Sharing Hope
Mario was three-years old when we met him, but he walked and talked like a child half that age. The same was true of his older brother, Jon, six. Their swollen bellies, plagued with worms and the constant ache of hunger, resembled the look of a pregnant woman. In contrast to their swollen abdomens, the boys’ eyes were sunken into their faces and lacked the shine and exuberance that usually comes standard in children unfettered by daily suffering. Two other siblings sat on a wooden bench, their eyes never leaving the floor as we said hello and introduced ourselves.
The oldest brother, Edwin, nineteen, was desperate. His mother lay on a wooden board, in the interior of the jungle, dying of tuberculosis, unable to care for her children, but unwilling to leave them so she could travel to the nearest city to seek medical help which she could not afford anyway. Her husband had already passed away from tuberculosis, and four of her children had also died as they succumbed to starvation. The four were buried in their yard of hot, cracked clay because Iva could not afford the expense of proper burials.
The responsibility for the family now sat squarely on Edwin’s shoulders. He was doing his best to care for his mother and provide for his younger siblings, but it was difficult to find regular work that paid enough. In addition to his mother, three brothers and sister, Edwin’s elderly grandparents also depended on him to provide food and water for them each day.
Edwin knew his mother was nearing the end of her battle with tuberculosis, and he feared that his two youngest brothers were close to dying of starvation. He told us how he remembered a Filipino nurse who had come to their village from the nutrition team of the organization my husband worked for at the time. Almost as a last hope, Edwin had sought out the nurse, Phillip, and told him about his family’s plight. That’s when Phillip went to my husband and told him about the young man whose mother was dying and whose siblings were starving. Was there a possibility that the organization could help in some way, Phillip wondered? Jim told him that the disaster relief organization was not equipped to offer aid to one starving family, but he said if Phillip could guide us to the family’s barangay (village), we would go together on our own time over the weekend and assess the situation. Perhaps there was something we could do.
With Phillip interpreting for us, we prayed with the family that day, asking God for healing for Iva, protection for her children, and strength for Edwin as he continued to care for his family. And we asked God for wisdom. As we hiked back out of the jungle, we talked about how Edwin’s family is only one in a larger community. We wondered how many people on the island of Leyte were living in the same desperate conditions. How many people all around us, we wondered, were without food or clean water and running low on hope?
We briefly considered giving money so Edwin could buy rice for his family and medicine for his mother. But, then what? We knew that, in no time at all, the money would be spent, the rice eaten, and the medicine used up. Edwin’s family would be in exactly the same place they were before we ‘helped’ – probably worse off – since that kind of help can easily foster a sense of dependence and encourage a false hope that outsiders will always give the family whatever they need to survive.
We had witnessed a lot of suffering in the time period since the typhoon, and we’d seen millions and millions of dollars spent on relief and development by this point. We knew that just giving money and things would not fix all of these problems, even for one family – let alone all who are suffering in these ways.
At the same time, we were seeing God’s compassion for the poor in ways we never could have known before. His special concern is evidenced in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and He makes it clear that He wants us, as His children, to also care about the poor, weak, oppressed, and hopeless of the world.
In one of His many clear commands, the Lord says:
‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy, and to the poor…’ (Deuteronomy 15:10).
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is speaking to His disciples about a future time when all the nations will be gathered before the King, who will separate the people like a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. Jesus tells them:
‘Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it unto Me…’ (Matthew 35:40).
Those are sobering words. Because God had given us a window in to see their suffering, we knew we were called to care about this family. At times, we felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem. Extreme poverty exists all over the world… What could we possibly do to help alleviate even some of the pain and suffering associated with a problem so big and far reaching?
We prayed a lot. And we did some quick research and encouraged Edwin to do the same as we tried to help him discern what resources were available in the area. Then we watched as God built a beautiful alliance of people who cared: two from an existing ministry, three from a local church, a doctor and several nurses from the hospital, a kind social worker from the local government, Edwin, his family, Phillip (from Jim’s team), and us. Edwin worked with each entity in this newly formed alliance with growing confidence that we all cared and that, none of us, nor God, would abandon him.
Edwin’s mother received the TB treatment she needed at the hospital and was able to convalesce at a rehabilitation center near Tacloban at no charge to her. The children were taken in and cared for by a local ministry in the city for more than a year, while their mother regained her strength. Edwin got a regular job through a network of people connected to that same local ministry.
More than five years have passed since we first met Edwin. Because of the generosity of the worldwide Catholic church after the typhoon, Edwin’s family was able to move to a safer and healthier environment. Iva is well and works to help support her family. The little boys and their sister are growing up, going to school, and playing with their friends. Edwin still holds down a job and helps care for his family.
Through this situation and many since, God continues to show us that He is the Provider and He is the One who brings real hope to devastated lives. We’re thankful for the ongoing friendship we share with each member of Edwin’s family. We’re thankful for the training God provided for us in how to build an effective alliance – one that comes alongside people trapped in the cycle of poverty and helps them believe that lasting change is possible. And we’re especially grateful to God for giving all of us involved, especially this dear family, a front row seat to see His power and His goodness on display!