Holy Love in the Philippines

As we enter into the weekend, please consider how selfless servants in developing countries spend their Holy Week, and may we learn from them as we read the words of Filipino volunteer, Bryan Mattilano,

” Compassionate Reach International , together with my family and the Barangay [Village] Health Workers (BHW), initiated feeding operations in our barangay beginning] Holy Thursday.

As Christ dined with His apostles to initiate the Eucharist, we may also share His Body and Blood as we serve the least of our brethren with compassion, especially those who are victims of calamities.”

Thursday: Supper of Salvation

Day 1 “There were 192 identified malnourished children in the barangay, and 163 of them participated in the feeding program. All the children were weighed and the height was measured. The MUAC strip (Mid Upper Arm Circumference) was also used to determine how malnourished each child is.

The menu was composed of rice, chicken adobo, egg, vegetables, and hot milk.

The Barangay Health Workers (BHW) identified each of the malnourished children in every purok (sections of the barangay), getting the weight, height and the MUAC measurements, for the locations of the feeding, and follow-up home visitations.

From 163 respondents, 103 of them (63%) are already at risk for becoming malnourished, while 38 children (23%), were identified as malnourished. Only 22 children, (less than 13%) were in normal ranges for nutritional adequacy.

This malnutrition is due to scarcity of resources: sufficient food, water, sanitation, and hygiene, brought about by the devastation of Super-typhoon Yolanda, in November of 2014.

San Jose, Dulag, Philippines 1/2014

The super-typhoon also destroyed the local crops, rerouted water sources, killed coconut trees, and negatively affected the landscape and other resources in this fishing and farming community.

The feeding operation was just on time with the Holy Thursday as Christ dines with His apostles to initiate the Eucharist.

May we also share His Body and Blood as we serve the least of our brethren with compassion, especially those who are victims of calamities.

More than anybody who are most vulnerable are the children…. ” 

PLEASE NOTE:   Filipino volunteer Bryan Mattilano, is a professor at the University in Tacloban.

Bryan grew up in San Jose, and his parents and family still reside in the village (barangay). San Jose is a 40 minute commute by jeepney or other public transportation from Tacloban. This work of great love and compassion, is done by Bryan, his family, and other volunteers, without pay, and during their “vacation” times.

Bryan and Chp. Jamie – January of 2014, providing trauma support for the local population, and trauma training for the teachers of the elementary school.

Please consider becoming a sponsor of the feeding initiative in San Jose so we can continue to help rebuild lives, while caring for the least of these.

Compassionate Reach is a volunteer organization.  100% of donations go towards helping the poor, needy, and traumatized victims of disasters.

For more information email:  jamie@compassionatereach.org  and go to our website.

Thank you on behalf of San Jose and the volunteers of Compassionate Reach International. 

Contact us to find out how you can train as trauma chaplains, and/ or volunteer for mission outreach and disaster response, with Compassionate Reach International.

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One Year Later – TINDOG PILIPPINAS

 Restoration

A re-blog from when I returned from serving in the typhoon ravaged Philippines.

“Tindog Pilippinas” “Stand Philippines”

I’ve been home for 4 days now and I am still trying to get myself back into the swing of life in this reality, as well as this time zone. Things like hot showers, which are such a part of my “normal” life (and I have already taken eight hot showers or baths since I’ve gotten home) are a thing that many of my new friends no longer have, or never had. Poverty and government corruption takes on many faces, and those faces look like just like me, minus the privilege, or the pre-destination, or the happenstance of where and who I was born to. Born into the USA means born into opportunity, even at its worst.

Then enters in one of the worst storms in recorded history to rob what most people had in any form of luxury or necessity. Things like insurance and FEMA don’t exist in the Philippines, so the more privileged of my friends now struggle in tents or partially destroyed homes, since Yolanda (Hayain) was the great equalizer in her destructive forces.

I am always changed when I step into a disaster zone, being reminded of the power of God in forces of nature, and forces of redemption; it is the redemption that is most evident in God’s creation to pull together to heal, build, and restore. There aren’t any “atheists in a foxhole,” and God always makes Himself visible in the miraculous stories of survival, or the sustaining stories of loss and redemption. It is the loss I feel His presence the most strongly – in the survival- in the resilience of those who love with agape love. He was in the sharing of bags of rice that were made into rice “soup” as they were stretched to feed more and more people of the Barangay (community), or the heroes who died saving the lives of loved ones, or the homes that were opened up for people to flee, and sleep wall to wall as their own homes were overcome by the tidal surges. God was in the eyes of the moms and aunties whose children were swept out of their arms as they clung to them, but survive and strive to live on with dreams and visions too painful to recount. He is in each nail that pounds into the rebuilding of a new home – a new life. He is in the voices of the school teachers who speak life and bring joy back into the lives of children. They live and rebuild with hope – hope that only God can give to imagine a brighter future in the darkness of the present. They live to experience joy and to find meaning. They live to laugh, and to love, to give birth, to build, to bind, to heal, to find purpose, and to find God.

We live in a fallen world that is filled with pain and suffering, and I am firmly convinced that every torrential downpour is filled with the tears that Jesus weeps for what was, and is, and is to come. Mostly, we live in a world filled with redemption – the redemption of the cross to heal and restore all that was lost – to make all things new.

In the words of songwriter David Brymer
“You bring restoration
You bring restoration, to my soul
You’ve taken my pain, and called me by a new name
You’ve taken my shame, and in it’s place, You give me joy
You take my mourning, and turn it into dancing
You take my weeping, and turn it into laughing
You take my mourning, and turn it into dancing
You take my sadness, and turn it into joy.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, You make all things new, all things new”

Bring restoration to the souls of the Filippino people Lord God. Make it new for your Kingdoms sake, and to the glory of your son Jesus.

Spiritual & Psychological First Aid (SPFA)

WHEN: Friday December 5th, and Saturday Dec. 6th 8:00 to 5:30

WHERE: Faith Chapel, Schuylerville, NY

Spiritual & Psychological First Aid
Providing effective emotional and spiritual care to individuals, families, and communities following critical incidents and in times of crisis requires special training, skills and understanding of the unique role of the crisis responder. This course seeks to prepare front line helpers to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of survivors by providing a basic understanding of: the ministry of presence; connecting; basic assessment skills, appropriate intervention; and developing an ongoing care plan and referral.
What you will learn:

• Articulate an understanding of the ministry of presence and companioning.
• Define the essential elements of connecting and communicating with people in crisis.
• Demonstrate assessment skills for determining emotional and spiritual needs.
• Demonstrate essential interventions to help stabilize people in crisis.
• Link those served with existing community support services and develop an care plan.

Author: Dr. Kevin Ellers, The Institute 4 Compassionate Care

Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of this nationally recognized CISM course.

Introductory offer: $125 per individual or $160 per couple, includes box lunch, snacks and all training  materials.  Limited scholarships may be available.

For more questions and registration information contact:   jamie@compassionatereach.org

Hi Folks,

In the interest of condensing an immense amount of social media into less, will you please consider joining over 750 other people and follow me at the link below?

( jamiegrubb.wordpress.com) A Sacred Conspiracy

It is full of theological musings, parenting thoughts, marriage, life, grief, and my own personal story of deliverance and healing.

It will also be connected to my new web page will be up in its rough form within a few days; as well as the place where I will write about my deployments and special events. Really excited about that.

Hope to see you there!

Peace in the One who grants Peace,
Chaplain Jamie M. Grubb

Spiritual and Psychological First Aid

Spiritual & Psychological First Aid
Providing effective emotional and spiritual care to individuals, families, and communities following critical incidents and in times of crisis requires special training, skills and understanding of the unique role of the crisis responder. This course seeks to prepare front line helpers to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of survivors by providing a basic understanding of: the ministry of presence; connecting; basic assessment skills, appropriate intervention; and developing an ongoing care plan and referral.
What you will learn:

• Articulate an understanding of the ministry of presence and companioning.
• Define the essential elements of connecting and communicating with people in crisis.
• Demonstrate assessment skills for determining emotional and spiritual needs.
• Demonstrate essential interventions to help stabilize people in crisis.
• Link those served with existing community support services and develop an care plan.

Contact us to bring the training into your church or community group.

info@compassionatereach.org

A Storm Surge Not a Tsunami: Reality in the Philippines

A coconut oil tank that was lifted by the tidal surge and moved 1/4 mile hitting the home and killing a woman.

There is so much misinformation about the deadly typhoon in the Philippines and a major under reporting of the facts. Just today, I again met people who when it was stated I had just returned from the Philippines had little to no knowledge about the extent of the storm. The  “storm surge” that hit the Philippines was as devastating as a tsunami, but because it has a different scientific beginning, effect, and name, people do understand that the effects were very much the same. Actually, in many ways it can be worse, as the “Typhoon” and “storm surge” left damage across entire path not just shoreline.

I spoke to Filipinos who said they didn’t fully understand the magnitude of a “storm surge”  (would you?) and had the word tsunami been used, many lives may have been saved. It wasn’t a tsunami, so I understand the government not issuing a tsunami warning, but what a shame the term tsunami  couldn’t have been used in comparison for the sake of educating and warning.

Here are some stats given me by our new Filipino volunteer, and used for a presentation at the University last weekend:

 

• The deadliest Philippines Typhoon on record (BBC, 2013)
• Strongest storm recorded at landfall (NDRRMC, 2014)
• Unofficially the strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of wind speed (Fischetti, 2013)
• 17 foot high storm surge (second story building) 
• 10 million people affected
• 4.3 million displaced
• 22,000 were missing (Red Cross Estimates) 
• Dead, 6, 1,90 (Jan.3,2014- but bodies were still being found when I left on 1/24/14)
• Missing is close to 2,000 Jan. 3, 2014 (But it is important to note that Filipinos will argue that the death toll only includes registered people and not many of the poor who were never registered or had family to report them as missing.)

I have decided that I wont rewrite my journal entries from my time there as many are more personal than I care to share, and it’s time for me to move forward into rebuilding, for my Filipino friends, and myself; however,  I will write this last summary of combined thoughts from my journal, and to personalize the above statistics.

“As I think about my days and times here I have so many tales I would like to tell, yet understand the sacred place of confidentiality given to me as a chaplain. So many people have stories of the seas raging and waters rising as they fled to higher ground, only to have the seas continue to rise, trees toppling, debris blowing all around them, as they fled. Many died in the fleeing; babies torn out of the mothers arms by the force of the water; mothers dragged out of their children arms; roofs blowing off; good people rooting and being shot at during martial law because they had to be out at night desperate to find their family members, or food for their children; business destroyed; homes destroyed; schools destroyed; young adults giving up college who are now raising siblings without a home or regular job; entire families swept away…”

Then there are the survivor stories – trapped on a roof; inside a building not understanding how everything around them was destroyed but the one water tight room where they saw the water rise; fleeing with debris flying all around and no injuries; entire communities like San Jose, devastated, yet no one died – miraculously; family members swept away and thought to be gone, later found alive – and well. Miraculous. No rhyme or reason, no explanation, the just and the unjust.

The volunteers are amazing people – people who just want to be Jesus to those whose lives have been shattered – Jenny, Christy, Tarra and Nick, Tom, Alexie (only 16), Jen and Chris, Michelle, Aurora, Celine, Susan, my son-in-law Matt, Rhonda, Stephanie, Ching, and the Filipino midwives, so pained to see their own country suffering, Jen, Marlene, and April who I spent the majority of my time with. They are working, and hurting, and serving, and loving. Each one unique in their gifts and ministry of Jesus. I want to visit them again…Tano, serving selflessly, and representing Jesus more than most people I have ever known, June and Joel, working so hard, and so thankful to have a job. The Penwells – Vic, Ian, who just came back again, and Sean, who has come to serve with his family.  This work would not be here if not for them. ( In my fatigue I am missing some people – it’s been a long day)

The strength and resilience of the Filipino people amaze me – their love, warmth, polite manner, joy, laughter in the face of difficulty, care for one another, patience, bravery, thankfulness, gratitude  – every bit of help is treated like a million dollar venture – it was awe inspiring to be among people who became my friends and I could truly see, ‘there but for the grace of God go I.’ They are more than just people I met while here, they are my friends now – they are my daughters, my sons, Faye, Nerissa, Bryan… the community of San Jose. I will miss them when I leave. I will miss my Filipino family.

The faces of the children will stay with me forever. Especially the few that are with me daily – much of the day – calling to me, “Hello Lola,” or “May we have the ball Lola?”  Their voices and smiles bring a joy to my heart that transcends all the destruction just beyond their little faces.  John, Steve, Christian, John Michael, Nicole, Tricia… you’ll never really know how much you have changed my life – I am a better person for loving your little hearts during this season.  I look forward to hearing your voices tomorrow morning calling, “Good Morning Lowla,” (in your “American accent, I’m told).

 

My prayer is that I will continue to have a voice that speaks of the need for help in the Philippines. 

God is Here 1

(As I was unable to post on my blog in the Philippines due to the lack of a strong internet connection, I am going to post my journal entries from my time there over the next few weeks.)

I arrived tired but ready to go – what I am going to be doing here is still a bit blank. I came with the desire on my heart to serve God and the people here without any preconceived ideas. I have a backpack with children’s art supplies, and that is a first for me as I haven’t ever done group art therapy with kids – just individual therapy.

The landing on the island did not go as I had hoped – I am not a fan of flying and on our first approach to the island of Leyte and the airport in Tacloban we were re-routed to Cebu due to a “loss of contact with the control tower.” After circling for 15 to 20 min. we went to Cebu to refuel. We took off for Cebu shortly thereafter being told that contact with the ground had been made, but as we approached for our landing, the pilot quickly pulled upwards telling us the clouds were too low for a visual landing and we would have to wait and try again. The next attempt the wheels were down before he again pulled up, explaining to us he had overshot the runway. Thank you for letting me know that! By the third attempt the Filipina women to my right were crying and making the sign of the cross after the pilot said, we would, “…try one more time…” What does it mean to, “try to land?” I asked Matt, by now white knuckled and thinking my fear of flying had returned after years of finally getting used to it. On the fourth attempt we did land midst shouts of joy and relief from the passengers.

The drive to the elementary school turned maternal and healthcare clinic was about an hour long, and every where I turned there was total destruction. The tidal surge has destroyed everything in its path, leaving a wake of death and destruction behind it. As a tropical island will do, the growth has sprung up with some bizarre growth from half broken trees and shrubs. Most of the grass is still gone or sparse, and I am told the beach is a fraction of the size it was pre-storm.

The clinic is in the San Jose elementary school where there are tents set up inside, and I am told the roof which was completely torn off is in the process of being repaired by Mercy in Action. There is a UNICEF tent at the entrance to the building as well, donated to Mercy, now used as the medical portion of the clinic, so the birthing, pre-natals and post-partums can take place inside.

I am thankful to be here in hopes that I can bring just a small bit of the peace and presence that only Jesus can give, to the suffering on this island. I know that I will learn a tremendous amount from the people here, who I already can tell are quick to smile and help me, a stranger, without reservation. God is here.

Ready the Donations

100 bags of crayons for art therapy

Home

Compassionate Reach International

Founded in 2009 as Hesed Hope Ministries by David and Jamie Grubb, the name was changed in 2013 to Compassionate Reach International,  to better reflect the heart of the organization.

Dave and Jamie are the parents of ten children (eight living) – by birth and adoption, as well as ten grandchildren. They have experienced the effects of traumatic loss and grief multiple times over the course of their thirty year marriage, and have witnessed the lack of practical help and knowledge available to the victims of loss.

Our Mission

Hesed Hope Ministries is a crisis and disaster response organization, whose mission is to reflect God’s love by providing faith based community services to the world through emotional and spiritual counseling and training.

        He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of  you; but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.   Micah 6:8

 Our Vision

Our vision is not only to minister as Good Samaritans, but also to encourage others to come along side us, helping us to change the Jericho Road, to a place where the emotional and spiritual needs of all are met with the care, and compassion, of Jesus Christ.

Welcome to Compassionate Reach International

Compassionate Reach International

Founded in 2009 as Hesed Hope Ministries by David and Jamie Grubb, the name was changed in 2013 to Compassionate Reach International,  to better reflect the heart of the organization.

Dave and Jamie are the parents of ten children (eight living) – by birth and adoption, as well as ten grandchildren. They have experienced the effects of traumatic loss and grief multiple times over the course of their thirty year marriage, and have witnessed the lack of practical help and knowledge available to the victims of loss.

Our Mission

Hesed Hope Ministries is a crisis and disaster response organization, whose mission is to reflect God’s love by providing faith based community services to the world through emotional and spiritual counseling and training.

        He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of  you; but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.   Micah 6:8

 Our Vision

Our vision is not only to minister as Good Samaritans, but also to encourage others to come along side us, helping us to change the Jericho Road, to a place where the emotional and spiritual needs of all are met with the care, and compassion, of Jesus Christ.