Hope For The Island

Author: Andrey Siganur

  • Joy Joy Update

    We apologize for the quality of these pictures sent from the hospital. The family is still in Cagayan de Oro where they travelled to seek medical care and a diagnosis. Our desire is to help you get a visual, as poor as it may be, of this precious young lady as she faces the fight of her life.

    After speaking by telephone to JoyJoy’s mother and the doctor, we have some new information.  The MRI shows that the tumor is approximately 6cm on the right side of her brain.  To complicate matters, she has hydrocephalus, which is a build up of fluid deep within the brain. This is the cause of her blindness and impairs her ability to walk and function. (more…)

  • JoyJoy and Lino Update

    The day we arrived home we quickly made our way to visit JoyJoy. She was so excited when she heard our motorcycle pull up. She was loudly calling for Makana and Brison to come quickly.

    We were all amazed how joy radiated from her face despite the fact that she is now blind and unable to walk.  She praised God that she has no pain even though doctors told her the pain would increase as the tumor grows.   It was incredible to witness the presence of God in JoyJoy as she expressed the increase of love and faith she has in God. Each day she worships, prays and listens to the Word of God.

    (more…)

  • Bottles For Board Shorts

    I have been passionate about Hope for the Island since my first visit in 2003. After marrying my husband, Shawn, in 2008 I talked about it enough to convince him to take a look for himself. In 2009 the two of us traveled to the Philippines for 3 weeks. Shawn is passionate about surfing and was delighted to surf with the local guys and even with Derek. I believe he was in the water so often that his neck needed some serious chiropractic work when we got home! His passion for Hope for the Island was ignited and we were now stronger together.

    When we returned home we had a group of friends and family over to talk about our trip and some needs of the ministry there. A generous friend was able to buy a new truck for Hope for the Island and others have become very committed to helping us ship boxes of supplies. My husband was never very excited about shipping food, school supplies or other necessities. His heart was still with the surfers and he wanted to find a way to pour into them.

    (more…)

  • Our Return Home

    Our journey back to our home and ministry has not gone as planned. We arrived in Manila for what was to be a short stop over on our way to Siargao Island. We were met with heavy monsoon rains that hit Manila. The rain and wind did not let up and soon Manila was flooded. We are thankful we made it to our hotel before the flood waters rose.

    Jenn and I remembered that many years before when we were newlyweds and had no children, we were also stranded in similar conditions. We had to wade through chest high disease filled waters to find safe ground and a route to transportation. We were fortunate to make it out safely, while many died from being sucked down open sewers.

    (more…)

  • Trip Update

    Our 5 months of travel within North America and living out of suitcases is coming to an end.  It has been an action packed trip filled with many emotions and experiences, all of which we thank God for.  Each step was met with God’s direction and provision.  As the days windup here, our family has been highly anticipating seeing our staff and getting back to life and ministry on Siargao Island. We did our final presentation of the trip recently in Langley, BC and we will fly home to the Philippines on August 16.

    First things first … A BIG thank you to all of you who made our North American trip possible and fruitful.  We appreciate everyone who hosted us and generously supported the need for rebuilding a new mission house.  Our goal was $55,000 USD and God faithfully provided!!  Any excess funds that may come in will go towards building a storm bunker.  We don’t want to be vulnerable in the face of another super typhoon.  The plan is for demolition of the old mission house and new construction to start in the late fall.   Upon arriving home, we will be busy catching up, hosting new interns and mission teams, as well as training six new junior staff from within the surrounding community.

    (more…)