teachers rebuild?