It was a long day and I’m short on time. Did assessments in the morning with Craig where we are looking for patterns and pockets of people affected by the typhoon who are not getting aid that would justify a huge order of food. Without going into too much detail, there are problems where after 2 weeks we start to see the “haves” vs the “have nots”, with the “haves” being the ones closer to distribution points, and who may even be hoarding aid while smaller groups further away have nothing.

We also made a 6 hour round trip up to Catbaloga for supplies, food and generators. Couldn’t find the generators. We also picked up a cute puppy from Abans parents home.

I’m kind of feeling the climax of the whole trip will or will not happen based on what we do tomorrow. Craig has asked me to find / gps tag pockets of people further away from Tacloban who are not getting aid. If I’m successful, it will help justify a larger food order for the Salvation Army.

I do not believe in coincidences during these disaster trips, I’m right here where I need to be for the right reason. Being able to find and assess pockets of survivors is a truly strange skill set and I also know that I’m good at it. I just worry that if I can’t find them, their suffering will be prolonged. I like a little pressure in these situations, because it is very satisfying when the dots are finally all connected. There is tremendous teamwork involved from start to finish, from the donors to the food packaging, shipping, logistics, all the hard parts are done…one last connection- who needs it the most?

I sincerely hope and pray that I can find these pockets of survivors tomorrow who really need the help. Craig and I had a great discussion last night about everything from the systematics of food delivery, to where to send it, etc. I feel like it was the best mentoring session I could get on the topic. So thankful to have him here.Along with our supplies, we picked up a puppy in Catlobong for the kids at the church in Tacloban.