Prayers,
God's Word, a lit candle, bread, grape juice, flowers and cheese
graced each table as children,
parents, families celebrated 9 years of God's provision through
a Lord's Day celebration.
This
is a Christianized Jewish passover ceremony which draws everyone
into a spirit of thanksgiving.
Bright
beautiful blue table settings and catering services were shared
generously by the Quijano family, making the event truly
special.
Everyone
was in high spirits! The kids loved having their pictures
taken and squealed in delight when they viewed themselves on
the volunteers' digital cams. They could hardly stay on
their seats with all the excitement going on!
Meanwhile,
the Lingkod ng Panginoon, a single young professionals community,
provided the upbeat Christian music.
The
volunteers were also in a joyful mood. I met Joanna Raganit,
26, one of the faithful volunteers since 2001. She heard
about He Cares from her sister Weng who has been serving in
the center for quite some time already.
She
says, "Fulfilling mag-volunteer, masaya". She
recounted a time when they were feeding the kids with rice and
meat. One child finished up all his rice and went back
for a refill. Joanna noticed he didn't touch his meat.
When he finished his second helping of rice (with a bit of ketchup
for flavor), he wrapped up his meat to give to his father.
Joanna has learned to appreciate so many things she takes for
granted because of her experiences with these kids.
Sometimes
she says, they have to partition the softdrinks so they could
taste it as this was already a treat for them.
During
the past summer, she and other volunteers, her sister Weng,
Debbie, Melanie, Anna and others, would go to the He Cares village
in Montalban to tutor the kids there. The hardest part
was getting there as it was so far but this was something they
did in shifts to help the scholars of He Cares.
My
anniversary would not be complete if I had not met Aling Letty
and her 5 children. Her kids names all started with "J".
Joyce Ann, Joanna Marie and John Carl (picture at right) were
all hoping to have sponsors so they could do well in school.
Specially
touching to my spirit was the photos of the different events
and programs by Dr. Mae that have been steadily gaining support
and growing little by little through the struggles and efforts
of the He Cares team (and of course by God's grace).
Music
and riotous raffles and presentations lasted on through the
night, making it one of the most memorable anniversaries of
the foundation ever! Thank You Lord for 9 years of your
provision to the He Cares Foundation!
by
Christina Alejandro, volunteer
*If
you like writing and have time to do articles for the He Cares
website and e-mail newsletter, please
contact us so more people can be inspired by the great stories
of faith that happen daily at He Cares Foundation.
children,
parents, families celebrated 9 years of God's provision through
a Lord's Day celebration.
Meanwhile,
the Lingkod ng Panginoon, a single young professionals community,
provided the upbeat Christian music.
My
anniversary would not be complete if I had not met Aling Letty
and her 5 children. Her kids names all started with "J".
Joyce Ann, Joanna Marie and John Carl (picture at right) were
all hoping to have sponsors so they could do well in school.
