Time to study up!

Check out Jake and the other kids during this past Saturday's Math Tutor time. We have some volunteer teachers that spend time with the kids in math on Saturday mornings in campus. In addition to this, the older kids are helping the younger kids study in the evenings. Promoting a scholastic plus a homey atmosphere with so many kids is sometimes a challenge, therefore we are giving specific hours to study time in campus.

the power of a kind hand...

here are some more pictures from the relief work that I posted about last time. I wanted to share an addition cause I think it is a pretty cool twist to the average relief work story. The community we served in is named Sinaloc, it had more than 400 evacuees due to the recent flooding. 33 houses were totally damaged or taken by the sea. 10 additional houses were partially damaged. God had a great plan when He choose this to be our location though… we could have gone many places on this day and provided spiritual nourishment, food, and medical care… but as we later found out, our testimony to Sinaloc would mean more than we could have thought. This community has recently had a very bad experience with a foreign church abruptly moving in and scaring them into God, as they built a fancy house next to their small shacks. The families feel used as the foreigner takes pictures of their children, but never lends a hand to them during hard times or attempts to form relationships. The people of Sinaloc were pretty turned off to Christians by the time we arrived. But, by God’s grace, we were able to show the love of Christ to these people in need, and they were able to see the glory of God through our efforts.

Relief projects

One week of non stop rain! Yes, I know it's crazy cold there right now in the states... but it was also cold here this past week as the sun disappeared and all we saw was the gray and rain! I think it was actually in the 70's! But, although i enjoyed putting on a jacket and an occasional long sleeve, the rain caused much tragedy this past week as flooding washed many peoples homes away.
Since CH is in the mountain we were blessed to just be inconvenienced by loss of power and some big ol mud puddles. We thank God for His protection to us. And, since are blessed here we were able to extend immediate help to many whose homes were lost. In nearby towns there were evacuation centers filled with 400 to even more than 2,000 people. We spent the day in one evacuation center cooking and serving food, getting to know the people, ministering to them, and providing medical help. Please pray for these families who were already struggling to make it day to day, and have now lost their homes and come down with many illnesses due to the living conditions, weather, and lack of clean water!

Children’s home bliss…

There are times when adult life, stress, pain, and conflicts disappear into the bliss of living with 60 children. When something seems to be going wrong, there is always a child who will say the most random thing to make everything better. When I am about to cry, the tears ready behind my eyelids, a kid will walk up with a smile asking the most innocent thing and the tears are replaced by a smile. These are my little gifts from God, because nothing else could explain the perfect timing of these random actions or words of a child.
On New Years day I was taking the ladies to the beach since it fell on the day of our ladies devotional group. A boys’ cottage joined to be dropped at another beach and there was some tension in the car as things were all being figured out. Remember that we had not slept much the night before, and not everyone at CH was supposed to be joining us. Well all of this was in languages that I could only half understand. Since I knew everything was fine by me and the ladies with me I just sat there and observed. Just at the moment when I was about to speak up, Jammel, a 5 year old boy sitting next to me, looked up at me and said, “Merry Christmas auntie Mal”, and gave me a half hug. Hehehe. How cute, and he had no idea that those same words from an adult would have been a joke in that moment, given the tension. I was once again entrapped by the bliss of the innocence of a child. I laughed out loud and said merry Christmas back, as I simply remained patient while the problem was slowly resolved.
On our way back home that night the kids were very tired. A very full jeepney and very tired and cranky kids usually do not mix well together. That night the kids were very particular where they sat, who was near them, how much room they had, ect! None of this flies well in a children’s home though, and two eventually began pushing a bag, which led to pushing each other, and then quickly to hitting each other. The hitting led to crying, which led to louder voices, and of course… louder crying! And then we were pulling into the road to begin the 30 minute ride home when… the engine stopped. I was like, “oh gosh… now this is the reality of life in the children’s home!” Hehehe!

happy new year!

New Years Eve here at CH consisted of plenty of food, some small fireworks, and consecration services for kids and staff. I was blessed to be the leader for the college consecration service held from 12:15 am to 1:30am on New Years. What an amazing way to welcome the new year. I sat in candle light at the bottom of a tall cross made from bamboo and cherished the scene of our college students re-dedicating their lives to Christ and praising Him. A smile glowed on my face as I thought about each of these special students and the potential they hold. Happy New Year to all!

Pics from Christmas Outreach

FYI- Ernesto is the one speaking in the pictures of the jail feeding and street feeding. He was excited to share his Christmas story of being lost and found again. The street kids that Ernesto met while he was lost were over joyed when he returned with food and gifts for Christmas. It seemed as if they did not want to miss one word that Ernesto said as their eyes and ears were plastered on him!

A Christmas Story

“From the Cradle to the Cross” was the theme for this years Christmas celebration at Christians’ Haven. The campus was decorated, gifts were bought and wrapped, and many activities were happening. A group of kids assembled for caroling as a way of blessing those who help us, and also as a way to raise money from potential supporters. We held sunrise join devotions every Saturday through December to begin the Christmas celebrations with the right heart. We had a “Noche Buena” Christmas party here in campus with a service, a meal, and contests and games. We were able to invite the 10 poorest families from our community to be part of our party here, in order to bless them during Christmas.
And, my favorite part, all kids and staff had a chance to minister to others this Christmas season through various outreach activities. We invited our neighbors into campus for an open house and a basketball tournament. The elementary students visited a children’s prison in Cagayan de Oro and delivered presents. The highschoolers did an outreach to street kids from a slum neighborhood near the mall. Various kids and staff fed and gave present to the local jail which we visit monthly. And, the college students ministered and fed the sick indigenous patients in the local government hospital.
It was a joyous time for all here to be thankful for our blessing, and enjoy life as we remember the birth of the Lord.