Typhoon Nock-ten, locally known as Nina, made landfall in the Philippines December 25, 2016, killing at least six people. As many as 19 are still missing.

At least 1.5 million people were affected in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Region 5, and Region 8, with 246,586 families displaced. Department of Social Welfare and Development statistics show 68,304 families staying in the 657 evacuation centers for a total of 316,714 people. 

The Church of the Nazarene's Bicol District Assembly, with more than 70 in attendance, was held December 30, just days after the storm. Nazarene leaders were able to report on church families affected and the damage to church structures. They also reported 248 food packs and Crisis Care Kits were distributed through four different churches. One Nazarene church was totally destroyed and others, such as San Ramon Church of the Nazarene, sustained some damage.

Pastor Jackson, the Nazarene Disaster Response coordinator for the Philippines, will be traveling to the area to help coordinate relief efforts with partner organizations. The focus will be shelter kits for those who had homes destroyed, and also the re-construction of the church building. Livelihood programs will also be addressed during this time.

With the number of typhoons this field has endured, the Crisis Care Kit inventory in the Philippines is low. When disaster strikes, CCKs are an invaluable resource and bring a measure of relief in the midst of a crisis, especially when given through churches.  

Please continue to pray for the recovery efforts, for the churches and church members affected, and that outreach into the surrounding communities would be facilitated through the recovery process as the church seeks to be the hands and feet of Christ.

--Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region