Christmas in Iligan

Typhoon Sendong made us think twice about spending Christmas in Iligan.  Our tickets were booked months in advance and a week before we were supposed to fly, the typhoon struck.  At one point, we decided to cancel the trip, which I thought made sense but saddened me anyway.  When we finally decided to still travel to Iligan for Christmas, I felt really good about the decision and knew that it was the right thing to do.  Things were challenging for sure but we were together and that's what mattered.


Christmas is a big day for our family because it's also my parents' wedding anniversary and my Manong's birthday.  In years past, we would have relatives and friends at our house for dinner on December 25.  This year is different because the house is not habitable.  Our family stayed with Mama Mely and Ate An but we all gathered at Mama Mely's to celebrate.


This is a relatively low-key celebration but filled with gratitude and appreciation.  Other families suffered worse and lost more.  On December 24, Richard and I joined my cousin's group in distributing cupcakes and juice to the children in the evacuation centers.  


We went to the San Lorenzo Church and MSU-IIT where most of the displaced residents were.  It's heartbreaking to see so many people in desperate situations, having lost all belongings, but also heartwarming to see smiling kids who thanked us and greeted us Merry Christmas.  I tried to speak blessing on each kid that passed me...

It was a meaningful week spent in Iligan.

Ground Zero

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