Mount Pinatubo…. Fire, Brimstone, Lahar

After almost 600 years of silence, Mount Pinatubo suddenly became active. On June 15, 1991 this volcano began to belch fire and smoke and molten lava into the skies, burying most of the mountains of Zambales in up to 400 feet of volcanic ash and sand.

mayon1 Living in these mountains were aborigines of the Philippines, know as the Aetas. "They are one of the underdogs of God's creation," remarked a Filipino leader. They are a short, dark-skinned people who go from mountain to mountain hunting with crude tools, such as the bow and arrow, sometimes harvesting rice in the valleys. A closely-knit people who prefer not to mingle with other ethnic groups, they have their own language and culture. Their pagan religious beliefs are animistic; living in fear of spirits, they believe that the god of Mt. Pinatubo was angry and caused the eruption. They are uneducated and impoverished. Because they cannot afford to go to school, they remain illiterate and primitive.

Unfortunately, the saga of the Mt. Pinatubo disaster continues. During the monsoon rains each year, from July to October, billions of cubic meters of ash and mud cascade down the mountainsides. This terrifying flood is called "lahar" and its 40 foot waves bury everything in its path, including whole villages.

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The Ladringan's ministry was located about eight miles from Mt. Pinatubo; the government built a dike in an attempt to control the mudslides. However, in July of 1993, Wilson wrote, "As I am writing this, it's raining very heavily - a very dangerous situation." And so it was. Their home and buildings in the path of these waves of lahar were destroyed, along with the newly built dikes. They were forced to evacuate.

What agony it was to see their ministry apparently wiped out. But God was not finished with this faithful family who had cared so tenderly for the homeless Aetas. Their ministry had included visiting villages, providing food and medicine. They had often returned, bringing sick and malnourished children into their own home.

mayon5 In His sovereign wisdom, God has beautifully prepared this missionary family with the exact gifts they need for this ministry. Cora's medical skills make it possible for her to administer medication, as well as a proper nourishment. Both Wilson and Cora have degrees in education. This enables them to provide training for these children who would have no other opportunity to learn to read and write. Of even greater eternal consequence, they are both deeply desirous of sharing the Gospel of their Savior, Jesus Christ.

mayon3 Wilson once commented in his soft-spoken manner, "Sometimes it's pretty hard to preach the gospel when all that is on the minds of the people is food!" Because of the food and medical supplies with which the Ladringans often bless the villagers, it is easy for them to entrust their little ones into Cora's caring hands. Often they reach the villages too late to save lives. TB is the most frequent cause of death for the adults, and the bronchial pneumonia kills many children. Sometimes Wilson lovingly provides wood for the Aetas who cannot afford a coffin.