Hope For The Island

Author: Andrey Siganur

  • A Widow Is Healed

    Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27

    Nanay Angelita is one of the widows that Hope for the Island has the privilege to know and support! She has always suffered with ulcers. Her life has been affected a lot with pain. Her financial situation is not good. She always has to borrow money to go for check ups or to buy medicine.

    Nanay is discouraged a lot because there doesn’t seem to be any improvement.  Each time we visit we pray for and encourage her to hold on to God because He is our best Healer.

    We stand with her in faith for some change in her health. When we visited her a while back, she was smiling and really thankful to God. She said God had used Hope for the Island to show God’s love to her.

    She said that the time we spend with her and how we care for her is a big help. When we asked about her ulcer pain she looked at us  with a big smile on her face and said, “I am so thankful to God because I feel very good and my ulcer pain is gone”.

  • Train Up A Child

     

    We are very excited and motivated about KIDS MINISTRY.  The grade 6 elementary kids have been encouraged by our leaders to lend a hand with the younger children during ministry time.

    It is an opportunity for us to evaluate who has the right heart and attitude needed to be future assistants.  It is such a joy to see those with a desire, participating as an assistant. We believe it is important to provide for them a way to step out in faith and be used by God.  These real life encounters with loving God and others, directs them down a path of obedience to God’s Word and possible leadership.

    They look forward to moving on into Youth Ministry once they enroll in Grade 7.  Current Hope for the Island staff such as Marygrace, Janise, Gina and Leah also started out as assistants in grade 6.  They know full well what life is like for these kids as they overcome obstacles, find hope in the love of Christ and discover His purpose for their life.

    We feel as leaders, that Kids Ministry is a huge opportunity to invest in the upcoming generation of future leaders and parents in this community.  We know God has a plan for each one of their lives.  What can compare to being a part of guiding these impressionable kids into a secure identity as God’s children and witness them bear fruit for God’s glory!

    Hope staff testimony:

    “These are the children in my Kid’s Ministry.  They are praying for each other.  I’m thankful to God because I was able to see these kids do something that usually only adults do.  They really have their own faith already in God and we can see it lived out.  Glory and honor belongs to God”

  • Malnourished

    Please meet some of the little ones in our Malnourished Program. First a little history…

    Hope for the Island started feeding severely malnourished children one healthy meal per day in 2013.  We anticipated success and the results have been incredible.  We have always fed children healthy meals on our weekly outreaches because many kids are under nourished.  However, for the severely malnourished, we needed to step it up and fast.

    Sadly, with no intervention many children will continue to suffer.  Deprived of nutrition, these kids are susceptible to other health complications that can be life threatening.

     

     

    The need for this program became clear during follow up visits we had with the pregnant women who were part of our Prenatal Care program. When visiting these villages, we started hearing stories of kids whose basic needs were neglected.  As we sought out more information, we were led to some homes where we encountered precious children in such horrific conditions.

    There was no time to be frustrated, angry or cast blame, rather pray how the Lord would have us help these children recover and be healthy.  Rural health Units (RHU) submit to us a list of kids in their vicinity that are in the greatest need. We go out each week to bring supplies of food and take time to care for and counsel these families. We currently receive a soup mix supply donated from Canada that has 16 varieties of nutritious veggies. Along with the soup mix we provide seasonal produce from our organic farm, rice and a milk supplement for each severely malnourished child.

     

    Before a child is taken off this program, we make sure they are healthy and the parents are more equipped to care for and feed their children.  Their recovery can take from 4-8 months depending on the circumstances surrounding the child’s condition. With the help of dedicated Barangay health Workers (BHW), the children’s weight and home environment is monitored regularly. For some of these kids it is their first time eating veggies, so it takes time and persistence to help their bodies adjust to a proper balanced diet.

    The cost per child is $30 CAD per month. If you would like to help feed a child for one year or one month  DONATE HERE

  • Prayer and Fasting

    From Jenn: 

    Hope Organic Farm Video

    So many exciting things have been happening at Hope for the Island and we are only a month into 2017!  After our recent corporate prayer and fasting we have seen walls previously impenetrable start to come down!! Personal and ministry breakthroughs do come as we seek God and obey His Word.

    Hope for the Island Organic Farm faced quite a few challenges in
    2016, so we started off the year with a farm blessing. We gathered all Hope staff; local/foreign volunteers and a Pastor friend living close by.  We slaughtered and roasted a pig, shared a meal of thanksgiving and took time to pray over specific areas of struggle and over the farm property.  We also took time to pray over the farmers and bless them. It was a very moving time for all of us and it set us on a path of expectancy and joy for all that God has in store for this year.

    Not even the typhoon that welcomed in the New Year and extensively damaged the roofing on four of our buildings, could dim the excitement we all have in our hearts!

     

    We are currently launching our new Farm website at www.hopeorganicfarm.org . Our Swiss intern Dario has been a key player in putting all the information together and getting the website ready. As the ministry continues to aspire towards the goal of sustainability, this website will help us move more value added products across the Philippines like mushrooms, dried herbs, teas, meat rubs and marinades. I am excited to contribute to the farm blog on the site as well.

    At the end of 2016 we built a new goat / sheep shelter. Thankfully the goats and sheep were safe and dry through the typhoon. The shelter was designed with a birthing room and a milking room. This addition has allowed us to start experimenting with goat milk / cheese.  We hope to be selling it soon as an additional value added product at the farm!! Please pray as we continue to move towards reaching our goal of sustaining the ministries through farm sales and food produced to feed malnourished kids.

     

  • Cristina Year End Update

    From Cristina:

    God has been faithful through this last semester.  He continues to give me the ability to learn and absorb what is being taught.  The Lord is providing everything that is fulfilling the desires of my heart.  With each passing month I feel like my passion is growing and my heart is even more burdened for those who are destitute. I see Jesus’ life in the gospels in a more clear way. His humility and love for others was unmatched. I know the outcome of this Social Work degree is not going to be an occupation for me, rather a life calling.  It’s my prayer that I will be a bridge leading deprived people to the goodness of God.  Hosea 10:12 inspires me on during my studies.  We can never underestimate the power of a seed.  Planted seeds of love that are heart deep in ones life will bring impact.

    During my semester break I enjoyed some nice rest.  I was also able to view the needs we face at Hope for the Island with a different perspective.  I can see areas we can improve and be more effective. As I spent time with the people in the community, it is clear that they need to enhance their abilities and learn skills that can help them break out of the cycle of poverty.  As leaders at HOPE, we will be working to gradually implement aspects learned from my schooling.  We need to look ahead so that generations to come will have hope.

    Within Hope for the Island Malnourished program there are steps that we are taking to not only help restore the health of the child, but also to help prevent reoccurrence.  This comes from educating parents and guiding them to break free from poor habitual practices. Many superstitions held by the people contribute to the outbreak of many health problems.  It is our goal to see families become independent so that they can stand on their own once our support ends and the child is healthy.

    Teaching families with malnourished children how to plant in small areas surrounding their home is a practical way to have food that they can harvest rather than missing meals or borrowing money to look for food.  Spending recreational time with these families outside of follow up home visitations is also a great way to connect with them and build relationships.

    In each ministry we will continue to evaluate what are the greatest needs so we can accurately intervene and bless those God entrusts us to serve.  Thanks for the support and continue to pray for my schooling and success for Hope for the Island.

     

    Cristina Espanto