Category Archives: Disaster Respons

Some Questions on Disaster Response at Bukal Life Care

Question #1: We’ve been getting questions about helping in response to Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. We don’t normally solicit help so this is a bit new to us. But we certainly appreciate all who care about those suffering due to the devastation in the Visayas and Southern Luzon. If you feel led to help, Jehny Pedazo is the one who takes care of acknowledgement receipts. She can be contacted at our number 0933-302-0373. You can also contact us at info@bukallife.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Question #2: We have also been asked about Medical Missions in response to the disaster of Typhoon Yolanda. We did do medical missions in response to Typhoon Pepeng and Tropical Storm Ondoy. But not this time. We have decided to focus on crisis care chaplaincy (and teams), materials, and training. We will leave medical response to the many fine groups that specialize in that type of ministry.

Question #3: What about other organizations doing relief work in the Philippines? There are many good groups working over here. We have worked with the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) and so know they are a great and reliable group. World Vision is another group that does good work here. There are many others. Research. Don’t just give to the group that makes the most noise.

Disaster Response. Updates

Thanks to those who have given to support crisis care counseling with the disaster from Typhoon Yolanda. We won’t list them all at once, so we will list two today. Thanks for the generous support from ‘Virginia Baptist Mission Board” Disaster Relief, and “La Trinidad Community of Believers.” Because of this we have been able to train volunteers and support response teams.

The first team, led by Dr. Nori Lacquian, with a member of the Bukal Life Team, and several students at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary, are on station in Ormoc City. Other teams are in Tacloban or soon to depart.

Last week we trained 25 in crisis response. This week, we had another training with NOVA crisis care, and Art Therapy, with emphasis on crisis response for children. More trainings are coming.

CPSP-Philippines is putting together several teams, especially working with refugees from Tacloban. Some members of Bukal Life Care are involved with that work. Bukal Life Care is a training center of CPSP-PI (and in fact was the first certified training center of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy in the Philippines).

Several others trained in our CPE program (for example, Fr. German) are part of other groups serving in the Visayas. We are thankful to find those trained having the opportunity.

Disaster 2

Disaster 1_

Prepping to Go

Three members of our chaplaincy team are expecting to travel with a Disaster Recovery Team to Leyte.  This will probably be the first of many trips. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Also, please remember those in Zamboanga struggling in relocation centers because of the violence there, and those still reeling from the earthquake in Bohol. There are many needs but also many opportunities to serve and help.

 

 

Disaster Response: Phase #1

Basic Disaster Response Crisis Care training will be held at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary on Wednesday Nov 13 and Thursday Nov 14, from 6pm – 8pm. The training will be led by Bukal Life Care. We are focusing on those who will be traveling to the Visayas for relief work in the next few days, but others are welcome to join.

Crisis Care with focus on Children will be held during the week of Nov 18, also at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. This training will also be led by Bukal Life Care. Exact times to be determined. Again, focus is on DR team preparing to leave, but others are welcome.

Please keep those in the typhoon destruction zone in your prayers. But also remember the relief workers who voluntarily place themselves in a difficult position. Two or three members of our team at Bukal Life Care are joining the trip… and more will most likely join subsequent trips.

November 2013 Updates… Updated

1.  Keep those in the Visayas in prayer who are in the process of weathering the Supertyphoon Yolanda. Some in this area have also had been through a major earthquake recently.

2.  Thanks to Sr. Angie in leading a dental/optical mission to Bagulin, La Union. Thanks also to Ptr. Mateo for hosting our team. Thanks for resource assistance from Aquashine and Dr. Alex Alcantara. And thanks to all of the team volunteers for the sacrifice of time and skill.

3.  BOT meeting is planned for November 15th 11am to 1:30pm. Tentative location is Cafe Will in Baguio City.

4.  Mid-November… Half unit of CPE anticipated led by Joyce Gray.

5.  Mid-January… Half unit of CPE anticipated led by Celia Munson.

6.  Mid-January… CPO will begin at PBTS led by Joyce Gray.

7.  Mid March… CPSP Annual meeting in the US. At least two expected to attend from our group. Maybe more.

8.  Late March… CPE Summer intensive (full unit) expected to start.

9. Also note: We have been asked to do crisis care in multiple locations. Please pray with us in how or if we can help in these place.

Sorrow at Christmas 2012

We like to focus on the JOY of Christmas. But we know that this is not always the case. In the Campostela Valley of Mindanao, a typhoon came through recently and led to flash flooding and a great deal of loss of life and property.

Last year, our disaster response team joined the Philippine National Red Cross, Kagayan Disaster Response Network, and other groups to train and provide crisis care. This time we did not. Others are taking on that role. With this disaster, our role is much smaller. Essentially, our role is to help others help those in need.

Our partner in the US, Carmelita, with her church Gautier United Methodist, sent over boxes of hospital blankets, towels, gowns and so forth. We have been sharing these with one of the hospitals that we work with in our chaplaincy training. However, we were able to send dozens of these blankets to the Masbate Clinic here in Baguio who are collecting blankets for the evacuation centers in Mandinao. Additionally, Good News Camp in Waynesboro, PA, gave us collections from a week of camp for children in Mindanao. We focus on training and providing pastoral care… not on seeking and distributing donations. However, in these cases, we are blessed to have these to be able to forward to those in need.

It is awesome that major players do major things in times of sorrow. But so often what matters is people who in their own way, big or small, help those who need it… sharing God’s joy.

 

 

 

Article on Crisis Care with Theological Perspective

Based on a recent staff meeting at Bukal Life Care, it was decided that we would use our website (www.bukallife.org) for useful organizational information (as well as our Facebook Group). We would use our Blog here for useful information in the areas of Life Care, Chaplaincy, CPE, and so forth. With that in mind, attached is a recent article on Crisis Care. The article is actually in “Bukal Life Journal” (2012 edition). The entire e-journal is located HERE.

Return trip to CDO for Typhoon Sendong Relief

Our team of seven returned to CDO last Thursday (Jan 5) They have been working with Kagay-an Disaster Evangelical Response Network, Oro Christian Grace School, and DEPED in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City.

Monday, Celia, Ryan, and Cindy returned to Baguio while the remaining 4 stayed in CDO. Tuesday, they were able to visit the evac center at City Central School and have ministered to victims there. The remaining team (Ptr. Joel, Jehny, Becky, and Alma) will travel Wednesday to Iligan City to hold a crash course in Crisis Response Stress Debriefing Workshop with Evangelical churches there.

Return to Cagayan de Oro

Our Disaster Response Crisis Intervention Team returned to Cagayan de Oro for training and crisis intervention. The team will start work with the Department of Education, as well as at some of the evacuation centers.

It may be worth explaining what we do. We are a religious organization and so some might assume that we focus on evangelism. That is not the case. When someone has gone through a major crisis, they should not make major decision, and should not be encouraged to. They need to be taken to a place of safety and security (physically, emotionally, and mentally). They need to be given a chance for ventilation and validation. They need a chance to plan and prepare for the future… to find a new normal.

We use NOVA (National Organization for Victim Assistance) for group intervention. We use Crisis Care Chaplaincy by the Southern Baptist Convention for training of chaplains, as well as Psychological First Aid by NCCTS (and others).

Day Three Disaster Response in Cagayan de Oro

Pictures of some of the stress debriefing/disaster response of our team in Cagayan de Oro can be seen at:

Cagayan de Oro Evac Centers

Bukal Life Disaster Response Team with former Senator Dick Gordon, Chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross