There are no words that could express the gratitude of the Oikos Sisters for the Poor Household of God for help in their province!!

For more than 10 years now, The Poor Household of God has been helping the Oikos Sisters with accomplishing all the dreams they’ve had in helping the poorest of the poor in Eastern Samar, the Philippines, and they are so very grateful!  Sometimes, however, the work the Sisters do is not planned, but as a result of an urgent need, as was the case last May.

On May 14, 2020, a powerful typhoon, that was not expected to be so damaging, hit the areas just north of where the Oikos Sisters live in their province.  The terrible typhoon, outside of “typhoon season”, regarded at first as a non-significant typhoon, caught residents in the northern part of Eastern Samar unprepared. It brought with it unforecasted high flooding, even up to covering houses and the strong gusty winds demolished homes and power lines.  The Oikos Sisters, in their gratitude that Borongan was spared from the brunt of the typhoon’s strong winds, immediately pondered the idea of helping the people in the upstream barrios of Arteche, Eastern Samar’s northernmost town.

After an initial emergency mission to the effected areas, the Oikos Sisters were able to see the damage first hand and ask what the most urgent needs for the poor people were.  The simple fact was, the people lost almost everything.  The Sisters and volunteers saw such pain and uncertainty in the eyes of the people, and unbelievable devastation of their homes and land.  Two subsequent missions were planned and carried out, thanks to the generosity and love of The Poor Household of God, the Diocese of Joliet-Partnership in Mission, Water with Blessings and donors from the area of Buffalo, New York.

Our Missionaries in Borongan worked to pack water filters, laundry soap and basins for doing the laundry, bath soap, toothpaste and tooth brushes, lots of vegetables and eggs, cooked meals, bread, rice, tarps for those who lost their homes and loads and loads of love!  And for the first time since the arrival of CoVid19 in the Philippines, the Sisters took off, in usual style, not letting the difficult journey or the intense heat impede their need to help the poorest of the poor.  They were rewarded with smiles and so much relief on the faces of the people in these areas.

The Oikos Sisters send their most sincere thanks to The Poor Household of God community, for without you help, these missions would have been impossible.  They would also like to appeal to you for help.  Typhoons have no season anymore, their strength is so difficult to forecast and their impact is devastating.  Not only that, but the poorest of the poor still suffers from strict CoVid 19 quarantine restrictions and need help providing food for their families.  Thank you for your continued help, our dear PHOG friends!  Please continue to support and pray for the Oikos Sisters, working with them in their mission to reach out to God’s beloved poor.

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