From Jing:
As head teacher, I am very much grateful to God. He has always been our strength and our teacher and knows what is best for this ministry. He is always at work and we want to be sensitive in our response so as to see fruit and growth.
God reveals Himself in simple ways to children and they have grown to understand Him as a good Father that loves them. Parents testify how happy they are with our school. Students learn academics but also about Jesus, the name above all names. Students are applying what they have learned at school in their homes. They are taking the lead giving thanks before even a simple meal at their house. They remind their parents what God’s Word says during trials. Their parents are proud of them and God is using them mightily! Some students live in an environment that is not Christ centred. One or both parents may not be Christians or may be new in their faith. Parents testify that when their children hear someone cursing or they witness their father drunk, their response now is to pray and repeat what they have learned from their teacher and God’s Word.
Many families do not have consistent work. We have reassessed our ministry over the year and do not believe that hand outs foster ownership, pride or accountability. Low monthly tuitions do not even cover half of our operating costs but encourage parental responsibility and a serious attitude towards education. The monthly tuition fee for our Hope for the Island Preschool is 300 pesos if both parents work, 200 pesos if one parent works and 100 for the very poor. Approximately 40 pesos equal 1 Canadian dollar.
OUR 10TH YEAR
We are three months into our tenth year with a total of twenty-four pre-school students, thirteen young ones in Nursery (3 & 4 yrs. old) and eleven in Kinder 1 (4 & 5 yrs. old).
Most of our students come from indigent families and are impoverished. Their home life is not easy. They are poverty-stricken and may have only one parent or there may be only one working. Their grandparents, who are elderly and destitute as well, often raise them.
The typical livelihood is farming or fishing, which are totally dependent on and affected by weather. When it rains hard it is not safe for the fishermen to go out into the deeper areas of the ocean where there are more fish. Crops yield little harvest during these times as well. Income is minimal so there is often no food on the table for the family. We are blessed to be able to intervene and help students as young as three or four that would otherwise go through the day neglected.
Our desire is to give our students the very best start they can have in life to face the many challenges they will surely come up against. We have such an incredible opportunity to touch their lives and make a difference. As we fill the void that is left in their family and community, we have grown to love them and be blessed by their lives.
For a number of reasons, irresponsible parents may neglect themselves and their children. Many students are sent to school dirty and without breakfast or a snack. Some students are lacking attention at home and assignments are not given priority. We are moved as we witness these precious young ones strive to work hard and continue to be happy. Our young students model Christ’s love! As it becomes obvious that some do not have snacks, others share what they have.
We pray that each and every day our students would experience Jesus through our love, care and compassion. We have the joy of watching them develop and learn. We praise God for the fruit we witness in their lives. They are reading God’s Word and reciting the promises from it. Please pray with us that the window of opportunity we have during this school year will help develop Godly character in their lives and give them a new hope. When they graduate, they will leave our daily influence and enter the public school system with confidence and skills.
Students proudly sing our “School Anthem” written and recorded by Jenn’s mom Teresa. The final words say it all!
Thank you Jesus…Thank you Jesus… You have a plan for me…. To be the best I can be.
