We don't heal in isolation, but in community.
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common." (Acts 2:42-44)
To multiply our efforts, our family and the Children's Shelter of Cebu often partner with others. We do this to more effectively spread the Gospel message and to share the love of Christ, as well as to address the root causes of the problems affecting Filipinos.
Roberto regularly speaks at different churches around Cebu City and is officially part of the preaching team at Living Word IT Park. When he isn't preaching, he's often leading worship. These church partnerships are not only important for our own family's spiritual nourishment and accountability, but they provide avenues for the kids at CSC to serve and be served. Strengthening the local church, and being a part of it, is engrained in the fabric of CSC.
We also work with the Rotary Club of Cebu to address community needs, respond to calamities, and address some of the root causes of generational poverty (access to clean water, health care, education, etc.).
LIVING WORD IT PARK: COUPLE'S OUTREACH
This past May 1, the folks of Living Word IT (LWIT) Park held a one-day mini-VBS at CSC. All of the kids had a great time enjoying the food, fun, and fellowship. Everyone that attended heard a preaching from LWIT's youth pastor, Pastor Nigel Ong, before breaking out into small groups for discussions and group games. Later in the day, everyone was treated to food and activities like "design your own slippers," "design your own bag," "pinoy (Filipino) games," and even a basketball clinic and physical fitness exercises.
Our hope and prayer is that this partnership with Living Word IT Park could continue to strengthen with this mini-VBS becoming an annual (if not more frequent) event. The event was spearheaded by LWIT's Couple's Fellowship. There were 16 couples/families in attendance, each one taking charge of a group of 4-6 kids from CSC. Below is a video that will hopefully give you a glimpse of what the event was like:
CITRINELAND RUN FOR GIFT OF LIFE
In the Philippines, medical problems can be devastating for families. Without the same social safety-nets available in developed countries like the US, many families are barred from access to even simple treatments and medical procedures. This makes many medical conditions a death sentence, even if effective treatments exist.
That's why, on May 7th, our family and the Children's Shelter of Cebu participated in the CitrineLand Run For Gift of Life. The most common type of birth defect in the world is a congenital heart defect (CHD). In the Philippines, roughly 20,000 children are born each year with this type of defect. That's 55 children per day.
Our family and CSC ran the CitrineLand Run For Gift of Life to raise money for treatments that correct congenital heart defects, as well as raise awareness among Filipinos that if they have a child born with CHD, there is help out there for them. The event had five distances: 21k, 10k, 5k, 3k, and 1k. Most of our children ran the 3k distance, with quite a few running the 5k (like our daughter, Juana) and the 1k. Even some of our special needs kids participated, proudly completing the 1k to help other kids in need.
It was a fun morning, and a great opportunity for everyone to get outside and do something that benefitted the entire community.
PREACHING
In case you're curious and would like to hear one of Roberto's sermons, below is a video of a sermon he recently gave at Living Word IT Park. Others can be found on our family's YouTube channel.
Prayer Requests:
The end of the school year is fast approaching. Please pray that Heather and the kids can finish strong!
Tessiana will be attending the University of Northwestern, St. Paul in the Fall. This means that this coming Summer, she will be transitioning back to the States. Please pray for our family as we make this new adjustment, and pray that Tessi is able to acclimate well to life in the US.
At CSC, we recently (just one week ago) took in a sibling group of three. One of the kids, a boy, has various issues caused by a brain injury and fluid around one side of his brain. Last week he was able to receive surgery. Please pray for his recovery and that this surgery will solve many of the problems he has caused by this build up of fluid.
Praise Report:
Over the past year, Roberto has experienced a mysterious illness on and off. By the grace of God, we seem to have figured out what was causing his symptoms, and for the past couple of weeks he has been his old self again. Please pray that this is the long-term solution that we have been praying for.
Thank you all again for praying with us, and for your encouragement, love, and support. May the Lord's blessings be with you all!
Learn more about the Children's Shelter of Cebu here.
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