Hope For The Island

Category: Outreach

  • Hope May Update

    Hope May Update

    Coming back into the Philippines, I was grateful for the strength God quickly restored to me. With an intensely busy start and an overwhelming heat wave I have needed His strength.

    Within the same day of my arrival three American young adults arrived at Hope for the Island ready to learn and serve alongside our team. They applied to be part of our new Mission Equip Program. This is something we were looking forward to re-start because of the impact it had on the participant and for the ministry and staff. We usually house those coming to serve in our mission cottage, but that was obliterated by the typhoon. Jeffrey, Abbey and Allysa have taken over our house along with Makana.  Jenn and I moved into the guest suite next door to give adequate space for them during their stay.

    A year and a half post typhoon, we are in a position where we have to replace housing that was destroyed. I have reached out to local and Chinese prefab companies for quotes on housing options. Update soon…

    A few days after arriving back at Hope, we had our first team meeting. Four of our long-term staff gave their notice. They informed me that God has opened opportunities for them to step out in faith to grow and serve in other ministry capacities.

    Jing, who has been with us since 2003 and her husband Randy have been regularly taking trips back and forth to his home place in Luzon since they got married.  He definitely has a gifted calling for Evangelism and regularly travels to preach in the Northern Philippines. Recently Randy was invited to Pastor a church that they have related to for some time. They felt a real peace from the Lord as they sought Him in prayer. Confirmation came with the timing of our return to Asia and the return of past leaders who have history serving at HOPE.

    We were thrilled to hear their excitement and truly bless them in these endeavors! Many, including our family, will miss Jing. She has been such a pillar of strength and leadership for so many years. 

    Jing will continue to serve on HOPE Board, and they will stay connected as our HOPE family, living and serving on another island.

    Nermilyn grew up in our HOPE ministries. HOPE is where she matured in Christ and ministry work. She has felt God preparing her to step into some new mission ventures off the island. She has been praying for this step for over a year and praying for someone who can step in to replace her. 

    Hannah too is venturing out soon. She has served on and off for many years and is ready to further her education at a great university in southern Mindanao.

    Each of them will be dearly missed, but we know we will see them again as Burgos is their hometown.

    We are trusting and believing God to direct those leaders He has already been preparing to join Hope for the Island. I anticipate welcoming into our family those who are ready to grow with us and lead out in the new ministries God has entrusted us with. I prayerfully look forward to introducing you to them in our next update.

    We have been in prep mode as well to receive a team of eight coming in from YWAM Maui May 1 for forty days!

    As you can imagine some flexibility is required to make space for everyone at HOPE. We are currently converting a living room into a bedroom to squeeze in four guys.

    Our Hope team is shifting around bed space to make available two of their current rooms to house the four girls. It is a joy to host visitors and show hospitality, more so in this culture and we are called to be hospitable!

    Thankfully, we were able to organize a way to receive teams. It has been a while and we have missed having them minister alongside us. They too will need to be flexible and learn new ways as they adapt to our current post typhoon set up.

    Ministry with the Police…Leaders at Hope have been asked to be on call to preach God’s word at the local Police Department.

    The day after I arrived Jerbie got a call to do just that! He arrived there excited and prayed up to speak God’s truth to those entrusted to serve and protect our community. The Police were very responsive and thankful for the encouragement and challenge that Jerbie brought them.

    Campus ministry is gaining momentum.  When we visit each high school, we share God’s word with the students. It is such a blessing to see those who normally wouldn’t be exposed to the Bible, hear it in a classroom setting. We challenge them to obey God’s word. We have continued to be invited back each time, praise the Lord!

    I met with the principal from a school on Siargao Island after our Grade 7 ministry time. She reiterated how thankful they are for this support. She went on to share the many challenges her students are facing in their academics and amongst peers. 

    Burgos is the town Hope for the Island is based in and where we do Campus ministry. We will be meeting with the principal next week to share our vision to start After School Clubs to disciple students and provide additional means for them to develop physically and grow in character.

    The clubs we are proposing to make available will include tutorial, music, volleyball, basketball, surfing and an adventurer club. It is our prayer these plans will be well received, and students can get school credit for their attendance and participation.

    We have moved forward testing the waters with afternoon volleyball and evening tutorial sessions. Students coming have been thrilled to overcome areas they have been challenged in. One group came looking defeated and walked away from Tutorial class determined and confident to present their thesis.

    One of those students, sent testimony back to Jerbie, praising God for a successful outcome. Tears ran down Jerbie’s eyes hearing that he was used by God to help someone overcome challenges.  I loved seeing his heart for Jesus and the fruit that comes from obedience to Christ. 

    “Stay up to date by following our Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hopefortheisland/

    We have been praying for growth in our Kid’s Ministry. We have been visiting and ministering to each child’s family in their home!

    The children are especially excited and happy by the visit. The families express gratitude and are inviting us to come back again! Those who repent and give their life to Jesus are being plugged into a Bible sharing group to ensure their growth!

    Saturday Kids Ministry report from Jing

    The boy in the red shirt is Roper Beloso. He has been coming to Kid’s Ministry each week since we started up in his village a couple of months ago. He expressed how he felt so loved and privileged when we chose to visit his house. He was skipping along quickly as he proudly guided us to his house. His adoptive parents were pleasantly surprised to see us and welcomed us into their home. We enjoyed talking and laughing together as we got to know them and hear their struggles. Roper spent time with Abbey outside. Abbey serves in our Mission Equip Program. This freed Randy and I to have the time needed to minister to the couple. They heard the living word of God and obeyed repenting of their sin, turning their hearts to Christ in faith. The harvest truly is plentiful Lord! We pray you bring forth your faithful workers to help!

    Grateful for your financial support and prayers. 

  • Hope for the Island sends out a Missionary

    Hope for the Island sends out a Missionary

    God has truly blessed Hope for the Island (HOPE) with a great servant hearted team. Jerry and Ching are two of those servants living on the HOPE compound with their two kids Princess and Prince.

    I still remember many years ago when Jerry and Ching were struggling with many things in their lives. They responded to the love of Jesus and experienced His salvation healing and started the journey to restoration. They desperately wanted to honor the Lord and be married. Unfortunately, like most struggling with poverty on our island, the costs hindered all wedding dreams. That set into motion prayers and plans to organize a mass wedding to make these dreams come true for so many that wanted to obey God in marriage. It was the most beautiful day at HOPE!!   

    Jerry and Ching have served full time at Hope since then. Jerry faithfully works as head of HOPE maintenance and is involved in outreaches within communities. Through the years HOPE has supported a number of our team to be educated and attend discipleship training schools with YWAM. Empowering our team and providing exposure has proven fruitful in many ways. Jerry has long desired to join a mission trip to Borneo, especially after Jing and Nerm had such a great trip with Jenn and I in 2018.

    Derek Van Ryckeghem

    Here is Jerry’s testimony from the trip he went on with Johnny, my friend from Hawaii and I in Jan/Feb 2020.

    Borneo trip video

    “First of all I thank our Almighty God for all the experiences and privileges He allowed in my life this year. I also thank God for all the people that God used to bless and enable me to go to Malaysia Borneo to serve the Penan with Kuya Derek and his friend Johnny.

    It was my first time to ride a plane. I was a little nervous at first but quickly became comfortable in what became a 12-flight journey.


    I was told to expect trials and to be flexible. The tests started already at Manila immigration. The officers gave me a hard time because I was considered a risk because it was my first time to travel. They harshly interrogated me for so long. I hadn’t even passed through security check point and our flight was already boarding. I was looking for Kuya Derek because they were asking me for a visa even though I didn’t need one. At that moment I asked God if it was His will for me to go to Malaysia. I saw Kuya Derek calling me over to the head office of immigration. Kuya signed papers guaranteeing my return and the chief of immigration allowed me to go. As we ran to the plane that was waiting for us, I was so thankful to God because He didn’t allow the enemy to prevail. I was overjoyed to face and overcome such a trial.
    When we got to Kuala Lumpur I was faced again with a barrage of questions and escorted to a room with many others immigration was concerned to clear. I felt a little more relaxed knowing God is with me. I believe God will never leave me at that time. Joshua 1:9 and Psalm 27:1 was the verses I held onto in my heart that I shouldn’t be afraid. These Immigration tests were the best challenges I faced in a long time.


    After many planes, 4×4 land travel and a 3-hr upriver boat trip we made it into the rainforest to spend time with the Penan. Even though I was raised on a simple island, it was my first time to sleep in a hammock surrounded by jungle. I was not able to sleep right away, because I’m not used to it. Birds were chirping loudly and then the noisy insects started. I wasn’t able to sleep till midnight. I woke up to many different birds chirping. I laid there for a long time happy to listen. They have different ways of singing early in the morning in worship and thanksgiving to Jesus God.

    I was amazed with the beauty of God’s creation in the forest. God created all the trees bearing fruit and medicine for man and animals. God takes care of all, feeding them with His plants. I was overwhelmed with excitement at that time to experience a wild forest and to hunt and search for all our food.

    My excitement slowly changed with the first leech sucking my blood. Every 5 steps I checked my legs to see if there is a leech on my legs because there are so many. The other challenge was trying to navigate with no paths we can follow. We forged our own path or followed animals’ trails. It was wet and slippery climbing steep mountains with heavy bags. I was full of sweat with all the climbing which attracted all the bugs. At that time, my mind was stirring with thoughts of giving up. My heart didn’t want to surrender. My heart encouraged my body that I can do it, because every challenge has a purpose and an end. That is only a little challenge in reality.

    We came across what Parry (Derek’s friend guiding us) called the king tree.  Many smaller trees and plants are intertwined growing together and out of the massive king tree. It was something special to witness and touch. God made me very aware how he takes care and sustains all creation. I just need to rest in that truth and trust and praise Him like the rest of creation does.

    After long days of trekking, we looked for a suitable place to hang hammocks and make camp. We gathered wood for fire, many of which were wet but burn well when the bark is stripped off. I went to the river to throw nets with Parry for our dinner. We got a good catch of fish and frogs that I cleaned. Kuya Derek went out at night with Parry to hunt. They came back with a big wild boar. They had to drag the 100-kilo pig for 2 hours through the forest to camp. Watching it made me so happy and excited with what I was experiencing in the forest. In the morning I had to look for firewood to smoke the meat so it’s not too heavy to be divided and carried. The life of animal and plant is valued here and we God thanked for graciously providing.

    After 6 days in the forest God led us to the village of Long Kerong. It wasn’t our initial plan, but God had other plans. Before entering the village, we met a family Kuya Derek is close to. This kind couple are the ones who gave Kuya his Penan name Lakei Payau (Deer Man). They were harvesting rice at that time. They gave us many kinds of fruit when they saw us.


    When we got to the village, I was amazed with the fruit trees that surround it. So many fruits only found in the jungle. Witnessing the abundance, I said to myself, “wow God your love for these people is so great, because these people never go hungry like we do in Philippines. They have everything, actually they have too much because many fruits fall and get rotten on the ground. They actually don’t need money because they have rice, fruits and animals to hunt. They only need to work hard which is common for all Penan including women and children.

    As each day ended my heart was overwhelmed with joy. The heart of these people is so hospitable and the world they live in so beautiful and full of life. They only understand a few English words, but hand signals helped with communication. It turned out we arrived at the village at the right time. Many were not feeling well and risked losing their unharvested rice to the birds. We arrived full of strength and ready to serve. Kuya Derek and I harvested rice for 3 days. One of the highlights for me was to teach the Penan something new. They have some coconut trees around the village, but they didn’t know the many benefits from it. On my island in Philippines it is covered with coconut trees. I taught them how to best climb and prepare the stock to gather vinegar. I learn so much from the Penan; so, I was happy to help them a little.

    Kuya Derek also had special time connecting with the elders and the local Pastor to encourage them in God’s word. HOPE is praying for God to restore His good purpose and the God honoring cultural principles that the Penan once thrived in. They are trusting God despite the trauma faced. The uncertainty of whether the remainder of their home in the forest will be logged next is a threat always before them.

    As our final days in the rainforest came to a close, I became very excited to be back with my family. From long Kerong we started walking to Long Suit where a 4×4 was supposed to be waiting to take us on 3-hour trip on logging roads to the small airstrip. It was a 2 day and 2 night walk through overgrown forest. We were lost on our way to the river a couple of times. It seemed like we may not make it on time due to getting lost and bushwhacking.
    When we finally got to the river that led us to Long Suit I was grateful to God he gave us strength and joy.

    Then as expected I faced another challenge to end off right 🙂 Arriving at the airport I found out my International flight to Philippines was cancelled. Worry started to overwhelm me especially that it was the start of Corona virus. As God only can do, a flight option was presented to me last minute. Before Kuya Derek and I parted ways, he accompanied me to immigration. We had time to pray together, thank God for all He did on this trip and for His grace to lead us home. I was overcome with peace reflecting on God’s goodness. All the challenges that I faced assured me of the gift of faith God has given me. For me, life with challenge has always been normal. These new tests were very important for my growth. We should appreciate all the trials that we will face, because through obedience in trials God is glorified and does amazing works.

    God bless us all
    Jerry Tulisana

  • Del Carmen Health Fair

    Hope for the Island recently partnered with the Municipality of Del Carmen during their Health Fair.  The theme tied in with our Prenatal and feeding programs that focus on helping children get a healthy start in life. It excites us to be a part of programs that minister to those in need!  (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.