Christians' Haven, Philippines

Meet the new RN, JoJo

2009-07-08T01:20:00.003-04:00

Meet Jojo, he is the new nurse at CH. Jojo is a very Godly, outgoing, and intelligent man. He is going to do an awesome job as the new nurse at Christians' Haven, and bring a whole new spin on the health care department. I had the great privileged to spend about a week and a half with Jojo before I left, orienting him to the job, introducing him to some partners in the city and community, explaining the needs of the campus as a whole and the kids as individuals, and teaching him some skills. He did great, and I was confident to walk out of the bright orange clinic that is close to my heart, and hand him the key.

Jojo and I have been staying in touch for the past 2 weeks as I help him figure out the job and give any needed advice or explanation about the kids. He has fit right into the family there!

Jo is into photos and story telling, and has jumped an the idea of taking over the blog. So, meet Jojo now, and there will be much more of him the future! (Other CH staff will also be taking a try at blogging, so you will all get to meet some new faces of CH through this blog).

See Jojo here in the CH clinic helping run labs, his 3rd or 4th day on the job I took him traveling around the city with me to do some Hepa B screens for another non profit that works with street kids. He jumped right in and did a great job with his first CH outreach experience.

A busy month!

2009-07-07T23:53:00.005-04:00

Wow, so much has been happening at Ch in the past month. Where do I even start...

In the middle of June the Ragsdale family came to visit for over a week! The kids and staff were full of excitement as the day got closer, and the week couldn't have been better! Lynn's son Chad did a staff training Bible study on the book of Philippians, Lynn and Betsy spent quality time with all the staff and kids individually as well as time with each household, we fit in a bunch of outreach to the Badjao, Prison and Childrens prison, and had a lot of fun too. It is cool to see the the way the staff are inspired by our new leader and how God is continuing to mold this ministry into exactly what He wants.

Only 2 days after the Ragsdales left, I also got on a plane to leave for the States. Recently God has been speaking to me to come home to America and pursue my masters degree in the near future. After much prayer and consideration I had decided to leave CH at the end of the Filipino summer.

This past month was a bitter sweet time, as I prepared to leave this ministry, this place, and these people. However, I feel very confident in the plan that will unfold later in my life, and I leave knowing that CH has been an amazing and meaningful part of my life forever. And I also leave knowing that CH has changed me in ways that will allow me to help and serve many more people in my life.

I thank God for this work that He has enabled me to do for almost 3 years, and will always look back at CH with the fondest of memories.

Enough with the sappy though... make sure to check out the pictures from my going away night, and the very embarrassing video that I can't believe I even posted!! But, I wanted our supporters to see a snip-it of the joy and fun that life and relationships at CH can look like! :)

By the way- you can see here the wonderful voices of the staff, myself included, and also the dancing talents of our new nurse, the CH President, the US Secretary, the CH Phil president, the campus director, the social worker, the financial secretary, and a few houseparent!!! i love this video... :)

ALL THINGS NEW

2009-06-18T07:42:00.004-04:00

a few weeks ago we invited our neighbors into campus to watch the tagalog version of all things new on a big "screen". They were excited to see their faces and scenes that were filmed here a few years ago. And, of course the CH kids never get tired of seeing their own faces on the screen!

If you haven't checked it out yet you should get your hands on a copy!

Badjao Outreach

2009-06-18T07:03:00.006-04:00

These pics are from last Saturdays Badjao outreach. Our students visit the Badjao tribe every month to feed, love, make relationships with, and introduce them to Christianity. The Badjao are a poor, beggar, Muslim tribe, who live over the water in bamboo huts. They are basically the poorest of the poor and we are slowly trying to impact their lives. This week we held medical care as well as cleaning of the surroundings during the feeding.

The 4 first year nursing students and 2 other medical coursers helped me out for medical and did an amazing job!! Here you can see Ernesto cleaning a wound and interviewing a patient, Maculate educating on how to take medicine properly, Jenny Bee mixing sulfer power for a skin cream, and then behind the scenes Tessie, Gener, and Leah helped distribute soap and baby clothing. Jerlin, a CH staff, ministered by giving haircuts to the children.

This week they started their first days of nursing school. What a beautiful way to begin a career in nursing. I am so thankful for their help and look forward to seeing them grow as talented Christian nurses. Pray for their success in their schooling and also God's work in the Badjao tribe.

back to school

2009-06-03T03:45:00.006-04:00

Times are busy! As summer is just beginning in the US, it is just ending here on the other side of the world. The elementary and HS started back to school this Monday. The college are busy enrolling, and of course the staff are busy making sure that everything gets done! We were able to find a perfectly suitable apartment to rent in the city to house 13 of our college student, along with a houseparent. This year we have a whopping 20 students enrolling in college courses! Praise God. Pray for their success in their various courses such as nursing, fine arts, marines, midwifery, tourism, technical courses in cooking, social work, police, computer science, and engineering.

PS- thanks to a generous supporting church who sent some school supplies earlier this year, the kids were happy to go to school with new notebooks, pens, pencils,ect, and even hand sanitizer. Thanks Adventure CC and also Wi-Ne-Ma Camp for helping our kids be prepared!

Summer camp for street kids

2009-05-23T06:20:00.004-04:00

Our summer camp is over, the kids returned home yesterday from a great week of our first ever street kids summer camp at CH. We invited kids and teens from the streets, local slum neighborhoods, and our poor neighbors to camp out at CH, have fun, eat well, and learn about Jesus.

Check out this short video. Man, i miss these kids, they are hilarious and brought a new vibe into campus this past week. Watch and see what happened at the end!!

kids camp at CH

2009-05-19T03:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday started our last activity of summer before school enrollment next week! We invited 25 street kids/children from the slum neighborhoods and a few of our neighbors to attend a 5 day camp in CH. Our College guys are their big brothers for the week. See here some of the team building games of the first day!

Please pray for a successful week of loving on these kid, showing them a good time, and most of all planting a seed in their hearts. More to come later in the week...

Girls night in campus!

2009-05-19T02:50:00.004-04:00

this is what the gals do when we have the campus to ourselves for a night! Hehe, thats a "mini-bonfire" since the real one got rained out.
The boys were on their overnight camping trip, so us ladies took advantage of the "peace and quiet" by having an all girls seminar and then cooking out for dinner!

Camping with the ladies

2009-05-08T01:22:00.005-04:00

All ladies camping weekend on the beach... "Together as One, sisterhood in Christ" was our theme for all girls camping this past weekend. We studied about being ONE BODY, each of us a different part. We competed in teams for some games related to the theme, and the girls took a deep look at which "part" they are, and how each different part/person is needed to fulfill Christ's mission. Each team made a craft from natural things they could find to show the theme. 1st place went to team 1 for our lamp, made of different leaves and sticks, but it was more beautiful when the light shined thru the different type and colors of leaves, put together. Our last night ended with a dance off, even the 2 grandmothers got out on the floor!, and we enjoyed being in company of all women. The girls would say, "even though the mosquitoes were biting, it was hard to sleep, and even though the rain came down all night, we had a great time together as one... when can we go again?!?!"

the best week of summer...??

2009-05-05T03:11:00.002-04:00

sports fest at CH is arguably the best week of each summer. We divide into 4 teams, staff, neighbors, and kids, and compete all week long, with the purpose of bringing unity in campus. You have never heard our girls be so proud of our boys until you witness a ch sports fest basketball game!

Congratulations Laurice!

2009-04-27T23:42:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday Laurice graduated from her one year "Caregiver" course. Laurice is such a caring and kind person, her title as certified caregiver is only fitting! I can remember many instances when Laurice will be at the side of her sick friend, offering to help them in any way, or walking along hand in hand with her houseparent's grandchild. Please join us in prayer for Laurice's successful transition to independent life outside of CH.

Last night we had a combined celebration for Laurice to acknowledge her graduation, and also her recent employment. A couple from the city was waiting in campus when she arrived home from her graduation. They hired her that day as a caregiver to their 1 year old son, beginning this week! The Lord has truly blessed this young woman for her commitment to him and her compassionate spirit.

Pictured with Laurice here is her brother Christian. Chris is another grad this year, from his first course in a technical school for hotel and restaurant management. Congrats Chris. Chris has a plan to take the next certification for HRM through a scholarship from his school.

Short term mission

2009-04-13T01:54:00.004-04:00

Summer here at CH was off to a great start with a visiting group from Adventure Christian Church this past week. This was Brandon’s 2nd time here at CH, and this time he brought 3 incredible women back with him, Denise, Carrie, and Carolyn.

The 4 of them had quite a week of getting to know the kids and participating in our programs. They helped our kids in their jail ministry, street feeding, kids prison outreach, and Badjao outreach, as well as led the kids in some devotions and just plain had fun!! What a great team, and a great week all the kids and staff had getting to know them. Highlights include- graduation party in the 16 ft pool!; eating the smelliest fruit ever; seeing first hand the poverty of a third world; handing food to the hungry; rockin out with the kids to some new Christian songs; some kids learning a new instrument; popcorn fight!; street kids rapping and break dancing; fresh coconut and a great view after a long hike; pig skin and fish eyes… for lunch!; waking up to kids praising the Lord; becoming part of one very big family!

The kids are so aware of how God is using people and churches in the US to provide for them and send them to school. Each and every day here the kids pray for the sponsors and supporters of CH. Having a team come who represent those people that the kids pray for is incredibly meaningful. Thanks “aunties and uncle” Brandon, Denise, Carrie, and Carolyn!

“When you call on Jesus, all things are possible”

more grads!!!

2009-03-30T02:22:00.002-04:00

Shown here is Marlou, who is a college grad as of 2 days ago, and former street kid, with our campus director, Ruel. Congrats Marlou!! Marlou plans to use his automotive mechanical skills at a respected repair shop in the city. Please pray for Marlou as he begins his transition outside of CH, as a skilled, degree holding, disciple!

Also shown here are pics from todays elementary graduation:
Last week Gerald asked if I would march with him in his graduation. Since that day, he has updated me multiple times a day with news and reminders about graduation, ect. He was so proud and very excited for elementary school graduation day! Well today the day finally arrived. He came into the guest house ready to go a few hours before the ceremony looking very handsome (the school is about a 5 minute walk from campus)!!! Upon arrival at the school I put on Gerald's corsage and garlands. He smiled and promptly took his seat. On time and ready to go Gerald waited patiently for the ceremony to begin on "filipino time", instead of 9 am, 9:40 am! As we stood in line for the processional march holding hands, Gerland was suddenly quiet, and nerves seemed to take the place of his smile. He was thoroughly checking everything out, and getting ready to walk across stage. When in the middle of the stage we are supposed to stop and face the crowd and bow. Since i already know gerlad, i knew that our walk would be quick, and his bow even quicker, so i prepared to make it fast! as we approached the center, gerald did a half bow, barely stopping for me to take my place and also bow! It was so funny! All that excitment, just to get it over with so fast! HEHEHE.

I was proud to march Gerald, and even prouder to see our 6 elementary grads walk across that stage. They have already done something which some do not acheive here in the Philippines, and what many would not have expected these kids to do considering their lives before CH. 4 of the six are orphans from the north, 1 street kid from the north, and they all learned a new language as they completed their elementary. the other 2 came from very poor families and on the streets here in Mindanao. These 2 guys are many years older than their classmates, yet they still pushed through and worked hard to accomplish the, at one time, unexpected!

Congrats Diana, Nerina, Gerald, Frederico, Ryan, and Rich!!!

congrats to our 11 high school grads!

2009-03-28T04:57:00.005-04:00

This past wednesday i had the priviledge to attend and even escort at the graduation of our highschoolers. Delilah and Rico both honored me with their loyalty award (given to parents by the child to signify putting your child all the way through at the same school) So, this picture is for my mother and my aunt, who sponsor delilah and rico, and whom i got to represent on this special day.

way to go grads. we look forward to the coming weeks where we will celebrate another 6 elementary grads and 5 college grads!!

CPR at CH

2009-03-28T04:39:00.002-04:00

Thursday nights with the girls

2009-03-03T20:43:00.004-05:00

Here at CH we have devotions twice daily. Each morning the kids wake up and have morning devotions with their cottage, family style. In he evenings we join together as a campus, one big family, and sing. the staff and kids alternate leading a devotion.
Thursday night is girls night in the guest house, where I lead the girls in a not so conventional way (at least by rural Filipino standard) to grow in Christ as they also learn to love and respect each other. These pictures are from an exercise this last week on encouraging and praying for one another. I thought they were cute, so enjoy!! This week we are working on short dramas as a way of learning about great frienships in the Bible.

It's still rainy season?!?!

2009-02-14T03:43:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentines video!

2009-02-14T03:25:00.002-05:00

Time to study up!

2009-01-27T21:38:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-01-24T01:33:00.003-05:00

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

2009-01-18T05:07:00.005-05:00

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…

2009-01-08T03:01:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-01-03T05:45:00.001-05:00

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

2009-01-03T05:26:00.003-05:00

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

2009-01-03T04:57:00.003-05:00

“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.

almost Christmas!

2008-12-22T23:34:00.002-05:00

Wow! Merry Christmas! And, thank you sponsors and supporters for your generous giving this holiday season! God is so good. See some pictures here of the houses and campus ready for Christmas! May God bless you and may your hearts be focused on the spirit of Christmas.

A Ministry to Street Kids…with a twist…

2008-12-22T23:26:00.002-05:00

This weekend all CH kids and staff had an outing to Cagayan de Oro for Christmas shopping and caroling. Thanks to the amazing sponsors and supporters of CH, all the kids are able to receive Christmas presents this year, including the street kids, prisoners, and Badjao families! We are so blessed this Christmas.
Unfortunately, during the commotion of the day, one 15 year old boy was left in the city due to miscommunication. When all the cars arrived home and Ernesto was not there we immediately started searching for him, as he is not familiar with the city which is an hour and half away from campus. And, Ernesto is an orphan who grew up in the children’s home from birth, so he is also not accustomed to being on his own, especially in the streets.
I had finished my rounds on all the hospitals and my walk around the mall when our team met for lunch to make a new plan of action, there I started to cry as I prayed that Ernesto had something to eat for his lunch. He had been missing at that point for 20 hours, and we were beginning to think the worst like kidnapping or MILF recruitment. We continued our search while we waited for the news ads to appear on TV and radio. 23 and a half hours into our search for Ernesto we had exhausted every logical and abstract place where he could be. I was making my rounds at the most likely mall where he would be, when as usual a street kid approached me for money. As I walked and talked with the street kid it occurred to me that children are so much more perceptive then the adults, even the guards who are getting paid and had pictures of Ernesto. So, I decided to ask this street kid, BoBoy, if he recognized my picture. He immediately responded by saying, “blue tshirt?” And I said YES!!! Boboy and a few other kids told me the story about how Ernesto had eaten with them and was now in one of their houses with another street kid. I followed a small gang of street kids back into a very poor neighborhood and as I rounded a corner in the back I saw the bright blue CH shirt and big innocent smile I had been looking for all day!
We promised the community that we would return again and took about 10 street kids to McDoc with us to repay their kindness to Ernesto. These kids beg for money in parking lots near their homes, and bring the money back to support their families. When they met Ernesto and befriended him, they offered to try and make enough money for his fare home. They shared their small amount of food with him, and protected him through the night.
Christians’ Haven, a ministry to street kids… with a holiday twist! This time it was the street kids who took care of us! The Kingdom of Heaven really lies within these very special kids, tough and sweet, looking out for each other on the streets. Thank God for ensuring that our focus this holiday season be on the street kids and allowing the street kids to protect Ernesto!

Xavier Homecoming

2008-12-22T23:04:00.003-05:00

Last week the CH kids performed an interpretive dance number to the song “still” at Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro. About 30 kids and a few staff also sang the Filipino National Anthem to open the Homecoming celebration with more than 2,500 people in attendance. The crowd was so impressed with the kids. This is the beginning of some exposure of Christians’ Haven in the local cities. Check out the video here to get a glimpse!

Holidays at CH

2008-12-01T22:58:00.003-05:00

Hoping you had a wonderful thanksgiving in the states. I enjoyed a day with many blessing as i cooked an American/Filipino thanksgiving dinner in campus for the singles staff members. I even made a real "pumpkin" pie from scratch out of squash and stuffed some chickens! There were many things to be thankful for this year... this ministry, our kids, my great co-workers, opportunities for outreach, and especially my wonderful friends and family who support me from the other side of the world!

I can't believe that December is already here! I miss the cold, but in exchange I enjoyed a nice beach day this past Sunday with the staff. As the holidays are approaching we are preparing for Christmas here at CH. We have a month full of caroling, outreach, feedings, church thanksgiving, decorating, and a program in campus. My favorite part of a CH Christmas is the ability to bless those who have no way of celebrating that day. Our kids and staff will bring food and joy to many street kids, prisoners, and Badjao... and this is the greatest gift we can receive this year! I posted some pictures of the Badjao "at work" to give you a glimpse into their lives. These pictures are taken from a ship pulling into the peir. The Badjao dive for coins being tossed off the boats, as their children are layed out in the boat calling to the people. In this environment was how I first met the Badjao about 2 years ago. I am now thankful for the ministry of our CH college kids to a local Badjao community. Here our kids are slowly getting to know the families as we feed and minister to these Muslim tribal families. Our kids are working on learning their language and toning their skills of ministry in a sensitive religious atmosphere. Please pray for this work, both to reach the Badjao and also to work in the disciple training of our college students.

Some more from the north

2008-11-22T03:27:00.005-05:00

I am back in the south campus and missing the small kids up north, and there was just not enough on the blog about my trip there! Check out this very cute video of Ruthy. She is always the entertainer! The video is quite dark, but it;s still worth watching to hear her sweet voice.

I also posted this group picture in the campus of CCH. The solo picture is of one of our adoptable kids. I am so touched by his spirit and life. This little boy is only 8years old. He has been in the children’s home since the first week of his life. He was surrendered by his parents last year because they can not support him. He has 7 siblings who do not live in the children’s home, he is the only one in the home because when he was born his father suffered from Tuberculosis and his mother was also ill. They could not afford to feed or care for their new baby. Despite his life away from his family, he has embraced life with an upbeat attitude and outgoing personality. The nurturing, physical care, and love that he is given inside of CH has enabled him to grow as God means for His children. This is notable especially when you can meet his siblings. His siblings are all malnourished, have never gone to school, have no concept of cleanliness or hygiene, and live only under banana leaves as their shelter. I feel sad and helpless to see this family. But, I know that the best thing to do is continue to love and thank God for the life of our boy in CCH, who will be different. I wish we could help them all, but we do what God puts in our hands and rest assured that God does the choosing.
For now this boy does well in school, he's in grade 2 now. He is quite independent, and always trying to accomplish his school assignments on his own. He is an animal lover and one of his favorite things to do is collect insects. He also loves drumming, dancing, and basketball. And, his smile is better than almost anything in the world!!

Hepa B

2008-11-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

Here at CH we are caring for 16 cases of Hepatitis B. This has been a long time prayer request and concern. Well, first of all I am very happy to report that one young man with Hepa B, who has been very sick in the past, is now doing well. His liver shows no damage from the previous problems, and his current medical evaluations show normal results for the time being. Praise God. We will pray for this to continue to be the case. Of course with this good news I need to ask a prayer request for two other young guys with Hepa B. These 2 are not doing as well, please pray for the health of our young people with this incurable disease. Please also pray for our financial ability to be able to provide them with the care needed to keep them healthy as their bodies fight this.

A week at CCH

2008-11-14T06:40:00.007-05:00

Cornerstone Christian Home is now running in the former north campus of Christians' Haven. I was blessed to spend a week there helping with some medical work, following up with a Hepa B and mental illness case, and supporting the staff and kids at work there. Jane (CH social worker) and I took the trip together. Here are some pictures to show the highlights of our week. Check out the kids packing food to feed the Agta tribes, giving food, and also just having some fun!!

Street dancing

2008-11-02T19:43:00.004-05:00

These are pictures from last weekend, some of our kids participated in the native street dancing in our community.

All Things New, tagalog premier

2008-10-23T04:17:00.004-04:00

Last night I was delighted to come home and see Jonjie back from his 2 day business trip to Manila. Jonjie is one of the pioneer CH kids, from the streets of Iligan. He is now in his third year of study at Manila Bible Seminary. When the movie about Christians’ Haven, All Things New, was made, Jonjie’s story was the inspiration for the lead character. This past Monday Jonjie and Ruel attended the premier of All Things New, Tagalog version. When Jonjie returned home he was so excited to share stories of his experience at the premier, where he got to speak to a large audience of pastors from Manila. He goes on to tell me how the room was silent during his part, as the people were intrigued by what he had to say, then afterwards how many cameras, spotlights, and reporters came up to him calling him Sir and asking him many questions. His face last night as he was telling me about it all was indescribable. His excitement, his smile, and how he portrayed how unbelievable this whole thng is. Jonjie was absolutely overwhelmed with his experience at the premier, and kept repeating “hay! Pambihira!”, which roughly translates to ‘impossible!, wow!, or marvelous!”. Jonjie shared that one interview question was “what is it like for you now when you see a street kid?”. His response was, “When I see a street kid now I am reminded of my life on the streets, and I look at that kid and pray that when they look at me, they are looking at a mirror into what their future can be.” I love that. I love Jonjie’s ability to feel for the kids on the street, see the transformation of his own life, and then hope that same thing for current street kids.

We told Jonjie that this is the beginning. And he said, “the beginning of what!?”. We have high hopes that the movie will do well here, and judging from the premier, Jonjie can be involved with the promotions of the movie while he is in school in Manila.

If you are interested in seeing the English version of All Things New, please contact our office at office@christianshaven.com

college kids home on break

2008-10-19T23:50:00.002-04:00

Last night we had a meeting with staff and our 15 college students who are home on sem break. The meeting covered some discussion about education and the what people mean when they say "future". The kids gave their insight to a bank advertisement which says "no degree, no future". the answers varied among them, but all the kids understood this to be partly true, depending on how we define future. their ideas were turning as we sat around and challenged the meaning of a widely used saying. One student said, "you can look at this logically and say that our worth is based on our financial success and ability to provide for a family, or we can look about it spiritually and find our worth in God, as we remember the necessity of education to live well in this country."

We want our kids to succeed in school and become productive well equipped professionals who are sharing Christ and making disciples within their given fields and lives. Number one is the spiritual life and faith, and then part of that same person is an educated, successful part of the working force of the Philippines. So the staff and kids had a while to dialog about this concept of thinking that education is our measurement of worth.

Then, we oriented them to the in house leadership training they will have during sem break. Each college student will join a staff member to be mentored for a week as they learn that given job. Then the second week, the student will function as that staff member at CH.

The students were very excited as they elected each other to certain positions and then met with that staff member. The least likely of the students was chosen for the position of campus director, so we are all intrigued to see him run our staff meeting and discipleship next week! This morning the first voice I heard was one of our top students, he was on time and ready for work in the finance department with Ely!

I will update on how our week progresses with our college leaders!

after weekly marketing...

2008-10-15T03:04:00.006-04:00

its time to clean the chickens to stick them in the freezer for the week! HAHA!! our food is really fresh here sometimes.

Installation of Lynn Ragsdale

2008-10-13T01:40:00.009-04:00

Last month Ken, Angelica, and Lynn made a trip to the Philippines for the installation of Lynn as the new CH president. During the ceremonies, they also did the official installation of the new director of the south campus, Ruel Billiones, and the Philippine CH president (former director of the south campus), Leticia Gumbao. I think these pictures really speak for themselves, and show the meaningful service held in campus. The last picture shows Ruel Billiones, Leticia Gumbao, Edie Garcia (director of the north campus, now CCH), Lynn Ragsdale, Ken Oosting, and Angelica Oosting.

a day in the life

2008-10-11T04:12:00.003-04:00

A frequent question of supporters is what is a normal day like for a CH kid...

A day in the life of A CH Kid

It’s Wednesday, today is a Muslim holiday in the Philippines, marking the end of Ramadan. The kids have the day off from school. The morning is not rushed like a normal school day. As always though, they wake up with songs of praise and a short daily devotion with their cottage. Those assigned will help prepare breakfast and then eat as a family (about 10 kids and a house mother and father). This morning they will do gardening in campus, catch up on some laundry or household chores, and of course relax and play. Some of the kids could be seen getting some extra sleep, some in the basketball court, many in small groups talking and laughing, learning guitar, playing with the dog, or getting a head start on their letters to their sponsor with the social worker, Jane or in for a routine health assessment with me. A holiday like this is a nice break for them because normally it’s off to school by 6:30 am and then out at 4:30pm. Once home they have study time, dinner, and nightly campus devotions. On Saturdays we have our outreach activities to the street kids, jail, Badjao, and local community. Sunday is a day of rest for all here as we attend church together, enjoy an afternoon nap and a movie, and then enjoy each others company inside of campus. The kids are active in the church, many times they are the emcee, Sunday school leader, praise team, or sharing a testimony or special number. The kids also have a rotation for leading devotions inside of campus.

Tonight we will have Wednesday fellowship in the church, then the kids will prepare for their day tomorrow, back in school.

The kids have their own responsibilities as part of the family here at CH. Their chores rotate through cleaning the floors, cleaning the bathroom, cooking, and washing dishes. Depending on their age, they do most of their own laundry. The kids are mentored on how to do these things, and they are also given ample time to play and be kids. This week some kids are practicing for native street dancing to perform with their classmates during town fiesta!

fire safety

2008-10-11T03:54:00.003-04:00

Last week the local fire department visited to teach the kids about fire safety. I thought this video was cute, one of our kids putting out a "kitchen fire". hehe

Post from Shane

2008-10-06T03:19:00.003-04:00

Hi friends! This post is about Shane, to give an update on her life and her health. I asked her a few questions just conversation style and then we compiled her thoughts to share with you. Shane is now 9 months post-op from her extensive limb sparing surgery to remove her cancer of the bone (a stage 2a osteo sarcoma on her femur.) After her surgery and recovery, she went through 5 cycles of chemotherapy, and is currently still in physical therapy. Today, Shane is walking with almost no assistance, she is stronger in her faith, and cancer free. Despite the large physical scars and some physical limitations that Shane has today, her life and attitude show a strong confidant woman, whose life has been changed as the result of hard times. Here’s what Shane had to say when I asked her about her life:

“Despite of everything that had happen to me, the wonder miracles of God works over in my life. That’s why I am still standing here before you, and I am with you in order to have strong faith with our lord Jesus Christ. It’s really different for me now, because before I didn’t even think the value of life, or what is important in it. When I have this cancer, its like I realized that my life is important. Before, I didn’t even think what will happen tomorrow, what will be my future, I didn’t think that every single day that it’s important. Now I realize that my life is valuable, and the important things in life are my brothers. I feel like my two younger brothers are my strength and a reason for me to still be living now, and we are not so close, but we are strong together and now know we can defeat something like this that our mother could not beat with her own cancer before. I want to thank those people who are praying for me, for my health. Even I am here (in Mindanao, not in Manila at Manila Bible Seminary), taking a new study in Medical Transcription, God still has a plan. Sometimes before I sleep I always think and pray if I will go back to Bible seminary, I always pray to God that His will be done, then I heard the news that I will soon go back and finish my last year at seminary! God is still using others as instrument in my life, to show me a bigger purpose.” - Shane 10/5/08

Summer sessions with kuya (big brother)

2008-10-03T03:18:00.002-04:00

I like this video because it portrays more about our ministry than what meets the eye. This little clip show one of our college students teaching a class to the younger kids during the summer. This student was able to attend a national leadership convention here in the Philippines, and then relayed what he learned to the others. But, overall this video shows the relationships between our kids at CH. It shows the responsibility they learn by having so many siblings, and how we can use that to an advantage to help them grow. The kids are very responsive to their older brothers and sisters and the older siblings take joy in their role on campus. This is also part of the discipleship model that our kids are actively sharing their knowledge, life, faith, and testimonies to others.

The setting is in the lower blue cottage, in what we use as the library. Behind them you can see the medical isolation room, the clinic, and then the far right door is the office of the director, Ruel. (just a glimpse into our place)

Thank you sponsors and supporters!

2008-10-03T03:06:00.002-04:00

here at CH

2008-09-30T23:08:00.002-04:00

I anticipated life in the Philippines to be the way it was when I left here a few months ago... and it is... I am just not adjusted to it like I was when i left a few months ago!!! the mosquitos, heat, bumpy road, internet cafes, languages, and upset stomachs are some of the things i forgot that i did not miss here!! haha. just re-adjusting...

aside from that life is great. i am happy to be back with the staff and kids and be doing nursing again! i will be attempting a video post this week. the kids are so inspiring and you need to see for yourself!!

as for the violence, ramadan is over and we are cautiously awaiting the next move. i am in touch with the US embassy head of security and also other contacts with up to date info.

almost time...

2008-09-21T21:49:00.002-04:00

my 30+ hours of travel is quickly approaching! Whoo, am I excited for that! haha, but really I am excited to get back there. I will soon be posting new pictures and videos of the kids once I am back in the Philippines. stay tuned...

What I do...

2008-09-09T14:45:00.002-04:00

Recently I have had many high school and college students ask me about what exactly I do, so I decided to post a brief summary of my nursing duties in the Philippines. Some questions have been: "what life is like for you as a nurse on the mission field?, what kinds of duties do you perform each day? How many kids do you see? In what ways did God direct you to this mission? What are the most common things you deal with on a day to day basis?"

"My nurse to patient ratio is about 1: i have no idea"

Nursing duties start immediately with our kids. These include general health assessments, nursing diagnoses, blood testing, vaccinations, medication administration, caring for the ill, completing health records, primary prevention, and secondary treatment of health problems. Basically that equals a live in “school nurse”. Day to day that means asthma, fevers, mumps, lice, allergic reactions, countless cuts and scrapes, broken bones, nutrition plans, education, dental visits, purchasing of supplies, and doctors visits when necessary. After these immediate duties I will take on the more complex cases, one example being Hepatitis B. We happen to have 16 people with Hepa B, in which cases I keep up with their routine monitoring, medications, physical health, education, and refer them for psychological care when needed. This is more like case management/nurse educator. For special cases such as deformities or cancer I take on the role of patient advocate as well as guardian as I make a treatment plan and find the right doctors. This is where socializing skills come in to make connections and friends within the medical community in the Philippines. I journey with each special needs patient through hospital stays to home treatments providing home care and bedside nursing. I am sometimes a psych nurse as I deal closely with kids with psychological issues because they are sensitive to medication dosages and early recognition of signs and symptoms of relapse or break down. In between this I get to plan fun things such as a campus nutrition day, CPR course, or mini health fair. I LOVE community health nursing, within our community CH helps our neighbors or those in need, this can be done through emotional support, hospital visitations, home visits, financial aid for procedures or medications, or follow up. It is surprising how many people are not educated on their illness and how many neglect to see a doctor when they should. I encourage them to get treatment, and we help where we can. Many times, merely cleaning and changing a dressing on a wound can save a life or a limb, or little things like providing nutritious food can aid in the recovery of the ill. And lastly comes the all important medical liaison part of my job, where I communicate our needs, situations, and information, which is only possible by accurately researching the needs in the Philippines among our kids, community, and street kids, as well as keeping up in the new medical research related to those needs.

When I return to the Philippines, (hopefully next month) I will be looking into outreach in a few new ways. We are thankful for the assistance of FAME, who provide us with supplies, which enables us to bring in more people for help and someday soon hold a medical mission in our campus. We are also planning on a group of American doctors to come out next summer and help in a local hospital. I will also get the CH kids involved in some health care education outreach with a local tribal group to teach them about cleanliness, hygiene, and birth control. And, CH will soon be able to help facilitate surgeries to children with cleft lip & cleft palate, who would otherwise have no means to get to the free surgeon or fill out the paperwork needed for the surgery.

So, that’s basically the gist of my day to day nursing duties. As you can see, it spans the spectrum of the many areas of nursing. But, many ask what it’s like to be a missionary nurse, because being a missionary nurse is more than doing nursing in another country, otherwise we could just forget the missions part. For me, I am lucky because I work with a mission who is taking street kids and bringing them in, to form them into productive, educated, Christian disciples. So, I get to participate in and add to the many discipleship activities that go on at CH. And, I have the opportunity at things such as leading Bible studies, being active on committees for different areas of CH, being part of the team to lead and mentor the kids, and even allows me to preach when I feel called!

I hope this helps with any question you may have. I tried to make it inclusive, without being exhausting! Of course, every place, every mission, and every person will be so completely different.

Stateside for a little longer

2008-09-09T14:43:00.001-04:00

Turns out I will be staying in the states for a bit longer.

Please contact me if you would like to know more about Christians' Haven!

"Should I pack this shirt?"...

2008-08-26T00:07:00.003-04:00

My trip back to the Philippines is quickly approaching and as I pack and prepare mentally and physically I must wonder if I'll really be on that plane in a few days. Violence is close to home due to attacks by the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), which calls for a dangerous situation to go into. Plans are being pushed through to go back, but could change any minute. Please pray for safety for those traveling and also our kids and staff who are too close for comfort to more possible attacks. Thanks.

CH kids on the "GO"

2008-08-11T15:52:00.008-04:00

My favorite thing about the unique ministry of Christians' Haven is how our kids come to us to be rescued and taken care of, and as we do that we quickly turn them around to serve others at the same time. A street kid can come to us, and within the week he or she is the one handing the food out to kids still on the street. This is part of the discipleship process here at CH, imitating the way Jesus took His disciples on the go to help others. Our kids have ownership of their own ministry to these less fortunate kids, and the CH kids are the ones to pack & prepare the food, then give the food along with a message and praise. How cool are they?!? "Go and make disciples"...

Relaying the stories...

2008-08-02T14:12:00.000-04:00

This June I returned to the states from over a year straight in the Philippines. Reverse culture shock hit me hard. I literally started to cry in the isles of Target because I wondered what in the world we (Americans) do with all this STUFF! I love cute and cool and new and high tech stuff as much as the next person, but the shock of the abundance overwhelmed me. I could not buy a sandwich without thinking about how much food that money could have bought in the Philippines. I spent $10 to see a movie! What?! Many peoples’ lack of care for what is happening around the world was bothersome, especially when that is what I could not stop thinking about it. I felt the pain and injustice in the world more so when I was here in the States because my thoughts were so absorbed in where I had just come from! People warned me about this, and I wanted so badly to just be normal when I got back to the states. The first two weeks back were a whirlwind of adjusting and catching up with people. People asked me some great questions and got me thinking about how to tell my story, but with each question came so many things I wanted to share. Where do I even begin when I haven’t had any communication or more than emails with so many people?! The past year I have just lived and grown accustomed to my life and job in the Philippines. I hadn’t analyzed it or tried particularly hard to relay my experiences to others. It was life, day to day there did not seem so extraordinary at the time. And, in a way I sort of gave up because I knew so many things would just live inside me. Now here I am, trying to put all of that together. No amount of time with any friend or CH supporter is enough to cover all the amazing things that CH stands for and is actually doing over there. The individual stories of our kids and cool day to day things that God does need to be shared… so if you’re interested in a closer look at these things please add me to your favorites and stop in here to read!!

God said, “You’re going to the Philippines” (June 2006)

2008-07-28T16:55:00.000-04:00

And I said, “What? What was that?!? The Philippines? Where is the Philippines? Wait… NOW? Right now?”

Each time the words came out of my mouth (“maybe I’ll go the the Philippines”), I wondered why the heck I just said that. God had put this on my mind so heavily that I didn’t even think the words before they were coming out of my mouth. I thought my plans to be a missionary were off in the future, sometime when I was supposedly better prepared and ready. But, God’s timing is higher than ours, and there was no question that if I wanted to follow His will then I would soon be living on the other side of the world.

It has now been two years since the Lord called me to the Philippines. Right now I am in the states for a while. I am at the end of some r&r, and about to get back on the road to visit partners in the ministry of CH. I can not possibly re-trace all that I have been through in these past two years, but I will try and highlight some major things as I also tell you about life back in the states. For me, down to earth honesty is what works best, and since we all know that God does not choose perfect people for His purpose, I anticipate this will be as much about imperfections and learning as anything else. I am encouraged when we study the people who God chose in the Bible, and in my opinion he chooses them (me) because they (I) know full well that what they (I) do is not by their (my) own abilities. It is so evident that God is in control.

New Years 2008... a little history

2008-07-28T16:19:00.002-04:00

While I was figuring out where to begin this new blog I remembered an old post of mine that I wrote this past new years. It is old, but I want to share this because it touches on some things that a new missionary faces in the first year or so, it reflects back to New years 07 even.

As I now read this post 7 months later I see how things drastically change in my life still. This post was just a brief recall of the beginning to it all...

New years 08 DB blog: Well, it’s now 2008 and looking back on this past year of my life I am overwhelmed at all the ways the Lord has blessed me and used this year to form me. I spent only 3 short months of this past year in America. As I remember new years 2006/2007 in the Philippines last year, I can see myself as the same old Mallary in many ways, but in others ways I see a different person. Last year I was a person figuring out a job, a life, a calling, and a personal ministry. I was adapting still to living abroad and I can remember learning new things daily about the Filipino people I was living my life with. I remember making a conscious effort to be seen as an equal here, rather than an “Americana”. Looking back it was a whirlwind of a new life set in front of me that I started off seeing with blind eyes. Over the past year my eyes opened to the rest of the world and to America. I remember during this past year I could not look at a map of the world the same anymore. I wondered why

America

was so blessed and as I looked at the rest of the map and wondered about each individual life of the people there. The compassion that I thought I had before was still in me, only a thousand times over. Half way through this past year I was confronted with guilt and shame regarding my place in this world. I wondered why I have been given everything I had. I figured out how to be comfortable in my lot, even as I was surrounded by people who were not as fortunate as me in many ways. I learned a new sense of self confidence that in my eyes could only be had after feeling the shame of my self for having what others don’t have. To deserve something, anything, will never be the same in my eyes. Either I have not “deserved” my fortunate life, or everyone else in the third world countries “deserve” way more in life than they have gotten. In the year 2007 I have been able to become close to so many amazing people. These friends are some of the most accepting and caring people of my life. As I journeyed through friendships with them I was touched by many things, and also frustrated with many things. I had to confront the image that Filipinos held Americans to and I doubted many things because of my skin color. But through it all I hope to have evaluated it all enough to take the best parts of friendship I had known my life in America and insert the good qualities from here. Because of 2007 I now know the feeling of being a minority. I know the feeling of being loved or being hated just because of my skin. I’m sure I can give the survivors on fear factor a pretty good run for the million now! I have missed my friends, my family, food, a home of my own, snow, and holidays. I have also learned so much about love here. The word love, although its pronounced and spelled the same, does not always have the same meaning here. I have learned how a Filipino loves… “I love you no matter what you are” is a great saying that I hope never leaves me. God has been quite amazing in my life in so many ways, but His hand in allowing me to learn so much from this culture and the mission He has given me is crazy! This 2008 when I look back at the last year I see a year full of joy, struggles, and change. 2007 is in no doubt a life changing year for me. I will always remember this year and my experiences, knowledge, stupidity…. On and on it goes.

CH pic

2008-07-28T00:01:00.002-04:00

group photo taken this past May at CH
some kids and staff

Introduction

2008-07-27T22:58:00.005-04:00

Hi friends!

This Blog: this is a casual place where i hope to keep up with my friends, family, co-workers, and Christians' Haven supporters. in the future i will write about some informational stuff regarding CH, stories of our kids and our ministries, and also let you journey with me through my life on the mission field... from the ups and downs, through the odd, hard, amazing, weird, sad, and funny, to the many ways God works in my life!!

About me: my name is Mallary Jamison, i am a nurse and missionary in the Philippines for almost 2 years now. God called me to missions when i became a Christian in high school and I held onto that call as I fulfilled my BSN at Milligan College. God then surprised me by bringing me across the world right out of college! i feel called to a personal mission in life as a Christian nurse who serves others through love and compassion in order to bring physical help and spiritual filling to people in need... all to glorify God!

About Christians' Haven: CH is a ministry to street kids and orphans in the Philippines. We bring kids off the streets by their own will, into Christian residential care. Here the kids are taken care of and sent through school, as they also learn to serve others in their own ministries. It is truly a disciple making kind of place. I serve as the nurse and medical liaison to CH. We are located in northern Mindanao. to check out more visit www.christians-haven.org.

So, check back in as I post some stuff and work up to a frequently updated blog!!