Relief is what I so often coined “triage.”   To come into a situation and provide an immediate response, a heart surgery, food and water after a disaster. The rehab is the rebuilding processes, the homes we rebuild, and the school supplies we are replacing and so on. The development is a whole different area. It is what I have so often written before that GIBTK desires to go beyond “triage” to build relationships with those we work with.

   Today was not an easy day for me. I am the type of guy that sees a fire (need) and wants to put a fire hose to it.  Today we visited a number of families that in past trips would have been and still may be great candidates for home rebuilding. We spoke with the mothers and fathers about what would help them to get their lives beyond where they were before the flood.

  The concept was beyond many of them. Yet we persisted and left them telling them we will be back to talk again. In the mean time we wanted them to think how is best to help them. What would they like to do in addition to farming? We also spent time with the local committees discussing our hopes to build the community one family at a time. I also hope to find ways to walk beside these community leaders and help them to help their respective areas.

  Trust me it is VERY hard to walk away from a single mother in desperate need of a meal much less a safe home and do nothing. Yet with my staffs help I was able to do that. Yes it is not the usual way for a relief group to act yet, I believe it is the best way for the families we spoke with.

  The signs of the typhoon were everywhere. You could see flood lines anywhere from 6-10 feet or more on the walls of buildings. We stopped at a kindergarten that 200 children use daily!!! Most of the rooms are now unsafe for the kids to be in. In one place I stepped on the concrete floor only to break through the cement to the eroded dirt below. Scary stuff.  We came during nap time and probably spoiled it! So many kids needing a safe place to go to school. I asked for a list of needs and costs.

  We visited another family whose house was blown over and what they now lived in was ….. (Gosh so hard to put into words)  “Rebuilt” by neighbors. One of our staff leaned on a post and the roof began to fall on top of us. A bed leg was on the VERY edge of eroded mud floor almost slipping off into a ditch running along where a wall used to be, a major post holding the “house” had shifted to where it was barely connected. Yet this woman had a smile and hope in her eyes.

  GIBTK had given her family a female pig and in a few months she would have piglets. Thanks to a donor we were able to agree to rebuild her home.  The pig was a great start but how do we help her to leverage it? How do we work to help this family become stronger? To ensure her children had the opportunities to dream and pursue their dreams.

  My program director Tam pointed to one of the main posts of the house and said this reminds me of my house 6 years ago. It is like what I used to live in. I looked her in the eye and said that is your strength. Share with these families your story and how you overcame and “developed” your life into how it is today. 

  Tam gets it! She told me she loves this way to work. We agreed our numbers may not be as big as in past years but our impact into lives will be greater than ever. Yes it is not things we will see quickly but the reward will be great. Tam told me she will be revisiting the families in the coming weeks and months to learn more about them and find strategic ways walk along side of them and impact their lives for the long run.

  You know what struck me funny. We visited many homes and spoke with many families and did nothing. No money, no rebuilding promise, not even a bag of rice was left. Yet the families said good-by cheerfully and I did not feel they were disappointed with us. It is like they just appreciated the visit, the relational time spent. Go figure……Relationship can make a difference?

><((((º>  BBlessed