Month: April 2012

  • Our Farm Neighbours

    Siargao Island is coming to the end of rainy season and heading into the hot summer.  Hope for the Island Organic Farm is doing great as we approach the summer months. The last few weeks we harvested and enjoyed eating radishes, string beans, okra and pechay!

    The goats at the farm will now enjoy free range grazing. Goats don’t like getting wet, so during rainy season we cut and carry their feed to them. The produce at the farm needs more moisture, so we have installed water taps at various locations on the farm.  Pray we find a solution to our water well running dry during the summer months.  We have had to haul water from a neighboring village because our pump stopped drawing water!

    As the rainy season ends, summer brings an increase in activities for Kids and Youth Ministry. Our Organic Farm will be providing the healthy snacks we are committed to supply for all the big events!   We also receive donated dehydrated vegetables and fruit from Gleaners in Canada. This has made it possible to give each child a nutritious snack after each ministry time.  We mix the dried fruit and vegetables with organic coconut milk, organic mongo beans and organic root crops to make “Ginataan”, a favorite snack of the Filipino people.

    All of us at Hope for the Island LOVE going to the farm and the farm workers anticipate our visits as well!  Monthly, we have a chance to visit the farm for a picnic style fellowship. Hope for the Island main compound is located in northern Siargao Island near the town of Burgos.  Our farm is located in the center of Siargao Island near the village of Jamayaon a forty minute drive away.  We currently have six full time farm workers and seven local full time staff serving alongside Derek and Jenn at HOPE in Burgos.

    Each time we visit the farm we are warmly welcomed and handed fresh coconut juice from our trees (more…)

  • Pacifico Outreach

     

    Kid’s Ministry leaders have been feeling a burden to reach out to the children who live in Pacifico.   Pacifico is a picturesque village blessed with great surf and the surrounding ocean is abundant with fish.

    We have done previous VBS and Kid’s ministry in this area. We recently did an outreach there that included Bible teaching, games, food and fun.  The kids were screaming with excitement as we drove up!!  What a welcome!

    Derek shared a message about God’s love for them. The majority of these children had already given their hearts to Jesus during our previous VBS or Kids ministry visit.

    The kids were listening attentively as Derek pointed a finger at each child and said, “Jesus loves you, and you, and you.” Their faces lit up as they listened to Derek and heard just how loved and special they are to God.

    The highlight was when the Hope for the Island leaders and volunteers broke into groups and prayed over each child.  What an emotional time!! The kids’ response was overwhelming and we were reminded to keep them in prayer as they face so many hardships.

    It was encouraging to hear the kids are so diligently involved in the local churches. They continue to read their Bible and grow in their faith.  We are already anticipating our next visit to the village of Pacifico. Please pray for these young ones.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • A Fun Way To Learn

    Our Hope for the Island Learning Centre preschool had a wonderful field trip this year. It was a great learning adventure unlike any they have ever experienced before.

    The Philippine Science Centrum brought their hands on Science experiment to Siargao Island. The event was held in Del Carmen about a 40 minute drive from Burgos.

    (more…)