Meeting the Orphans: Jenneylyn

For quite some time now, many people have been asking for the stories of each of the children at Rosemary's Home of Hope. I've been telling myself I am going to break it down, and introduce one child at a time on this blog, but I just haven't gotten around to it. In December of last year, I wrote down each of their stories for twenty of the now twenty-three children.
Without further adieu... let's meet..

     Jennelyn!

  Of course I don't have favorites, because each child is precious, one of a kind, & truly a blessing; but, with that being said, Jennelyn is kinda my favorite (shhh!).

I met Jennelyn on my very first trip to visit Rosemary's Home of Hope, and fell. in. love. immediately.
                      Seriously, can I not bring her home yet?
Jenneylyn is also known as "Tornado," and it doesn't take long after meeting her to figure out the reasons why. She is one of the most bubbly, full of life, and energetic five years old I have ever met! I met her when she was just three years old in March of 2012. She had only been at the orphanage since the fall of 2011, but already you could see the Lord working remarkably in her life. Each time I visit Rosemary's, one of my biggest prayers is that God would continue to break my heart for them. Jennelyn's story, as well as the other children's stories, always break my heart. When I see their sweet smiles and embrace their loving, never ending hugs, I cannot help but think, how in the world could someone not love them.

Jennelyn's mother was a prostitute in the city. She was left homeless on the beach, and often given alcohol as a small toddler. Her mother made it habit of putting out cigarettes on Jennelyn's body, as well as biting her, both leaving scaring on her small body. At age two, in 2011, her mother gave her to a pastor, who brought her to the orphanage, and told him "This is my daughter. Do with her whatever you want."

As I write this, tears still spill out of my eyes as I think of where she came from, and where she is today. She has the most adorable, contagious giggle that will melt your heart. Ever heard of people who smile even with her eyes? She's got that down pat. I have to believe her love of life comes from her love for Jesus, and her understanding of a true Father's love. 

For more pictures of Jenneyln, and more information on Roseymary's Home of Hope, as well as updates on how the Lord is using me in the Philippines, please visit Hope for the Hopeless Ministry.

He heard my cry.

Hey y'all! 

I pretty much feel like my Philippines updates have been a little all over the place lately, and you know what? 

They pretty much have.

One minute we are planning to still go in December.

The next we're not.

A couple of days after the storm devastated the island of Leyte, I was informed that we would not be able to travel to our orphanage in December like we had planned. I briefly mentioned it over here, but y'all, if I'm being honest, I was just really, really upset. In my mind the things I was being told made sense. 

It's too dangerous.

The roads are impassable.

There is no food or water.

Electricity may not be restored for over a year.

There's still bodies everywhere.

But in my heart.....

my heart just wasn't having it. 

I had peace in knowing that if it was truly meant for me to go see my sweet babies at Rosemary's Home of Hope in December, God would make a way.

All I could do was pray.

And pray.

And pray some more.

I would be lying if I told you that these past couple of weeks haven't been a wild, emotional ride for me.

I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'm still convinced God is doing something bigger than I've even dreamed up in this heart of mine.

I've felt restless.

Helpless.

Full of energy to do something about the destruction that struck the people I love so much.

They are family.

And with everything inside of me, I want to be there.

I want to hug them, and tell them it's all okay.

I want to lift a hand where I can.

Carry food and water to the famished.

God, use me. Wherever and with whatever, just use me.

That has been my prayer.

As of now, myself, a friend of mine, and hopefully a gentleman who knows a little something about building, will be leaving around December 11.

It will be a super short trip, but I know it will be worth it.

I have a feeling God has something huge in store. 

The rebuilding will probably not begin until after the first of the year.

It is our job to go in December, assess the situation, and analyze what materials we will need to begin the process.

I'm so excited for this opportunity, and unbelievably grateful that God saw my heart, and answered my prayers. 

To help out with funds needed for travel expenses & rebuilding, please see the following:

• Visit the official page of Rosemary's Home of Hope at www.rosemaryshomeofhope.com and select
• Visit the Support link listed above. All donations given on this site will be used to directly assist relief efforts and rebuilding, as well as travel costs for my December trip.
• Purchase a Rosemary's Home of Hope T-Shirt @ the Store. Not only will all proceeds be given to Rosemary's Home of Hope, but it's also a super great way of raising more awareness for our home in the Philippines.
• **For more information, please visit http://www.hopeforthehopelessministry.com/blog.html

Philippine Typhoon Relief: We need your help!

the main building of our home soon after the typhoon hit

It's been just over a week since the typhoon hit the island of Leyte. As the days pass since the storm, the death toll continues to rise, and devastation continues to reveal itself. Our orphanage, Rosemary's Home of Hope, is located on the island of Leyte, in the remote village of Kananga. Although we did not receive a great deal of flooding, we took a heavy hit with wind damage. With winds reaching 230 miles an hour or more, it is a miracle in itself that our orphanage is even still standing. Taking shelter in our home that day was 21 children, our orphanage staff, and over 30 families from the village. 

Three days after the storm passed, we finally received word from Steve, one of our caregivers at the home, that they were all safe, and only received damage to our roofs and church. As you will see in the pictures below, the damage done to our buildings was not all minor, and is in need of repair as soon as possible. Our church is completely gone, and out of our four buildings (main building, dining hall, boys dorm, girls dorm), only the girls dorm still has a roof. Right now, we are trying to fund makeshift roofs, simply to get something over their head. It is raining on the island again, and we hope to prevent our children getting sick.

The most pressing issue right now however, is the lack of food. The island basically only has rice since the storm passed, and it's not enough for all of the people. Yesterday, Steve went to the island of Cebu to try and find a better supply so that he can go back home, feed our orphanage, and begin helping the village. They are hoping to soon set up somewhat of a relief center at the orphanage so that those who have had no food can be fed, before they all become extremely famished. 

our church. Steve, our caregiver & Filipino pastor stated "at 7:10 the church flew away!"

dining hall. .this is the building where everyone was staying during the storm

I'm asking you to please consider giving financially to help us provide for our orphans and our village. Any donations you make will be tax deductible, and will be greatly appreciated by us all.

Your donation will go to:

• provide food for the orphans & staff
• help to feed the people of the village
• provide a makeshift roof
• begin making repairs
• any unforeseen emergency needs

For all donations, please click here.

Our hearts and prayers continually go out to the Filipino people. Please continue to pray for their guidance, and God's sovereign plan through it all.

**For continual updates please visit here.

Missions Monday: Q & A

Meet Carlos. One of my sweet babies at UDH. This picture was take July 2010

Hi friends. I am so happy to be here with you again this Monday night. I had something really special planned for tonight's post, but unfortunately it hasn't happened yet, so please stay tuned. Hopefully, I will be back later this  week, or at the latest next Monday, and will get to share something pretty special. Folks, I promise you do not want to miss out, so make sure you are checking back in.

  Recently, it seems I have more often  been approached with questions about the Philippines, and what I do while I'm there. I have realized that sometimes I  unintentionally forget to mention things that you all might want to know about. Usually I don't mention the basic stuff because tit either happened a while back, or it is things I have become so accustomed to that I might assume everyone else already knows too. For those questions, I will be dedicating a post very soon. I hope to address several things, and give an even deeper insight into the work God has been doing in my heart with the Philippines, and His work. Please comment below or email me (for those of you who wish to remain more anonymous)  with all kinds of questions. It can be about the Philippines and mission work, but it can also be about my personal life, and who I am. I want you all to know the person behind the computer who writes these posts, so the sky is the limit!

Also, I have asked my family to share on this space how God has worked in them through Him sending me across the world. I am asked all. the. time. "what does your family think about you going to the Philippines all the time?" So, you will all find out soon ;)

I want to leave you all today with a few pictures from recent trips. I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to ask away!

Much love.

 

PS

To see the rest of the pictures, please visit www.hopeforthehopelessministry.com

Missions Monday: on selflessness

Today, I'm sharing my heart on selflessness over on my site hopeforthehopelessministry.com. 

Here's a quick preview of it.

It would make my heart extremely happy if you would head on over to my site and read the rest of it here, as well as read of what God is doing in my life through my ministry.

MISSIONS MONDAY. For a few weeks now God has really been moving on my heart to do a weekly post specifically on mission work. I hope to make this something you all can count on, and will be a token of encouragement for each of your hearts. Who knows..maybe we might even start a link-up soon where you can tell me what God lays on your heart about mission work as well.

As the days count down (25 to be exact) until I leave for the Philippines, I begin to make my final lists of things I need to do and buy before I leave for my trip. I just purchased my newest addition to my journal collection (thanks Etsy), and I have been exploring the internet often for a durable, back friendly backpack (suggestions welcome). The anticipation continues to build as I get more information about my trip, and connect with friends who will also be joining BTEA for our two week mission in Manila, Philippines.

continued here...........