Pastor Who Lost His Kids: ‘God Will Not Forsake Us’

Aid is still urgently needed several weeks after super Typhoon Haiyan battered the central Philippines.

Survivors are trying to cope with the loss of loved ones, homes and possessions. Two weeks after Typhoon Haiyan struck villagers are still struggling to survive.

People living in the interior communities are finding it difficult to go where they can get medical aid and relief goods because they must trudge through filthy debris.

But some are still unselfishly helping others, like one pastor who lost half of his family in the disaster.

The stinky piles of garbage are everywhere. And dead bodies are still being discovered, like the granddaughter of Rico Villalino, who shared his heartache with CBN News.

“That is my granddaughter along the road. We just found her this morning. The other one is still missing. We also lost our house. Everything is gone,” he said.

One female pastor, who accompanied CBN News, prayed for Villalino and invited him to attend church.

Many like Villalino have turned to God because of the tragedy. But even the most faithful church workers have also experienced hardship and loss. 

All three of Pastor Dante Lingo’s children were swept away by the surging waters.

“We were holding on to the beam of our ceiling when the big waves collapsed our house and we were swallowed by the big waves,” Pastor Lingo, from Hope in Christ Christian Fellowship, told CBN News.

Only one son survived. When the waters subsided they found the bodies of their sons aged 13 and 7 clutching each other, while the body of their 5-year-old daughter was found the next day.

“We will miss them so much. We worked so hard for their future,” Dolor Lingo, the children’s mother, said.

“They helped us in our feeding ministry. We feed the children but all that is gone. We don’t know where to start but we believe God will not forsake us. He has a purpose why we are still alive,” she said.

Dolor is also grieving over the death of her mother and 13 other family members.

The news team noticed a wound on Dolor’s foot. They took her and surviving family members to a CBN Disaster Relief medical clinic.

A doctor examined and cleaned Dolor’s wound. She was also given tetanus shot, vitamins and medicines for her family.

The family also spend time with a CBN counselor who listened to them and prayed for their needs.

“We did not expect that people like you will come here to help us. Your smiles make our hearts smile as well. Especially with what happened to our family, you have comforted and encouraged us,” Pastor Lingo said.

“The Lord said in the Bible, ‘Whoever wants to follow me should carry his cross everyday,'” he continued.

“What happened to our life is like what happened to Job. He lost his children and his possessions. This is a very difficult time for us but we shall cling to the Lord because He alone gives us strength. And we will cling to His Word because His Word alone will sustain us,” he added.