Hope For The Island

Author: Andrey Siganur

  • Two Sweet Little Girls

    From Jenn:

    For previous reports on this ministry click on this link: 

    I had the pleasure of driving Let to Del Carmen to follow up with two of the kids in our Hope for the Island Malnourished Program. We were so pleased to see them clean and happy.

    ELIZA

    Let had so much fun playing the peek a boo game with Eliza. She is 4 years old now and hasn’t progressed much in weight or height. You can definitely see that she interacts well with people and is quite a cheerful little girl. Her mom mentioned that she easily gets sick. Currently her asthma is acting up and she has a bad cough. I was so impressed by this mother. She has another daughter who is 2 years old and is quite healthy. This dear lady found Eliza on the side of the road! Her health has been a challenge from day one. She was very malnourished and her body was covered in skin diseases.  I thanked the mom for her constant love and care and encouraged her that many are praying that Eliza’s lung will become strong and she will gain weight.  (more…)

  • God’s Plan Marriage

    Mercy Ministry doesn’t always look the same at Hope for the Island. We recently had the awesome privilege of witnessing twenty-one couples get married. They were living together and had never been joined in holy matrimony.

    Please take the time to read Hope staff member Let’s account of how this came about. Two pastors from opposite parts of the world, Pastor Mozo from our island and Pastor Duane Siemens from Winnipeg, Canada, who was here with a team, got to be a part of God’s plan for these men and women.

    I have grown up believing that every child deserves a happy home.  Being with Hope for the Island for 8 years now, and involved with our Hope for the Island Learning Centre for 5 years, I have encountered many different kids in a variety of difficult situations.

    A seed was being planted in my heart every time I heard stories about kids being left alone by mothers who have to work. Some children are born out of wedlock or may not have proper documentations because they don’t have fathers present at birth. Years passed and I still felt nudges in my heart every time I heard of unwed couples with kids. (more…)

  • Marlyn

    Every once and a while we are blessed to get feedback and testimonies from those God allows us to minister to. Below is an unedited testimony shared by a woman who is dear to our heart.
    Marlyn
    Marlyn

    My name is Marlyn Espanto, a single parent of 7 children.Year 2004 when my husband decided to work in Manila because life is hard here in the province. Since the time he left he never came back for us again. Later on I found out that he is already living in with another woman and never even thought of us, his family.
    I don’t know what to do, having to feed 5 children under me since my eldest is already married and is living in another city, and the other one is a working student in Manila also. I started harboring hatred in my heart and then I started to learn how to drink, then neglecting my own kids as well.
    One day I just noticed that Joe one of my sons is always not at home during Saturdays. I usually scold him even spank him. One time tried to look for him and to my surprise I found him here at Hope for the Island. I saw him listening to the words of God together with the other kids and led by a staff from Hope.
    I cannot spank him nor scold him since then because for the first time again in a long time I have seen my son happy with all the smiles and coming home telling us even his other siblings all that he is learning. And his younger siblings taking so much interest as well. It became a joy in my heart hearing my children having those times of stories, and then I realized that I cannot guide them just by myself, so why not let God work out in the hearts of my kids through the Hope kids Bible study and snack times.

    (more…)

  • Mercy Ministry Report

    Hope for the Island continues to be a place where people from all over Siargao Island come to seek help and receive comfort and peace.  Acts of love and mercy create open doors that impact lives. Simple acts of care and concern look different for each soul we minister to. It can be cleaning and dressing wounds, providing assistance for health emergencies, giving meals to hungry widows, lending educational resources to students, feeding malnourished children, caring for pregnant mothers in need or initiating community service with kids and youth. These all establish a level of trust with locals and openness for deeper spiritual matters.
     (more…)

  • Love Never Fails

    1 Corinthians 13:8

    February was a month where “love” seemed to be in the air.  People make extra efforts to show love to those close to their heart. We focused our teaching this month on “Faith expressing itself through love.” Love is not only for those dear to us or for those who we feel are worthy of our love.

    Scripture is full of exhortations, challenges and rebukes when referring to God’s ultimate mandate to love Him and others.  It was our goal for these young people to grasp just how much God really loves them and provide opportunities for them to reveal God’s love to others.  (more…)