Dear friends,
It was indeed a very busy July for us, and for our Philippine working staff as well!
• Wheelchair ministry: In our July newsletter, we featured Sis. Corita de la Cruz, a young mother of three who had stage 3 cervical cancer to whom we provided a wheelchair to help her move about. We likewise raised a special fund to help pay for her chemotherapy and hospitalization. We sadly inform you that she was taken home by the Lord last August 5 after a brief hospitalization. The family and her home church (Burgos Church)sincerely thanks us all for praying, giving and encouraging her in her last few difficult weeks of her life.
We helped settle her final expenses, and provided groceries/supplies for her children.
Let us continue praying for her children. The Burgos Church will continue to help them as well.
We gave another wheelchair this week to a polio victim, Sis. Ruth (at left), from Barahan Church, Occ. Mindoro. She has not been able to walk since birth due to polio. She is shown here receiving a bag of groceries which we distributed to the Barahan church members and immediate community as part of our emergency assistance after typhoon “Josie” hit Occ. Mindoro.
• Siruma Chapel Rebuilding project:
“The builders have arrived!!”
Shown below is Bro. Ben Formales, head of our Rebuilding Team (assisted by Arnel Gajolin, who took this picture). They arrived in Siruma last August 12, and immediately went to work – they met with the pastor/elders and finalized/ordered the bill of materials. The pastor, Bro. Jesrel Aberia, and the congregation were overjoyed! After years of patiently waiting and praying, God has sent His builders.
We thank God for IDES (International Disaster and Emergency Services, Illinois) which graciously provided the grant for the construction materials.
Several generous donors provided the needed amount to help us with the travel/operational expenses. PRAISE GOD INDEED!
Bro. Ben/Arnel reported that the materials have been delivered on the site, allowing initial digging to be done over the weekend. The carpenters, masons and laborers are scheduled to come and begin the major reconstruction work. The projected end date is sometime third week of September.
Let us continue to pray for them!
(Siruma is around two hours away fromNaga City, Camarines Sur)
(Masons putting up the wall)
• In addition to rebuilding the Siruma chapel, we also began the work on replacing the roof/ceiling of the Naga City church building. The roof has deteriorated beyond the point of repairs, and had to be totally replaced, which required considerable funding. We worked with Naga City church on a 50/50 partnership – they raised half of the cost from local donations.
!! BREAKING NEWS!!! TYPHOON “JOSIE”: We have just received news of widespread flooding and devastation caused by torrential non-stop rains brought by typhoon “Josie”. Large areas in Luzon, Metro Manila and Occidental Mindoro (see pictures at left) were under deep flood-waters. Several urgent requests for emergency assistance have been received by our local response team: for food supplies, groceries, clothing, livelihood and agricultural assistance (rice, corn and fishing boats) and house repairs. Several churches have also been severely damaged by flood waters.
IDES (International Disaster and Emergency Services, Illinois) has given us an initial ‘green light’ in assessing and estimating emergency assistance among priority areas we have identified. We have currently identified Occidental Mindoro as a starting point, and plan to provide “Livelihood Assistance” in the form of fishing boats and agricultural assistance (corn seedlings, and needed pesticides/fertilizers) which will help the farmers/fisherman recover their livelihood and move on with their lives. (Government assistance and NGO’s usually fill in the immediate day-by-day needs – food, water, clothes, shelter/sanitation. We intentionally schedule our assistance towards the latter part of the recovery process- helping the affected families get up and move on/provide for their long-term needs: livelihood and work.)
Please pray for those who have been affected/ displaced, and for provisions to help them. We need to raise $ 3,000 as part of our ‘Disaster Assistance’ operational funds. Please do help us raise this needed amount.
- CHILDREN FEEDING MINISTRY: we are continuing the street children feeding ministry in Sarangani City, South Cotabato, through the Spring Church and the local DSW (Dept. of Social Welfare) office. Bro. Bing Seguia , the church pastor, has conducted four feeding programs now, and is preparing to do a couple more programs among the indigenous B’lann Tribe.
• PREACHERS’ SUPPLEMENTAY SUPPORT MISSION – this ministry continues to be our ‘cornerstone’ mission. We continue to support eight (8) full-time pastors who have just recently finished their first “Real-Life” Discipleship course. The phase 2 of their Discipleship mentoring program has been moved to early 2019 because of conflicts of schedules. Thank you for your prayers and loving donations!
• FUNDS FORWARDING MISSION– We continue to help the following organizations/ churches by providing a US-based Christian 501-c-3 organization/forwarding agent:
a) Manila Bible Seminary – effective end- August, we will cease to function as the forwarding agent for MBS due to our lack of internal manpower. MBS will issue subsequent emails/Facebook updates.
b) San Fernando and Manena churches (Pampanga) – from several individual donors
c) Laguna churches – from a family donor
d) Romulo Memorial Resource Center (currently at the MBS compound) – We have decided to reorganize this effort, and will instead organize a “Romulo Memorial Scholarship Fund” effective schoolyear 2019.
(*Disclaimer: HFCF functions as a forwarding agent for the above churches/ organizations, but holds no oversight responsibilities over them. They directly report to, and are accountable to their individual private donors, and not to Harvest for Christ Foundation, Inc., whether in the US, or in the Philippines.)
Please do pray with us, and consider helping us, so we can meet all these needs, for God’s glory. Indeed, “… the fields are white and ready unto the harvest.”
Your fellow servants in the Lord’s harvest work,
David G. Romulo/Eli Cubol/Jonathan G. Romulo
Board of Trustees
Harvest for Christ Foundation, Inc.
(Harvest for Christ Foundation, Inc. is a (501)-c-3 organization, registered in New York State in 2004. All donations/ contributions may be used for tax deduction purposes. Our Federal ID number is 52-2396472.)
