Written By Sholyn Rose Mangob, Operation Blessing Visayas Healthcare Coordinator
Cristita Enero, 68, and her husband reside in the far-flung area of Brgy. Malobago, San Roque, Northern Samar, which can be reached only via motorcycle. She is a mother of nine and all of their children already have their own families.
Brgy. Malobago is one of the barangays that was badly hit by the recent typhoon Nona, and the said barangay is a bit far from the city proper. Cristita and her husband were at their home when the typhoon hit their place. She remembered how their house fell apart while they were inside. And they praised God they were not hurt. Truly, God protected them and preserved their lives. They immediately evacuated to a safer place. They ran away from their broken dwelling and went to their neighbor named Eddie Lutaw. He was kind enough to let the couple stay with them till the typhoon was gone.
After the typhoon, they went back to their house and they were shocked to see that the house they built for years was gone now. They are now staying in the house of their fourth child. Despite the tragedy, they are very thankful to the Lord for protecting them during the typhoon. For them, it was the best Christmas gift ever.
On the other hand, they were also worried about how they will recover from what happened. Aside from their house that was totally damaged, they were anxious for their health as well. Both of them are already old, and they could not travel any longer, especially since their place is quite distant from the hospital and the road is so challenging.
When Operation Blessi
ng and its partner from the Armed Forces of the Philippines went there to serve through a
medical mission, Cristita was so delighted, for it was really a blessing for them especially since they need medicines for their chief complaints. She had been experiencing backache and headache; it started when Typhoon Nona was over. She appreciated how the staff treated them from registration through giving of medications. She described how passionate the doctor was in doing the assessment and in teaching them, how the counselors effectively put themselves in their shoes, and how the nurses thoroughly explained the medications given and conducted the health teaching.
“I am very grateful that there ar
e people who lend their ears, comfort and pray for me,” said Cristita with tears in her eyes. “It was so relieving and it’s very overwhelming that despite the distance and inconvenience you spend time with us and reach out to our families who suffered a lot during typhoon Nona. We feel the warmth of God’s embrace through all of you,” she ended.
If you are moved to do the same for other affected by disasters, you may contact us at 477 7802 to 04 and 06, or email us at [email protected]. You may also visit https://operationblessing.ph/home for more details.
Together, let us show we care.
Volunteer Contributor and Photographer: Bianca Tanguin
