Yolanda Aid Worker Story 3

 God’s Unexpected Provision

By Pastor Steven Dime

Pastor Dime (above, center) and Jay Johnson Go (below
wearing mask) in action in Tacloban. 

The main purpose of my journey to Tacloban City was to remind people that there is still a God who cares and continues to provide in spite of dire circumstances. But before I could remind people of this wonderful lesson, I learned firsthand that God has a funny way of first teaching us the very lesson we want to impart to others.

I grew up in Tacloban City but have since migrated to Manila and am currently pastoring Lighthouse of Faith Tabernacle in Makati City.  I was selected to be the operation manager of CCOWE Care Caravan (A conglomeration of Chinese Churches created for the purpose of extending Christian concern and love especially in calamity-hit areas) for our Tacloban relief distribution. Bro. Jay Johnson Go of UECP volunteered to join me in the operation.

We had two main objectives in Tacloban: distribute relief goods and scout for contacts from surrounding towns for future relief operations.

Knowing full well the dire situation in Tacloban City during those first few days after Yolanda hit, I had to mentally condition Jay Johnson. First, I told him to be prepared to live on a biscuit-and-cupcake diet only. Second, we needed to conserve our drinking water because we wouldn’t be bringing too much of it with us. If people saw that we had supplies we could get robbed on our way downtown. (We were told that there was no transportation available and that we would have to walk all the way from the airport to the downtown area). Third, there were no guaranteed flights back to Manila. We would be taking chances. Hopefully we could get to Tacloban, distribute our goods and be out of the city within a week. Hopefully our food supply would last that long.

We stayed at the Ritz Tower which is owned by a good friend of mine. The CCT team happened to be also staying at the Ritz. Our relief goods would not arrive for a couple more days. They too were waiting for their medical team to arrive and had nothing planned until then. We decided to offer what little help we could to the city vice mayor who put us on a dump truck loaded with relief supplies headed for Brgy. San Jose.   

That one relief distribution activity forged a bond of friendship between our team of two and the CCT team. Little did we know at that time that the CCT team was God’s way of providing not just our needs but a reminder that He still cares and continues to provide.

When Jay Johnson and I arrived in Tacloban, we only had two liters of water each and a plastic bag of store-bought cupcakes and biscuits, which, by the way, was not much. On the first day, we had to take small sips just to make sure our water would last for a week. We didn’t even bother eating the first day in the name of conserving food.

When Pastor Ed Gomez heard of this, he graciously invited us to join them for every meal. In fact, he was very insistent that we join them. Every meal, we got to enjoy freshly cooked food courtesy of the CCT team. We never prayed for it. We never asked for it. We were prepared to eat only biscuits and cupcakes for a whole week. If God could turn water into wine…we found out that He can also turn cupcakes and biscuits into rice and fish and chicken.

When the medical team arrived, I realized that they didn’t have a pharmacist with them. They had doctors, nurses…but no pharmacist. I have been involved with medical/dental missions since I was in college. And I understand the importance of having someone familiar with medicines to do the dispensing of medicines in a medical mission or people could get the wrong medications. Being a licensed pharmacist, I volunteered to man the dispensing of medicines.

It’s amazing how God puts two and two together and everything just falls into its perfect place like a jigsaw puzzle. Doctor Demy came up to me afterward and said that we were a great help. God allowed us to be exactly where we were needed.

After Jay and I distributed the CCOWE relief goods, the only problem left on our end was how to get back to Manila. By the grace of God, the CCT team rented a van and was going back to Manila by land. And again, by the grace of God, there was enough room for Jay and myself to hitch a ride with them all the way to Manila. And again, by the wonderful grace of God, the CCT team offered us a ride without our asking them.

Our God is really a God of wonder and provision. We went to Tacloban hoping to remind them that God cares and still provides. And in turn, we were the ones reminded of that wonderful fact! May all the glory be unto our God…the great Provider.